OceanSide church of Christ

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GOD CREATED MAN

Victor M Eskew

 

            Scientists often disagree with the title of this article.  They would have us to believe that man is the product of billions of years of evolutionary processes.  They want us to accept that which is unscientific, that is, the view that life comes from non-life.  The simple and the ungodly have accepted the lies of the evolutionist.  The wise, however, have chosen to believe that God created man.

            God is an eternal, living, animated being.  His power is defined as omnipotent or all-powerful.  He can merely speak and bring things into existence (Ps. 33:6, 9).  In His one and only revelation to man called the Bible, He has revealed that He created man.  “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them” (Gen. 1:26-27).  In Genesis 2:7, we learn that God formed man out of the dust of the ground.  “And 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 soul.”

            There are numerous other passages of holy Scripture that speak of God’s involvement in the formation of man.  The psalmist mentions how God was present as he was being formed in the womb.  He wrote:  “For thou hast possessed my reins:  thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.  I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:  marvelous are they works; and that my soul knoweth right well.  My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.   Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them” (Ps. 139:13-16).  It was the faithful Paul who taught the Greek philosophers, saying:  “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth…” (Acts 17:24-26).

            One of the interesting things about man is that he is not just a physical being.  He is also a spiritual being.  The prophet Zechariah revealed that it is God that “formeth the spirit of man within him” (Zech. 12:1).  In Hebrews 12:9, the inspired penman describes God as “the father of spirits.”  Man, therefore, is composed of two beings, an outer man and an inner man.  Paul was cognizant of these two beings and wrote about them in II Corinthians 4:16.  “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”  While there is life, the inner and outer men function as a harmonious unit.  At death, the outer man is cast off.  The inner man, however, continues to live.  “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom:  the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom” (Luke 16:22-23).

            God’s being the Creator of man involves many things.  First, God knows man.  In fact, He knows man better than man knows himself.  Matthew 10:30 tells us:  “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”  No man knows the precise number of hairs that cover his head, but God does.  God knows everything about us.  Second, God knows exactly what man needs and what he does not need.  This is true in both the physical and spiritual realms.  We often take this world in which we live for granted.  Yet, God created it “to be inhabited” by man (Isa. 45:18).  This globe contains all that is needed for man’s survival:  oxygen, food, water, and energy.  God knew what man needed, and He gave it to him.  Third, as the Creator, God cares for His creation.  He did not create us and withdraw from us.  No, God watches over His people.  In II Chronicles 16:9, we read:  “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth…”  The wise writer of Proverbs echoes this thought in Proverbs 15:3.  “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”  God both rejoices and hurts for His people depending upon the various situations in which man finds himself.

            The fact that God is man’s Creator is vital in soul-winning.  God knows man.  He knows that man is flesh.  He understands that man can be tempted.  He knows that man was made in His image.  Therefore, he knows that man can choose to yield to things that violate His will for man.  Because He cares, God did not leave man without hope if he chose to separate himself from his Creator.  God provided for man in the spiritual realm just as He did in the physical realm.  In fact, God developed a plan to redeem man prior to laying the foundation of the earth.  Several New Testament verses talk about this plan and it various components that were put in place before the foundation of the world (Matt. 25:34; Eph. 1:4; I Pet. 1:19-20; Rev. 13:8).

            Man is a unique being in that he can have a relationship and fellowship with his Creator.  This fellowship, however, is sustained through obedience to God’s will.  Man, however, does not always faithfully abide in God’s will.  He sins.  Fortunately, God loves man.  He seeks after him like a shepherd seeks after a lost sheep.  His efforts enable man to be brought back into fellowship and into the good graces of his powerful Creator.