Biblical Manhood

I find the world's definition of manhood to be as pathetic as it is deplorable. As the election of Donald Trump has demonstrated, the 'alpha male' of Western culture is characterised by a sociopathic aggrandizement of self and a callous disdain for others. Inheriting male genitalia (and, in Donald's case, a fair bit of wealth) is apparently considered sufficient qualification for leadership (especially, in Donald's case, if the genitalia are self-reportedly large).

For a long time, my contempt for worldly manhood led me to reject the idea of manhood altogether, construing gender as an exclusively sexual phenomenon. To the extent that gender roles existed, they were, in my view, merely corollaries of physical differences, the most obvious example being the maternal role of the mother. Accordingly, I found many of the Bible's teachings on gender - particularly those pronounced by the Apostle Paul, which appeared to reflect the ethic of machismo championed by the world - deeply disagreeable.

Recently, however, I have begun to realise that some of my own character flaws stem from an incomplete progression into manhood. I have begun to realise, moreover, that the Biblical model of gender is exactly the piece I have been missing. In this post, I'd like to present what I have interpreted that model to be, and how I think it differs from the (Western) world's model - which, by the way, I reject even more emphatically in light of my newfound understanding.


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Created in the image of God, Adam was the first man, who nevertheless chose to be ungodly - and consequently unmanly - by failing to fulfill the role for which he was created (Genesis 1-3). He was given no small measure of responsibility over the Garden of Eden; yet he failed to take responsibility for his actions, hiding in the bushes instead of facing the consequences of his disobedience. Just as importantly, he failed to take responsibility for the leadership of his family, allowing his wife be deceived and even proceeding to blame her for his own deception. Adam's son Cain would later mimic this behaviour, impudently deflecting responsibility for his brother's whereabouts and welfare (Genesis 4:9). For our purposes, the key lesson of Adam's story is that, in diametric opposition to the world's paradigm, the characteristic of being strong-willed corresponds to the characteristic of being unmanly. Adam failed to fulfil his role as man precisely because he was determined to pursue his own will. He was, in Trump's verbiage, a 'loser'.

Contrast the worldly model of manliness exemplified by Adam (and Trump) with the Biblical model of manliness exemplified by Jesus - the only 'self-made man' to ever have existed. Jesus exhibits a somewhat paradoxical character, at least from the world's perspective. He was confrontational when He needed to be, furiously driving out profiteers from the temple and overtly insulting the scribes and the Pharisees (Matthew 21:12-13, 23:1-36). On the other hand, he avoided confrontation when the situation required - witness His refusal to defend Himself before Pilot (Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 18), not to mention His constant refrainment from obliterating his enemies (Matthew 26:47-53). He did not hesitate to rustle jimmies, even to the extent of getting Himself killed; yet He was gracious and compassionate, even to the extent of forgiving those who killed Him (Luke 23:34). He was no respecter of persons, but His loyalty to God was absolute (Matthew 22:16; Mark 12:14; Luke 20:21).

Crucially, unlike the "first Adam", Jesus, the "last Adam", was man enough to submit His will to that of His Father (1 Corinthians 15:22, 45-49). Whereas Adam failed to take responsibility even for his own actions in the Garden of Eden, in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus chose to take responsibility for the actions of all mankind. Whereas Adam introduced death to the world by failing to choose the Tree of Life, Jesus chose to die on a tree so that the world may once again have life. Whereas Adam's death was the result of his disobedience, Jesus was obedient to the point of death (Philippians 2:8). Thanks to that great act of heroism, we can be recreated in the image of the Son, who in turn is the very image of the Father (Colossians 1:15).

Speaking of the relationship of the Son with the Father, the Biblical man is defined by his role not only as a male, but also as an adult - which, paradoxically, involves becoming more like a child. While adults tend to be cynical, proud, and neurotic, children are trusting, teachable, and playful. It is no coincidence that the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these (Matthew 19:13-15; Luke 18:15-17), for they are more prepared to lead others to Christ rather than to themselves (Luke 22:26). To be sure, we are not meant to be childish in the sense of being ignorant (1 Corinthians 3, 13:11; Hebrews 5:11-14); we are to be wise as serpents but innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). Indeed, we should be humble enough to learn from our elders, just as we teach, including by example, those less mature than ourselves (1 Timothy 5:1-3; Ephesians 6:1-3; 1 Peter 5:5).

This model of leadership stands in stark contrast to that of the world, afflicted as it is by family breakdown and obsessed as it with societal redefinition. What we observe instead is a devastating lack of parental guidance and positive role models - particularly for young, impressionable males, who end up trapped in a constant state of immaturity. Though they are immature, however, they are not innocent; they assume the worst aspects of both childhood and adulthood, leading to murder, rape, and all the other evils associated with worldly masculinity.

True manliness is not only profanely distorted by the world; it is also fiercely and shrewdly resisted by the world's ruler (1 Peter 5:8). The figure of King Herod - "that fox", as Jesus refers to him in Luke 13:32 - personifies this satanic resistance. Herod was so addicted to power, and so paranoid about losing it, that he resorted to infanticide. Of course, the very person whom he strove to kill, namely Jesus, displayed the opposite sort of behaviour: "though He was in the form of God, [He] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born [as a child] in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:6). Later, Herod was seduced into beheading John the Baptist - another exemplar of Godly manhood, who not only defied the ways of the world but resolved to change them - having already flouted John's advice by joining himself to his brother's wife (Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29; Luke 9:7-9). Before the crucifixion, we read that Herod treated Jesus with contempt and ridicule (Luke 23). Herod - who, like the dragon in Revelation 12 that seeks to kill the male child, is clearly a type of anti-Christ - does not want the youth of today to grow up; he seeks to stifle their spiritual maturation, and thus their potential to advance the Kingdom, by keeping them locked in a puerile state of rebellion and perversion.

Thank God that "He who is in [us] is greater is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4), and that through Him, we too can "overcome the world "(1 John 5:4-5; cf. John 16:33). For we put no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3) - in status, wealth, or anything else that will eventually pass away (Psalm 49). We fear God, and we submit to Him (Matthew 10:28-31; Luke 12:4-7; Proverbs 14:26); but, ipso facto, we do not fear man (Psalm 18, 56; Proverbs 3:25-26, Hebrews 13:6), or even Satan for that matter (1 John 5:18-20; Luke 10:17-19; James 4:7). For our confidence is in Christ (2 Corinthians 3:4-6), through whom we can "with confidence draw near to the throne of grace" (Hebrews 4:16),  so that when we we are weak, then we are strong (2 Corinthians 11:30-12:10). Jesus "made no answer" to Herod's interrogation, for He knew that He - along with anyone who believed in Him - would be vindicated (Luke 23:9). Indeed, He has given us a Spirit not of fear, but of power (2 Timothy 1:7). This same Spirit is a Spirit of self-control - another characteristic of a Godly man that is sorely lacking in today's world. It is also a Spirit of love - the very love that drives out fear (1 John 4:18).


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The worldly man pursues his own desires and ambitions to the neglect of others. The Godly man, by contrast, gives his life as a service to God - and, concomitantly, to others. We need less worldly men and more Godly men. Far from dispensing with manhood, we need to reclaim it according to its God-given purpose.

Children of God

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” (1 John 3:1).


It is commonplace to hear that ‘we are all children of God’. Certainly, God has created us all in His image, and in that sense we are all His children (Genesis 1:27). When Adam and Eve rebelled against their Father, however, they renounced their heavenly lineage, as do we when we rebel (Genesis 3). At that point, Heaven and Earth diverged (and diverges), so that our physical and spiritual genealogies are no longer identical (John 8; 1 John 3:9-10). Our relationship with the Father must be restored, redeemed, recreated – we must be reborn into His family as spiritual, and not merely physical, beings (John 3:3-8).


This rebirth actually started (and starts) with God, not us; for only He has the power to forgive sin (Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26), and it is He who loves us while we are still sinners (1 John 4:19; Romans 5:8). Israel was the first to be adopted (Exodus 4:22-23), but as a child it was placed under the custody of the law. As Paul explains in his letter to the Galatians, the same is true for us:


“Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith…I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also…were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.” (Galatians 3:23-4:3).


It is only in Jesus Christ that we can be fully reconciled with God; for He is the only begotten Son, whose perfect oneness with the Father was sacrificed so that we might obtain it (John 1:14, 3:16, 17:22-23). In Christ, “the firstborn among many brothers” and "the firstborn of all creation", we can once again trace our ancestry directly to the Father as we are conformed once again to His image (Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:15-23). The spiritual and physical, the Heavenly and the earthly, are thus reunited. As Paul elaborates:


“But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith…[For] when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God…” (Galatians 3:25-4:7; cf. Romans 8:14-17).


According to Paul, to be a “son” of God (i.e. a “brother” of Christ) is to be an “heir” of God (i.e. a “co-heir” of  Christ) (Romans 8:17,29; cf. Hebrews 2:10-18). From a Biblical perspective, the word “heir” naturally evokes the “everlasting covenant” given to Abraham, whose line of descent would receive “an everlasting possession” (Genesis 17:7-8). However, Paul – and, elsewhere, Jesus Himself (Matthew 3:9; Luke 3:8) –  indicates that genetic ancestry is irrelevant:


“…not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring…it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring." (Romans 9:6-8, emphasis added; cf. Romans 4).


Paul expounds this distinction “allegorically”:


^“For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise…Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise… So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.” (Galatians 4:22-28; cf. 1 Peter 3:5-6).


Despite taking matters into his own hands, Abraham was justified by his belief in God’s promise of offspring, which would eventually include the Messiah (Genesis 15:1-6; cf. Galatians 3:6, 3:16; Romans 4:18-25; Hebrews 11). It was the Messiah, in turn, who originally blessed Abraham in the embodiment of Melchizedek (Genesis 14:17-24). In the same way, if we have faith in Jesus Christ, we become ancestors of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – “heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:7; Romans 4:6,29). We are thus no longer “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3), but are now “children of light, children of the day” (1 Thessalonians 5:5; see also Ephesians 5:8; Philippians 2:14-16); we are, in sum, “free indeed” (John 8:36).


Our status as children of God might seem incongruous with the day-to-day experience of futility, the rampant evils of the world, and, ultimately, the inexorable reality of death. This is where the “heirs” part comes in; for although “the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God”, our full inheritance lies in “the glory that is to be revealed in us” – and indeed, in all of creation, including our own bodies (Romans 8:16-17,21, emphasis added). The very glory given to the Son by the Father has also been given – and is being given, and will be given – to all of His children (John 17:22-23; Hebrews 2:10-18). The upshot is that, like the Son Himself, we can dwell in our Father’s house forever (Colossians 1:15; John 8:35; Psalm 23:6). As God made clear in the preamble of His covenant with Abraham, He is our inheritance; He is, that is to say, our “exceedingly great reward” (Genesis 15:1).

'Mother Earth' from a Biblical Perspective

The phrase 'Mother Earth' is never mentioned in the Bible. Indeed, it is commonly associated with paganism, and accordingly attracts disdain from many Christians. In one sense, though, the concept is thoroughly Biblical.

It should come as no surprise that my exposition begins in Genesis, the beginning of all things. In Chapter 2 Verse 7, we read that "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." In a very literal sense, we are made from and of the earth. God breathing His Spirit into that earth was a divine act of conception - a miraculous union of the physical and spiritual. To say that the earth is our mother is not to flirt with New Age mumbo jumbo; it is merely to state a fact. The New-Agers and their ilk are mistaken because they fail to acknowledge Father God, not necessarily because they acknowledge Mother Earth.

With that said, God and earth categorically are categorically not equal in status - not even close. The earth is God's footstool (Isaiah 66:1), not His Bride - that role is reserved for the Church (i.e. us), and is more closely analogous to the personage of Eve (Ephesians 5:22-23), the "mother of the living" (Genesis 3:20). Eve, of course, was formed not from the earth, but from Adam - a type of Christ, whose name is a pun on 'adamah', meaning 'earth'. At an even more fundamental level, before reading of man's creation, we learn in the very first chapter of in the Bible that the earth was created by God; and if it represents His creation, it can in no sense be considered equal in status to Him (Romans 1:25).

In a physical sense, though, it is still true we are born of the earth. This is not merely mystical gibberish - our bodies are, quite simply, carbon-based collections of atoms! Indeed, Jesus Himself tok on such a form when he came to the earth (John 1:14). Notice, moreover, that He did not simply appear, but was rather conceived in the womb of a woman. Recall, moreover, the supernatural process through which this conception occurred, whereby the Holy Spirit came upon the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38). This narrative has a clear parallel in the aforementioned creation of the 'First Adam', whereby the Holy Spirit was breathed into the earth (1 Corinthians 15:45ff). Mary is categorically not the Mother of God; but she was the mother of Jesus the man, and therefore plays a role comparable to that of the earth.

Speaking of which, there is a more direct connection between Jesus and the earth, namely that He was buried in it for three days. In the story of Christ's burial and resurrection - whereby a physical body was sown, but a spiritual body was reaped (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:35-49) - I can't help but see a picture of gestation. After all, why wait three days to be resurrected - why not simply come back to life immediately? How interesting that the earth acted not only as the tomb of Christ, but also as the womb!

The rebirth of Jesus from the earth mirrors our own rebirth, which has transpired (respired?) through a fresh impartation of the Breath of God; we have been impregnated once again with the Holy Spirit (John 20:22; Acts 2). Just as the life of a child begins at conception, so too our new life began at our own Immaculate Conception. Clearly, that life is still gestating, since we are still undergoing the process of sanctification and look forward to our 'Big Day' of glorification, the final (re)birth; but as that day approaches, we are beginning to experience "the pains of childbirth", manifesting the "first fruits" of the new creation, as it says in Romans Chapter 8 Verses 22-23.

This passage in Romans reinforces the gist of my argument, since it refers not only to people, but also the earth itself, as waiting for the final birth. Indeed, the earth ("the whole creation") is mentioned first: "For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." The passage does not say that the earth possesses the Spirit in the same way that we do - which makes sense, since there is no corresponding passage in Genesis that would imply such. Remember, though, that "the whole creation" came into existence through the Word of God - his speech, which also involves His breath, i.e. His Spirit. Remember also what happened at the very moment when Jesus "breathed His last", thus "giv[ing] up His Spirit" - the earth shook, its tombs breaking open (Matthew 27:50-53; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46; John 19:30). Remember, finally, that He "is making all things new" - not just us, but all things (Revelation 21:5). The "firstfruits of the Spirit" to which Paul refers are also the "firstfruits of His creation" (James 1:18).

I think it is accurate to say that, while we carry the Spirit in a special, personal way, the entire earth - indeed, the entire universe - is pregnant. The physical is laden with the spiritual. At this point in time, we cannot fully perceive it, seeing only as in a mirror dimly (1 Corinthians 15:12; 1 John 3:2); but just as John the Baptist, who would herald the first coming of the Messiah, leaped in the womb when the expecting Mary greeted Elizabeth (Luke 1:41-45), so too we, who contain within us the testimony of the Spirit (Ephesians 1:14; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Romans 8:16; John 15:26; Hebrews 10:15-18), can feel the immanent creation kicking, squirming, pushing. It is painful at times; but it is nothing when "compar[ed] with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).

From Everlasting to Everlasting

We usually conceive eternal life as 'going on forever' into the future. Many have pointed out that, if that is true, eternity starts now - rather than when we die, as is often intimated. Others have gone further to indicate that our English translations of words like 'eternal' fail to capture the original Greek and Hebrew meanings, which relate not so much to duration, but rather to quality. In this post, I wish to make a minor addition: eternal life relates not only to the future and the present, but also to the past. Not only is eternal life never ending; it is also never beginning - that is, always existing.

One peculiarity of translation is that a single word which appears in several places in the original text may be rendered variously, depending on the contextual meaning interpreted from it. In the Old Testament, one of these words is "olam", which occurs 438 times and is rendered into 26 different words or phrases (see also ad and netsach). The most common rendering of olam in the Standard Bible is "forever", which however comprises less than a third of total renderings (136). The second most common is "everlasting", the temporal direction of which, in terms of connotation if not definition, is distinctly less clear. Meanwhile, several renderings of the word - "ancient", "ancient times", "days of old" - relate explicitly to the past.

Due to the frequency and ubiquity with which olam occurs, it would basically require a complete study of the Old Testament to elucidate its full significance. Hopefully, a single example will suffice to demonstrate the point of interest. In Jeremiah 6:16, the Lord tells Israel to "ask for the ancient paths". David appears to obey this commend, asking the Lord to "lead [him] in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:24). The same word - olam - is translated as "ancient" in the first case and "everlasting" in the second. One rendering involves the past; the other, though less definite, seems to involve the future. 

It is noteworthy that olam is mainly used to describe the the sacred facets of God - His existence, His covenant, His laws, His promises, His word, and His kingdom. These facets remind us that God is outside of time; and when this is taken into account, the dual meanings of past and future eternity can be construed as merely two sides of the same coin. This is clarified by the phrase "from everlasting to everlasting" - "from olam to olam" - which appears in three Psalms: once to declare praise to God (41:13), once to describe the nature of His existence (90:2), and once to characterise His lovingkindness (103:17). God is "the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" (Revelation 22:13, emphasis added); He is the Great I AM (Exodus 3:14).

An analogous word in the Greek is aiónios (from the root aión), which is of particular interest due to its appearance in the verse most commonly associated with 'eternal life', namely John 3:16. Like olam, aiónios denotes a state of being that is simultaneously 'without end' and 'without beginning'; indeed, it is perhaps more explicitly indicative of timelessness (and quality) rather than merely perpetuity. Like olam, it refers to the things of God - His redemption, salvation, and glory, and also His judgement, punishment, and destruction. Moreover, in parallel to the Old Testament phrase "olam to olam", in Revelation 22:5 John envisions that the servants of God will reign "eis" - that is, throughout, beyond, or even before - "the aiōnas of the aiōnas".

How is it possible for us to assume the infinitude of God? The author of Hebrews (9:14) gives us the answer when he speaks of "the Spirit aiōniou", i.e. the eternal Spirit. That same Spirit has been joined with our spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17), which acts as a guarantee of our coming glory (Ephesians 1:13; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Colossians 1:27), testifying that we are children of God (Romans 8:16). The more Spirit and the less flesh that we become - and therefore the more like God we become (2 Corinthians 3:18, 5:17; Ephesians 4:22-24; 2 Peter 1:4) - the more aiónios and olam we become. We become not just people who will always exist, but also people who have, in a sense, always existed. Our past and future status in turn sheds light on our present - which, indeed, is often the tense in which both the Hebrew and Greek words are employed.

Inspiration, Motivation, and Enlightenment in the New Year

It is common at this time of year, when the momentum of January begins to subside and our good intentions begin to founder, to seek inspiration, motivation, and even enlightenment. I would like to encourage you that, if you have the Spirit of God dwelling within you, you are already inspired, motivated, and enlightened.

Let's start with inspiration. Etymologically, the word means to "breathe in". It seems to have derived its customary connotation - of providing an animus of some sort - from the original act of inspiration, the original act of animation: when God "breathed into [man's] nostrils the breath of life", "man became a living creature" (Genesis 2:7). Like us, Adam was - quite literally - an "earthen vessel", which nevertheless received an inspiration so powerful that it came to life (2 Corinthians 4:7). An analogous event occurred in the New Testament when Christ breathed His Spirit first onto His disciples (John 20:22) and then onto the Church as a whole (Acts 2:1-13).

While it was God's Breath that inspired man, moreover, it was his Word that created the soil to begin with. Breath and Word are inextricably related: a word can only be communicated if it is breathed (think of the diligent scribes who know the scriptures by heart, but whose hearts remain unchanged) just as breath can only communicate if it contains a word (think of spiritual experiences that fail to produce any sort of direction). "It is the Spirit who gives life", and His words "are spirit and are life", the Gospel of John (6:63, emphasis added; see also John 6:68; 2 Timothy 3:16) tells us. If you have the Spirit, you are by definition inspired, for the Word who existed before the foundation of the world - and who created the world itself - also existed before you, created you, and now dwells within you (e.g. John 1; 2 Corinthians 3:16; Romans 8:9).

Let's 'move on' to motivation, which, indeed, derives from the root word meaning "to move". Again we encounter the Spirit, and again we do so right at the beginning. Even before the seven days of creation began, when the earth was still "formless and void", we read that "the Spirit was moving" (Genesis 1:2). Paul later remarks that "in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28, emphasis added). If you have the Spirit, you are motivated; for, although we often seek motivation as a means of achieving something, the motivation of God it is a matter of "being", not doing. Perhaps to be truly motivated we need to "be still and know that [He] is God" (Psalm 46:10).

Finally, we reach enlightenment. It should be obvious that the word 'enlightenment' has something to do with light. Indeed, the relationship between light and knowledge in the Bible is 'blindingly' obvious (cf. Acts 9). In Psalm 119:130, for example, we learn that "The unfolding of [His] words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple". It was, after all, "God, who," in the beginning, "said, 'Light shall shine out of darkness'"; and it is the same God "who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6; see also Ephesians 1:16-21). We normally think of enlightenment as something kind of end destination, a kind of final achievement; but God's act of enlightenment was actually His first act of creation (Genesis 1:3).

"New Year, new you" - that's what we are often told, and how we often think. This, however, is folly; for those of us who are in Christ have already been made new (2 Corinthians 5:17), are constantly being made new (2 Corinthians 3:18) , and will one day be made new once and for all (Revelation 21:1-8).

The Spirit of God and the Breath of Life: Creation and Recreation

Genesis presents two creation stories: the first, outlined in 1:1-2:3, involves the creation of the world in six/seven days, while the second, outlined in 2:4-7, involves the creation of man specifically. It is often pointed out that the first story uses the word Elohim for God, while the second story uses the word Yahweh. The trinitarian significance of Elohim is often highlighted, as is the covenantial significance of Yahweh. I find it especially interesting, however, that both of the creation stories - along with their respective names for God - are connected with the idea of breath.

In the first story, after Elohim creates the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1), we are told that "ruach Elohim moved on the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2). Ruach, though normally translated as Spirit, can equally denote wind or breath. In the six days of creation that follow, moreover, Elohim brings the world into existence by His words - that is, by His breath. On each day, Elohim creates something new by saying something new. This idea is reiterated in the parallel perspective on creation provided by John (1:1-5), according to which all things were created through the Word - that is, God, who existed in the beginning.

After the first creation story is finished, Elohim rests (Genesis 2:1-3), apparently 'catching His breath' before embarking on the second story. In this story, Elohim takes what He has already created through His breath - namely soil - and breathes into it "the breath [neshamah] of life" to create man as a "living [i.e. conscious] being" (Genesis 2:7). Thus, whereas the 'first breath' had created the substance of the body, this 'second wind' creates the substance of the soul.

Job (33:4; cf. 32:8, 34:14-15) alludes to this two-stage process when he states, “The Spirit [ruach] of God has made me, And the breath [neshamah] of the Almighty gives me life." In the same vein, Psalm 33:6 reads, "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host." Ezekiel's (37:1-14) vision of the valley of dry bones is similarly germane, although it relates not to creation per se, but rather to resurrection - that is, recreation. In that passage, the "word" of God forms bodies by causing tendons and flesh to attach to the dry bones (Ezekiel 37:4) - which evokes the "dust of the ground" of Genesis 2:7 - while the "breath" of God causes these bodies to come alive (Ezekiel 37:10).

Ezekiel's vision was, expressly, a prophecy for Israel. In the Bible, though, all things - not least Israel - point to Jesus. Indeed, in John's (1:14) account of creation, we learn that "the Word" - note, the Word, signifying Jesus - became flesh and dwelt among us". Jesus coming to earth and taking on human form was therefore a cosmic act of (re)creation in itself, akin to Elohim breathing his neshamah into the mortal soil once again.  For that to occur, Jesus first had to let the breath of life depart from him (Mark 15:37). The final result is a (re)creation that surpasses even the second story of Genesis; for whereas "the first man, Adam, became a living soul", "the last Adam" - Jesus - "became a life-giving spirit" (1 Corinthians 15:45; cf. 1 Peter 3:18ff).

It is true that in the Old Testament, the ruach of God - the Spirit of Elohim identified in the first creation story - often comes upon people, as if it were "mov[ing] on the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2). However, it is only after Jesus breathes into His apostles (John 20:22) - an act which takes place on a wider scale at Pentecost, when a "mighty rushing wind" enters the room (Acts 2) - that the Spirit dwells within people (e.g. 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19; Ephesians 2:22; 2 Timothy 1:14). Indeed, although we normally translate John 1:14 as "dwelt among us", the Greek preposition is actually just en, which can also mean within (cf. Luke 17:21; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Revelation 21:3). Incidentally, this alternative rendering would tally with Ezekiel's (36:25-27, 37:14) prophecies over Israel.

A remarkable implication of this distinction is that, although all people are conscious beings, and therefore created through the breath of God in a way that sets them apart from the rest of creation, not all people have been recreated by what we might conceive as the 'third breath' - they are not spiritually alive, and will therefore not avoid the second death (Revelation 2:11, 20:6,14, 21:8; cf. Romans 8:9-11; John 11:25-26). The "God-breathed" Word (2 Timothy 3:16), which is "Spirit and Life" (John 6:63), continues to distinguish "between soul and spirit" (Hebrews 4:12), thus showing us "the life that is truly life" (1 Timothy 6:19).

Redeeming Work Revisited: Four Types of Work in Genesis

I have written previously on the possibility of redeeming work - both in the sense of work possessing a redeeming quality and in the sense of Christ redeeming those forms of work that would otherwise lack this quality. In this post, I would like to delve a little deeper into the topic of work, especially as it is addressed in Genesis. I would, in particular, like to concentrate on four different kinds of work presented to us in this foundational book[1].


As I pointed out in my original post, work was there right in the beginning. In the very first verse of the Bible, we are told that "God created the heavens and the earth". The Hebrew word here for "create" is bara', which refers to bringing forth ex nihilo - creation out of nothing. This was the first form of work. It is an everlasting, spiritual form of work that can only be performed by God Himself.


In the second verse of the second chapter of Genesis, we encounter the first word to be customarily translated as 'work', namely melakah, which refers to craftsmanship or workmanship. This form of work is inherently purposeful; indeed it is sometimes translated simply as 'purpose'. It is interesting to note, moreover, that the word first appears in the context of rest - it is used in relation to God resting from the work (viz. bara') that He has already completed. As Hebrews 4:3 tells us, the believer can rest in the fact that "His works were finished from the foundation of the world". At this point in the story, however, the creation of man has not yet occurred. This paradox is evidently a foreshadowing of Christ, in whose good, finished work (John 19:30) we find our rest (Hebrews 4), are re-created (2 Corinthians 5:17), and thus begin our own labour of requited love (Ephesians 2:10).


When we read of God's intention to create man a few verses later (Genesis 2:5), we learn that our original purpose was to cultivate (abad) the land - the third form of work. Apparently, tilling the soil was part of God's plan even before the curse was incurred. Indeed, in addition to cultivation, abad connotes worship and service. The primacy of  this type of work therefore reminds us that our mundane activities, which so often seem futile and tedious, are profoundly spiritual acts (Ecclesiastes; Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 10:31). We have the privilege and responsibility of interacting with God's creation - His heavenly bara' and His purposeful melakah.


When the curse finally does arrive in Genesis 3:16-17, the act of tilling the ground is tragically transformed from abad into itstsabon, denoting pain or toil - the "sweat of [one's] brow" (3:19). Significantly, itstsabon is applied not only to the irksomeness of labour suffered by man in the form of cultivation, but also to the anguish of labour suffered by woman in the form of childbirth. Both forms of work, however, contain a kernel of redemption in that they recover the life relinquished by sin, be it in the form of sustenance or offspring (often rendered 'seed' in the Hebrew). Indeed, I find it interesting that bara' can also signify 'to cut down' (Joshua 17:15,18) and 'to make fat' (1 Samuel 2:29), as if the process of 'giving and taking away' was part of the plan all along.


Of course, Christ's work on the cross was the archetypal itstsabon - the most excruciating, agonising form of work imaginable, yet simultaneously the ultimate act of redemption. Christ Himself tilled the soil; indeed, He was interred in it for three days, like a foetus in a womb. From that cultivation, that gestation, emerged New Life; for although Christ died, He also rose again, and through Him we too are resurrected. The very curse that held work ransom was thus abo1ished (1 Corinthians 15:55-57; Galatians 3:13; Revelation 1:18), miraculously transforming itstsabon into abad, melakah, and finally bara' - the cosmic coming into existence of something when before there was only nothing. Indeed, throughout the Bible we see that bara' refers not only to the formation of the physical world, but also to the process of birth (Ezekiel 21:35, 28:13), the election of Israel (Isaiah 43), the renewal of our hearts (Psalm 51:12), and eventually, the conception of a New Heavens and a New Earth (Isaiah 65:17).




We long for that New World. Romans 8 tells us that "all of creation has been subjected to futility until now"; but now that we have the "first fruits of the Spirit", we are experiencing "birth pangs", i.e. the labour that will eventually bear a new world. We "groan inwardly" for the day when God's untarnished work - and with it, the true meaning of our own work - is fully revealed.








Note:


[1] I do not deal with asah, a more generic form of work meaning to do, make, or accomplish, found throughout the creation story.