What did God create on the sixth day of Creation?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Day six, the final day of God's creation, is the culmination of God’s work: the creation of mankind in His image, for His glory. By day six, God has already created the heavens and the earth; light; the atmosphere; plants; the sun, moon, and stars; water creatures; and sky creatures. On the sixth day of creation, God made land animals, including livestock, creeping things, and beasts of the earth, each according to their kinds, and declared them good. He then created humanity in His own image, giving them a unique role and dominion over all creation, signifying their special status among all creatures. Unlike the rest of creation, humanity was formed by God’s own hands, with man made from dust and woman from man’s side, reflecting God’s intimate involvement in their creation. God commanded them to be fruitful, multiply, and rule over the earth, marking them as the pinnacle of His creation, which He called "very good." Despite the initial perfection, humanity’s fall introduced sin and brokenness, but God’s plan for redemption through Jesus Christ offers salvation and the promise of a restored creation for all who believe.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• "And God said, 'Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.' And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
• Then 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 heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'
• So God created man in his own image,
• in the image of God he created him;
• male and female he created them.
• And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' And God said, 'Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.' And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day" (Genesis 1:24–31).
• Just as God filled the waters with fish and the air with birds, He now fills the land with living creatures: "livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth each according to their kinds." Every kind of animal and insect is brought forth in a single breath. God commanded them to be brought forth, "And it was so." Mankind has yet to discover every species of animal on the land, in the air, or in the waters that God has created, yet they were brought forth simply by the power of His word.
• On the sixth day of creation, God also brings the culmination of His creation: humanity. God does not bring humanity into existence as He did everything else; He does not merely speak and man appears. It is not that He couldn't do this, but rather that He intentionally didn't. Instead, God speaks within the Trinity and says, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." Nothing else in all of creation was made in the image of God. He does not say, "let man be made," no, He says, "Let us make man." Unlike the rest of creation that was formed from the words of God's mouth, humanity was formed by God's own hands.
• God gathered together dust from the ground which He created and formed the first man, breathing His own life-giving breath into him, making him a living creature (Genesis 2:7).
• God then formed the first woman from that man's side (Genesis 2:18–23). Notice the love and care God took in creating mankind. Created by Him, from Him, and for Him, humans are unique among all the creatures of creation.
• After God created the first man and woman, He said: "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Genesis 1:28). God gave mankind purpose and dominion over creation. Every thing that lives was to fall under mankind's domain, and we were created to rule over it in righteousness. God spent five and a half days of creation lovingly preparing the heavens and the earth for mankind, and now He sets them as the pinnacle over everything else He has created.
• God ends this last day of creation saying something different than the previous five days: "And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day" (Genesis 1:31). At the conclusion of the first five days of creation (with the exception of the second day), God looked upon the work of His command and declared it "good." Yet, on the conclusion of day six, God says it was "very good." God completed what He set forth to do. He created the world exactly as He deemed fit for humanity, who is created in the image of the perfect God. What is perfectly created is "very good." Thus concludes the six literal days of creation.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• What God created on the sixth day of creation is recorded in the Old Testament.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

We know that the story does not end with the last day of creation. God created a very good world, and in this very good way, God gave Adam and Eve the opportunity to trust Him or reject Him. Deceived by the serpent, Eve disobeyed God's sole command, and Adam joined her in sin (Genesis 3). The "very good" creation of God was stained. Humans lost their close fellowship with God, and death became a reality (Romans 5:12; 8:19–25). The world we live in today is fallen and broken. But God has not abandoned His creation. Quite the contrary, He has provided a way of rescue. Even before God created the heavens and the earth He knew that Adam and Eve would deny Him; yet He chose to create them anyway. He already had the “very good” plan for redemption—God the Son would take on human flesh, live a sinless life, die on the cross, and rise again victorious over sin and death (Genesis 3:15; John 10:14–18; 14:6). All who put their faith in Jesus are saved (Ephesians 2:1–10; John 3:16–18). His sacrifice is sufficient for those who lived before His work on the cross, too; God counts faith in Him as righteousness (Hebrews 11:6; Galatians 3:6). Not only does God provide this spiritual rescue, God will one day restore the entire creation. Revelation 21—22 describes the new heavens and new earth where all who have put their faith in Him will dwell with Him for eternity. What an amazing God; to Him be the glory!

UNDERSTAND

• On the sixth day of creation, God created all land animals, including livestock and creeping things.
• God also created humanity in His own image on the sixth day, forming man from dust and woman from man's side.
• God gave humans dominion over creation and declared everything "very good."

REFLECT

• How does understanding that God declared His creation “very good” challenge or encourage you in your perspective of the world including humanity?
• How does knowing that you are created in God's image shape the way you view yourself and your purpose?
• How do you currently reflect God’s intention for humanity to have dominion and stewardship over creation?

ENGAGE

• What does being made in God's image reveal about God's desire for relationship with humanity?
• How can we live out the responsibility of having dominion over creation in a way that honors God's original design?
• How does the sixth day of creation point to God's greater plan of redemption through Jesus Christ, despite the fall?