Fully Devoted: CreationSample

God Created Us

As modern readers, it can be easy to miss how intricately creation was crafted in Genesis 1. But when we look at this story in its original language, we can see its brilliant structure.

The majority of the creation story takes place over six days, with God’s work completed by the seventh day. The first three days show us that God formed spaces—day and night; sky and surface; and land and seas. On days three through five, we see God filling these spaces with good things: vegetation; the sun, moon and stars; and living creatures.

Then, on day six, the pattern seems to break. It is on this day—as the climax to the creation story—that God created human beings. 

There is something special about the way God created human beings. God created human beings in His image.

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image ...” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them ... Genesis 1:26-27 NIV

The God of everything created human beings in His image. This means that every person has a spark of the divine—that every human being was created to be a picture of God. This is true of all people. 

This means that you are created by God with purpose, dignity, and value. And it’s not because of what you do, but because of the God who made you. 

Do you believe that about yourself? Do you believe that about others? 

Genesis 2 shows us even more of the uniqueness of being human: 

Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:7 NIV

God sculpted us from dirt and breathed life into us. He created us in His image, filled us with His breath, and tasked us with the responsibility to partner with Him in ruling over creation. 

Each day before this, God would look at all He had created and call it good. But after creating people, He says something slightly different—this time, He calls it very good. 

We are human beings, made in the image of God, filled by the breath of God, created with dignity, value, and purpose. 

Journaling Questions  

• Write down a verse from today’s reading in your journal. What do these chapters tell us about what it means to be human? 
• Do you believe you were created on purpose, for a purpose, by a purposeful God? Why or why not? 
• What would change about your life if you saw yourself as God’s image-bearer?

Memory Verse

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27 NIV