WLC 17

Q17. How did God create man?

After God had made all other creatures, he created man male and female; formed the body of the man of the dust of the ground, and the woman of the rib of the man, endued them with living, reasonable, and immortal souls; made them after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness,and holiness; having the law of God written in their hearts, and power to fulfil it, and dominion over the creatures; yet subject to fall.

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 — [7] 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.
• Gen. 2:22 — [22] And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
• Gen. 2:7 — [7] 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.
• Job 35:11 — [11] who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’
• Eccl. 12:7 — [7] and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
• Matt. 10:28 — [28] And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
• Luke 23:43 — [43] And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
• 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.
• 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
• Eccl. 7:29 — [29] See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.
• Gen. 1:28 — [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.”
• 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.
• Eccl. 7:29 — [29] See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

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. 16 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. HC Q26 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q9 · HC Q26 · HC Q27 · HC Q28 · BC 3.1 · BC 3.2