The Doctrine of Man

[00:00:00] This audio sermon is provided by AnabaptistSermons.com and may be freely copied and distributed. You may not sell or edit this sermon. Our prayer is that you would be blessed by this ministry. I feel very inadequate in talking about these fundamentals from the standpoint that you can only at best put a skeleton together. And one of the desires, the purposes of these messages is that you supply the meat. [00:00:32] I would hope that subjects that may not seem that exciting to us could become the thrill of your soul as you begin to look into the scriptures and discover there what God really has to say. And that is again the case this morning. Now we'd like to turn in our Bibles this morning to different passages. At the outset, I'd like to ask a question. That is, who are you? [00:01:07] Who are you? Do you ever wonder, just who am I anyway? Some people really deal with that question. They wonder who they are. Maybe all of us do at times. Really, that's not a new question. In fact, if our history is correct as it's given in the scriptures by historians, then that question was asked basically at least 4,500 years ago. [00:01:38] Somebody said, it was like this, what is man? We'd like this morning to talk about what is man? Or we might, maybe in a more theologically correct, proper term, just simply say the doctrine of man. We all look at each other, we think about people, what six billion some of us here on the earth today and maybe that many that have gone before. [00:02:12] These are people. Man is the term here for mankind. The human race. What is the human race? What is man? Now when Job said those words, it was probably more than just because he had curiosity about who a man is or what people are, But he said, what is man that God takes notice of him? Job was contemplating his own dilemma. [00:02:46] Job was a man that was sick. He was a person that had loss. Life really wasn't that pleasant for Job. And as he was, what was he? Not really comforted by his miserable comforters. He was talked to by them. Seems like he went up and down. And perhaps he was wondering about himself. Really, why does God even notice who I am still? [00:03:19] What is man? Job added these words further when he asked that question. That thou shouldest magnify him and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him. Job was noticing that God set his heart on man. The psalmist said, what is man that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man that thou visitest him? Why does God even think about people? It's because of what man is. [00:03:51] The psalmist said again, what is man that thou takest knowledge of him? Or the son of man that thou makest account of him? We could look at that question from different perspectives this morning. We could look at the question from the basis of what does the biologist say about man? How does a biologist evaluate man? And the more I learn, the less I know when it comes to these questions. [00:04:22] I think about the complexity, the uniqueness, the intricacy of the biological man and I can't get done. It would be with profit that we could sit together and maybe we should have a bible study about this rather than a message and simply just pull our thoughts together, the inspirations that we get to look at the question, what is man biologically? You begin to think how the body functions. [00:04:57] When you have a foreign invasion into some wound in your body, something takes place immediately. There is the gathering together of a whole mass of antibodies that come to attack that invasion. How marvelous that God has made our bodies the way he has. There is the neurological evaluation of man. How it is that your brain functions. How is it that you can, somebody asks you a question and you respond to that question. You may not even need to stop and think. Somebody says, what's your name? And you immediately say, Isaiah, or whatever it is. Controls your lips. And first of all, it made you hear what was said. And it creates an image of what you've seen in a mirror. All those things which are but the tip of the iceberg. [00:06:06] Biologically, what is man? Neurologically, what is man? That we have these automatic responses to stimuli. Well, we could contemplate a long time about those things. What is man from a psychological viewpoint? Why does a person think the way he does? Are we the product of our environment or are we the product of heredity? You could think about all those things that influence how we do and what we think and how we are from a psychological standpoint. [00:06:44] But this morning we want to look at it from the Bible scholar's viewpoint. What is man that thou art mindful of him? We go back to the beginning in the book of Genesis. Let me before I read there, read what we have said that we believe about man. Now this is at best just a glimpse. We believe that man was created by an immediate act of God in God's own image and after his likeness [00:07:19] that by one act of disobedience he became sinful by nature fell into a condition of spiritual death became subject to physical death and the power of Satan this death passed upon all men in all generations and resulted in a condition from which all are entirely unable to save themselves by their own means But we believe that man is saved by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ That his justification rests on the ground of the shed blood of Christ [00:07:53] That through the new birth one becomes restored again into the family of God And becomes a partaker of eternal life Now there is a lot to look at That's from the biblical perspective We're not looking this morning from the neurological, from the biological, from the psychological or any other viewpoint other than what is man from God's viewpoint. That's the important thing. [00:08:24] Go back to Genesis then. In the second chapter. Maybe as well, well, let's go back to Genesis and notice a few things here. First chapter. We want to begin reading in verse 26. The Bible says how God created the heavens and the earth. God said at different times, let it be that it was. And then God said, it was good. And he even said it was very good. [00:09:03] But only one time, only about one of his creation did God say what we want to read here. Verse 26, God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image. In the image of God created he him. Male and female created he them. [00:09:39] And we could read further how that God breathed into the man's nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul. What all does God mean when the Bible says that he created man in his own image and in his own likeness? We cannot answer that question conclusively this morning or inclusively this morning. But we could perhaps say something about what God was revealing when he said, [00:10:14] Let's make man in our image. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. In our image and in our likeness. Which one of us do you think God looked like? if He made us in His image. I'm not sure does it include anything about the physique of God or not. Because the Bible says God is a spirit. How does a spirit look? [00:10:46] Are you a spirit? Are we spirits this morning? Who are we anyway? God is a spirit. they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth and he says we are made in his image well, I'm a trichotomist I don't know what you are but I think you're a trichotomist that is that we believe that man is created in God's image in this sense that as God is a triune God [00:11:18] man has three parts as well 1 Thessalonians 5 where is it about? I pray God that your whole spirit and soul and body And there is another vast subject in itself How that man is body, soul, and spirit We understand something about the body We understand something about the soul and spirit How do you separate soul and spirit? Well, the Bible says it can be done [00:11:50] In fact, it says that the scriptures do it All script know the word of God is quick and powerful dividing even us dividing us under soul and spirit and it would help us greatly to understand who we are if we could understand better the difference between soul and spirit because sometimes it seems like they get somewhat confused and one gets misplaced for the other. But that's another subject. [00:12:22] We are created in the image and likeness of God. Of none of the other of God's creation was it said that they were created in his image. Though it was good and very good. But when he created man, he put man over the rest of all his creation. And that is telling to us this morning that man is not the product of an evolved lower nature or lower source. [00:12:54] Man came superior to all the rest. He didn't evolve from the rest. He put man over the rest. And people that today are putting their pets into the class of mankind are missing the picture of God's image. Man is created far superior. And we're not saying today that it's alright to be careless with animals or cruel to animals. [00:13:26] But we are saying there is a vast difference between animals and man. No animal was ever created in the image of God. Only man has that title. You know, that blessing. The image means the resemblance of. It means to be a representation of. It's a model. It's a model of God's knowledge. [00:14:00] Man had the knowledge. Think about Adam. Where would you start today if you were shown, I forget, I have no idea how many species of animals there are. Maybe some of the teachers could tell us. But where would you start from scratch to come up with a name for each of those? Who ever thought of the word tiger? Or any of the other words when there was no such word? But God gave Adam the ability to name all the animals. [00:14:35] Which animal could have done it? Those are unnecessary questions because we all know the answer. But God created man with knowledge. He created man with reason. He could think things through. He could process them. He created man with will, with a volition. He could choose which way he would go and which way he would not go. As he analyzed and considered things, man was created in the image of God. [00:15:12] But even more than that, man was created in the image of God in his moral state, in holiness. Adam knew no sin when he was created. there was no wickedness there was no inclination away from God Adam was honest Adam was a person of integrity Adam was holy Adam carried the moral qualities of God [00:15:46] in his creation because he was created in the image of God there was harmony between Adam and God There was fellowship. There was dependence on God. In Deuteronomy the 8th chapter, I discovered something. Now you may have known it a long time. So this is not new this morning. It's been there for a long time. But it was new for me and it was a blessing to me. [00:16:18] In Deuteronomy chapter 8, verses 2 and 3. Again, another new appreciation for the Old Testament. Here we have a type that I never noticed before that says something about this image of God, it seems to me. God was commanding the children of Israel. And he said, Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness [00:16:49] to humble thee and to prove thee to know what was in thine heart whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or no so there we have kind of a groundwork why God let them stumble around there 40 years he was uncovering what was in their heart and he humbled thee and suffered thee to hunger and fed thee with manna which thou knewest neither did thy fathers know Now why did God feed the children of Israel manna? [00:17:20] Was it just to keep them alive? He let them be hungry. And he brought this manna to them that they had never seen or heard of before. Neither had their fathers. It was new. That he might make thee know that man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord does man live. Why did God feed the children of Israel manna? [00:17:54] Well it was probably to keep them alive in part but it was more than that. It is again a beautiful Old Testament type of a relationship with God of being in the image of God. He wanted those people to know, to understand that man doesn't live just by these physical things but that man's real life depends man's image depends on his dependence on God and that's still true today [00:18:26] there may be dead people in our congregation this morning in this audience this morning it's possible there are some dead people in here if we would really see that the reality of that You know, what do you do with dead people? The other day a man helped me get things in perspective. When I told him that I'm going to be leaving for a few days, he said, well, you know what? We probably won't even miss you. [00:19:00] That put things in perspective. It's just like the illustration somebody gave me When he said, put your finger in a bucket of water and pull it out and see the hole that's left. That's about who we are. That's one evaluation of man, of who man is. And it doesn't hurt us to think about that evaluation at times. [00:19:31] Man is only living. Life is only worth living if it's the life that comes from God Himself. And when Adam and Eve were created, they were dependent on God. They were receiving life from God. They were alive because they were God dependent. [00:20:05] That's why we say this morning there may be dead people in an audience like this. But let's just leave that for right now. It is true that life comes only from God. True life comes only from God. And it is true like the Apostle Paul said to the Athenians When he was preaching about the unknown God, he said it like this, In him we live, and in him we move, and in him we have our being. [00:20:37] That's the image of God, as I understand God was saying that he created man in. No wonder the psalmist said when he contemplated man from God's perspective, I am fearfully and wonderfully made when you stop and consider we bear the image of God when people look at us they get some concept of God [00:21:08] because we are created in His image but it is also true that this life that God has given us that bears His image It can be said of us as well like David said of himself. Truly, there is but a step between me and death. It only takes one heartbeat that stops to terminate life. [00:21:43] It only takes the last heartbeat to terminate life. all your heart you can feel it this morning boys and girls if you want to feel your pulse your heart's beating one, two, three, four one of these times it'll beat and it'll stop you're that close to death life is very fragile [00:22:15] this wonderful The whole marvelous life that God has created is very fragile. There are so many things in life. People have been strong. A neighbor, a well capable man, died in his bed not long ago. From strength to death. You could recount stories like that over and over again. [00:22:48] We can be strong. We can have our defenses. We can have our ways of protecting ourselves. All God has to do is make the sunshine extra warm for a number of days and dry up the growth of the earth and parch it and the Garden of Eden can turn into a desert. What are you going to do about it? Life belongs to God. God can make the wind blow and the trees bend and snap off and our houses shatter. [00:23:23] He can make the earth shake. God can bring us a sickness to a healthy man. Where is life really? It's in the hands of God. Because He is the creator of it. He made us and He made us in His image. and the reason that he made us in his image, Isaiah says, is to bring glory to himself. That's where again, I get lost in the maze of God's greatness. [00:23:55] When you begin to think all the things that God would like to show us about himself and about his greatness. God has made us not to use us as puppets. Otherwise, He would not have given us a volition or will, but He has made us because He wants fellowship and because He wants to share His glory. That's why He prayed in the high priestly prayer, Father, I would that those that Thou hast given me be with me where I am, because He wanted to show us His glory. [00:24:30] Adam and Eve were receiving of the glory of God until now man has ways that we use to measure the stature of a man other than his physical stature we have the people that live on the right side of the tracks and the people that live on the wrong side we tend to evaluate people's greatness by their achievements History will laud the people that have done great things [00:25:03] and we even do it ourselves. Some people are just so gifted, have so many abilities, they can just do about anything and it turns out right. Some people have vast possessions. We kind of cater to those, don't we? They deserve something just a little bit special from us because of what they have, what they've done, what they can do and all those things but the real basis for self-worth and self-worth is a big discussion in our day when it comes to man no we must have proper self-esteem and we really ought to what is proper self-esteem that's the question well you look at man's [00:25:56] The amazing part of his creation, of how he's created. But how many of us created anything about ourselves? How many of us brought anything into this world? How many of us are going to take anything with us when we go? The man was right when he said, we probably won't miss you. Not for very long. Greatness, self-worth, Christ does not depend on what we have done, what we are able to do, have accumulated. [00:26:31] Our measure of self-worth about ourself, neither is it enhanced by thinking we aren't worth anything or that we're worthless. The next time you're tempted to think that you're worthless, think again. Go back to Genesis chapter 1 and read it again. let us make man in our image and you begin to see that when God made you he was looking at you from his eyes and he was making you in his image [00:27:02] as it were God was seeing the potential of what he could make of you anything that bears the image of God has worth value not because of achievements but because of who made him There are pictures today that are sold, and I cannot understand this, because I guess I don't have an artist's appreciation. But in my mind, there cannot be a picture that's worth $30 million. [00:27:36] But there are pictures that bring that today on the market. Why are they worth $30 million? Not because of the beauty of the picture, at least not alone. but because of the artist that painted it. It's a Rembrandt or however you pronounce those names. That's what puts value to it. The reason you and I have value today is because of His name. We're in His image. [00:28:09] So when you feel worthless or that you don't value much, remember, you're created in the image of God. And if you get tempted on the other side to think, to overrate yourself and you can do just about anything, you've got it all together, then think again and read it again in Genesis 1.26. We are created, not self-made, we are created in His image. Who should then get the glory? And if that takes you too far, then read 1 Peter, the first chapter. [00:28:50] verses 18 and 19 where it says that we were redeemed not with corruptible things but with his own precious blood things are valued today on the basis of what they cost what can you think of that's more priceless than a life and especially the life of the Son of God. [00:29:22] It's the highest price. What shall a man give in exchange for his soul? The Bible asks. The implication is there's nothing that you can give for your soul that equals the value of your soul. You have been bought with a priceless cost. I have been bought with a priceless cost. that tells us something about value and the basis for value when people get it straight [00:29:53] that we are created in the image of God and that we have been made by Him and that we have been purchased by Him it sets things in right order but that's not the only part of man's story and again you're going to have to finish the message because I'm only going to be able to touch a little bit on the rest. If we go back again to Genesis the third chapter, with prophet we would read the first, well probably about all the chapter. [00:30:28] It talks there about the fall of man. We looked at man as God created him. Here we see man as sin ruined him. man had this wonderful relationship with God was bearing the image of God was living in an idyllic place you couldn't have improved it in that fellowship with God but here comes the tempter the serpent that was more subtle than all the beasts of the field [00:30:59] and raised some questions and you see man going a downward plunge In a relatively short time, let's notice six things that happened to Adam and Eve there. First of all, things that they did that led to their ruination. The first thing they did is they listened. They listened. Many a person today loses his relationship with his maker, loses the image that he's bearing because they listened. [00:31:36] to the wrong voice. There are many isms out there, many things being taught and said that we do well to avoid. I don't know why I read this illustration just the other day. I trust the young folks will bear with me if I make a pretty lucid illustration this morning. But the story was about the beehive. One day a bee asked, why do we always make the honeycomb, is that the right term, the container where the honey is put in, why does it always have to have six sides? [00:32:20] I believe, you know, the old people have always done it this way, surely there would be a better way to do it than that. So they began to experiment. One said, I have just developed a round cylinder to put honey in. But pretty soon they discovered that between every round cylinder there was an empty space. There was waste. Somebody else made a square one. But that meant that when they put the honey in there, it overloaded. [00:32:54] And the beeswax or the honeycomb couldn't carry the load. So it collapsed. And they went on and on with their experiments. Surely, God is really working through the younger generation. We're going to get new ideas and new ways to do things. Improvements. Finally, somebody discovered a six-sided cell. They had already long since forgotten there used to be six-sided cells. [00:33:25] But they put them together. They fit perfectly. All the space was utilized. Nothing collapsed. It worked. And wasn't it amazing how God has worked through this new generation and coming up with this wonderful idea. I'm sorry. I'm not criticizing our young people and neither am I saying that you don't have a contribution to make. But let us remember today that the things that God has designed have no improvement. [00:33:57] that can't be improved on. When Adam and Eve sinned, the whole thing collapsed. They listened to a new idea. There are new things to learn. However, the Bible does say there is no new thing under the sun, whatever all that means. The true tried ways bear recognition and obedience. The next thing they did, after that they listened, is they questioned. [00:34:35] They questioned. They doubted. Has God said? Did God really mean that? Does the Bible really mean what it says? They questioned. Then, after they questioned, they looked. And when they saw, it was fruit that looked desirable to the eye, so they desired. And then they took or disobeyed, and then they died. [00:35:09] They lost the image of God. Man through the fall has lost that image of God. Now as you look into the human race, you see instead of fellowship, Instead of dependence, instead of holiness, instead of wisdom, you see all kinds of garbage. The whole head is sick, the Bible says in Isaiah chapter 1. The whole heart faint. [00:35:42] Isaiah already said, all we like sheep have gone astray. I think it was the wise man Solomon that said there's not a just man on the earth that doeth good and sinneth not or was that Paul in Romans the first there is none righteous no not one he says in Romans the third chapter he says again for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God you could go on repeating that story over and over again from that time forth when Adam and Eve sinned [00:36:15] Adam sinned, but all of his posterity was introduced to sin through Adam. In Adam's fall, all of mankind fell. That's why we say this morning, it could well be that there are people that are dead this morning. Is the image of God being portrayed in our creation? through sin [00:36:46] wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned I would like to read Ephesians chapter 2 the whole chapter but we will refrain from doing that there it says by nature we were the children of wrath by nature by the tendance of our heart Instead of Adam's image of God that he was carrying, Adam began to carry around a nature contrary to God. [00:37:25] He had shame. He had guilt. He had sin. There was no more holiness true of him. He was anti-God. Not like God. that was Adam but that's us that's mankind by nature we are the children of wrath without God without hope dead in trespasses and sins [00:37:57] the Bible says in Ephesians the second chapter and as you read the story Adam was banished from Eden God put those cherubim with the flaming swords eastward in Eden to keep the way of the tree of life. Because sin and God could not be together. That's mankind. Thank God it's not the end of the story. God made a provision even then already, he said, in thy seed. [00:38:30] Well, no, he didn't say that there, but he said he was going to bring the Savior. The German word fits better here. When he says he's going to send a coptutrero, one that's going to be stepping on the head, thou shalt bruise his heel, and he shall bruise thy head, he said to the serpent. He was referring then already to the coming Savior, the Redeemer. God had created man in his image. [00:39:04] Sin ruined the image. redemption restores the image and puts us back but it will never be the same in this life as it was in the creation time today we have that bent to sin that we inherited that weakness that tendency and it is only as we go to Calvary and experience the deliverance from it where the price of our redemption was paid. [00:39:38] When God looked down on sinners, it wasn't but a few generations that God repented that he had made man. Why? Because the wickedness of man had increased so much. Even after Eve had said, I have gotten me a man from God, he turned out to be a murderer. And a few generations later, the wickedness was so great that it repented God that he had created man. He was going to destroy the whole earth [00:40:09] but preserved it through Noah, righteous Noah. So God had his ways down through the generations to preserve his plan. No wonder David said it. No wonder Job said it. What is man that you even think about him? When you see the wickedness, all the provisions you've made and now you see this blood flowing. You see the wickedness rising. You see people bowing down to their idols. You see people committing adultery. You see people lying, defrauding, hating, backbiting, all those things that people do. Why do you even think about man anymore? Why does God think about man? [00:40:52] because he created him in his image and he has a way. He has a provision for man. He has a desire for man. It's like it says in 2 Peter 3. God is not slack concerning his promises. Some men count slackness. He is long-suffering to us but not willing that any should perish. Somebody preached a message one time, I think he called it the hound dog of heaven. [00:41:26] Kind of a sacrilegious term for what he was saying. But he was using the illustration of how that God through the Holy Spirit in his great mercy and grace doesn't leave us alone. He pursues us through the course of life. Do you ever stop and think why you're still here? Do you ever stop and think about how amazing it is that you have escaped the dangers, the things that you've gone through? [00:41:59] I think often of the night we crashed into a tree in a pole and the lights went out. And I say, why did I survive? I say tonight, this morning, it was because God was not willing. He wanted something. He wanted his creation. He wanted his image to be restored. He gave me another opportunity. How many times has God pursued us? Thank God for his faithfulness, his pursuit. What is man that aren't mindful of him? [00:42:35] Oh, if I could only see the value of a soul like God sees it, it would help me in my walk. He's the good shepherd that goes out into the fields to seek that which is lost. He goes through the thorns. He goes over the cranks. He's looking for you this morning. If you're not in His image, He wants you. He needs you. We are a wanted people. [00:43:07] He is the father at home that's looking for the prodigal to come home. He's waiting. And when he sees him a long way off, what does he do? He comes running, puts on him the best garment. He says, we'll wash away the past. We'll start over. And that image can be restored. That sinful heart, not only does he take us back, not only does he give us life, but it is as it says in Romans the 8th chapter. [00:43:43] There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. for what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh. God sending His own Son for sin in the likeness of sin. I don't have it quite. Let's read it. Get it right. In the likeness of sinful flesh. Now I can't get it. [00:44:20] There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life has made me free from the law of sin and death. Do you ever rejoice about that? Here we are, in the image of God, ruined by sin. Now He's made a way for us to come back. Not to continue in sin, but to be made free. [00:44:55] There's a law, he says, of sin and death. That law operates. That law makes us do things. But he has come with a new law. The law of the spirit of life to make us free. Not only does God make us free from the guilt of sin, but its power. We can't be free this morning. and when a man is free from the law of sin and death and from the guilt of sin that image is restored [00:45:27] and we can bear the image but in conclusion 1 Corinthians the 15th chapter there's just one more thing did you know you're not fully saved yet this morning? we're only partly saved but let me read 1 Corinthians, the 15th chapter, in verse 49. As we have borne the image of the earthen, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. [00:46:08] What he's talking about there is not just being a Christian. He's now talking about going all the way with Christ to the end of life and then what? He says we're all going to be changed. We're all going to have a new body. Then we're really going to be saved and bear the image of God like we never did before to a degree we never did before. When we are fully saved some are going to go with Him [00:46:39] some are going to stay behind. What is man? Who are you? Who am I? Somewhere in that spectrum we find ourselves. No longer in the first. Are we in the second, dead in trespasses and sins? Are we restored and a man redeemed today? Let's make our calling and election sure.