DID ADAM HAVE A BELLY BUTTON?

By Dr. M. R. Dowler

Today we address the silly and inane. The theological and physiological question is---“Did Adam and Eve have a belly button? You may be thinking who cares; and if you are, you may be right. Adam and Eve’s navel (or lack thereof) is certainly not the world’s greatest imponderable, but there may be more to this silly question than meets the eye.

Logically, why would Adam and Eve actually need a belly button? Neither had a mother, therefore they wouldn’t need a navel. But think about this---Adam and Eve were perhaps the world’s first tourist attraction. Adam lived 930 years (Eve’s longevity is unknown); can you imagine how many wanted to see this strange phenomenon? And what a wonderful opportunity for Adam and Eve to tell others of the consequences of sin and the story of creation itself. Adam’s lack of a belly button is also a testimony of the impeccability of God. Because it is impossible for God to lie (Numbers 23:19), He would not have implied that our first parents came from a mother’s womb.

Mankind, male and female is the crown jewels of God’s marvelous creation (Psalm 139:14), created with intricate detail and design in the very image of God (Genesis 1:26-27) with infinite worth, dignity and moral uprightness (Ecclesiastes 7:29; Ephesians 4:24). Interestingly, the word “image” in the original Hebrew is “tselem” meaning likeness or resemblance. So does man look like God? Hardly; the Bible tells us God is a spirit (John 4:24). But we can (and should) resemble Him in grace, goodness, mercy and holiness.

Theologically, the image of man is somewhat of a mystery in that part of God’s image is in all people (saved and lost) and can never be destroyed (Genesis 9:6; 1 Corinthians 11:7; James 3:8-9). It is quite a compelling thought that the unrepentant lost will take a portion of their Creator’s original image with them to hell. For us, Adam and Eve may have used their uniqueness to the glory of God. The lesson for us is---Find out what’s unique about you and tell others about how God made you special. Think about it.