Scriptural Background
Genesis 1:26 records the creation of the first living human—the crowning point and finishing touch of God’s creation. Man, both male and female, are brought to life in the midst of all the good things God had created.
Imagine the awesomeness and comfort in the beauty Adam and Eve saw. And Adam would soon know that God’s intention was for him to have dominion over it all.
The creation of Adam and Eve was much different from anything else God created. We know that God commanded everything into existence: “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3), “Let there be an expanse” (Genesis 1:6), “Let the dry land appear” (Genesis 1:9), “Let the earth sprout vegetation” (Genesis 1:11), and so on. But Scripture tells us that man is unique. This part of God’s creation was not commanded into existence like all the others were, but was lovingly overseen by the
Triune God: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). God’s sovereign plan demanded that this part of his creation be comprised of soul and spirit—created in his image. This creature of God’s would walk with him, talk with him, and one day be redeemed by him.
As we move to Genesis 2, we are introduced to more of the history of the creation week: “These are the generations [history] of the heavens and the earth when they were created . . .” (Genesis 2:4). People may suggest that Genesis 2 contradicts Genesis 1. However, this is not a different creation account, but a detailed account of the sixth day. In Genesis 2, God recounts for us the specific circumstances surrounding the creation of Adam and Eve. We learn that he formed
Adam from the dust of the ground and breathed life into him—making him a living being (Genesis 2:7). God wisely decreed that man should not be alone (Genesis 2:18). This led to Adam naming the animals—the beasts of the field and the birds of the air (Genesis 2:19). After Adam named the various animals, it was clear there was no helper comparable
to him (Genesis 2:20). But God had a solution. He formed Eve from Adam’s side, bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, to walk with him as a suitable, comparable helper (Genesis 2:21–23). In creating Eve for Adam, God instituted the sacred covenant of marriage, establishing that a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife so that the two shall become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). One man for one woman was God’s plan for marriage from the beginning (Mark 10:6–9).
This exclusive revelation, given to Moses through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was provided for our edification so that we would know him and his omnipotence. What a privilege that he would share with us such details! But in order to appreciate the blessing of God’s Word, we must have faith and believe it is our final authority, our only foundation, and our starting point to discern truth from error. He tells us, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the
word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible” (Hebrews 11:3).
Historical/Apologetics Background
We know that the truth of God’s creation and the unique way he made Adam and Eve is in direct opposition to the idea of evolution. The image on the next page is one used quite frequently to illustrate the “science” behind evolution—presenting as fact the story of human evolution from ape-like creatures over the past several million years. But we can’t believe everything we see. Despite its iconic status and widespread use, this image is not based on evidence, but on imagination. Actually, there are very few fossil remains of men or apes (about 95% of the known fossils are marine
invertebrates like clams, snails, squid, starfish, worms, corals, etc.).
In fact, many of the fossils of so called human ancestors consist of little more than fragments of bone, yet they are touted by the science journals and media as “proof” of human evolution. Upon closer examination,all of these finds are either true apes or true humans—not something in
between.
The chart below presents alleged human relatives and how creation scientists might classify them:
Alleged Human Relative Creationist Classification Australopithecus extinct ape
afarensis (such as “Lucy”)
Australopithecus africanus extinct ape
Australopithecus boisei extinct ape
Australopithecus robustus extinct ape
Pan troglodytes and Pan living ape
paniscus (chimpanzee)
Gorilla gorilla and Gorilla living ape
beringei (gorilla)
Pongo living ape
pygmaeus and Pongo abelii
(orangutan)
Ramapithecus extinct ape (extinct orangutan)
Homo habilis false category that mixes some human and some ape fossils
Homo floresiensis (the “hobbit”) human (dwarf, pygmy)
Homo ergaster
Homo erectus (e.g., “Peking man” and “Java man”) human
Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthals) human
Archaic Homo sapiens human
Modern Homo sapiens human
Studying God’s Word
?How does evolution undermine the doctrine of marriage?
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Adam & Eve
Genesis 2:4–25
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1 Corinthians 11:7–9
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1 Corinthians 15:47–49
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1 Timothy 2:13
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Marriage
Mark 10:1–9
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Two Creation Accounts? Activity
Skeptics of the authority of the Bible have suggested that the
accounts of the creation week given in Genesis 1 and 2 contradict
one another. Using the challenges below, develop responses to the
skeptics using God’s Word, especially Genesis 1 and 2, to support
your explanations.
CHALLENGE: Genesis 1 says that the land animals were created
before mankind, but Genesis 2:19 says God formed the animals
and brought them to Adam, who had already been created, and
then formed Eve later. (Hint: note that the ESV, NIV, and Tyndale
translate the passage “God had formed every beast,” while some
other translations such as NASB and NKJV say, “the Lord God
formed every beast.”)
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CHALLENGE: Adam could not have named millions of species of
animals in just part of one day.
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Application
? 1. What forms of “marriage” do we see in society today, and what
is the biblical error in those forms of relationships?
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? 2. How should we relate to people we know who are living
in relationships that are sinful (e.g., adultery, fornication,
homosexuality)?
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? 3. Many people, Christians included, seek to make an argument
for biblical marriage based on statistics of “healthy and happy”
families. Is this an adequate argument to make? Why or why not?
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? 4. When discussing the state of marriage in the West, should we
say that we desire a return to traditional marriage or biblical
marriage? Why or why not?
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? 5. How can you help Christians who believe in the evolution of
mankind to see the error of thinking that Adam and Eve evolved
from animal precursors?
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? 6. Abortion and euthanasia are important topics in the world we
live in. How does the truth from Genesis 1 and 2 help us to have
an answer for how to deal with these situations?
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? 7. If you ever hear from a skeptic that Genesis 1 and 2 contradict
one another, how can you respond to that claim?
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Prayer Request
- Praise God that we can reflect a small part of his character to those around us.
- Ask God for wisdom and boldness in proclaiming the truths of his Word.
- Thank God for his care and love demonstrated in creating mankind.
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