“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. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:26-27).

The creation account in Genesis has been the focus of much debate among so-called scholars. Many have argued against the literal reading of such, because the Biblical record says man is created in the “image” and “likeness” of God. It is argued that God is omnipresent and therefore indefinable by the spatial limits of a form. However, the fault with this line of reasoning lies in its presupposition that the “image” and “likeness” of God indicates a necessary form.

God is a Spirit (John 4:24). A physical body is certainly not “like” a spiritual one, because it is bound by physical laws of space and time. God is Eternal (Deuteronomy 33:27). A physical body has limits placed upon it by its very nature and could not properly be said to be an “image” of God’s limitless nature.

No, the “image” and “likeness” of God is not a dimensional representation; rather, it is a functional one. Man is created for the purpose of being a functional representative of the Creator. He is to represent God within the realm of the physical creation, exercising a God-given authority and care for it. Being made in the image of God, man has an office function of standing in for God.

In creating male and female, God has equipped and fitted the two that they should be joined together in body and spirit, and so function as a singular unit in the marital bond. Through examining “The Value of a Woman” (posted January 21st through 26th), we saw various aspects that lend to a woman’s value. We noted that this valuing system was set by God and that a woman in obedience to God’s standard is a truly virtuous woman. She is able to fulfill God’s plan for her and become a conduit for His blessings on her house.

It is significant to this present study of “The Making of a Man” that we note the man was first created – he was complete and good, but he was alone. Because it is not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18), God created the woman “of” (Greek is “ek”; out of, as to source) the man (1 Corinthians 11:12). This means that she was taken from the man and leaves him as only a partial piece of what he was originally created as. God very well could have formed the woman as a separate act of Creation, but then she would be separate and independent from the man; the two would not form “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24).

In God’s perfect plan for the home, the woman has an indispensable position as the body of her husband. But our present focus is the acknowledgement of the man’s position as the head of the woman and the home. The word “husband” was originally a composite of “house” and “band” or house-holder. He is the one who holds the house together. His very title of “husband” shows us that his is a position of authority. As such, the man has certain Requirements, Roles, Rights, and Responsibilities to perform. It is imperative that he understand these in order to be the man he is commanded to be.