The Origin of Man
One of the most controversial
questions confronting modern man concerns the origin of the human species. Genetic
studies claim that primates diverged from other mammals about 85 million years
ago. But according to Scripture, God directly created man in His own image and
likeness from the very dust of the ground without any intermediaries. Genesis 1:26 records the event of the origin
of man like this: Then God
said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them
rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle
and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the
earth." It is clear from this verse that this was a conversation within
the Triune God. Man is not created in the image of angels or any other beings.
Genesis 2:7 provides a little more detail: "Then the Lord God formed man
of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;
and man became a living being." Notice there is nothing about man evolving
from apes over the course of some 85 million years. According to the divine
revelation of God Himself, God created man directly by a supernatural act from
the dust of the ground and then he breathed the breath of life into this man
and the man because a living soul. Man is the direct product of the divine
action of God. As the product of God, man has no rights apart from God. God has
complete right to do with man whatsoever He wishes. Man owes all to God. He is
obligated to God in every way God has determined.
I should also point out that Jesus believed that God created
man exactly as Genesis 1-2 describe. Jesus referred to this very passage in
Matt. 19:4 when He said, "Have you not read that He who created them from
the beginning made them male and female." This is an unambiguous reference
to Genesis 1-2 and the account human creation as described in Scripture. What
do we know about human origins? We know that God created man, male and female,
in His image and likeness from the dust of the earth and breathed into them the
breath of life. That is what we know about human origins.
Man as Image Bearer
Man was made in God’s image (ṣelem)
and likeness (dĕmût) which is then
explained as his having dominion over God’s creation as vice-regent. Ps 8:5–8
[H 6–9] is similar citing man’s God-given glory, honor and rule. God’s image
obviously does not consist in man’s body which was formed from earthly matter,
but in his spiritual, intellectual, moral likeness to God from whom his
animating breath came.[1] That
man is made in God's likeness is repeated in Genesis 5:1. This is again
repeated in Genesis 9:6 at the prohibition of murder with the reason given that
man is created in the image of God. Paul reinforces this basic Christian
teaching in 1 Cor. 11:7 when he says that man is the image and the glory of God.
Finally, James also mentions this fact at 3:9 when he says men have been made
in the image of God.
You see man was created to
reflect the image of God to all creation and also to reflect that image back to
God. The purpose of dignity of man is found in the fact that man is designed to
be an accurate, albeit incomplete, reflection of the God who made him. This is
the entire project of man's existence.
We see this in Christ's act to
redeem humanity from the curse of his fallen condition. Man has been restored
to life once again, brought back into fellowship with his heavenly Father. And
as such, every Christian's single purpose in life is to once against become
that image of God he was originally designed to be from the beginning. When I
talk about Scripture, I oftentimes will contend that the purpose of Scripture
is sanctification. What I mean by that specifically is that Scripture's purpose
is to restore the image of God in man. Scripture changes us; it transforms us; our
entire being; intellect, will, and emotion. The purpose of Scripture is to
transform us into the image of God's Son, Jesus Christ. Hence, Scripture brings
that image of God back into reality.
1 Thess. 4:3
"For this is the will of
God, your sanctification." The will of God is that every believer is not
only holy, but engages in holy conduct and avoids those behaviors that are not
true reflections of the image of God. We live in an age when external routines
and rituals are mistaken to indicate true religion. Anyone professing to be a
Christian must surely be given the
benefit of the doubt. How dare we actually call someone's faith into question
because of what they do or what they believe. Today, anyone can live anyway
they please and believe anything they please and still reserve the right to
numbered among the Christian community. This is a fool's game and the Church
must come to her senses and put an end to this treachery. We have no authority
to call holy what God has already called vile. The Church operates with the
authority of heaven only when she expresses heaven's decrees.
Reciprocity & Rejection by
Man
Man was created to reflect the
image of God to all creation and back to God. But Satan, in the form of the
serpent convinced man that he did not have to play such a fiddle. Rather than
merely being the image of God, man could be his own person, reflecting his own
self to the world. He could have his own agenda for how he would live in the
world. Why settle for being God's image-bearer when you can set your own
agenda, be your own person, and know things on your own steam apart from God?
The rest is history. Man bought into Satan's philosophy and fell headlong into
sin and came under the curse of God.
As a result of this tragedy, man
has turned the tables on God, so to speak. Paul says, "and exchanged the glory of the
incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and
four-footed animals and crawling creatures." Note that man exchanged the
glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man. Man
has exchanged the truth of God for a lie. Man spends his time worshipping and
serving the creature rather than the Creator. No longer is man interested in
reflecting the image of God back to Him or to His creation. Instead, man has
perverted and corrupted the God of Scripture and turned that image into one
that he finds acceptable. This is the universal behavior of every unregenerate
man. All unbelievers engage in this corruption of the divine image to one
degree or another. They invent a god, and call him Allah. They invent a god that is
nothing but love. They invent a god who is tolerant and accepting of every
lifestyle imaginable, except the ones they find offensive themselves. Their god
did not create the world through his divine power. He created by evolutionary
processes. This god inspired only parts of the bible. Other parts are the
products of flawed men. Which ones you ask? Whichever ones they find contrary
to their supposedly scientific views and their informed and enlightened senses.
Christian theism is a religion that embraces the God
revealed in Scripture. This God inspired an inerrant and completely reliable
and trustworthy revelation known as Holy Scripture. It is the image of this God
that man is to reflect in his daily life to the world and back to his heavenly
Father.
Christian apologists would do well to understand that it is
this God that we are called to preach, teach, and defend. It is not some god in
general or theism in general. Theism in general is idolatry. Nothing short of
the God of Scripture will meet the standard that Christians are called to teach
and defend. Anything less than defending this sort of Christian theism is a tragic
compromise that brings with it devastating consequences.
Christian theism believes that the supernatural, direct,
creative activity of God is responsible for the existence of humanity.
Christian theism teaches that man was created perfect. Christian theism teaches
that man sinned and as a result death was unleashed on the earth as a
consequence of the sin of man and that death is an expression of the wrath of
God. Christian theism affirms that God sent Jesus Christ, God of very God, to
this earth to die for our sin, to bear His divine wrath, and to redeem humanity
from the curse and from death. Christ died, was buried, and rose again on the
third day according to the Scriptures. This is the true gospel of Christ and
refusal to acknowledge it's historicity and theological significance can only result in
certain judgment. The redemption of Christ is aimed at once again restoring the
image of God in man so that we reflect that image of God to His creation and
back to Him as we glorify Him in all that we are.
[1] R.
Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, eds., Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
(Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 768.
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