Step 1: Creation ex nihilo

Step 1: Creation ex nihilo

Formed, Made and Created

Adam and Eve were not born of God’s seed and therefore were not perfect, as per God “is” Perfect. However, although formed from the dust of the Earth, being made living creatures, a little lower than the Angels (Hebrews 2:7-9), they were made “very good”. Adam and Eve were without sin and without flaw as per the perfect purposes of God and His perfect design, in which He  “created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them”. It is important to note that there is a distinguishment made in Genesis between the English word “created” translated from the Hebrew word “bara”, and the English word “made” as translated from the Hebrew word “asah”. 

“Created” refers to:

• of something new,
• to bring something into existence, ex nihilo,
• to bring something new & unique into existence which never existed before.

“Made” refers to:

• to do, to act with effect
• to bring about, to use
• to attend to, put in order
• to observe, celebrate
• to acquire (property) 
• to perform, practise (as in work on something to improve that thing), prepare, procure, provide, put
• to appoint, ordain, institute
• to accomplish,
• the act of producing or constructing something using & mixing existing materials & substances with a distinct purpose

Therefore, whether God “creates”, ex nihilo, or God creates using the “materia” that He had previously created, in each act of His creating, God creates something entirely “new” and “unique”. He creates something that has never before existed. When Scripture makes an intentional distinction between that which was “created” and that which was “made” (Hebrew “asah”), it should not be understood as indicating some “chronologically sequential process”, as if it was not all “formed”, “made” or “created” in one “instantaneous act”. Instead, it should be both properly contextualized and simply understood, as indicating that which was “made”, was “made” entirely of previously created materia or was procured from something previously created and is therefore not entirely new and unique. The term “formed” (Hebrew “yatsar”) should be understood as to distinguish that which was created and or made to have a formable, shapeable, physical nature from that which was not. 

English	Hebrew	Strong’s #	Meaning
Create / Created	bara	H1254	of something new, to bring something into existence, ex nihilo or to bring something new / unique into existence which never existed before
Make / Made	asah	H6213	to do, accomplish, The act of producing or constructing something using / mixing existing materials / substances with a distinct purpose, to procure or ordain
Built / Made	banah	H1129	To build or rebuild, establish or cause to continue
Form / Formed	yatsar	H3335	shaping or fashioning, squeezing as in molding of something in existence / clay.

Tripartite Man | The Image of the Triune God

Take note of Isaiah 43:7 which echoes the same pattern of Genesis 1 & 2, wherein God says that He created, formed and made everyone who is called by His name. These are three different words, each having a distinctive meaning that as I believe are used in indication that in “creating” Adam and Eve in His likeness, that God created man, male and female, to be tripartite. He created human beings who having body, soul and spirit would reflect His triune nature as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23).  

Body

The English word “Body” is translated from the Hebrew word “basar”, H-1320 and means a “vessel” or the “temple” for the “soul” and the “spirit”. While the body – which itself has life – should be regarded as nothing less than a master work of God’s design, it was and is but an earthly, temporary vessel (2 Corinthians 4:16). Once our evanescent bodies have served their perfect purpose, they return to dust (Ecclesiastes 12:7). The body is our decaying outer-self, purposed to be a Holy temple with which we should glorify God in testimony, in worship, in service and in living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).  The purpose of the interim body – at times referred to as the flesh – is perhaps best illustrated in Leviticus 17:11. where it says “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and that it was given it for us on the altar to make atonement for our souls.

Soul

The English word “soul” and the English word “creature” are both translated from the Hebrew word “nephesh”,  H-5315. It generally denotes life force, personhood, or the self and means, properly a “breathing creature”, an animal or abstractly meaning “vitality” or the “source of material life” that “vitalizes”. This term emphasizes the entirety of a living creature, encompassing emotions, personality, and will. Once God had formed the living body of flesh, He made it a living creature, a living soul (Genesis 2:7).

The English word “breath” is translated from the Hebrew word “neshamah”, H-5397 and means “literally” or “figuratively”, “Inner being”, “thought” and emotion. In its most basic sense, it means the animated “life essence” and “life force”, the “vitality” of the corporeal body. The English word “Breathed” is translated from the Hebrew word “naphach”, H-5301 and means literally to “blow”, to breath, or figuratively, to “blow “, or put “the breath of life “into” a physical body. The expression “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” is a metaphor. It signifies that God put the living sole inside the living body of Adam. Thus, rendering him a “living creature” and differentiating him (as well as other creatures), from mere living organisms that are without the attributes of the soul. It is, therefore, the living body that has the physical attributes and the five senses, whereas it is the living soul – our inner self – that has the attributes of mind, emotion and will with which we use to make decisions (Deuteronomy 30:19). 

The human “soul” is not our physical heart, but it is the heart of who we are, and we are who and what we choose to love (Matthew 22:37). Unlike the body, the soul is not temporary – it will not die – but it is not impervious to ruin (Matthew 10:28).  The sole is the bridge between the Spirit and the Flesh and like our bodies, the soul – our minds – need nourishment. Therefore, what we concentrate on, what we meditate on, what we feed our soul matters. A healthy soul is spiritually nourished by the word of God whereas an unhealthy soul is nourished by the worldly desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:17). We should make no mistake of it, the desires of the flesh predominantly conflict with the desires of God, but we should not surrender our souls – our hearts, our minds, our emotions and our will to the flesh. Instead we should surrender ourselves to God, for all that is to His glory is to our benefit (Luke 22:42). 

Spirit

The English word “Spirit” is translated from the Hebrew word “ruach” (H-7307). Although it literally means “wind” or “breath,” in context it can also refer to the immaterial life essence within a person—the human spirit or spirituality that enables a person to respond to and commune with God.

While some creatures may display greater intelligence than others, it is the spirit that distinguishes human beings from mere beasts. Scripture also uses ruach to describe the empowering work of God’s Spirit in individuals, as seen in Judges 14:6.

Just as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each have distinct roles, so too do the body, soul, and spirit of man. The human spirit was designed to be the conduit through which a person connects and communicates with God, receiving spiritual nourishment, guidance, and true life (John 6:63).

The Intended Order of the Human Person was such that the spirit was meant to serve as the bridge between the soul and God, and therefore it was intended to lead the soul. In turn, the soul was meant to lead the body. Ideally, the soul would remain in such close (lock-step) harmony with the spirit that the two would appear inseparable (indistinguishable) in purpose and direction. This would therefore give reason to why some hold to a bipartite view of mans nature – the heart of what and who man is.  

Like the soul, the spirit does not die. However, “sin” (NOT God) broke the connection between the human spirit and God. As a result, humanity became separated from God’s spiritual nourishment, strength, and guidance. The spirit no longer functioned as it was intended and thus became, in effect, as good as dead.

Without direction from the spirit, the soul turns instead to the flesh for guidance, and the proper order is reversed. Where the spirit was meant to lead the soul, and the soul the body, now the flesh leads the soul, and the soul drags the spirit behind it.

This helps explain why, since the fall of man, it can be difficult to distinguish between the human spirit and the soul. Once the spirit lost its connection to God, it became overshadowed by the soul—or, in some cases, influenced by evil spirits.

The word of God however – for those who will hear and receive – “is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the dividing of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). 

Progressive Revelation of the Tripartite Nature of Man

No where in the Bible will you find the word Trinity or a single verse that says God is three persons in one. We know however that this is the true nature of our triune God because scripture as a progressive revelation has manifestation this truth of God. It stands to reason that the discovery of man’s tripartite nature would also be progressive. Furthermore, if there be some correspondence between the trichotomy of man’s nature – body, soul and spirit – and the persons of our triune God, it is only expected that the same air of enigma that hangs over the one should hang over the other. Before the Spirit was given, the human spirit is mentioned only indirectly. Just as the Holy Spirit’s distinct personhood is implied rather than explicitly stated in the Old Testament, the difference between the Psyche and the Pneuma also remains undeveloped. It would otherwise be difficult if the tripart nature of man were described in the Old Testament which only contains implied hints of the plurality of persons in the Godhead. Therefore, it would be only natural that the doctrines and roles in the nature of God and the nature of man progressively unfold together.

The Old Testament hints to the tripart nature of man do exist as early as Genesis, where, as we are seeing in this article that God formed man from the dust (formed the body), made man a living creature (the soul) and then created man, male and female to have a spirit. He created them.

• To be formed from dust in itself would not make man unique from the animals
• To be made to have body and soul in itself would not make man unique from the animals
• To be created male and female in itself would not make man unique from the animals
• To be made to have spirit in itself would not make man unique from angels
• HOWEVER – to have a body, a soul and a spirit (to be tripartite) would create man to be unique from animals and angels – unlike anything previously crated – and would represent the image of a triune God. 

Perhaps Genesis 2:7, where it says God breathed into Adam’s nostrils – not his mouth – the breath of life. Interestingly, man has two nostrils and so when man breaths in, the breath is divided. In other words, the breath of life that God passed through the nostrils of Adam could represent both the natural life and the spiritual life being breathed into Adam at the same time through the same channel. At that very moment Man did become (was made) a living soul like the animals but simultaneously was created unique from all other created beings in the sense that he was given to have body, soul and spirit.

Now it is again important to understand that Adam – the first man – was formed, made and created in the image of God but he was not born of God. Therefore, the spirit that Adam was created with was of a created human spirit, to serve as a conduit that connected him to God. In other words, while God – the Holy Spirit – motivated and operated through the conduit of the human spirit, the human spirit should not be confused with the Holy Spirit. As a case in point, consider the demons – fallen angels, Spiritual Beings  – often referred to as the “spiritual forces of evil”, evil spirits and or impure spirits and are therefore spirits that exist apart from the Holy Spirit. 

Angels are heavenly Spirits or Spiritual beings created by God to serve Him and carry out His purposes. They are described as powerful messengers who act under divine command, reflecting the majesty and holiness of God. They are often depicted in God’s presence, worshipping Him and executing His will. Unlike God, Angels are not eternal; they had a beginning – they are subject to time and space. Angels are personal spiritual beings, created by God to have intelligence, reasoning, emotion, and will. Although Angels have the ability to take on or manifest themselves with physical bodies, they are without bodily form and therefore invisible. Unlike humans, Angels do not marry and they do not engage in procreation.

Allowing Genesis to Interpret Genesis

With all of this said, lets take a look at the first two Chapters of Genesis. The first chapter of Genesis provides a broad, sequential and cosmic overview of creation over six days. The second chapter provides a more detailed account of the sixth day, focusing on the creation of Adam and Eve, humanity. Therefore, in accordance with the first chapter of Genesis, God created in logical, sequential order:

1. The heavens,
2. The Earth,
3. The fish,
4. The birds
5. Human beings (male and female).

These are the only five-things that are distinguished in the first two chapters as being “created”. Each of these things (be they created ex nihilo or with materia that God had already created) were created unique and different from anything that existed before it.

Formed, Made, Let and Created 

If we take Genesis at face value of its sequential order, then the first two things said to be created were the heavens and earth. The next two things that are said to be created are the fish and the birds. This would mean that when God said, “let there be light …” , it was not in reference to the creation of light but instead was either:

1. God commanding the electromagnetic radiation (AKA Light) that He had already created when He created the heavens ex nihilo, to illuminate the Earth. This would mean that the stars, the planets, the sun and the moon too were already created in Genesis 1:1, but perhaps their light was not yet able (not yet made manifest) to break through Earths dense atmosphere. OR
2. An announcement of the uncreated Spirit of God’s presence and the radiance of His glory being made manifest upon the earth which was, as described in Genesis 1:2-4 “… without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.  And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light”.

I personally do not believe the answer has to be one or the other but very well could be both (thus having a dual meaning). This concept of “let“, as in ordaining and or having made “something” manifest is repeated several times and forms a pattern throughout chapters one and two.   

Neither is the expanse said to have been created but instead (Genesis 1:7) God made or brought the expanse into existence by separating the existing water, the water already created. Some Christian apologists suggest that before the separation of the waters described in Genesis, Earth’s atmosphere may have contained substantial water vapor, originating from the waters below. This vapor could have been dense enough to obscure both the moon and sun, which, were already created in Genesis 1:1. Such atmospheric conditions might have been substantial enough to even affect gravitational interactions, potentially altering tidal cycles as we know them today and thus caused elevated ocean levels to the point that no dry land existed. 

God’s subsequent separation of the waters, by placing some into the atmosphere as clouds, may have by God’s design, allowed winds to disperse them. This process, all of which designed by God, could have allowed the gravitational effects of the sun and moon to push the waters back, resulting in the exposure of land, as referenced in Genesis 1:9-10. Take notice of how God once again uses the word “Let” to command the waters to gather into one place and for dry land to appear. In other words, land already existed below the surface of the water but was only made manifest when the waters were gathered to one place. By this time we should see a pattern emerging wherein just as God had commanded “let there be light” in Genesis 1:3, God was now commanding “let dry land appear“. In both cases and in more to follow, we can see that when God uses variances of the command “Let …” , as in “let there be …”, He is commanding some “thing” that had been previously created or made – but had not yet been made observable or made manifest upon the earth – to now be made manifest upon the Earth.   

This conceptual pattern fits perfectly with God’s command “Let there be” made observable or made manifest  “lights in the expanse of the heavens …“. It likewise brings clarification to the possible meaning of “God made the two great lights …“. In following the context and the pattern that has been established, it would make most sense that “God made the two great lights …” means that God ordained, “the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night …“.  Thus, this verse is not an indication of “when” God brought the two lights into existence but rather (as per the definition of H) it is an indication of God’s procuring, putting into order, appointing, and initiating their ordained purpose. 

Take note of Genesis 2:5-6 which obviously refers to a period after dry land appeared, suggesting that residual moisture from recently receded waters produced mist when exposed to sunlight, while rainfall had not yet occurred because it had not yet been initiated by God. 

After “CREATION” of the “heavens” and the “Earth”, the next two things that God proclaims to have “created”, are the “sea creatures” and the “birds” (Genesis 1:21). Any biology book will attest to the fact that both fish and birds are composed of earthly materials that include carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and calcium; all the materia that God created ex nihilo (Genesis 1:1). However,  instead of being presented with the statement “God made …”, we are presented with the statement “God created …”, and this is to distinguish the fish and birds as being something new, something entirely different and unique in that they were the first creatures, God created to have body and soul. Conversely, notice how Genesis does not say that God created the beasts of the Earth, but instead Scripture states that God “made” them. Genesis 1:25. This is because the beasts and the livestock, in the sense of having been formed with an earthly body and made living creatures (to have a soul), were not new and unique to the birds that existed before them (Genesis 2:19). 

By the time we have reached this verse we should be able to see clearly the patterns I have pointed out. With these patterns established lets now take a good look at Genesis 1:26 where God says “Let us make man in our image…“. Take note of Genesis 2:7 which describes how 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”. This follows the same pattern of Genesis 1:25 where God formed the beasts and the livestock with an earthly body and made them living creature. 

Man	Beasts & Livestock	Comparison
Formed	Formed	Same (God formed Beasts, Livestock and Man)
Made	Made	Same (God made Beasts, Livestock and Man)
Created		Not the same (God created Man, Male and Female)

The term creature comes from the Latin word “creatura,” meaning “something created“, and God is neither created nor is He of physical form. God is Spirit and to be made in the image of God meant that Man would be a new creation, created unique, unlike any other previously created creature (Genesis 1:27). While man shares the same elements (dust) of other corporeal beings that were given breath of life, man was created unique in that he was created in the image of God (John 4:24).

From the Scriptural passages in the first two chapters of Genesis we can ascertain the acts of God

1. Forming Man.
2. Making Man (making him a creature / a living soul)

While we can read that God created Man, male and female He created them, we are not provided (at least not unambiguously) the details of exactly when or in what specific act God “created” man. As stated earlier in this article, it need not be unusual that the same air of enigma that hangs over the triune nature of God would also hang over the tripartite nature of man. It means only that it is a progressive revelation with hints to it scattered throughout Scripture. Although somewhat of a speculation, one of those hints could in fact be found in Genesis 2:7, where we read “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“. Interestingly, man has two nostrils and so when man breaths in, the breath is divided. In other words, the breath of life that God passed through the nostrils of Adam could represent both the natural life and the spiritual life being breathed into Adam at the same time through the same but divided channel. This would mean that in that same moment and in that same act, man was created unique. Unique from the fish, the birds, the beasts and the livestock who were given no spirit and unique from the angels who were given no body. 

Click here to see an interesting note on translational loss

As a short side note, sometimes, things get lost in our English translations of the Bible and unless we endeavor to research the original words and their meanings, we can often miss a profound significance behind those words. For example, Although not distinguishable in our English translations, the word “made” as used in  Genesis 2:22. Here, the word “made” is not translated from the Hebrew word “asah” but instead it is translated from the Hebrew word “banah” which as applied to the making of Eve, more fittingly means “To build or rebuild, establish or cause to continue”.

Thus, the first man Adam formed from dust, made alive by the breath of God and created in the image of God was created with a living Spirit and it is this Spirit that acts as the conduit between man and God. To be without the spirit, is to be spiritually blind / spiritually dead, thus rendering the human being weakened and to be reliant on the 5 senses of the living body (the flesh) and the emotions, the mind, the conscience and the will of the living soul.

Given Communicable Attributes of God

While to be made in God’s image primarily speaks to mans tripartite nature of having body, soul and spirit, this was not the only attributes that God shared of Himself with Adam and Eve. God also created Adam and Eve to reflect His communicable attributes. These are transmissible attributes, that even though only sharable in lesser degree, differentiate that which is made in His likeness from that of a machine / robot, beast or inanimate object. Thus, created in His image, Adam and Eve (Humankind) were given to have the attributes of life (soul), intellect, benevolence (love), and to have a relational nature with God and with each other. They were given to have the purposive (intentionality) and the autonomy, often called “Free Will”, necessary to have moral agency, and to be vested with the glory, the honor and the authority to represent God in their dominion / stewardship over the Earth. Thus, God (Genesis 1:28) blessed Adam and Eve and “commanded” them to:

1. To be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth
2. To subdue the Earth,
3. To 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

These were not mere suggestion but instead were as much commandments from God as was the commandment not to eat from the The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Take note that the English word “subdue” is translated from the Hebrew word “kabash”, H3533 and means to bring into bondage, to conquer, to make subservient, to dominate, and to tread down or tread on.

For some Christians the term “free will” can be problematic when applied to human beings. Human will, after all, is in all practicality dependent upon external constraints, of available (possible & known) options and other factors that are all beyond human control. Adam and Eve for example, had no more the ability to “intentionally choose” to live ethical lives than they had ability to “intentionally choose” to grow physical wings, without God providing them the means, the method, the option, the awareness and thus the ability to do so. It is for this reason; I make the distinction between ”freedom of will” and “freedom of action”, because moral agency is defined as the response ability to freely act with reference to what is right and wrong and to be held accountable for the action. . In further clarification, the English word “responsible” comes from the Latin word “responsus”, meaning commitment / moral obligation of a moral agent to respond (Response Ability) in action or inaction, to do what is right and fulfill a given duty. Today, many regard being “responsible” to mean accepting personal ownership of a duty, wherein the unfulfillment of responsibility leads to internal feelings of guilt and shame. However, the English word “accountable“, dates back to the 14th century where it was formed in the combination of the English words “account” and “able“, meaning “liable“ or “liability”. Liability is the obligation (responsibility) of lawful authority to demand justice, to call / to hold into account and levy unto an individual or an entity, the fitting consequence (debt) for the damages or injuries caused by their dereliction of duty, the willful act of misconduct / wrongdoing / disobedience or the willful / gross act of neglect (inaction) of a given responsibility. Accountability must be demanded and it must be certain, for if it is to be more than idle / meaningless words, then fitting consequences must accompany the accountable actions and or inactions (Hosea 10:4).