In our Bible Doctrine classes, we began our semester today with a discussion about the creation of Man or Mankind. I know that these are terribly sexist words today that might horribly offend a women’s libber, but we’re only teaching what the Bible teaches. It says, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea… So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” So “man” includes all people.
The main point, though, in the creation of man is the fact that we are created out of the dust, not evolved from some lower life form by chance. And since we have been created, we are part of God’s plan and purpose. One reason why people have so much trouble in their lives is that they see no real purpose in living. If only they understood that their ultimate purpose in life is to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever,” they would cease from all the life-destroying activities that bring them (and their families) so much grief. Our sensibilities of right and wrong and good and evil all teach us that there is a standard by which we are to be measured, which is, of course, meaningless if there is no God.
The special creation of man is also seen in the unique make-up of man – we are both physical and spiritual. We are like animals, in that we have physical bodies; but different from animals, in that we have souls. This is why it is quite alright to kill animals and eat them – they’re not made in the image of God, they don’t have souls, and besides, God said we could (Genesis 9:3) – but not alright to do the same to other people. This idea is one that is lost in a Hinduistic society where animals are worshipped and people suffer as a result. In such a place, where the soul is no longer unique, but just a part of the collective consciousness of all living beings, people are no longer special and can be treated as such. But Scripture teaches that only man occupies this unique position in all of God’s creation, therefore, we should treat others in the same way we would like to be treated.
And because we have a soul, we are also part of God’s eternal plan. We will live on even after this body ceases to live. What we do here now will matter for eternity – this is perhaps the most important aspect of our being created in God’s image – the sharing of eternity with Him. We will experience eternity enjoying God’s blessing or suffering under God’s wrath – either way we will live in eternity.
This is why we insist on man being created, not evolved. Scripture has revealed it and our nature confirms it.
