Male and female he created them
Genesis 1:27 - God created mankind in His own image, and He created them in male and female sexes.
Genesis 1:29 as depicted by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.
“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
About a month ago I studied another verse from Genesis (1:29), and today we’re back in the first book of the Bible looking at the verse where God creates “mankind in his own image”.
I confess that for most of my life, I believed the evolution story: Out of nothingness came subatomic particles, then atoms, which formed molecules, which formed complex chemicals that somehow gathered together, formed organs, muscles, nerves, bone, and ligaments, figured out how to split into two sexes for zygotic reproduction, and become sentient and started thinking about God… or not.
I still clung to this belief after I professed my faith in Jesus Christ. However, studying the Bible for years has made me realize that mankind being created by God is a much easier leap of faith to make than thinking humanity is the random result of millions of years of accumulated cellular genetic mutations. With that confession and my repentance from the sin of idolatry at the altar of evolution out of the way, let’s look more deeply into this verse.
This verse documents the sixth day of creation, the day on which God created more “living creatures” (that is, those animals that are alive, and have a mind, emotions, and will power; in this case specifically “beasts of the earth,” “cattle,” and “everything that creeps on the ground.”) in Genesis 1:25, and then made “man in our image” (note the use of the plural “our” here, representing the Trinity) in Genesis 1:26, giving mankind dominion over the earth and all of the other creatures.
At first glance, Genesis 1:27 seems like a series of repetitions:
So God created mankind in his own image
in the image of God he created them
male and female he created them
We already know from Genesis 1:26 that God created “man in our image.” Why the repetition? From earlier studies, we know that Scripture was often written with repetitive phrases, and there’s a good reason for that (from Bible Hub):
Repeated phrases in the Bible often serve to emphasize key themes, doctrines, or divine truths, making them easier to remember and meditate upon. This literary device draws attention to important messages from God throughout the scriptures.
Genesis 1:27 is God’s way of pounding His truth into our thick skulls! He is telling us two important truths here: That He created mankind in His own image, and He created them in male and female sexes.
What does it mean to be made “in His own image”? This commentary from The Bible Says is instructive:
God created man in His own image or likeness (v 27). The word for "image" in Hebrew means mankind as the shadow of God's figure. God created man to have fellowship with Himself. So we see at this point, that man was in right standing with God and holy. This special distinction given to mankind was not given to anything else. It gives man a separate distinction in the world. It makes man unique, resembling but of course not equal with God. Mankind was a living symbol of God's power and rulership. A key thing that God gave to humanity that makes us in His image is the power and freedom to make choices.
Reading that, I decided to do a quick word study on “image”. In Hebrew, that word is צֶלֶם (ṣelem), and sure enough the etymology is “From an unused root meaning to shade” (Blue Letter Bible). Mankind is a mere shadow to the glory of God!
The last part of this verse will surely upset some people who have fallen for the false belief that there are more than two human genders, male and female. The myth of transgenderism had its earliest roots in the 1960s, and things have gone completely off the rails since then, with some authorities claiming that there are 72 or more “gender identities”.
Believing in more than two human genders is roughly equivalent to believing that you can sprout wings and fly to the moon if you wish hard enough. Take any one of those self “gender-identified” people, study their genes, and you’ll find the God-given truth: they either have an XX chromosome (female, AKA the homogametic sex) or an XY chromosome (male, AKA the heterogametic sex). There are very rare genetic conditions where a male may have extra X or Y chromosomes (XXY or XYY syndrome, for example), but that person is still biologically a male.
As usual, Pastor David Guzik of Enduring Word provides clarity with his commentary:
a. So God created man in His own image: God created man according to His plan as described in Genesis 1:26. The concept of man being created in the image of God is repeated to give emphasis to the idea.
i. We are plainly told God created man fully formed, and created him in one day, not gradually over millions of years of progressive evolution. The idea that a slow, progressive evolution could produce a complex mechanism like the human body just doesn’t hold up.
ii. It is said there would be at least 40 different stages of evolution required to form an eye. What possible benefit could there be for the first 39 stages? The mathematician D.S. Ulam argues it was highly improbable for the eye to evolve by the accumulation of small mutations because the number of mutations must be so large and the time available was not nearly long enough for them to appear. Evolutionist Ernst Mayr commented: “Somehow or other by adjusting these figures we will come out all right. We are comforted by the fact that evolution has occurred.” Johnson observes: “Darwinism to them was not a theory open to refutation but a fact to be accounted for.” (Johnson)
and
b. Male and female He created them: This should not be construed to mean Adam was originally some type of androgynous being, being both male and female. The Hebrew name Adam means “man” or “humanity.” When we read, God created man in His own image it uses man in the sense of humanity, not the male individual we know as Adam. Both male and female are created in His own image. This passage of Genesis gives us an overview of God’s creation of man, and Genesis 2 will explain how exactly God created male and female.
i. In our day, many say there is no real difference between men and women. This makes sense if we are the result of mindless evolution, but not if it is true that male and female He created them. To God, the differences between men and women are not accidents. Since He created them, the differences are good and meaningful.
ii. Men are not women, and women are not men. One of the saddest signs of our culture’s depravity is the amount and the degree of gender confusion today.
iii. It is vain to wonder if men or women are superior to the other. A man is absolutely superior at being a man. A woman is absolutely superior at being a woman. But when a man tries to be a woman or a woman tries to be a man, you have something inferior.
God created us in His image for the purpose of having fellowship with us, to be His shadow. Like a shadow, believers are always with Him, revealed by His glorious light.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Thank You, God, for creating us in Your image. As believers, we acknowledge the dignity and purpose of being made either male or female, and we’re grateful for the relationship we have with You. We recognize that being made in Your image gives us value and worth, making it easy for us to embrace the beauty of our creation that reflects Your character and nature. Help us to commit to living in a way that honors our identity as Your creations, and teach us to deepen our relationship with You through prayer and worship. AMEN