◄ What Does Genesis 5:3 Mean? ►

When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.

Genesis 5:3(NASB)

Picture courtesy of The Glory Story

Verse of the Day

In the first chapter of Genesis, we read that God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created them. He created them male and female and God blessed them and told them: "Be fruitful and multiply." Adam was to produce offspring that would resemble himself; his character and nature. His children were to be born in the image and likeness of their earthly father, with Adam's traits, characteristics, and nature, in the same way he had been made in the image and likeness of God, with the attributes and nature of his Creator and Heavenly Father.

Adam was also instructed: "Fill the earth, and subdue it," for the Lord appointed him to be His ambassador on earth. He was to rule the earth righteously and with equity. He was given jurisdiction over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every living thing that moves on the earth.

However, when Adam sinned, he not only lost his position of authority over the earth but was imputed with a sin nature, and the wages of sin is death. Although we read that Adam was made in the image of God, his likeness to the Lord was marred by sin, his character was blemished, and a sin nature was imputed to him. This meant that Adam knew what was good without the power to do it, and knew what was evil without the ability to avoid it.

Only five chapters later, we read about the lineage of Adam to Noah, through his son, Seth. Luke traces Christ's genealogy backwards, through Noah, Seth, and Adam, to show that Christ was truly Son of Man and the true Son of God, for we read: "When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth."

Adam had other sons and daughters before Seth, but the child that was named in this genealogy was Seth and we read that he was born in Adam's own likeness, according to Adam's image, and he was called Seth (which means 'Appointed One'). Seth was to be the son of Adam through whom the Messiah was to be born.

Because of Adam's sin, the image and likeness of God is marred in every member of the human race. Successive names in this passage of Scripture identify the blemished nature that was passed on to all humanity, for the curse of death has wrapped its suffocating fingers around the throat of every man.

But God in His grace, purposed in His heart to redeem His fallen creation (through the Person of Jesus Christ), to breathe His eternal life back into His New Creation in Christ (through faith in His sacrificial work on Calvary and glorious Resurrection), to reinstate His own image and likeness into the heart of man (reflecting the glory of the Lord by being transformed into His image, from glory to glory).

The day is coming when God will reinstate man's rule over all the earth, when Christ returns to set up His kingdom on earth as God of all gods, King of all kings, and Lord of all lords. Jesus must reign until he has put all enemies under His feet and the last of man's enemy to be destroyed is DEATH.

My Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You that You did not terminate the race of man because of sin. Even though Adam sinned and death passed onto all men, making us all sinners, You chose to redeem Your fallen race through the Person and work of Christ. Thank You that through the lineage of Adam, Seth, Noah, Abraham, Israel, and David, came the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God and perfect Son of Man Who died and rose again so that all who believe on Him would be redeemed. Thank You that the day that is coming when You will put all wrongs to right, and the earth will be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea. In the meantime, I pray that I may be increasingly transformed into the image and likeness of Christ Jesus my Lord, in Whose name I pray, AMEN.