On the sixth day, God created humans in his own image. Strong. Smart. Upright. And he gave them a purpose.
God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food. To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;” and it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day. (Genesis 1:26-31 WEB)
Therefore, it is no surprise that he created them capable of fulfilling their upright purpose. Here are some fun facts about the human body:
- God made the muscles of the Gluteus Maximus and Soleus (calf muscle) the largest and strongest muscles in the body. These muscles keep us upright and propel us forward. Therefore, it is no surprise that God intended for us to stand, walk, and run instead of sit, lie, and lounge.
- God made the heart muscle, which is the only cardiac muscle in the body, the hardest working muscle. The heart pumps thousands of gallons of blood every day and beats billions of times throughout our lifetimes. And he protected the heart, in the center of our being, surrounded by a strong cage of rib bones. Therefore, it is no surprise that God says faith is based in the heart, not the brain (Romans 10).
- God made the external muscles of the eye the most active muscle in the body. This muscle is constantly moving to keep your eyes fixed on what you are looking at no matter what you are doing. And he placed our eyes near the top of our upright bodies so we would be able to look up. But he connected our eyes to our brain of self-governing reason and thought instead of our heart of faith. Therefore, it is no surprise that God warns us to guard our eyes and be careful what we look at.
- God made the muscles of our tongue and jaw to be the strongest most flexible muscles in our body. God connected our tongue to our brain so we can choose how to use it. (Psalm 64; James 3) But it reflects the condition of our heart. (Proverbs 4:23) These muscles allow us to eat, drink, and swallow. They also allow us to speak with love and hate. When God created us in his image, he gave our voices power like his voice, which spoke the world into existence. And he chose to spread the gospel through the spoken word. Therefore, it is no surprise that God warns us to be careful what we say.