I have noted in previous posts that the Bible is God’s gracious self-revelation of His infinitely glorious person and purposes in creation. It is given to us by God to present to our hearts and minds God as the most glorious, most desirable, most excellent, most essential, most valuable being in all the universe – the creator and sovereign ruler of that universe. I noted in my previous post that God created all things for His glory, that the infinite perfections of His being would be seen and known, praised, enjoyed and rejoiced in by beings He would create in His image to know and love and be loved by Him.
His glory, the beauty, majesty and excellence of His eternal being, was to be seen, perceived and enjoyed not only by our lifting our eyes to the vast and glorious universe above; not only in the vast oceans, forests and mountains that team with innumerable forms of life and flora; not only through angels that are messengers of His greatness; but first and foremost God was to be seen and known by all of creation in the faces of men and women created in the image and likeness of God; beings able to know and love and be loved by God and one another, and to enjoy and exercise dominion over all of nature Genesis 1:26-28 ).
Although mankind was not created equal to God in being as God is eternal Spirit, we were created with His righteous nature and character. We were created as immortal spirit and body, such that we would each uniquely image and express in our being, innumerable aspects of His glory. In our bodies we would image His beauty, excellence and power; in our minds His wisdom, knowledge and creativity; in our relationships with our fellow image bearers, the glory of His goodness and grace. Most importantly, we would image in our desires and affections His love for, delight in and enjoyment of that which is most glorious, most majestic, most significant; namely God Himself. God in creating man for His glory, essentially created mankind to enjoy mankind enjoying Him.
However, as I noted at the end of my previous post, the image and likeness of God in which we were created has been marred and corrupted as a result of man’s sin and rebellion against God’s rule over and purpose for our lives. We are thus no longer able to bring honor and glory to God, to enjoy or be enjoyed by God; nor do we have any desire to do so. Jesus tells us in John 8:42-44 that in our opposition to God’s person and purposes for our lives, we now image the nature and character of the devil who is an enemy of God and subject to God’s wrath.
We are told in Romans 5:12 that by one man’s act of rebellion against God, referring to Adam’s rejection of God’s authority, sin entered into the world, and that death and all of its harbingers; sickness and disease, crime and war, depression and despair, natural and man-made disasters; as judgement for that sin. And because all men sin, all men are subjected to its corrupting power and its ultimate penalty, death and Hell.
In Genesis 3:7 we see the consequences of Adam’s treasonous act immediately begin to take root in Adam and Eve. The beauty of man’s physical appearance becomes so marred and corrupted, so hideous that they try to cover their naked bodies with leaves from a fig tree.
Their soul is flooded with fear and shame and guilt to the point where they try to hide from God. And when confronted by God on their disobedience, instead of taking responsibility and trusting in the glory of God’s mercy and forgiveness, they attempt to deflect the blame and justify their sin with Adam throwing Eve under the bus and essentially blaming God, and Eve blaming the devil.
God summarily judges them guilty of treason against the Kingdom of God and immediately executes the promised sentence, death, the loss of/separation from the glorious life with God for which they were created. Physical death, the deterioration of the body, and its eventual return to the dust from which it came would follow.
Thus, sin corrupted mankind lives in this sin cursed world, vainly searching for significance, meaning and happiness apart from God. Some obtain a modicum of what they are searching for, however most live their lives just trying to survive day by day, with little concern for their lives beyond this world. Having suppressed the knowledge of the glory of God and His purpose for our lives, it is easy to become disappointed and depressed, without any real hope in a world we see as hostile, unfair, unforgiving, unsafe and unmanageable. In our anger, despair and anxiety, it is easy to become overwhelmed by our personal sense of insignificance, purposelessness and hopelessness; attempting to overcome it through our personal achievements, insatiable pleasure seeking, drugs and crime. Some succumb to the ravages of mental illness and at the extreme, some commit suicide.
The Bible speaks of this condition in Ephesians 2:1 as being “dead (spiritually) in trespasses and sins.” In Ephesians 4:17-24 it is described as being past feeling (dead in our affections for God), having given ourselves over to vulgarity, greed, deceitful lusts, and refers to this condition as the “old man.” And it does so in contrast to the good news of a “new man” that God will remake to again image true righteousness and holiness as men and women put their faith in the person and work of the God Man, Jesus Christ.
Grace and Truth ×