The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-08
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God Created Man in His Own Image
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OO0 Treated Man In his OWn Image
Genesis 1:26-2:25; Psalm s.
How different the statement respect
ing mans creation from that describ-
ing the creation of plants and the lower
animals which the seas and the earth
brought forth Mans creation was pre-
meditated. God designed man to be the
kicg over the earth. He was to be his
Creators image, not in physical form,
but in moral and intellectual qualities,
a fleshly being resembling his Creator,
Spirit Being. This intention of Deity
was fully carried out AS we read, God
created man in His own image" Not a
word here can be construed as implying
the evolution of man from the lower
creatures
A Fall, Not an Evolution
So far from teaching evolution. the
Bible teaches the very reverse. st. Paul
declares, by one mans disobedience
sin entered into the world. and death
as the result q sin. Thus death passed
upon all men, because all are sinners"
tRomans 5:12). The Prophet David re-
fers to this fallen condition. saying,
What is man that Thou art mindful
of him?" psalm 81. He then pictures
mans glorious condition before he FELL
saying, Thou madest him little lower
than the angels. Thou crownedst him
with glory and honor and didst set him
over the works of Thy hands"
In a word, the Bible represents man
as the masterpiece of mundane crea-
tion. The seal of Gods Word is set to
this in the statement that God pro-
nounced him very good" The scrip
lures declare, "All His work is per-
feet" Nor could we esteem 1t just that
any but a perfect being should be
placed on trial for life or death ever
lating.
Not Two Creation Accounts
Higher critics claim that the second
chapter of Genesis is another account
written by different person, giving a
different order of creation--man created
first then trees. beasts, etc. TO us this
is foolishness. Moses having described
creation in its logical order, merely
particularizes some of his previous
statements. He declares Genesis 2:4)
that he has already described the gen.
erations or developments of things
heavenly and earthly from "the begin
ming" before there was any plant life.
Incidentally he mentions that at that
time was no rain. He again assures
us that man was Gods last creation, 20
be the king of earth. Then Moses pro-
ceeds to give an account of mans crea-
tion, so different from that of the lower
animals and vegetation. Man was not
evolved, but Gods handiwork. He was
not spirit but flesh, formed of the dust
of the ground. But he had the spirit
of life common to all the lower crea-
lures, of whom he was the king. The
Hebrew reads, literally, I'm his nostrils
the breath of lives"-the breath or
spirit of life common to all breathing
creatures.
Then follows a description of Eden
and of its preparation as the home Of
the king of earth. Nothing in this i'm
plies that Eden was made after Adam s
creation. On the contrary, we have al
ready been informed that Gods crea-
tive work ceased with the production of
Eve and that since then He has rested
from further mundane creation--leav-
ing to His glorious Son the work %
human redemption and restitution
Acts 3:19-21.
When we read " 19) that all anil
mails that God had previously created
were named by Adam, it would be fool
ish for us to suppose that the animals
were subsequent creation. This bring
ing of all creatures to Adams attention
implies his mastery of them all, and
leads up to the statement that in none
of them was he able to find fellowship.
God wished him to realize the need of
a companion before providing her.
Man Originally Sexless
The details of human creation imply
that Adam lived some time alone and
sexless. Some Bible students infer from
the chronology that 1t was about two
years from Adams creation until the
expulsion from Eden under the death
sentence. The cause for the division
| of Adam into two persons liz stated:
the earth was to be populated with a
race of his species, and amongst all the
creatures none was suitable as a COM
panion for him, and as the mother of
| an offspring in his likeness. Thus
again is shown that Adam was dis
tinctly different from apes and all other
creatures under his control. He was in
| the likeness Of his Creator Other
scriptures show us that 1t Is the Divine
purpose that the sex quality in human
lity shall be dropped. Jesus words are,
They that shall attain unto that age
Cor perfection--future) will neither
marry nor be given in marriage. but De
like the angels"-sexless.
The division of Adam into two parts
left the headship with the male, but
deprived him of some of his sympa-
thetic qualities. His wife, predomi-
mating in the sympathetic Tendencies.
had in her perfection less Of the mas
culine and aggressive traits; but the
two were perfectly adapted. to each
others needs and fulfillei each others
ideals. The fall from Gods favor has
affected both sexes, producing extremes
of coarsness and effeminacy, and rob-
bing the marriage relationship of its
ideal happiness. The restitution or resur-
rection of the willing and ,obedient. 10
be brought about by Messiahs king
dom, VII aol NiSan the restoration of
sex pesfest<ont Ft rather the gradual
perfect, - cn Individual in the
image rf fi en- as Adam possessed
before ~ rs a. isfo1ss4
The IS ~ "a lions having passed
away, tNAH MIL lot be alone as Adam
was orisin&s1s pf the earth will be full
OF hulpAa hsAtA ~. All In the image