THE STATE OF MAN

THE STATE OF MAN

Scripture: Psa 100:3 “Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves . . .”

Commentary:

Many theories exist as to how mankind came into being. From the Big Bang Theory to evolution and with everything in between mankind has been trying to resolve the mystery of how we came to be. Unfortunately, doing this takes us nowhere.  For me this is a waste of time but there are many who are putting in a lot of effort to come up with answers. But if you take God out of the picture no one will be able to come up with any proper conclusions.

Let’s consider briefly what I mentioned in the previous blog about who God is. Studying scriptures we see that God is eternal, creator, holy, merciful, omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful) and omnipresent (all-present). So God does and can do anything which we will never comprehend, therefore our conclusion must be this Heb 11:3 “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

Genesis 1 and 2 describes to us God’s creation of everything and as God created everything scripture tells us that He was very pleased with His work. I can only assume what everything looked like. Everything was beautiful and perfect. But the picture was not complete. Humans were not present, yet.

MAN’S CONDITION AT CREATION

Gen 1:26-27 “Then 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.

When God decided to create man he was to be totally different from everything else that God created to that point. He was going to be distinct. Genesis 1:26 states, Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness . . .” Let’s consider the first part of that verse. According to the New Nelson’s Illustrated commentary it acknowledges the following “A more recent view, based on Hebrew grammar and the knowledge of the ancient Near East, interprets the phrase as meaning, ‘Let us make man as our image’ (the Hebrew preposition in this phrase can be translated ‘as’). In ancient times an emperor might command statues of himself to be placed in remote parts of his empire. These symbols would declare that these areas were under his power and reign; so God placed humankind as living symbols of Himself on earth to represent His reign.” As well God gave man dominion and authority over His creation to manage it.

The second part of that verse talks about “to our likeness” which is referring to us being like God. There are certain attributes that only belong to God. We are like God when it comes to the trinity where He is God in three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and humans are tripartite (spirit, soul and body). Man, like God, has an intellect, a moral nature, the power to communicate with others, an emotional nature that transcends instinct and is creative. Because we were created in God’s image we can reflect His character in our love, patience, forgiveness, kindness, faithfulness.

God also created us to have fellowship and communicate with Himself Gen 3:8 “and they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day . . .” This would have been an incredible time for Adam and Eve where they could spend time with God. Nothing could be better.

But in creating man God gave him a free will and the power of choice. This would mean that he was not a robot but rather have the ability to choose. Everything went well and choices were easy to make for there was no tempter. What a time to be living.

MAN’S CONDITION: TESTED AND FAILED

When God created Adam He give him specific instructions Gen 1:28 “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth’.”

In addition to this instruction there was another one which would be the determining factor of the future of humanity Gen 2:8, 9, 15 – 17 “The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil . . . Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’.”

The time would come when the power of choice would be tested. As we find out in Genesis 3 Satan would appear as a serpent in the Garden of Eden and as tempter he would do his job and what followed was not pretty. Instead of being faithful to God Adam and Eve made a terrible decision which has scarred the whole human race. The Godly image would be tarnished and man became sinful. The justice of God could not ignore sin. God cannot lie and go against His word. He had said that disobedience would cause man to become mortal.

The consequence of their sin meant that they would be driven from the Garden of Eden. Because sin separates us from God this would be the result of man’s decision whereby he would experience all that sin creates and death would now be inevitable. Scripture says, Rom 5:19 “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners . . .” Because we are the offspring of Adam and Eve we all suffer the same consequences.

From that time on to now man’s condition is still sinful Rom 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” During this Christmas season we are reminded that our only hope is found in Jesus Christ who came to redeem mankind from their dilemma Joh 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Q & A

Question: Should we look to other religions to help us in our walk as a Christian?

Answer: It is true that when it comes to practical things of life we can learn from each other. Certain principles of life can be practiced better by some groups then others. The Holy Spirit can use even animals or things in nature to teach us truths. It’s not the religion but the Holy Spirit who is our teacher.

JUST SAYING DEVOTIONAL

The Christmas Star

Mat 2:10 “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.”

Ever wonder why educated men would drop everything to follow a star for hundreds of miles? You’re not alone: there’s been a lot of speculation about the star. Think what it represents: (1) Hope. Listen: 2Th 2:16 “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting . . . hope by grace . . .” Hope for all eternity, what a gift! This star didn’t merely lead the wise men to fulfillment of their expectations, it points each of us to the only hope of salvation – Jesus! (2) Joy. The Bible says, ‘When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.” Why? Because Jesus is the source of transcendent joy, the kind that lifts us above our circumstances and makes others think, “Whatever you’ve got, I need!” (3) Guidance. The star united the shepherds and philosophers, rich and poor, intellectual and illiterate – around Jesus – heaven’s answer to earth’s dilemma. Notice, after the wise men worshipped Him and laid their treasures at His feet, the Bible says, Mat 2:12 “Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.” Understand this: it’s impossible to meet Jesus and go home the same way! 2Co 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” So when somebody asks you, “What did you get for Christmas?” just smile and say: (a) hope that gets brighter each day; (b) joy that’s greater than any threat or circumstance; (c) guidance for every step of the way.

• Bob and Debby Gass