Understanding who and what you are is a fundamental knowledge vital to your existence and divine purpose. From creation, the scriptures explain how you came to be, your awesome attributes, and your purpose. It also reveals the connection between your spirit and the spiritual realm. This study aims to reveal the physical and spiritual details of man-kinds, from creation before the fall.
Study Questions
1. In whose image were humans created?
2. What does it mean to be created in the image and likeness of God?
3. From what substance did God form man?
4. What did man become when God blows the breath of life into his nostril?
5. What non-physical component did God form in humans?
6. Was man created to live forever at creation?
7. Was man created to be a free moral agent?
8. How is human not like God?
9. How are humans different from animals?
10. What are the three components of man?
11. Two spirits dwell in man depending on his spiritual state, what are these spirits, and when do we receive them?
Questions and Comments
1. In whose image were humans created?
Read Genesis 1:26-27, Psalms 139:14
Comment
The scripture says humans were made in the image and likeness of God. They were wonderfully and fearfully created.
Scriptural references
Genesis 1:26-27, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So, God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
Psalms 139:14, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.”
2. What does it mean to be created in the image and likeness of God?
Read Genesis 1:26-27, Psalms 8: 4-6, Hebrews 2:6-9
Comment
In all the things God created, humans are the pinnacle of all. To be made in the image and likeness of God means that man was created to be God-like, man shares in God’s divine attributes. To understand what this means, you need to pay attention to verse 26 of Genesis chapter 1. God declared that man was created to have dominion over all the earth. To have dominion is to rule over, to exercise authority, to govern, or to take absolute control over all the earth and everything in it. Like God, man was created with awesome power and authority. God puts everything under the feet of man, including authority over the angels. As God has incredible power and authority, so is man. Man also shares in God’s Holy and righteous character. Before the fall, man was Holy and righteous.
Scriptural references
Genesis 1:26-27, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So, God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
Psalms 8:4-8, “What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen— Even the beasts of the field, The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.”
3. From what substance did God form man?
Read Genesis 2:7, Genesis 3:19
Comment
A human was fashioned from the dust of the earth (clay). Man is a physical entity, and when he dies, that physical entity returns to the dust from where he was formed.
Scriptural references
Genesis 2:7, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
Genesis 3:19, “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
4. What did man become when God blows the breath of life into his nostril?
Read Genesis 2:7
Comment
The scripture says man BECAME (transformed to) a SOUL (a living being) when he received the breadth of life from His Creator. Man was not given a soul; rather, he is a soul (a combination of the dust of the ground and the breath of life). The soul of man has a carrying case called the body (flesh and blood). Man is a physical entity.
Scriptural references
Genesis 2:7, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
5. What non-physical component did God form in a man?
Read Zechariah 12:1, Job 32:8, Numbers 27:16
Comment
God formed a spirit and placed it within man. The scripture calls it the spirit in man or the spirit of man. This spirit is not man, but in man to relate or connect with the spiritual realm and communicating with God. God called himself the God of the spirits of all flesh (humans).
Scriptural references
Zechariah 12:1, “The burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus, says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:”
Job 32:8, “But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.”
Numbers 27:16, “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,”
6. Was man created to live forever at creation?
Read Genesis 2:15-17, Genesis 6:3, Genesis 5:5, Genesis 9:28, Genesis 11:32, Genesis 25:7-8
Comment
When God created man, there was no limit to his life span. He was created to live forever (immortal) as long as he does not eat from the tree of the knowledge of Good and evil – obey the commandment of God. The very day Adam and Eve ate from the tree, they became mortal, with a life span. God says the life span of man shall be reduced to 120 years. From Adam to the time of Noah, a human was able to live up to one thousand years, and after the Tower of Babel, the human life span was significantly reduced to less than 200 years. In our days, not many people live up to 120 years.
Scriptural references
Genesis 2:15-17, “Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 6:3, “And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
7. Was man created as a free moral agent?
Read Genesis 2:19-20, Genesis 3:6, Genesis 3:12-14, James 1:13-15
Comment
Humans were not created as a robot in which their actions are pre-programmed but was created as a free moral agent with the ability to make choices. Free will is one of the greatest gifts that God gave to man. It is important to know that everyone is responsible or accountable for what he does with his free will, i.e., the choices one makes. There are always consequences for our actions. Some of the reasons why man is a free moral agent taking Adam and Eve as an example are the followings
1. Adam was able to name all animals as he chooses, Genesis 2:19-20
2. Eve chose to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil even though She knew the consequence, Genesis 3:6
3. All the parties involved in the disobedience of God were all punished, even though they tried to blame their action on another, Genesis 3:12-14
4. If humans were not a free moral agent, then God cannot punish anyone for the sin they commit,
Scriptural references
James 1:13-15, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
8. How is man not like God when He created him?
Read Genesis 3:22, Genesis 3:19
Comment
Before the fall, Adam and Eve were created to know only good, and only God knows what is good and evil. God is omniscient, but man was created to depend on God for spiritual knowledge through the Holy Spirit. Man is a physical entity, while God is a spirit. Man was a created being while God was the Creator (He was not created).
Scriptural references
Genesis 3:22, “Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”
Genesis 3:19, “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return. ”
9. How are humans different from animals?
Read Genesis 2:7, Genesis 2:19, Ecclesiastes 3:19-21
Comment
Even though both humans and animals were made from the dust of the ground, only humans received the breadth of life, blown into his nostril. Another difference between humans and animals is that animals lack the ‘spirit in man.’ Man receives the ‘spirit in man’ at conception, and in connection with the brain, the human mind is formed. It is this spirit that enables man to reason within the physical sphere or realm. The spirit in man and the brain give man the ability to use their five senses to acquire and use physical knowledge. Animals act by instinct as programmed in their brain by God. In essence, animals have just a brain, but man has a brain and the spirit in man, which forms the human mind. Without the spirit in man, man will not be different from animals. So, man is a physical entity composed of body and soul, with a non-physical component, the spirit in man. Animals are basically physical entities.
Scriptural references
Genesis 2:7, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
Genesis 2:19a, “Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air…”
Ecclesiastes 3:19-21, “For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.”
10. What are the three components of man?
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:23
Comment
Human beings are made up of three components. A physical part called the body, a combination of a physical and a non-physical component called the soul, and a non-physical component, the spirit. These three components are clearly stated in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
A. Physical component – the Body
General description
Man is made up of a Body (flesh and blood), which is the carrying case (tent, tabernacle) in which the soul and the spirit reside. It is flesh and blood, 2 Peter 1:13-14. It is received at conception.
Functions
The body is the part of a person that makes him conscious of his physical world. It includes our senses (hearing, touch, smell, sight, taste), well-being, and appearance.
Limitations and fate at death
The body may become diseased, afflicted, self-serving, and yield to indulgences and sensuality. At dead, it returns to dust by decomposition.
Important to note
The Holy Spirit only dwells in the body of the converted and at that point, the body of a believer belongs to God, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. We are, therefore, to use our body as an instrument of righteousness, Romans 6:13,19. Sexual immorality is a sin against one’s body, 1 Corinthians 12:15
Scriptural references
Genesis 2:19, In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”
Ecclesiastes 12:7a, Then the dust will return to the earth as it was…”
B. Combination of physical and non-physical component – the soul
General description
The soul (a living being, life) is a combination of the dust of the ground and the breath of life from the divine creator – God. It is received at conception.
Functions
The soul is the part of a person that makes him conscious of self. It is the seat of intellect (mind, thought, and reason), emotion, and desires (feelings, temperament, and concerns), will (choices and actions). It is the inner nature of a person. It can also mean one’s entire personality or that in which there is life. The soul is the real essence of life, Genesis 2:7, Mark 8:36-37, Psalms 63:1, Lamentation 3:20, Psalms 139:14, Deuteronomy 12:20-21, Psalms 86:4, Songs of Solomon 1:7, Matthew 26: 38, Luke 1:46
Limitations and fate at death
The soul may yield to confusion, unbelief, bitterness, lust, anger, disobedience, and so on. At death, it leaves the body to the grave (Hades) until the time of resurrections and judgment. Genesis 35:18, 1 Kings 17:21, Acts 2:27
Important to note.
1. The end of our faith is the salvation of our soul, 1 Peter 1:9, James 5:20
2. The soul can prosper, 3 John 2
3. The soul can be lost, Mark 8:36, Matthew 16:26,
4. The soul can die, Ezekiel 18:4, 20, Isaiah 55:3, Jeremiah 38:20
5. The soul can be destroyed in the lake of fire by God, Matthew 10:28
C. Non-physical component – the spirit
General description
Man is composed of a non-physical part. A spirit called the spirit in man or the spirit of man. This spirit in man is not the same as the Holy Spirit. It is received at conception.
Functions
The spirit in man enables humans to be able to reason within the physical world. It gives the brain the ability to use the five senses to acquire and use physical knowledge. It is the part of a person that makes him conscious of God, designed for worship and communication with God. It is the part that brings forth faith, hope, and true love from God. It is also like a cassette that stores all a person has ever done, i.e., it keeps the record of works and deeds of a person. It represents the characters and works of man.
Limitation and fate at death
1. The spirit in man can be cut off from God’s Holy Spirit and be connected to an evil spirit (spirit of the devil).
2. At death, it goes back to God for keeping until the day of resurrections and judgment. Ecclesiastes 12:7, James 2:26
Important to note
1. To yield the spirit means to die, Matthew 27:50, John 19:30,
2. You need to be poor in spirit to enter the kingdom of God, Matthew 5:3
Scriptural references
James 2:26, For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Ecclesiastes 12:7, Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the Spirit will return to God who gave it.
11. What are the three different spirits a believer should be aware of?
Read 1 Corinthians 2:9-12, Job 32:8, Romans 8:16, Proverbs 20:27, John 4:24, Ephesians 2:1-3
Comment
In 1 Corinthians 2:9-12, three different spirits were mentioned.
1. The Holy Spirit (the Spirit that comes from God with a capital letter S),
2. The spirit in Man with small letter s, and
3. The spirit of the world (the spirit that comes from Satan).
All humans receive the spirit in man at conception. In addition to that, depending on his spiritual state, humans can also have either the Holy Spirit or the spirit of the world. A natural man has the spirit of the world, and this is the spirit that controls all humans after the fall of Adam and Eve. And is the spirit responsible for the canal nature of man and the attitudes of disobedience to God’s commandments, Ephesians 2:1-3
The Holy Spirit is received after conversion and baptism. The Holy Spirit resides in true believers and seals them as children of God. God is spirit, and how he communicates with physical humans is through the spirit in man, using His Holy Spirit. It should be noted that if God needs to do things through unconverted minds, he can stir up the spirit in them to accomplish his purpose, Ezra 1:1
The spirit to Spirit (spirit in man to Holy Spirit) connection in a believer gives him inspiration from God and makes him understand spiritual matters. Simply put, the spirit in man with the help of the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) helps him to understand spiritual issues. The assurance that we are children of God comes from the spirit to Spirit connection in a believer.
Scriptural references
Job 32:8, “But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.”
Romans 8:16, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,”
Proverbs 20:27, “The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the inner depths of his heart.”
John 4:24, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Ephesians 2:1-3, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”
Conclusions
The following are the conclusions we can make about the nature and attributes of humans.
1. Man is a soul (living being), a combination of the dust of the ground, and the breath of life from the divine Creator – God. He is the only creature that had the breath of life blown into his nostril.
2. The soul of man has a carrying case called the body (flesh and blood). Man is a physical entity.
3. God formed the spirit in man and put it in man. The spirit in man is not the man but in him.
4. Humans were created with dignity; they were wonderfully and fearfully made.
5. Humans were created with a purpose – God’s plan for man was to rule the earth; to have dominion over His creation.
6. Humans were created with liberty (free will, freedom) – They were created as a free moral agent; they can choose.
7. Humans were created with awesome power and authority. God placed everything he had made under man, and there was nothing that was not put under him, including the angels.
8. Adam and Eve were created immortal as long as they do not violate God’s law (eat from the tree of the knowledge Good and evil)
9. Humans were created to be like God. They were made in the image and likeness of God with Holy and righteous characters. Humans are made up of three components – the body, the soul, and the spirit.
10. The spirit of the world controls a human in a natural state, but after conversion and baptism, he is controlled by the Holy Spirit.
11. Humans were created to worship and fellowship with God – to have an intimate relationship with His Creator
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