Lesson-3 MAN

MAN

We will study this lesson in two parts:

1. MAN’S POSITION AT THE TIME OF HIS CREATION.

2.  MAN'S POSITION AFTER SIN AND HIS POSITION TODAY.

1. MAN'S POSITION AT THE TIME OF HIS CREATION

This section will be divided into three subsections:

A. How was man created?

B. What kind of man was created?

C. The main purpose of man's creation.

A. How Was Man Created?

Secular science often persists in saying that man’s existence is an accident in an accidental universe. According to that secular science, there is no real purpose or meaning to man’s existence. We know that what appears accidentally has no program or purpose for its future and its value is low. In opposition to this view, the Bible says, “God created man.” The Bible also says, “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Ge.2:7, 22, 23; Ps.139:14, 16) God created man with three parts, body, soul and spirit. (Ge.2:7; 1Th. 5:23) So, man’s existence is not accidental. On the contrary, he is the supreme creation of God; made for a special purpose.

B. What Kind of Man Was Created?

God created human beings in His image and in His likeness. (Ge.1:26, 27) That likeness and image isn't an outward physical thing, but rather an inner likeness. Let’s look at some aspects of this “likeness and image.”

1. Man's moral/ethical description

2. Man is a person

3. Man can rule

4. Man is the supreme being among God’s creation

1. Man’s Moral/Ethical Description

By God’s breath, man received divine life and divine nature. Man had the opportunity to live forever in that condition. In that state, he did not need salvation. Man was like God, pure and kind in his nature. There was no sin or wrong in him. (Ge.1:31) Before he sinned, man was free from sickness and death because he was completely holy and did not have a sinful nature. He was filled with wisdom, had self-consciousness, and was able to see the difference between himself and other creatures. (Ge.2:19, 20)

2. Man is a Person

God created man as a person. In our study of God we learned that a “person” has the following characteristics: he thinks, plans, make decisions and creates. (Ge.2:18-23, Ps.119:15)

3. Man Can Rule

Since the rule over the whole universe is in God’s hand, God gave to Adam and his wife the ability and the right to rule every kind of animal in the world. (Ge.1:26-28) Among all the creatures God created, only man can rule every kind of animal on the earth, every kind of  bird of the air, and every kind of creature in the waters. God gave Adam the responsibility for their care and their naming.

4. Man is the Supreme Being among God’s Creation

There is no higher being in the universe than God. God is the highest among all who exist, just as human beings are the highest of all created creatures. (Ge.1:26, 27) In Genesis 2:19, 20, 23 we see that Adam recognized who he was and found no corresponding companion among the animals. Yet, when he saw the woman, he chose her even though he was sleeping at the time of her creation.

C. The Main Purpose of Man's Creation

The main purpose of man is to be the image and likeness of God. (Ge.1:26-28) A new born baby is just as human as his parents, but he must grow to the completeness of a mature person. Likewise, man was created in the image and likeness of God. Through an ever growing relationship with God, man may grow to the perfection of that image and likeness. After God created the Heavens and the Earth, His purpose was set in motion. He had communication and relationship with man and wanted that to be eternal. God knows that where there is not free will and the right to choose, there can't be real communication and the relationship which can enable man to express God's likeness and image. God wanted man to show his willingness and make his own choice. (Ge.2:16, 17). God created man in order that man, by his own will, might choose Him. For the man, growing in God's image allowed him to share in the glory of the divine. (Isa.43:7) Though that glory was planned, it hasn't been realized or revealed through the centuries. It only began to be visible through our Lord Jesus when He brought the Gospel into the world. (Ro. 16:25-27; Eph. 1:3, 6, 12; 18-23; 1Th. 2:12)

The glorious greatness of God expresses itself even brighter through man. For example, if someone builds a house for his own glory, that house shows the constructor's ability, genius and wisdom. Likewise, God's glory, ability, genius and wisdom are revealed through man. God’s main purpose is not to glorify man, but that man might truly be in His image, having Christ's complete image. (Gen. 1:26, 27; Mat. 5:48; Ro. 8:29; Eph. 4:13; Col. 2:9; 3:10-14; 1Jn. 3:2)

2. MAN'S POSITION AFTER HIS SIN AND HIS POSITION TODAY

Though God created man holy and perfect, man did not stay in that position. There is no greater misfortune than when man is mistaken in his choice. God created man in a state in which death was not yet a reality, yet He warned man about potential death. The whole earth was given to the human being and he had the right to help himself to everything on earth, with the exception that he was not to eat of the fruit of the “tree of knowledge of good and evil.” Man was warned by God that he would die the very moment he would eat the forbidden fruit. (Ge.2:16, 17) The man did not listen. With the enticement of Satan at work, he ate that fruit and became mortal. He had violated the one restriction that God had given to him. He broke God’s one law and it was credited to him as sin. Sin came into the world and brought death with it, and the death was spread over the whole generation of Adam. (Ge. 3:6; Ro. 5:12) What is that death? It is the absence of life; a separation from the divine life and separation from God’s very nature. (Eph. 4:17, 18) Some people complain that God should not have put the forbidden fruit in Eden; thus Adam would have been kept safe from sin. That prohibited fruit was an example of what Adam would encounter in his future. Let us say that the tree hadn't been in the garden. Adam would still meet a lot of people in the future and he would have restrictions on his relationships with them. Adam wouldn’t be allowed to do just anything with any person he wanted to. Adam would have to accept the fact that he would have to do what was right and stay within the limits of what would be pleasing to God.

When Adam did sin, he was deprived of divine life, and from that time on death's law began to have its affect upon man. The effect of death’s law would sentence man to eternal death. Man’s whole being was corrupted: his spirit-(Gen. 2:17; Mat.8: 22) his soul (which includes his nature)-(Gen. 6:5; Eph. 4:17, 18) and his body-(Ge.3:16-19). So, Adam's generation had died spiritually and was deprived of divine life and glory. (Luke 9:60; Ro. 3:23; Eph. 2:1) God's holiness and righteousness would not allow Him to just disregard Adam's sin. He can not do any act of injustice. God saw Adam's sin, exposed it and accused Adam, the guilty one. Because of Adam's disobedience, God's wrath and the judgment of death came upon Adam and his generation (Gen. 3:17-19, 23, 24). Adam's corrupted nature was transferred to the whole human race by inheritance. (Ro. 5:19; Job 14:4) Today, each person is guilty. Man made the wrong choice and became guilty. Man is deprived of God's glory and His glorious life (Ro. 3:23). By sinning, a dramatic change occurred in man. Before he had had a holy nature, but because of sin his nature was changed.

·   His moral description changed completely: he was holy and became vile, he was kind and became evil (Ro.3:10-18).

·   Before sin man was a living person in every way. After sin, he became a dead person. His mind was corrupted; his plans, decisions, choices and inclinations became evil. (Ge.2:17; 6:5; Mat.8:22; Ro.1:28-32; Eph.4:17, 18)

·   Man could have been the kind ruler of the earth, but after sin, evil found its place within man and he began to rule evilly, violently, deceptively and pitilessly (1Co.12:2; Eph.2:1-3).

·   Man’s position was higher than any creature, but after his sin he lost self– consciousness, He no longer knew who he himself was and he didn't recognize his Creator. Therefore, he can not recognize who he is in God's plan (Jer. 10:14; Ro. 3:10-18; Eph. 4:17-19).

Because of man’s corruption, many of the world’s scholars are not able to acknowledge the truth about their origin. Some of these scholars declare that man has originated from the monkey. The fact is that many people today prefer to give man’s legacy to animals, rather than to man. Though man has been so corrupted, God in His mercy and grace brings man into self-consciousness and gives him an opportunity to make a choice. God lets man know that he is lost and that he needs a Savior. The Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ (Mat. 11:25-27; 16:17; John.1:9; 3:16; 6:44; Philippians 2:13; 1Jn. 5:20).

Summary:

Man is a created being with God's image. By sinning, man defiled his whole essence: body, soul and spirit. God, through the crucifixion of His son Jesus Christ, has given man to receive the opportunity to have the forgiveness of sin, salvation, and the opportunity to grow and reach God's main purpose for his life: to be like Jesus Christ.