KIREKA CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

PR. DENIS KALUNGI

WHAT IS MANKIND OR WHY IS MAN DIFFERENT FROM ALL CREATURES?

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon, and the stars, which You have ordained, What is the man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him psalms 8:1-4? Do you also find a challenge with this question! What is mankind? He “is fearfully and wonderfully made” {Psalm. 139:14}.

God made all the angels a bit lowers than human, he made them all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:14. He again asked do you not know that we shall judge angels. How much more, things that pertain to this life of mankind? 1 Corinthians 6:3

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life {John 3:16} what is mankind that God should give his only son to reconcile with him?

We see God passing a warning Genesis 9:6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man. He called man his workmanship, {Ephesians 2:10} and he loved man and gave in his son as propitiation or as appeasement for our sins {1 John 4:10}.

This is what he affirms to the man. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you {Luke 10:19}. What is so special with man because even the angels ask them self and it’s one of the reasons which led to the fall of Satan?

As God the father, God son and God the spirit thought of creating man in their  image, according to their likeness; Genesis 1:26, they also posed questions for what? To do what? How will he communicate? Purpose and goals were to be set. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Okay this is the apex of all augments, the biblical account of creation makes it entirely clear that physically mankind is derived from the same material as the earth. Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being {Genesis 2:7} we see none of the other creatures being made in the same way.

As the lord breathed in the man there was impartation of soul and spirit in the man, and the spirit is the inmost being that communicates with soul and God see herein {Proverbs 20:27}. We all know that the body is our external part is the outer organ, possessing world-consciousness, that we may contact the material world. The body contains the soul, and the soul is the vessel that contains the spirit.”

Many different views seek to explain the nature of the likeness. Genesis 2:7 says, “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.” In creation God endowed persons with a spiritual aspect of life. This passage says that man became a soul, not that he had a soul. A person is both body and soul but the spirit is the inner most part that sheds light for God to communicate.

Basing in John 4:24 God is spirit, Humans created in God’s image share His rational nature.
People have the power to think, analyze, and reflect even upon abstract matters. They cannot be defined by or confined to material attributes. As God is spiritual persons are spiritual. This spiritual kinship makes possible communication with God.

God’s purposes and instruction was sanctioned by God while blessing man and said to him, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” {Genesis 1:28} “We see the origin of purpose herein.”

 Humans were purposed to evaluator. As a matter of fact, they have an instinctive need to be something and to do something. They have a responsible intuition and an inner call to duty. The human race has a unique sense of “oughtness or rightness.” Humans are moral creatures. They can and do make moral judgments {Gen. 2:16-17}. Persons have a censoring conscience which they may defy. They are choice makers; they can obey their highest instincts or follow their most morbid urges. A human is the only creature who can say no to God. Humans are autonomous persons. God endowed them with the freedom to govern their own lives. 

Man was mandated to communicate from creation, out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to  Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field see herein {Genesis 2:19-20}

The first of these three verses is sometimes referred to by theologians as the 'creation mandate'. It describes God’s purpose for mankind – to be fruitful, increase in number and subdue the earth. The success of mankind in spreading across the planet and inhabiting every ecosystem is entirely predictable from the biblical story of creation. The third verse, {Genesis 2:20}, also provides an explanation for our constant tendency to categories, name and define things, or at least describes it. This trait began with a God-given task of naming the animals. Mankind was called to define what God had made

"And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. {Genesis 1:30} revelation

Here, just a few verses earlier than the last quotation, we have the same phrase “the breath of life” that was used of mankind in {Genesis 2:7} not being used of all animals this usher’s mankind to 'ensoulment' (the giving of a soul) in {Genesis 2:7}. God in his image created Mankind –male and female {Genesis 1:27}, whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind {Genesis 9:6}

See herein child of God, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’  “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ {Mathew 25:36-41}

The statement that mankind was created in God’s image is the key point in Genesis 1 that sets mankind apart from the other animal species. The quotation from Genesis 9 is also important because it establishes two facts. Firstly, that the image of God was not destroyed in the 'fall' (the original sin of mankind described in Genesis 3). 

God can still speak of human life as being special because mankind is in God’s image even after the downward spiral of the events of Genesis 3 to 8 with all that they reveal about the sinfulness of human beings. Secondly, the fact of creation in God’s image is presented in {Genesis 1:26} as the starting point of human ethics. It is this fact that makes human life special and the taking of human life a serious (even capital) offence

And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” {Genesis 2:16-17}.

 In the opening chapters of Genesis no limits are set by God on the actions of other animals {Genesis 1:30}, but the verses above show that God does limit the activity of mankind. God set a moral standard by which the human beings must live. 'Morality' in other animals, if it does exist, is simply at the level of instinct, but for human beings it is about faith – trusting that God is true in what He says and acting in obedience. Human beings alone are capable of sin since only human beings are given a restriction by God, a rule to obey.

Humans fall in love because they were made in God’s image and God is love {1 John 4:7} so God gave man a re-way by forming a woman from his limbs {Genesis 2: 21-24} and the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

He desires a willing relationship of love. This sets us apart from the other animals, as does God’s response when human beings failed to trust Him and fell into sin. Although God makes a covenant with all living creatures in Genesis 9, in which He promises to sustain the world and their life in it, all subsequent covenants, which are about God’s restoration of the world broken by sin, are made only with human beings, starting with Abraham in Genesis 11-22 and leading relentlessly to Christ. 

The restoration of Creation is intimately tied up with the redemption (buying back or rescuing from captivity) of human beings {see Romans 8:18-21}. Only mankind needs to be redeemed and only mankind is of such pivotal importance in God’s plan for the cosmos or universe that He would launch a plan to redeem us that would be immensely costly for Him.

This same autonomy makes possible fellowship with God. No person could have a meaningful relationship with a robot. Real fellowship can take place only between two true persons. God created “man” in His own image because He wanted a relationship with another sovereign person.

So this is what we should do to please God. Let us fulfill our purpose of glorifying God also by living our lives in relationship and faithful service to Him by being sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all our heart; consider the great things he has done for you {1 Samuel 12:24& John 17:4}.

Since God created man in His image {Genesis 1:26–27}, man’s purpose cannot be fulfilled apart from Him. King Solomon tried living for his own pleasure, yet at the end of his life he concluded that the only worthwhile life is one of honor and obedience to God {Ecclesiastes 12:13–14}. In our fallen state, sin separates us from God and makes it impossible to glorify Him on our own. But through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, our relationship with God is reconciled—our sin is forgiven and no longer creates a barrier between God and us {Romans 3:23–24}.

Interestingly, we are able to glorify God because He gave us glory first. David writes in {Psalm 8:4–6}, “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet.” {This is also repeated in Hebrews 2:6–8} This verse reveals another purpose that God has given man: dominion over the earth {Genesis 1:28–29}. Again, though, this can only be properly fulfilled through a right relationship with God.

The more we get to know our Creator and the more we love Him the better, we understand who we are and what our purpose this explains his answer to the Pharisees Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. We were created to bring Him glory {Matthew 22:37–38}. 

God has unique plans and purposes for each person. This took King David’s peace of mind herein {Psalm 139:13–16}, for you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. “We should praise him.”

Let us all know that in whatever plan we have, the ultimately result is His glory. Let us see it herein {1 Corinthians 10:31}. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God

Mankind did not evolve from other lower forms of life but was created directly by God and in the image of God {Genesis 1:26–31}. The Creator made human beings to be His representatives on the earth, and He gave them dominion over creation: 

This brings me to the end of the question “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas” {Psalm 8:3–8}.

The truth that mankind is created in the image of God forms the basis for the sanctity of human life:  and man being made in His image expresses God’s ownership or possession of mankind, like a stamp or imprint {Mark 12:13–17}. And since God created men and women in His own image, both sexes are equal before God.

God bless you all.