Although the human race is the pinnacle of God's creative work, it shares the inherent limitations of the physical realm. Human beings are nevertheless given responsibility to manage and steward the world.
The human race is an integral part of the physical creation
The human race was created from the ground
Genesis 2:7 The Hebrew word for man, “adam” sounds like the Hebrew word for ground “adamah”. See also Genesis 3:17–19; Job 10:8–9; Psalm 103:13–14
Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.
The human race was created on the same day as the animals
The human race was created from dust like the animals
The human race is set apart from the rest of creation
The human race is uniquely created in God's image
Genesis 5:1–2 See also Genesis 1:26–27, Genesis 9:6; James 3:9
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in His own likeness. Male and female He created them, and He blessed them. And in the day they were created, He called them “man.”
The human race is given authority to take care of creation
Genesis 1:26–28 See also Genesis 2:15, Genesis 9:1–3; Psalm 8:3–8; Hebrews 2:5–8
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”
The human race is created with the power of choice
Genesis 2:16–17 See also Genesis 2:19
And the LORD God commanded him, “You may eat freely from every tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”
Human beings are created accountable to God for their actions
Matthew 12:36 See also Ezekiel 18:20; John 3:18–19; Romans 2:14–15; Revelation 2:23
But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.
The human race is created dependent upon God
Matthew 4:4; 2 Corinthians 3:5 See also 2 Chronicles 20:12; Jeremiah 10:23; James 4:13–15
But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.
The human race comprises two complementary genders
Genesis 2:18–24 See also Genesis 1:26–27, Genesis 5:1–2
The LORD God also said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper.” And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and He brought them to the man to see what he would name each one. And whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he slept, He took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the area with flesh. And from the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him. And the man said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man she was taken.” For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
The human race is one entity with a common ancestry in Adam
Acts 17:26 See also Genesis 9:18–19, Genesis 10:32–11:1
From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.