Genesis 1:27 Commentary and Bible Study

‘Male and female’ – that is going to be elaborated on in chapter 2, from verse 4. Some people have thought that in chapter 2 from verse 4 there is an alternative account of creation. But there most certainly is not. If you just glance at chapter 2 verse 4 you see the words, ‘These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth’, the term which introduces a new section, and much of chapter 2 is going to simply elaborate on the creation and the history of Adam and Eve. It will not contradict anything that has gone before, but it will go into greater detail on the history of Adam. Both male and female are made in the image of God, have a soul, have the power of reason, have a will and emotions and moral consciousness and creativity too, and the power of dominion and they are very similar. Now we know that the Bible teaches that in the institution of marriage the man has headship of the home, but we abominate the teaching which still lingers on in corners of evangelicalism that the man is entirely superior to the woman and she must be a poor cringing thing who stays at home and is not involved in the service of God. This kind of thing is due to total ignorance of the Bible and the Lord’s teaching on marriage. Unlike the animals which were created as a breeding group, Adam was made as a single individual and Eve made from part of his body, something with profound implications for marriage. The headship of man in Adam was crucial as we will see in chapter for the covenant that was established between God and man in the person of the one man Adam.