This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. (Genesis 5:1-3)

In the Likeness Of God

Man is created in the image of God. The creation bears the image of the Creator. What sets humankind apart from the animal kingdom is that one has an eternal spirit, and the other does not. God formed the birds, fish, and land creatures on the fifth and sixth day of creation. On the fifth day, the waters abounded with life, and the skies were filled with fowls, but there were no land creatures, and Adam and Eve had yet to be created. The sixth day, God created all the land animals. He took the dust of the ground and formed the man, calling him Adam. It was not good that man should be alone, and God took a rib from Adam to create the woman. The creation was complete.

God gave Adam and Eve law. He did not give the animals law. The two trees in the midst of the garden were put there for the creature formed in the image of God. Adam and Eve had a consciousness to obey God’s command or disobey. None of the animals were under the law established by God, as they were not made in the image of God. Satan deceived the woman because she was made in the image of the eternal. He did not try to deceive the animals because they have no eternal spirit. When Adam and Eve sinned, they felt guilt and shame. Sin affects the soul of an eternal creature. Animals cannot feel the guilt and shame of sin. They have no eternal consciousness.

Adam was created an eternal creature with the power to create an eternal creature. The act of procreation is the grace of the Creator allowing man to bring into the world an eternal creature. God created Adam in His image, and Adam brought forth his children in his image. Cain and Abel were eternal creatures. When Cain killed Abel, it was an abomination to the creation of God. Cain sinned in killing Abel because he killed a creature made in the image of God. When Abel offered the firstborn of his flock for a sacrifice to God, he did not murder the animal because it was not an eternal creature made in the image of God. After the death of Abel, Adam brought forth a son in his image and named him Seth.

Parents must realize the eternal consequences of procreation. A soul is formed by the hand of God that will never cease from existing. The mortal body will die, but the immortal will never die. Man is formed in God’s image to show God’s glory. Each soul will find itself in an eternal world that never ends. That will either be a time of great joy or dark terror. Being made in the likeness of God has eternal consequences. You are an eternal creature who will never cease to exist. Where will you spend eternity?