Day 3 — What We Believe: The Core of the Christian Faith
Today’s Passage: Genesis 1:26-31
Genesis chapter 1 reaches its climax on the sixth day. The earth is formed and filled with plants and animals. God steps back from the rhythm of spoken commands to make a personal declaration about His final creation. The text slows down to emphasize a specific, deliberate design.
This account establishes the foundational truth of human existence. You were made by God, like God, and for God. You carry a distinct likeness to the Creator that separates you from the rest of the physical universe. This record establishes your origin, your value, and your purpose on the earth.
Context Ancient Creation Accounts
Ancient Near Eastern cultures surrounded the early Israelites with their own stories of human origins. Those pagan myths described humans as an afterthought, created to do the heavy labor the gods despised. Genesis presents a radical contrast. The biblical record shows a sovereign Creator making humanity as the crowning achievement of His design, intended for relationship and ruling authority.
Genesis 1:26-27 (BSB)
²⁶ Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.” ²⁷ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
God holds a divine council within Himself. The sudden shift to plural pronouns, such as “Us” and “Our”, points to the complex nature of the Trinity. God creates humanity to reflect His own nature. To be made in the image of God means you have the capacity to reason, to choose, to love, and to govern. You represent the Creator to the rest of the creation.
Word study "image", tselem (Gen 1:26)
Hebrew: צֶלֶם (tselem), pronounced TSEL-em. Strong’s H6754. In the ancient world, kings set up physical statues or images of themselves in distant territories to declare their sovereign rule over that land. God places living, breathing images of Himself on the earth to represent His character and His authority, and that makes you His living representative on the earth.
Genesis 1:28 (BSB)
²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”
God speaks directly to the man and woman. He pronounces a blessing and delivers a mandate. Humans receive the responsibility to cultivate the earth, harness its resources, and manage the animal kingdom. God delegates His authority to humanity. You have a mandate to bring order and flourishing to the world around you.
Genesis 1:29-31 (BSB)
²⁹ Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food. ³⁰ And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. ³¹ And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
God provisions His creation. He supplies the food necessary to sustain human and animal life. The Creator takes responsibility for the needs of the creatures He designed. At the end of the sixth day, God evaluates the entire system. He pronounces it “very good.” The universe functions in perfect harmony with His design.
Study notes Created for a Purpose
The New Testament confirms that human existence traces back to a deliberate Creator who made you for a specific relationship with Himself. You exist for His purpose.
"For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him." Colossians 1:16 (BSB)
The historical record in Genesis builds a solid case for your inherent worth. You were made by God, like God, and for God. You carry the dignity of the Creator’s design. Because you represent Him, you have a clear mandate to reflect His character to the people you encounter. Look closely at the individuals you interact with today and treat them with the respect owed to an image-bearer of God. Find one person in your daily routine and speak a direct word of encouragement to them. Tell them you appreciate a specific character trait they show, recognizing that God crafted them with the exact same deliberate design He used to create you.