Page 89 - Bible Doctrine Survey I - Student Textbook (3)

7), and will be replaced by ‘a new heavens and a new earth’ (v. 13) strongly suggests that the ‘world’ in
v. 6 (equivalent to the erets of Gen. 6) was universal in extent.

We read in Genesis 7 and 8 that “the fountains of the great deep” were broken up and poured out water
from inside the earth for 150 days (5 months). Plus it rained torrentially and globally for 40 days and
nights (“the floodgates [or windows of heaven] were opened”). No wonder all the high hills and the
mountains were covered, meaning the earth was covered by a global ocean (“the world that then was,
being overflowed with water, perished,” 2 Peter 3:6). All air-breathing life on the land was swept away
and perished.

Darwinists and Creationists both agree that in order for something to be fossilized, the subjects had to
be buried completely and very quickly to keep the subject from total decomposition so that there would
be anything to fossilize! In fact, the debate is not that flooding and rapid burial are critical elements in
fossilization; the debate is now whether there were hundreds [or thousands] of small, local flood events
or a single global flood such as the Bible records.

The Nature of Man
Man was created on Day 6 of the creation week. He was totally unique from the rest
of creation in that he was created in the “image of God.” What does that mean?

There are four ways man was made in God’s image:
1. Man reflects God in personality. We reason (intellect), feel (emotion), and
choose (will).
2. Man reflects God in function. Gen.1:26 connects the ideas of sharing God’s
image with sharing His rule or sovereignty over creation.
3. There is perhaps some sense in which we reflect God in form. Although God is spirit and not body
(John 4:24), our physical form was designed by God as appropriate means of reflecting Him. Even in
our eternal state we will fellowship with God in our transformed “spiritual” yet physical body (1
Cor.15:44).
4. Man can communicate and fellowship with God and even reflect God’s moral character (when
regenerated – 2 Peter 1:4), indicates perhaps the real depth of man sharing God’s “image.”

The Nature of Man in the original creation.
Christian theologians have much discussed whether man is essentially two parts (Material and
Immaterial) or three parts (Body, Soul and Spirit). Let’s look at the arguments for each.

The first view is that man is a dichotomy made of a material or physical body and an immaterial soul or
spirit. Obviously, there is a distinction between the two. In this view, the “Soul” and “Spirit” are
sometimes used interchangeably in the Bible (Job 27:3) so are considered the same thing. Proponents
of this view argue that God gave only the “soul” at creation (Gen.2:7). They point out that Jesus said the
“Body” plus the “Soul” equals the whole person (Matt.10:28).

A second view is that man is a trichotomy made up of a material body, a distinct and separate soul, and
a spirit. According to Hebrew 4:12, the “soul and spirit” can be “divided.” They argue that 1
Thessalonians 5:23 describes man as “spirit, soul and body.” The “spirit” seems to be that part of man
which relates to God (our spiritual being) and is regenerated, while the “soul” is that which relates to
man (our emotional being).

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