The Creation of Man
A Complete Study of Man
by
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1. Man in the Mind of God
In the beginning when the earth was dark and void, God had a plan. His plan was to create man, but first He had to prepare a place for man to live. God spoke and said, "Let there be light." This light, which is distinct from that radiated later from the sun, dispersed the darkness that enshrouded the deep (Gen. 1:2). Everything God made in the visible world that which is above (heaven), and that which is below (earth) is centered around man and is viewed from his angle. The earth is that part of the terrestrial surface which was to be the abode of man and the scene of his activity.
God designed man to be different than the rest of the animals. God had in His mind to make man from the earth, which He called Adam, which is derived from "adamah", "earth", to signify that man is earth-born. He was to be in God's image and after His likeness. God intended to create man to be immortal and make him an image of His eternity. Man was to have moral freedom and will as his Creator. He will be capable of knowing and loving God, of holding spiritual communion with Him and man alone can guide his own actions in accordance with reason. Because man is endowed with reason, he can subdue his impulses in the service of moral and religious ideals, and is born to bear rule over nature (Psalm 8). God wanted man to build and rear a family (Gen. 1:28).
God's precept given to man:
"Be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, subdue it, have dominion over fish, fowl, and every living thing that moves upon the earth." (Gen. 28)
Be fruitful - God wanted man to be productive. Everything that God created, including man, is expected to help bring forth seed of its kind (Gen. 1:11).
Subdue it - Man was to gain dominion over the physical and the animal creation.
Man as a religious being - "Be ye holy for I am holy." God wanted man to be holy, because He is holy. (Lev. 20:26)
God designed man, before the world began, to be conformed to the image of His son Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29). Christianity is a fact in the world. It had an origin, development and history; but, before it became a fact, development and history, it was first in the mind of God. God had mapped out the world from the beginning to end, step-by-step, in His mind before He started to create the world (Job 38:4-11). Christianity is a founded religion in the sense that it goes back in history to the life and work of its founder, God, and cannot be divorced from Him because God put a part of Himself in man. Even if man does not come to God, there is a part in him that can know God, that is, if he chooses to know Him (Rom. 1:19).
Before man was made, God wanted man to be made for himself. He must long for God. All things would speak to him of a higher power. God put this constitution in the soul of man, that he can reveal himself in higher ways than nature itself is capable of. The soul is to reach out after God (Rom. 1:19). Man's most sacred privilege is freedom of will, the ability to obey or to disobey his maker. This was a test in the Garden of Eden when God commanded the man saying, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die (Gen. 2:16-17)." This sharp limitation of self-gratification was to test the use he would make of his freedom and this limitation begins the moral discipline of man. Unlike the beast, man was to have a spiritual life which demands the subordination of man's desires to the law of God. The will of God revealed in His law is the one eternal and unfailing guide as to what constitutes good and evil, not man's instincts or even his reason, which, in the hour of temptation, often calls light darkness and darkness light. God intended that man be created as a deathless being. A simpler explanation is that in view of all the circumstances of the temptation, the all merciful God mercifully modified the penalty, and they did not die on the day of their sin. Some may say that man died spiritually; the author believes that God, in the beginning, intended for man to live as an immortal being for eternity. God planted a garden eastward, in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed and there were many trees in the garden, which were good for food, even the tree of life, the fruit of which prolongs life or renders immortality (Gen. 2:9).
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About the Book
I have focused on the idea of man in creation and have tried to clarify it. Perhaps there is as much confusion and uncertainty here as anywhere today, even in Christian ranks. There is confusion and uncertainty of the beginning of man, was he created as man as of today or did he evolve from an ape? Also, there are other things that confuse and seem uncertain to man that I tried to point out in this study.
The idea of God is being attacked in many ways and in many quarters. But there seems to be, also, a growing recognition of man's need of God. Man within himself is helpless in the midst of hostile forces on every hand. God is man's only refuge and help in time of need.
I feel that man should know about his total self, and relationship with God. I will try to point out and focus on studies of man before the world was created, the three-folds of man's nature and functional parts, his fall and punishment, and also his renewal stages and his final destiny.
About the Author
Jurisdictional Bishop, Dr. Gilbert H. Edwards, Sr. was born and reared in
Dr. Edwards received his ministerial calling in 1968. Under the tenure of the late Honorable Bishop Hansome Lewis Walker of Baltimore MD, serving as Sunday School Superintendent and Assistant Pastor of the Faith Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, Baltimore, Maryland. He was later called to pastor the
In August 1982, Bishop Edwards received his pastoral ordination credentials from the Pentecostal Churches of the Apostolic Church Association, Inc. (PCAF) Bishop Edwards serves on the Board of Bishops for the Pentecostal Churches of the Apostolic Faith Association, Inc. and as District Elder, since 1990 for 8 churches in the
Dr. Edwards obtained his Associate of Arts, and Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Biblical Studies from the
Dr. Edwards is a lover of people. His concern, compassion and longsuffering has won great admiration and trust for him among his immediate family, his church family and peers!