The Doctrine Of Man (Male And Female)
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, May 12, 2026 (Donate)
In our modern culture, the idea of “man” is strangely under
attack. You would think people could tell the difference between a man and a
woman for instance. But today, that idea comes under odd scrutiny. The fact is
that when God made man, He made them male and female.
When we start with God, things make sense. But many in our secularized
culture aren’t anchored to God’s Word and so, they are easily deceived into
thinking strange things about man—questioning simple concepts of male and
female for instance.
But consider other questions like, “does man have value?”, “what
we are?”, and “where did we come from?” The secular teaching is that man has
no intrinsic value (we’re just random chemicals), man is just an evolved
animal, and that we came from pond scum millions of years ago. Of course, God
disagrees with all of this.
Let’s evaluate a little more about the doctrine of man. Just
to clarify, “man” can denote a male or it could be mankind which included
both male and female. In speaking of the doctrine of man, it means men and
women collectively going back to the first man and woman (Adam and Eve).
What Day Was Man Created?
According to the Genesis, mankind was created on Day 6 of
Creation Week. Genesis 1 records that God created the land animals first and
then created man as the climax of His earthly creation. Genesis 1:26-27 (NKJV)
says:
“And God said, ‘Let Us make man in
Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of
the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, 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.”
Genesis 1:31 declares that everything God had made was “very
good,” which included the first man and woman.
Adam was created first, and Eve was later created as his wife
during that same 6th day according to Genesis 1-2. Unlike evolution,
which teaches man gradually arose from lower life forms over millions of years,
the Bible teaches that man was specially and directly created by God fully
human from the beginning. God was intimately involved in man’s creation.
From What Was Man And Woman Made?
The Bible teaches that Adam was formed from the dust of the
ground. Genesis 2:7 (NKJV) states:
“And the LORD God formed man of the
dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man
became a living being.”
This shows both the humble physical origin of man and the
direct involvement of God in man’s creation. Adam’s body was uniquely fashioned
by God from the earth itself.
Woman was created differently. Eve was made from Adam’s
side—thus she was made indirectly from the dust of the earth. Genesis 2:21-22 (NKJV) says:
“And the LORD God caused a deep
sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up
the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He
made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.”
This shows the unity and relationship between man and woman.
Eve was not made from the dust separately, nor from Adam’s head to rule over
him, nor from his feet to be trampled by him, but from his side as a
companion suitable for him. Genesis 2:24 establishes the foundation for
marriage as one man and one woman becoming “one flesh.”
Where Did Adam And Eve’s Life Come From?
Life ultimately came from God Himself. God alone is the
Creator and giver of life. Adam did not evolve into a living being—he became
alive because God breathed life into him. Scripture consistently teaches
that God is the source of all life.
Acts 17:25 says God, “gives to all life, breath, and all
things.” Colossians 1:16 explains that all things were created by and through
Christ. The breath of life given to Adam shows that man is entirely dependent on God for existence. Humans are physical creatures made from dust, yet
animated and sustained by the life God gives (our spirit/soul). We have an eternal aspect being made in the image of an eternal God, so man does have intrinsic value—an eternal value.
The Bible also teaches that life continues according to
God’s providence. Psalm 104:29-30 says that when God removes breath, creatures
die (ultimately due to man's sin in Genesis 3), but when He sends forth His Spirit, they are created. Human life is
therefore sacred because it comes from God and bears His image.
How Is Life In The Blood Discussed Biblically?
The Bible repeatedly associates physical life with blood.
Leviticus 17:11 (NKJV) states:
“For the life of the flesh is in
the blood.”
Blood represents life because it sustains the body. In other words, if the blood stops flowing, life ceases in our bodies.
After
the Flood, God reiterated that murder was wrong (which we saw previously with Cain and Abel) and pointed out the importance of human life in
Genesis 9:4-6. Since man is made in God’s image, shedding innocent human blood
is treated as a serious offense against our Creator—and rightly so!
Blood also became central to the sacrificial system. In the Old Testament, sacrifices pointed forward to Christ. Hebrews 9:22 says, “without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross to provide redemption for sinners.
Thus, blood is connected both
to physical life and spiritual atonement throughout Scripture. It was like this
from the point of the first sin and sacrifice in Genesis 3:21, when God made
coats of SKINS for Adam and his wife.
What Does The Bible Mean When It Says Man Was Made In The
Image Of God?
Being made in the image of God means mankind uniquely
reflects God in ways unlike the animals. Humans possess rational thought,
morality, creativity, self-awareness, unique spiritual capacity to commune with God, and the ability to have advanced communication and exercise dominion. Humans, being made in a ruling God's image, were created to represent God’s
authority on earth (we rule over it and have dominion).
Genesis 1:26 connects the image of God with dominion over
creation. Man was appointed as steward over the earth. Although sin damaged
mankind spiritually, the image of God was not destroyed. After the Flood,
Genesis 9:6 still says man is made in God’s image.
The image of God does not mean God has a physical human
body, because God is spirit (John 4:24). Rather, mankind reflects aspects of
God’s character and nature in a finite way. Christians are also being renewed
spiritually into the image of Christ according to Colossians 3:10.
What Two Sexes/Genders Did God Make?
The Bible teaches plainly that God created two sexes or
genders: male and female. Genesis 1:27 says, “male and female He created them.”
Jesus Himself affirmed this in Matthew 19:4 when He said:
“He who made them at the beginning
‘made them male and female.’”
According to Scripture, sex is not an accident, social
invention, or evolutionary adaptation, but part of God’s intentional design
from creation. Male and female together reflect God’s created order and
complement one another in marriage, family, and society.
I put together a definition for naturally born man and a naturally born woman in keeping with Scripture to deal with misunderstandings about man and woman.[1]
Both men and women equally bear the image of God and possess equal value before Him, though they were created with distinct biological and complementary roles. The Bible presents this distinction as good, purposeful, and foundational to human society from the very beginning.
Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending 6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.
[1] Bodie Hodge, Definition of Man and Woman, Answers in Genesis, https://answersingenesis.org/about/definition-man-and-woman/.
