The biblical story of creation in Genesis is not meant to be a philosophical treaty or scientific manual. It is the prelude to the story of God’s unending relationship of love with and for humanity. It recognises that the relationship of human beings with the created order is a precarious one. The world is. In fact, a dangerous place yet it is understood to be less threatening since the One who created and controls the world is the One who created humanity and rules over them and influences their destiny. The reality is that God has chosen the human race to be in relationship with himself, and he desires the continual good of all his children.
The Genesis story tells us that human beings in their male and femaleness are made in the image and likeness of God. However, God’s image has been defaced and distorted within them by their pride and sinfulness. Thus, their personhood is not what it was created to be and human beings have become less than human in the biblical sense of the term. The rest of the story from Genesis to Revelation is in part the story of God who seeks to bring men and woman back into a meaningful and loving relationship with himself and to restore them to what they were created to be that is, fully human and exhibiting within themselves the image and likeness of God in all its fullness. Yet, the story goes way beyond this aspect of the story alone in that God’s ultimate intention includes the reconciliation and restoration of all that was defaced and distorted in the fall including the whole of the created order.