Great VersesSample

The first command that God gave the human race

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

In Genesis 1:28, we come to the very first command that God gives the human race. It is twofold: First, be fruitful. Second, have dominion over the earth. It is noteworthy that both commands the image of God that was stated in Genesis 1:27.

Because we are image bearers of God, we get to share in God’s work of creating human life and ruling over creation. Both commands reflect our identity as image bearers of God.

It is striking that God’s very first command involves sex. The point of the command is not the act of sex itself, but creating children. God tells us to be fruitful and multiply. However, the command inherently involves the sex act. When it comes to sex, God is no Scrooge. He created it. Sex is God’s idea, God’s creation, God’s gift. Within the context of marriage, sex is wholly good.

The second command is the charge to rule over the earth and everything in it. This is often referred to as the “cultural mandate.” We have the privilege of ruling over creation, but our rule is not the rule of an owner, it is the rule of a steward. We rule as God’s representatives. This is our calling as humans: to be fruitful and rule over creation.