January 8, 2018
Genesis 1:26-28(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)
In the first chapter of Genesis is the poetic record of creation. It is not an exact scientific record, although the six days of creation certainly could have happened since God is omnipotent (all-powerful)! But one thing stands out in the creation account above all else – that which happened late on the sixth day – God created man in His own image! Here is part of Genesis 1:26 through 28:
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our
likeness…” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God
He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed
them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and
subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the
air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Adam and Eve were to be rulers under God over all His earthly creation!
I did not finish the title of this study because the image which mankind displays has changed totally once! And the potential for a second change has been given to all of us!
On Antiques Roadshow, the popular show on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), people bring in antiques to have professional appraisers examine them and give an appraisal. One item in particular I remember – a small colonial table. The piece was well-made and decorative carvings had been added. But it was unsigned. As the expert looked it over, he told the owner, “I know exactly who made this table. His work is his signature, and his style can be readily identified.”
God’s ‘signature’ is on and in everything He has created! Here is what David wrote in Psalm 19:1 through 4 (International Standard Version):
The heavens are declaring the glory of God, and their expanse shows
the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech, night after
night they reveal knowledge. There is no speech nor are there words —
their voice is not heard — yet their message goes out into all the world,
and their words to the ends of the earth.
And Paul tells us in Romans 1:20, “…since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead….” In other words, God leaves His identity stamp on everything He has created – including (and especially) mankind! We were made in the image of God ! And being made in His image, we were designed to reflect His attributes in everything we would do as we governed His earthly creation.
But there ensued a drastic change in the image we carried!
• Adam and Eve were given dominion over the earth. They were entrusted to lovingly care for all the rest of God’s earthly creation. And that dominion was to be passed to succeeding generations, forever! But now that dominion was infected by sin and controlled by the devil! No longer were Adam and Eve naturally directed by God!
• It was Adam, not Eve, who knowingly bowed before the devil, obeying Satan rather than the LORD! For it says in I Timothy 2;14 (Jubilee Bible): “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived in the rebellion….” Eve was tricked into sinning! Adam rebelled against God with his eyes wide open! You see, Adam had three choices he could have made after Eve sinned:
✡ He could have forsaken his wife, remaining loyal to God! Jesus could have forsaken mankind and stayed in heaven. God would then have still been the holy God, and all mankind would have been condemned to hell!
✡ Remaining loyal to God, he could have interceded with the LORD for his wife! This is what Jesus did for us! (See I Timothy 2:5). The Son of God interceded for sinners, paying the price for sin before the Father with His own life so we would not be condemned! Instead we have been given the option of eternal and abundant life! (See John 10:10).
✡ He could join his wife in sin, disobeying and rebelling against God! This is what Adam chose to do!
• In choosing to disobey and rebel against the LORD, Adam, as it were, submitted himself to Satan and transferred his God-given dominion over the earth to the devil! This is why Satan, after showing Jesus “…all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time…” (Luke 4:5), could say to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.” (Luke 4:6). Therefore, the devil is called, “…the god of this world…” in II Corinthians 4:4. All Jesus had to do was what Adam had done – submit! Satan told Him, “…if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” (Luke 4:7).
It is interesting to note that Jesus was destined to inherit all the kingdoms of the world anyway! In Revelation 11:15 it says that as “…the seventh angel sounded [his trumpet]…there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’ ” Satan just did not want Him to become the Savior first!
• Adam having bowed before the devil – giving him man’s dominion over all the earth – Satan became his master! He also became his spiritual father! For Jesus told the Pharisees (and it applies to all of us as sinners): “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.” (John 8:44). As the old saying goes, “Like father, like son! ” And if there is any doubt in this Scriptural truth, just compare the nature of Satan (see John 8:44; 10:10; I Peter 5:8; II Thessalonians 2:4) with the works of the flesh – our sinful flesh – in Galatians 5:19 through 21: “…adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like….”
• This image of the devil we carry – also called “…the flesh…” (Galatians 5:19), “…the sinful flesh…” (Romans 8:3), “…the old man…” (Ephesians 4:22), “…the carnal mind…” (Romans 8:7) – has been passed down from Adam to infect all human beings! (See Romans 5:12). This is why we all need the Savior, Jesus Christ!
We will continue this study on Wednesday.