Leave The Ground And JET Around!!

God said,

"Let us make man in our own image according to our likeness. Let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over ALL the earth, and over everything that creeps or moves" (Genesis 1:26 ).

The Hebrew word for God is Elohim, which is a plural form, and for that reason we find the One who is identified as the Creator referring to "our" image. God consisted of more than one Being, although only one of them was performing the physical act of creation. As the Bible continues its revelation of these Beings, it shows them in a family relationship. But more about that later.

Man Is Created as a Physical Being

God created mankind in the divine likeness (verse 27) , yet man was made totally physical. In Genesis 2:7, it is clearly stated:

"And the Eternal God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

When Adam took his first breath, he became a living being. He did not become an immortal spirit on the same level as God, for Ezekiel 18:4 tells us,

"The soul that sinneth, it shall die."

The Hebrew word translated as "soul" is "nephesh," which is also used in reference to animals but translated as "creature" in Genesis 1:20, 21, and 24.

If Adam was not made an immortal spirit, how was he created in God’s image? The answer has been hidden by centuries of erroneous teachings. Adam was created to look like God. He was given a mind capable of reasoning, thinking, and even creating, although his intellectual powers, in comparison with those of God, are limited. He was made from dust–the basic element of the earth, which of itself is inorganic-without life. God had to breathe the breath of life in Adam to make him a fully functioning human being.

God then placed Adam and Eve in a garden that He had specially designed for them. There were two unique trees in that paradise, a tree of life and a tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:9).

Notice what God told them:

"Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (verses 16-17).

The implication is that they could have eaten of the tree of life and lived eternally. Instead, they chose the other tree and set in motion a world subject to the bondage of corruption, as Paul said in Romans 8:21. The type of corruption that Paul was referring to was not moral depravity but physical decay–the physical process that ultimately leads to death for all living beings.

Genesis 3 describes how our first parents made that choice. Satan appeared to Eve and asked her if she were permitted to take of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She answered correctly by saying that God had told them they would die if they ate of it.

Satan caused her to doubt God’s word.

"You shall not surely die," he said (verse 5).

"God knows that once you partake of that fruit, you will become like Him in knowledge."

In other words, God was keeping something desirable from Adam and Eve. Eve fell for Satan’s trick and also persuaded her husband to disobey God.

As soon as they ate the fruit, however, they felt different about themselves and about God. They were ashamed of their nakedness and wanted to hide from God. The innocent, trusting relationship they had was destroyed. They had knowledge of good and evil, but it was not what they expected. Their ultimate punishment, just as God had promised, was death.

"For dust thou art, and to dust shalt thou return" (verse 19 ).

Because of their disobedience and unbelief, Adam and Eve were ejected from the Garden and forced to wrest a living from a world cursed with thorns and thistles. Their oldest son murdered his own brother!

Humanity had started on the path to destruction. It did not take Adam’s children very long to harness the elements to create iron and other metals. They made implements and constructed buildings. They developed a social structure. Left to their own devices, the children of Adam became so depraved that God had to send a flood to cleanse the earth and start anew with the family of Noah.

Yet even the flood did not stop man from rejecting God. In the succeeding generations, we see how man has learned to organize armies for the purpose of conquering and destroying other people. He has found that he could acquire by taking instead of producing. Considering the amount of destruction man has done to others, to the animal kingdom, and to the environment of this world, it becomes clear that, had man been given more powers, he would have done more damage than he already has!

After 6,000 years of human existence, we live in a society filled with fear. Public opinion polls show that the number one fear in America today is CRIME. Yes, our number one concern is that people are harming other people.

Another fear which has developed only in this last generation is that of nuclear destruction. Unlike fear of crime which is usually concerned with one person hurting another, nuclear destruction involves one nation harming another nation and perhaps even the entire earth.

Is Salvation the Remedy for the Fall of Man?

Because God has allowed man to choose his own course, many people do not believe God exists. It is not uncommon to hear the question asked, "If there is a God, why does He allow crime, war, and disease? If He is truly powerful, why doesn’t He stop these evils? Why does He hide Himself?"

Many religions teach that we are separated from God because of "the fall of man." They teach that God created man perfect and complete, but that Satan somehow wrecked the creation, causing man to fall from grace.

We have already seen that God’s creation was physically perfect, that God wanted peace and happiness for man, and that Satan introduced sin to our first ancestors. By obeying Satan instead of the Creator, Adam and Eve were thrown out of their beautiful garden and made subject to curses and death.

The religions of this world will tell you that God had to come up with some kind of plan to salvage His creation–a plan to repair the damage. They would have you believe that God has been in a contest with Satan since that time and that the contest continues to this very day.

It is important to note that such a scenario is hogwash! These erroneous teachings are so loosely based on the Bible that they are in conflict with it.

"How can you take exception to this teaching?" is a commonly asked question. "I have been taught it all my life!"

First of all, it should be pointed out that, if the above teaching regarding man’s present condition were correct, then we would have to admit that God is losing His battle with Satan and that Satan must therefore be more powerful than God! How else could we explain the fact that the majority of people who are born into this world NEVER accept Jesus Christ as their Savior? Are we to believe that the majority of the world then is lost forever to a never-ending fate of being burned alive in hell fire?

We find a man in Scripture who asked,

"If a man die, will he live again? All the days of my struggles (life) will I wait until my change comes. You will call and I will answer you. You shall desire the work of your hands" (Job 14: 14-15).

This is a very important Scripture. What does it mean when it says, "You shall have a desire to the work of your hands"?

The answer is simple. Mankind is God’s workmanship. We are like clay in the hands of the Master Potter (Isaiah 64:8), who is molding us according to His purpose. God’s great desire is to finish the work of His hands, and that completion will come through the RESURRECTION–the great change that will bridge the gulf between mortal and immortal. Then and only then will His work of creation be finished.

The creation which began with Adam was physical. The creation that involves the new Adam–the converted Christian–will be a spiritual one.

"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit …And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" (1 Corinthians 15:45, 49 ).

How will this change from physical to spiritual take place?

"Behold, I show you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed"

Salvation is not a frustrated God’s "repairing of the damage" in an attempt to restore man back to perfection. Satan’s actions in the Garden of Eden were nothing more than what God chose to permit. In fact, everything is happening just as God planned from the dawn of creation. This is the great TRUTH of the matter.

No, salvation is not a repairing. It is a completing. Can you see the difference?

Of all His wonderful creations, man is God’s greatest achievement. Through the human reproductive process He set in motion, God has created billions and billions of beings. And it is His desire that every one of these beings become complete in His eyes. The RESURRECTION, when man’s nature is transformed, will bring completion.

Again, we need to fully understand that Genesis 1 and 2 describe a PHYSICAL creation–a model which precedes a SPIRITUAL creation. God did not create man as a spirit. He created man out of the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7, Genesis 3:19).

Some have argued that Adam had God’s Holy Spirit. "After all," they say, "he was created perfect!" Indeed, all that God made was perfect, but it was PHYSICAL. God’s human creation was only flesh and blood.

Even though Adam was made perfect, he was incomplete. He lacked a very important ingredient. He lacked God’s Holy Spirit. As a result of his being incomplete, Adam made a wrong decision in the Garden of Eden. He disobeyed God and obeyed Satan. This was the first sin (Genesis 3:22-24).

It is vitally important that we understand how God redeems us. It should never be forgotten that we are saved by grace through faith. Christians are His workmanship–created in Christ Jesus to perform good works (Ephesians 2:8-10).

The ministers of this world would have you believe that there are NO WORKS involved in following Christ. They tell you that you only need to accept ,Jesus and then you are automatically saved. This is not what the Bible teaches!

Jesus gave Himself so

"that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:15 ).

The Christian’s good works stand as a witness to unbelievers, who will remember them and glorify God in the day of visitation (1 Peter 2:12).

The final step in God’s plan of salvation will come when Jesus Christ returns to this earth. At that time, He will resurrect those who have died in faith (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Daniel 12:2-3) and will bring their reward with Him (Revelation 22:12, Matthew 16:27). Their reward will be according to their works.

The Need for Repentance

But how does a person obtain salvation? What motivates him to want to produce good works and to remain faithful to the end? Before we can walk with God, we must repent. To most people, repentance means being sorry. The Bible, however, reveals much more.

In preparing the way for the Messiah, John the Baptist taught the necessity of receiving baptism and bringing forth evidence of repentance (Matthew 3:8-11). Jesus preached repentance.

"From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17).

"Repent and be baptized,"

Peter cried to the multitudes in Jerusalem,

"and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).

The first step in salvation is a change of mind, a recognition that your ways are not those of God, and that your sins have separated you from Him.

Repentance means being sorry for having sinned and having brought about the death of Jesus Christ, who bore the penalty of our sins on the cross.

"For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death" (2 Corinthians 7:10).

The apostle Paul recognized that he had been a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a destroyer.

"This is a faithful saying," he wrote to Timothy, "and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief" (1 Timothy 1:13-15).

Despite sins committed, God was willing for Paul and all other human beings to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). He is willing to forgive if we confess our sins and change our lives according to His commandments.

Once a person has fully repented and been baptized, the Holy Spirit renews his mind (Ephesians 4:23-24). The Christian becomes a NEW CREATION (2 Corinthians 5:17), who must no longer conform to the values of a world cut off from God.

The Christian learns to live by God’s Word, the Bible.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:16).

The Word of God corrects us and helps us to discern our innermost feelings as they compare to God’s way of life.

The Development of Godly Character

If we permit God’s spirit to dwell in us and guide our lives, God can then create perfect spiritual character in us. But we must choose to do what is right by following His laws.

In God’s view, the development of character comes from the practice of love, patience, mercy, faith, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. Read the entire chapter of Romans 12 for a better understanding of what our behavior as Christians–whose minds have been transformed by the Holy Spirit–should be like.

As a Christian grows in godliness he is granted additional knowledge, wisdom, and purpose. God has not created a world of robots. He wants thinking people who voluntarily choose to follow His way, and He will supply us with the spiritual tools we need to succeed.

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him" (James 1:5).

Yet we must understand that God continues to allow suffering in the world. The Christian does not live in a kingdom apart from the rest of the world. He must coexist with the evils of society and not be pulled down by them.

All suffering–unhappiness, fear, misery, and even death–comes from transgressing God’s laws. The Christian learns to live by God’s law of love and to reject Satan’s way of competition, greed, and vanity.

Christ learned by the things He suffered.

"And though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered, and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him" (Hebrews 5:8-9).

He never once sinned, although He was often sinned against. He was spiritually perfect before God.

Was it easy for Jesus? Definitely not! In verse 7 of the same chapter, we read,

"Who in the days of his flesh offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared."

The suffering that God permits helps us to develop godly character. God chastens every son whom He loves because chastening strengthens the individual (Hebrews 12:5-10 ). It is done for our profit so that we can be partakers of the holy character of God the Father.

Self-control is an important part of godly character. We must grow and develop our ability to exercise self control through the suppression of wrong desires and selfish motives.

"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Colossians 3:5 ).

In order to receive salvation, the Christian must demonstrate to God that he can and will properly and obediently direct the powers and blessings he has at his disposal. Then and only then will God grant him the gift of eternal life.

The Purpose of Human Existence

Man has permitted Satan’s sway through the things he can see, taste, feel and control. Man has perverted God’s Word, polluted his mind, and let his body degenerate. He has failed to train or has wrongly taught his children. He feels resentment and envy-even hatred-toward his neighbor. He tries to get more out of life than he puts in.

And he will destroy himself unless Jesus Christ steps in to save him.

"But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man, that thou visitest him?" (Hebrews 2:6).

Yes, why is man special? What potential does God see in him?

"Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownest him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the work of thy hands" (verse 7).

But as the next verse points out, not all things were put under man in the first creation.

It took Jesus Christ, who as God came in the form of a man, to bring all things into subjection and to taste death for every man.

"For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing MANY SONS TO GLORY, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings" (verse 10).

The truly converted Christian becomes a son of God–a member of the God Family first known to mankind as Elohim. In the beginning, the God Family consisted of only two Supreme Beings. In the future, it will be composed of many sons and daughters who receive eternal life. Jesus is the firstborn of MANY BRETHREN (Romans 8:29).

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2 ).

Since no man can look at God and live (Exodus 33:20), the children of God will have to be composed of spirit just as He is. Philippians 3:21 tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ will change our corruptible, mortal bodies into a form like that of His own glorious body.

What does Jesus Christ look like now? Read Revelation 1:14-16 for a description of His present glorified, immortal state. He radiates light and power!

But for now, Christians are only heirs.

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God; and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" (Romans 8:16-17).

So when we as physical human beings pass from mortality to immortality through the resurrection, our greatest enemy will be vanquished. As prophesied in Hosea 13:14 and echoed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:55:

"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"

The purpose of human life rests in God’s plan of salvation. God is creating His own kind. He is reproducing Himself through the many men and women that He is now calling to be Christians. When such a person is baptized and receives the gift of the Holy Spirit, he is actually begotten as a son of God, though not yet born.

Through Bible study, daily prayer, and the experiences and trials of life, the Christian grows spiritually. His carnal nature is reformed and shaped into godly character.

Then, at the time of the resurrection, the Christian is instantaneously CHANGED from mortal to immortal. He is born again. Only this time, he is born into the God Family, and not into a human family. As he was once born in the image of his human parents, he will be born spiritually in the image of his heavenly Father. The resurrected Christian will exist on the God plane and be a God himself!

God is not a closed Trinity, but a growing Family, of which you can be part.

This wonderful truth has now been revealed to you. May God help you to achieve your purpose in life!

Written by: Clarence Lucas