We were created to be human.
This is one of those ideas that sounds so simple and obvious that we don’t think it even needs to be discussed. Part 1 in this series covered why we really do need to talk about it.
So, if we were created to be humans then it’s really important that we know what that means. What does the Bible say about who we are supposed to be? How does God define human? Let’s start at the beginning. Genesis 1:26-29 reads:
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and 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.
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.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
There’s a lot to unpack here. First, we learn that humans have been made in the image of God. No other animal on land, air or sea has been created to serve as an image-bearer. This means that humans are unique among creation, possessing God-given value and dignity.
Next, God gives humans dominion over the earth and all its creatures. God the Creator, who possesses all authority and power, establishes humans as his viceroys on earth to govern and steward his creation. It’s a dramatic statement of purpose and authority.
This passage also tells us that God created humans to be male and female. This is the first hint that we are designed to live in relationship with other humans. Genesis goes on to tell us explicitly that it’s not good for a human to be alone (Gen. 2:18). We were created for companionship and community.
Finally, God blesses humanity. He calls on them to be “fruitful and multiply,” to “fill the earth” with little Adams and Eves. What’s more, God has not only called them to be fruitful, he provides for their flourishing through a planet full of food. We need to remember that God’s blessing and provision are a part of the human identity as well. Not only are we image bearers who have been given dominion and calling, we are also made to depend on the blessing and provision of God. It’s a lot like the song we often sing on Sundays, “You’re a good, good father. It’s who you are. And I’m loved by you…It’s who I am.”
The second chapter of Genesis gives us a little more detail on what it means to be human…
When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. (2:5-7)
This chapter gives us an up close and personal view of humanity’s first days. And I mean that literally…God physically breathed life into man. Adam didn’t roll off some long assembly line while God was sitting in his office in Heaven. The first human draws the first breath as a result of the careful, personal, intimate gift of our Creator. Then God plants a garden complete with fruit trees and a few rivers for irrigation. He gives the man a job and a purpose. The passage tells us that Adam was put in the garden of Eden to “work it and keep it” (2:15). The job description seems simple enough. Work on the land and keep hold of it, right? But there’s more here to discover.
The words used here for “work” and “keep” regularly pull double duty in the Old Testament. The word for “work” (עָבַד or “abad”) refers to agricultural work like tilling or cultivating soil (3:23, 4:2, etc.), but it is also regularly used to describe the work of the priests in the tabernacle (Num. 3:7-8, 4:23-24, 26). Similarly, the word used for “keep” (שָׁמַר or “shamar”) has a couple of distinct meanings. It was typically used to refer to the practice of guarding or keeping anything. However, it was also common for the word to be used to describe “keeping” the commands of God and “guarding” the tabernacle from intruders.
So, what’s going on here? Both of these words have one very plain-sense translation and a meaning that has to do with sacramental duties in the tabernacle. Is this just a coincidence or is it on purpose? Did God give humanity a purpose that was both practical and sacred at the same time? I think so. Humans were designed to have normal, everyday, practical jobs among the creation around them, but our role is not limited to that. Humans are also designed to interact with God in worship and faithfulness.
So what can we say from these passages? What does it mean to be human? Genesis 1 tells us that we are image-bearers; created with unique value and worth above all other creatures. We have been given authority and dominion over the earth and its creatures to steward and watch over everything. We are built for companionship and community. We also know from this chapter that we are defined by our blessedness. Humans have been called to have children and “fill the earth” while trusting that God will provide for their needs. The second chapter of Genesis tells us that we began with a personal relationship with God. Life was breathed into Adam. And we know that humans have been given a purpose that is both sacred and practical. We are called to be both gardeners and priests.
This is what it means to be human. We thrive when we live out of this identity because it is literally what we were created to be. So what does it look like when we reject this God-given identity? What is the impact on our lives when we don’t want to be “just human”? What impact does it have on the world around us when we refuse to treat others as “fully human”? That’s what we’ll talk about in Part 3.
