Text: Genesis 1:26-28
(26) And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
(27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
(28) And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Genesis chapters 1 and 2 contain for us a great and humbling truth:
God created the world for you and I, and He desires to have a covenantal relationship with us.
Will you fully embrace and accept God’s invitation to covenant?
One God, One Creator[1]
In Moses’ day, Darwin’s theory of evolution did not exist; No one believed the universe “just happened” after a “Big Bang”; and, the prevailing cultural belief of Egypt in that day was that the earth was created by multiples deities.
After all, they would argue, the earth so vast, so full of variety, that surely it was impossible for just one deity to create it all.
These faulty assumptions were upended with one Hebrew phrase written by Moses as he was moved on by the Holy Ghost: “”Bereshit bara Elohim,” or in English, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”[2]
God did it all by Himself.
No other deity partnered with Him. No triune, co-equal, co-eternal, co-existing deities collaborated on the Creation.
Just One God, Elohim, all by Himself, through the power of His Spoken Word – “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
He said, “Let there be,” and low and behold, there it was.
Malachi 2:10a, “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?”
Deuteronomy 4:32-35, “(32) For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? (33) Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? (34) Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? (35) Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.”
Act 4:24, “And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is.”
Isaiah 43:1, “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.”
Isaiah 44:24, “Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself”
John 1:1-3, 10-13, “(1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) The same was in the beginning with God. (3) All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made….(10) He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. (11) He came unto his own, and his own received him not. (12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (13) Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Adam and Eve, the Crown of Creation
The surprising twist in the story of Creation is that as God was building His creation layer upon layer, He was preparing it for a covenantal relationship:
- First came the alternation of light and darkness, called “day” and “night” (the passage of time), then the sky, then the sea and land, and so on.
- At the end of each stage, God called it good. God was clearly pleased, but He still kept working.
- Finally on the sixth day, after He had spoken skies and stars and plants and trees into being, God scooped up a handful of His newly formed earth and began to sculpt it into an “image” of Himself:
- 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 soul.”
- In addition, God called him “Adam.”
- And the Creation account ends with this statement: “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).
God had been working tirelessly for days on end, had achieved something significant.
He reached His goal and then He rested.
What was noteworthy objective?
To make someone in His image and likeness with whom He could have a covenant relationship.
What about This Word “Covenant?”
The word “covenant” does not appear in the Creation account, but clearly, God was establishing His desire to be in covenant with His people.
The only way to live harmoniously with God and His creation is by a covenant relationship marked by acts of separation and acts of naming.
What is a “Covenant?”
The word “covenant” is used 272 times in the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
A covenant it is an agreement between at least two persons or parties and this agreement can cover any number of things, but it is usually contingent on the idea that one side will do thus and so as long as the other side keeps their end of the contract.
In the Bible, we see that often the Old Testament is a covenant between man and God, while the New Testament is a covenant between God and man:
- A scriptural example of an Old Testament covenant is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
- New Testament example: Hebrews 8:1-13, “(1) Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; (2) A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. (3) For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. (4) For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: (5) Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. (6) But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. (7) For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. (8) For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: (9) Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. (10) For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: (11) And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. (12) For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. (13) In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.”
The Old Covenant involved physical circumcision, but the New Covenant is a circumcision of the heart.
The New Covenant is a better covenant and is for the entire human family.
“Covenant” as defined in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible:
- (Hebrew) H1285, “a compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh):—confederacy, [con-]feder[-ate], covenant, league.”
- (Greek) G1242, “properly a disposition, that is, (specifically) a contract (especially a devisory will):—covenant, testament.”
God “made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is” out of a desire was a desire for fellowship, communion, companionship —to have someone to love and to be loved in return.[3]
To signify the uniqueness of humanity’s relationship with Him, God granted them dominion, sharing His authority so they could rule with Him, caring for creation in their role as His representatives.
Will you embrace the role God has created for you?
Will you pursue the bond with Jesus that He desires to have with you?
Just as it was in the day of Adam and Eve, it is today: We are all created for a relationship with God and He has prepared a unique role for each of us in this world.
Just as Adam and Eve were specifically designed for relationship with God and given specific abilities to fulfill their purpose (“Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth”)[4]
You have skills, abilities and a work to do for God that only you can do.
I come to the garden alone
God built a special home for Adam, His image bearer. It was a garden eastward in Eden and a place of pleasure and delight.
Despite all the “good” that God had declared beforehand, and regardless of the paradise Adam was presented with two unexpected phrases burst forth from the pages of the Book of Beginnings: “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”[5]
Disrupting the “good” God saw something missing from Adam’s life that reminded Him of His own isolated existence:
“And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.”[6]
Adam was created in God’s image so he could share fellowship with God, but that meant Adam also needed fellowship with another human—one who was like him.
Eve, the Perfect Helper
Genesis 2:21-24, “(21) And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; (22) And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. (23) And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (24) Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Eve was God’s gift to Adam, perfectly matched to meet his needs.
- Eve was created from Adam (specifically, from his side).
- Eve was created as Adam’s help, who was meet (matched) to him.
Throughout the Book of Psalms, this term “help” becomes an image of God’s covenantal relationship with humanity:
- Psalm 54:4, “Behold, God is mine helper.”
- Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Adam was not the only one created in the image of God; Adam and Eve together (male and female) comprised the totality of God’s divine image.
In fact, God called them together “Adam.”
Genesis 5:2, “Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.”
Adam was incomplete without Eve and they needed to work together to fulfill the massive task allotted to them: keeping God’s gift of the Garden.
Separation and Identity
Creation is a study on separation and identity:
Genesis 1:2-5, “(2) And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (3) And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (4) And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (5) And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”
God separated the light from the darkness, and then He identifies the light by giving it the name “Day.” Next, He names the darkness by calling it “Night.”
By separating and naming each specifically God gave them identity, purpose and function.
God then separates the firmament from the waters and identifies that as Heaven, and that is when our atmosphere comes into existence.
Gen 1:9-10, “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.”
Eventually, this whole idea of separation and identity reveals the necessity of order in Creation.
Other examples of separation and identity abound throughout Scripture:
- In Genesis 12 God called Abram to separate himself from his pagan culture by leaving his “country…kindred, and…father’s house” (Genesis 12:1).
- Later God gave Abram and Sarai new names in order to mark the couple’s new function as nation-makers even though they would be barren for a long time.
- In Acts 2, In the upper room either on the southern steps leading to the Temple, or overlooking the Temple courtyard, Peter called his hearers to separation from the world through repenting of their sins and taking on themselves the name of Jesus through water baptism (Acts 2:38).
God’s invitation into covenant is corporate and individual
God’s call to a relational covenant is offered to each individual person. The choice to join God in covenant relationship will always come to the individual; no one else can make that choice for you.
Once you accept God’s individual call you come into fellowship with the body of Christ.
Covenant teaches us that we have more than just a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (as vital as that is); we also have a relationship with His body, the church, a relationship that is also vital to our spiritual health.
When you enter that covenant with Jesus it is simultaneously a call “out of” sin and the depravity of a fallen world and a call “into” a renewed life established on God’s original purpose and design (covenant).
When we enter into covenant with God, we become “in” the world but not “of” the world:
(14) I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. (15) I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. (16) They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. (17) Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (18) As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.[7]
Having been separated from the world you take on a new name in Christ and with that a new identity with a new purpose.
Conclusion
Psalm 101:1 – Integrity Psalm.[8] The Maintenance of the Covenant:
- “I will sing of mercy and judgment: Unto thee, O LORD, will I sing” (Psalm 101:1, KJV).
- “I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music” (Psalm 101:1, ESV).
- Mercy, Steadfast love, is “sticky love.”
- “It is the sort of love you can’t shake off. It sticks to you through every high and low, every success and failure, every malfunction and sin,” every victory and defeat. -Tom Nelson
- Tom Nelson – “This attachment love” is the basis of the covenant that the wall of love between you and Jesus is built upon.
- You are attached to Jesus by love and the enemy wants to destroy that attachment by disintegrating the wall of relationship, mutual trust and integrity between you and Him.
- But the song of stedfast love is the song of God’s mercy: “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”[9]
Marriage is a covenant of companionship:
Malachi 2:14, “Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.”
God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That is why he put up with their murmuring in the wilderness.
And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect [knew, favorable regard] unto them.[10]
The Bible begins with a Marriage (covenant) and ends with a Marriage (covenant):
- Genesis 2:18, 21-24, “(18) And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him”….”(21) And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; (22) And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. (23) And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (24) Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
- Revelation 19:6-9, “(6) And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (7) Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (8) And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (9) And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.”
- Revelation 21:2, 9, “(2) And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband”….“And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”
[1] SOURCE: God’s Word for Life. Covenant. Fall 2025 Lesson Guide. Lesson 1 – Creation. Pentecostal Publishing House.
[2] Genesis 1:1
[3] Acts 4:24.
[4] Genesis 1:28.
[5] Genesis 2:18.
[6] Genesis 2:19-20.
[7] John 17:14-18
[8] Source: Nelson, Tom. (2021). The Flourishing Pastor. InterVarsity Press.
[9] Lamentations 3:22-23
[10] Exodus 2:23-25.
The Pillar and Ground of Truth 