WCF 4.2

4.2. Of Creation

After God had made all other creatures, He created man, male and female, with reasonable and immortal souls, endued with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, after His own image; having the law of God written in their hearts, and power to fulfil it: and yet under a possibility of transgressing, being left to the liberty of their own will, which was subject unto change. Beside this law written in their hearts, they received a command, not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which while they kept, they were happy in their communion with God, and had dominion over the creatures.

Proof texts

• Gen. 1:27 — [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
• Gen. 2:7 with Eccles. 12:7 & Luke 23:43 and Matt. 10:28
• Gen. 1:26 — [26] 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.”
• Col. 3:10 — [10] and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
• Eph. 4:24 — [24] and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
• Rom. 2:14, 15 — [14] For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. [15] They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them
• Eccles. 7:29
• Gen. 3:6 — [6] So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
• Eccles. 7:29
• Gen. 2:17 — [17] 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.”
• Gen. 3:8, 9, 10, 11, 23 — [8] And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. [9] But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” [10] And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” [11] He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” [23] therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
• Gen. 1:26, 28 — [26] 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.” [28] 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.”

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Gen. 1:27 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 12 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q9 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. WSC Q10 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q9 · WSC Q10 · WLC Q15 · WLC Q16 · WLC Q17 · HC Q26 · HC Q27 · HC Q28 · BC 3.1 · BC 3.2 · SC60 2.1 · IAR 4.1 · IAR 4.2 · IAR 4.3 · IAR 4.4 · SHC 2.1 · SHC 2.2