Sean C. Capparuccia
12 July 2026
Genesis 2:4-25; Psalm 128; Eph. 5:22-33; Mt. 19:3-6
Today’s message, message IV in our Genesis series, is about the creation of Adam and Eve, the beginning of humanity, the institution of marriage, and the seeds of civilization. Some people point to this second chapter in Genesis as being contradictory to the creation of Adam in chapter one, but it is not a contradiction at all, it is simply an expanded and more detailed version of day six in the story as we will see. It is also an account of creation as Adam saw it; as he had passed it down through the generations.[1] And remember that this series in Genesis is for the purpose of establishing the foundations of our Christian faith. Only by understanding these first chapters does the rest of Scripture make any sense.
Man Is As Man Was
So, what is important for us to observe here in Genesis 2 is that mankind was made by God; as we are now, is just as Adam and Eve were made there in the beginning (physically). We did not evolve from primates or mutate over millions of years from anything else. God designed a human that walked on two legs, who had opposable thumbs, who had two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, two hands, and one mouth, and a mind and a heart and a soul with which to live, and work, and love, and worship, and enjoy his Creator and all else that He had made.
And as much as some people would like to have been descended from monkeys, science simply will not bear it out. There are myriad reasons how this is proved over and over but let us take just one example: the human eye. Now on the surface it looks pretty straightforward (!) We see out of it. Simple enough. But even Charles Darwin knew that the eye’s complexity (as known even in the 19th century) was beyond the probability of being mutated into existence. In his seminal text, Origin of the Species, he said
To suppose that the eye, with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree.[2]
And this was way before we knew what we know now about the eye and its intricate and beyond-complex design. (For further study, check out the difference between the tears shed from sadness and pain and the tears that wash out contaminants in the eye. There can be no evolutionary answer to this.) But to be fair, Darwin’s modus operandi wasn’t to cast so much doubt on what was then known, in fact he wasn’t even the first to see the principles of micro evolution at play. But it was those who came after him who took what he wrote – with some crafty manipulation[3] – to advance their godless agenda throughout the world.
Into Eden
:4-6 The beginning verses of chapter 2 take us to a specific place in the creation that God has made. And notice in your Bibles that God is now called Lord God, which is Jehovah Elohim, not just Elohim. (If you look in chapter 1, you see the name “God,” but in chapter 2, from verse 4 on, it is “Lord God.” Though there is more to it etymologically, one way to think of it is that only Adam needed a Lord, the rest of creation only needed a Creator.) After telling us how everything was made, and in what order, the Scriptures take us to Eden. Eden is in the Garden, or the “field,” in which God placed Adam.[4] So, when it says, “No shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted,” it isn’t talking about day three of creation. It is literally talking about the Garden.
:7 And this took place on day six of Creation. “Jehovah Elohim formed the man from the dust of the ground, and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils; and thus, the man became a living being.” We should immediately see here the difference between how God made the animals and how He made man. For the animals, God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth [not field] after their kind, and it was so” (Gen. 1:24.) Here, God must have stooped down to pick up the dust from the ground, and He formed man in His own hands.
And we know that in previous verses God had already given life to the birds, the fishes, the monsters of the deep, and the beasts and creeping things of the earth; His ruach has already been breathed out. But here, Jehovah Elohim breathes directly into man’s nostrils, and the newly formed man became a living being.
Man’s True Worth
In our study, then, of man, and of woman in a few moments, we see this wonderful paradox: one the one hand we see that man has absolutely nothing to boast about. He is nothing more than dirt; nothing more than a collection of material elements and compounds that can be found in a chemistry set. One group of scientists said it this way: 96% of the human body is made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, while the remaining 4% is sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorous, sulphur, chlorine, and iodine.[5] Another group estimated the cost at roughly $17.18 ($7.12 worth of phosphorous, $5.95 of potassium, and ~$4 of other minerals.) But on the other hand, when we think that Adam was the reason for all of creation, we realize that people – all people – are worth immeasurably more than 17 bucks.
In the book of Hebrews, the author states:
“… in a certain place it was testified, saying, ‘What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou art concerned about him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, and have set him over the works of Thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet.’ For in that God put all in subjection under him; He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him” (Heb. 2:6-8).
This immediately undermines the whole theory of evolution. If man has evolved from lower animals, then there had to be some point at which mankind developed a mind that could think of itself as “just a little lower than the angels.” What angels? What even are angels? Anything that has a supernatural element would have to be made up by some human and the myth promulgated through the ages. If this theory is true, then there is nothing supernatural in the entire universe; nothing beyond the elements that make up the earth and sky and from which all living things are made. And worse, if this theory is true, there is no reason for living other than to survive and strive to be content by using the resources around you. There is no point in trying to live in harmony with others unless it benefits you somehow; there is no point in fostering relationships as they ultimately do not matter. In society, a person is simply a cog in the wheel, a source of work. And, sadly, this belief is what is at the heart of socialism and communism as we touched on last week. In a system that denies God and denies creation, man is nothing but a resource or a liability. He is truly nothing more than $17.18 worth of minerals that society may be better off without. I wish young people could understand this lie instead of focusing on what these ungodly governments tell them they’re getting for “free.” Because as we get a little older we learn that, in terms of politics, there is nothing for “free.” The only thing that is free is God’s grace.
No, God made Adam just a little lower than the angels and for a purpose, which we will see in just a moment. In this garden, God placed two special trees, the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We also read about the four rivers that flowed out of Eden. Based on the names Tigris and Euphrates, many have tried to locate where Eden must have been, but we need to remember that 1) the Flood wiped out and completely changed the face of the earth and 2) names are repeated in later times and places all the time.[6] It was most likely in the Middle East area, for sure, but this was prior to the Flood and the movement of the continents.
The First Covenant
The point is, God placed Adam in the garden and gave him work to do and a rule to obey. This was the first covenant that God made with man, the Edenic covenant. In this covenant, Adam is instructed to populate the earth (after Eve was built), subdue the earth by cultivating it, exercise dominion over the animals of the earth including the task of naming them, and care for the garden of Eden. He was to enjoy all of its fruit and the only injunction given to him was to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The blessing of keeping this covenant would be living forever in Eden.
Naturally, Adam was lonely. Here he was seeing before him all of the pairs of animals as he is naming them and wondering, “Where is my opposite? Where is my companion?” So God caused a “deep sleep” to come over Adam and the first operation was performed: a rib was taken from Adam and from it, Jehovah Elohim built a woman, a helper (eh’-zer) for Adam.
There are a few things, then, that this chapter tells us which are foundational for our lives as Christians today. One, is the doctrine of work. Just as God performed the work of creation for six days, and rested on the seventh, He created us to work as well. For Adam, his work was to cultivate and guard the Garden. As time went on, more work was added so that as needs arose, everyone has an opportunity to work and be productive. But God did not intend for work to be stressful and full of obstructions and hardships; this was a result of the Fall. After the Fall, work became “labor.” Nevertheless, we are all to work in one capacity or another. In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul reminds them, “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies” (3:10-11). Apparently in Thessalonica at this time, some were trying to live off of everyone else and not only that but stirring up trouble within the Church there. God made us to work. It is part of our dignity to work and be able to help one another as well as provide for ourselves and ensure that our civilization continues on. But it is also important to honor God through our work. There are many types of work out there, but not all of them honor God. Therefore we should use our freedom to honor Him in all we do.
The other obvious theme of this chapter is the institution of marriage. From Adam came Eve; she didn’t come from the dust as Adam did, she came from his body. She was made for Adam. Some have wondered whether men should have one less rib than women if this story were true. It makes sense, but it would also be like saying if a man loses an arm in an accident and then has a child, will that child have one arm? Of course not. The DNA is already programmed for two arms. So just because Adam had one less rib, his posterity wouldn’t.
True Marriage Established, All Else Is False
But here God has given us the picture of what marriage is. Now imagine this very first wedding as God Himself walked Eve toward Adam to give her away. At this wedding there was no florist, no photographer, no caterer, no rehearsal dinner, no mother-in-law arguing over who sits where. Just God. One man. One woman. And perfect joy. I wonder if we haven’t complicated something that God made wonderfully simple. And here’s another neat thought: After Creation, Scripture opens with a wedding; at the end of it all, in the book of Revelation, it closes with a wedding between Christ and His Church at the marriage feast of the Lamb. And since weddings bookend the Bible, perhaps it is also significant that Jesus’ very ministry begins at a wedding in Cana. From this we can also extrapolate what marriage is not. Anything other than one man and one woman covenanted together is not marriage. Up to this point we have been battling against the idea of homosexual marriage, which, Biblically speaking, does not exist. And just as was forewarned at the beginning of this fight, now the Church is getting ready for a new battle, polyamory. The prophets said it would happen, but everyone denied it. Now it is here and facing the church. Even now, in the Presbyterian Church USA, the “conversation” has begun over whether an ordained minister can have more than one partner. While I am no prophet, knowing the PCUSA, I will put my money on this: this will eventually pass, as it will in the UMC (whatever is left of it) and the ECUSA, and the ELCA, and the UCC. But, for apostatized denominations, what does it really matter? Beloved, the fallen human heart can conceive anything that is contrary to God, and this is just another step. But His Word plainly tells us that true marriage is one man and one woman. Anything other than that is simply wrong. We don’t have to think too hard on these things, really. If it isn’t what God has said, then it isn’t really worth discussion, is it? There is no “debate” over things we know to be wrong.
Imago Dei
We come now to the imago Dei, the image of God, that is stamped on every human. While the Scriptures do not explicitly tell us just what that image is, we have some ideas. What isn’t included is the work, or tasks, that mankind is given to do. In other words, being in the image of God isn’t about doing, it’s about being. Now there are things we do as a result of being in the image of God, but those things don’t make us in His image. Part of being made in the image of God, distinct from animals, is the capacity for self-awareness, love, justice, grace, and mercy. But it is also worth noting that because of the Fall and sin’s continued influence in our lives, the original image that God had intended for us has been blurred – not wiped out completely, but blurred to some degree. And in Christ, this blurring comes slowly back into focus. Through the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit, God brings this image back to us more sharply and more distinctly than before. So, while we can all love to some degree, in Christ we can love more deeply; while we can all exhibit some signs of grace toward others, in Christ we can be even more graceful than before.
Even so, being made in God’s image is an attribute for all of humanity, and therefore all human beings are deserving of dignity. Even though the image is marred, it is still there by virtue of being human. The Founders of America recognized this, in fact they said it was “self-evident,” when they declared that “all men are created equal,” and that “they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights…”[7] And, at least in the Declaration of Independence, three of those rights named are the right to life, to liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The flip-side of our unalienable rights, of course, is the responsibility to honor our Creator in all we do, as mentioned earlier.
Another aspect of this image of God was having the free will to obey God. This was the reason for placing the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden. If God had not given Adam and then Eve any way to be disobedient, then there would be no way to test their obedience. Their free will would go untested, and, essentially, unutilized. Adam was told that he could eat from any tree except that one. This message was passed on to his wife, Eve, although, apparently trying to ensure that she wouldn’t eat of it, Adam added to the injunction, “And don’t even touch it.” We will hear more of this next week, of course, but suffice it to say that we would generally be better off letting God’s Word be the end of things.
God created a wondrous place in Eden and the garden and placed Adam and Eve in it to live what we would consider wonderful and magical lives. God promises to His people that all this and more will be restored, if not consummated – even beyond restoration, to us in the future. And if we are in Christ, whose work on the Cross ensured that all who put their faith and trust in Him would receive it, all of us will see this restored Eden; the temple from which the healing rivers will flow and where the Tree of Life, Christ Himself, will be.
I invite you all to read through Genesis 2 again this week and don’t think of it as some fantastical and mythical place and time as if trying to look for analogies and meanings. Read it as truth. Read it literally and see what you come away with. God did make all that there is and there is nothing that convincingly opposes that thought. The question is, how do you live in that truth? More to come… Amen.
[1] One of the things we learn in the study of ancient literature is that in ancient times, people had more of a capacity to memorize things and pass them down orally. Let us remember that Homer’s epic poems were recited, not read. Even today, a hafiz is a highly respected person who has memorized the entire Quran; even children and teens have become hafiz.
[2] Charles Darwin, The Origen of the Species (London: Penguin Classics, 1985), 217, quoted in Jay L. Wile, Reasonable Faith (Anderosn, IN: Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc., 2001)41.
[3] We will be hearing more about ‘crafty manipulation’ in next week’s sermon, “Sin Begins Within” on Genesis 3 and the Fall.
[4] For an in-depth article concerning the Temple in Eden, the Temple in Jerusalem, and the eschatological Temple to come, check out G. K. Beale’s “Eden, the Temple, and the Church’s Mission in the New Jerusalem,” https://capparuccia.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/284d9-beale_eden-temple-mission.pdf, accessed 9 July 2026.
[5] http://www.nottingham.ac.uk
[6] Think of how many places and rivers in the U.S. are named after places and rivers in England.
[7] Declaration of Independence.
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