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The evolutionist would teach that man is no more than an elevated
animal. His argument is that over eons of time certain animals so changed
as to walk in an erect position, slowly developing a reasoning mind, and
finally growing into man’s present state. Some so-called Christians (Calvinist)
teach than man is totally depraved; that man cannot think a good thought
or do a good thing without some special work of God’s grace. This doesn’t
say much for man. Such reasoning is foolishness.
This cannot be the nature of man. David gave an observation of man
in Psalms 8:3-4, “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,
the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; {4}
WHAT IS MAN, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that
thou visitest him?” God is “mindful” of man. Reckon why? Could it be that
God has an estimate of man? MAN WAS CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD: “So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male
and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27). This is not to say that man
literally looks like God,
but that man has been given a spirit: “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” (Genesis 2:7). Man is a duel being.
This is denied by the humanist. God has given man both a physical body
and a spiritual body because He intends to do something with both. The
wise man Solomon tell us: “Then shall
the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return
unto God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). The fact that God created man
a duel being (body and spirit) separates man from the animals. Never was
man an animal. MAN IS MADE AFTER THE SIMILITUDE OF GOD: “Therewith bless
we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after
the similitude of God” (James 3:9). God is righteous and holy. Man is intended
imitate the righteous of God: “Little children, let no man deceive you:
he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous” (1 John
3:7). Man is instructed to live holy because God, our Maker, is holy: “But
as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
{16} Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I
am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16). God gives man everything that is good
for him. God instructs us how to use all things to His glory. He has loved
us enough to give His only begotten Son that we might be made righteous
and holy. The fact that God has made us in His similitude means we can
become godly, righteous, and holy. MAN IS THE OFFSPRING OF GOD: “For in
him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own
poets have said, For we are also his offspring. {29} Forasmuch then as
we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is
like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device” (Acts
17:28-29). Since man was created by God we can be called His offspring.
John said we can become God’s sons: “But as many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his
name” (John 1:12). MAN WAS GIVEN DOMINION OVER THE REST OF GOD’S
CREATION: “And 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” (Genesis 1:26). From this verse we understand not only that
man is not animal, but that he is over (in control) of the animal kingdom.
The writer to the Hebrews also said: “Thou madest him [man] a little lower
than the angels; thou crownedst him
with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands”
(Hebrews 2:7). What is man? God has quite a different view of man than
the atheist, the evolutionist, and even the Calvinist. To them man is nothing;
something to be pitied. To God, man can become righteous and holy through
His Son Jesus Christ.
—John D. Cotham
Shady Valley, TN