The Creation of Man
In the creation of man every work of God reached its zenith. God had made Himself known as the Creator of matter and life. In creating the universe and filling the world with life He established the physical laws which govern all things. Thus He is the God of the physical universe and of life. He is also the God of the moral universe, whose laws are just as binding and inflexible. But this was unknown until man was created.
The Uniqueness of Man in the Universe
The creation of man opened the door to God's moral universe. Consider these words, never spoken to any other creature "and the Lord God commanded the man saying of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat of it, for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die" Gen. 2:16,1716And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17But 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. (Genesis 2:16‑17). Man then is to be tested, and conflicting moral principles are drawn to our attention good and evil life and death. Who then is this moral creature called man created male and female as to the body, yet possessing an eternal soul and spirit, alone among created beings on the earth?
.. Man's soul and spirit: Opening up this subject gives us an insight into the eternal part of our being. The soul is mentioned at the creation of man not the spirit "and the Lord God... breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul" Gen. 2:77And 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. (Genesis 2:7). At death the spirit is mentioned, not the soul "the body without the spirit is dead" James 2:2626For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:26).
The soul is that part of our being closest to the body. With the soul we experience sadness from the depressing experiences of life, and with the soul we taste the joys of life sunshine, good food, companionship and so on. So it is the seat of our emotions, which are geared to life in the body. To lose one's soul, as the Lord remarked, would make profitless everything else gained in life. It is an unimaginable thing never again to experience the joys and even the turmoil of life.
The spirit, on the other hand, is the highest part of man's being. It is with the spirit that man dominates the outside world rather than responding to it. Possession of a spirit from God creates a yawning gap between man and the lower creation. Man's brain is analogous to an organ man's spirit to a gifted organist. With his spirit man builds ships, aircraft, cars, bridges, roads, cities and the amenities in them. In so doing he fulfills the mandate God gave him to have dominion over the earth and what God had created in it. But the spirit is God oriented as well as earth oriented. In this connection the human spirit is analogous to a light bulb. In the natural man it is impossible to turn the bulb on because it is not plugged in to an electrical outlet. With the spiritual man, just the opposite is the case. As Paul remarks in 1 Cor. 14:1515What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. (1 Corinthians 14:15) "I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also.”
.. The human body: Both man and animals are creatures of the sixth day. Like the animals we must breathe, eat, drink, and sleep. We walk and run. We have blood, muscles, and bones like them. We enjoy the pleasures and dangers of life our children play just as animals frolic and we react with fright to danger just as they do. Our bodies suffer from disease and wounds like them. Eventually they die. So we have two sexes like the animals, for though individuals die the race must be perpetuated. Our bodies are called both earthen vessels denoting their origin and end in death and natural bodies, descriptive of the natural animal like functions of the body in life.
In what ways do our bodies differ from the animals, though? Structurally the human body has an erect posture and a mind which enables us to communicate with one another in speech and writing. But there is another important difference the human body has no natural protection from the elements corresponding to fur in animals. So we must wear clothing. This is not pure chance, as scientists might suggest, but can be traced back to the fall.(1) Man needed no clothing before the fall but the first thing the parents of the human race did when they fell was to clothe themselves. Modern man might argue that he needs clothes to shelter his body from the cold. This argument can be easily faulted. First the animals don't, secondly this isn't true in warm climates, and thirdly there is a universal shame to public nakedness unknown to animals. This intangible thing leads us to a summit difference between man and animal’s man has an undying soul and spirit. This has already been noted but not its implications. Paul puts it succinctly in 1 Cor. 15:21, 2221For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:21‑22) "for since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." There is a somber side to resurrection if men die without Christ. We are told that the lost receive bodies at the end of time in which to stand before God for judgment Rev. 20:11-1511And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11‑15). But Paul is writing about those who are in Christ "who shall transform our body of humiliation into conformity to His body of glory" Phil. 3:2121Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:21). So unlike an animal's body which dies and that is the end of it, the body of a man in Christ is looked at as a tent a temporary thing awaiting our house from heaven a body of glory like Christ's.
The Central Place of Man in the Universe
Even the casual observer of nature knows that many of God's works, like the ends of the earth, are poles apart. The stars and the atom, the oak tree and the acorn, sufficiently illustrate this design feature. But mightn't nature disclose some median principle at work as well something central between the large and the small? The answer is yes. The center is man, but only because in creating man God did not have before Him the first man Adam, but rather the vision of His own Son in Manhood. That is what Paul means when he tells us in Rom. 5:1414Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. (Romans 5:14) that Adam was the figure of Him who was to come. When we combine this teaching with the truth that God will give us bodies like Christ's own glorious body, it becomes clear why God has made man central in His universe.
Man is central in time and space in God's creation. Man is central in time between the first heavens and the first earth God created in Gen. 1, and the new heavens and the new earth of the future eternity Rev. 21:11And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. (Revelation 21:1). Man is central in space because God created the human body central in mass between an atom and a star.(2) Man is central between God's two creations matter and life. His body is composed of atoms and Paul acknowledges this when he writes in Heb. 11:33Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Hebrews 11:3) that "things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." To complete this centrality between the creation of matter and life, man's form was infused with the breath of God, making him a soul of life.
But most importantly Christ is the moral center of all God's thoughts and ways. He was central on the cross. He is central in the midst of His own Matt. 18:2020For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20) He will be central in heaven in the midst of the elders and living creatures. These three centralities speak of "Jesus Christ, the Same, yesterday, today, and forever" Heb. 13:88Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. (Hebrews 13:8). Truly This Man is the center of everything.
A Comparison of the Old and New Creations
Because God created man male and female, and Adam was the figure of Him who was to come as Eve was of the Church, there are two ways of comparing the two creations. Where headship is concerned, the old creation began with the heavens and the earth, and ended with a man. The new creation began with a new Man and ends with new heavens and a new earth. But in actual fact, woman came last in creation, because only at the end could God reveal His heart. So we might say that the old creation began with the heavens and the earth and ended with the creation of the woman. This unveils God's richest thought the passing away of the old creation to make way for new heavens and a new earth, with Christ in Manhood enjoying His bride, the Church, close to His heart forever.
Foreshadowings of the New Creation in the Actual Creation of Adam and Eve
The gulf between man and the rest of creation is an immense one. Man is created male and female the animals are made according to their kind. Man's creation is not according to a previous kind but "according to our likeness." Only in man's case is the female created by removal from the male. The woman came out of the man the man came out of the dust of the ground, which in turn came out of the waters under which it was submerged. If we thus trace man's beginning to the darkness and the deep, let us not forget that it was over this the Spirit of God hovered and God said "let there be light." So are we born of water and the Spirit. Woman's beginning was the deep sleep God brought over Adam. That is a figure of the love of God in providing a bride for Christ through His death. The combination of these two beginnings reveals God's nature as light and love. Only then can Eve be brought to Adam. That is the great lesson of Gen. 1 union with Christ following the revelation of God's nature as light and love.
.. The creation of man: Unlike woman, who was created in the Garden in Eden, man was created outside in Eden in other words in the world and was brought into the Garden to be tested. The reason for this was to contrast him to Christ the Last Adam. Just as God removed Adam from the world to the garden to test him, so the Spirit of God drove Christ into the wilderness to try Him Mark 1:12, 1312And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 13And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. (Mark 1:12‑13). Both Adam and Christ were tempted by the devil Adam with quiescent beasts and all he wanted to eat in a garden Christ while fasting and surrounded by wild beasts in a desert. Adam was overcome by the devil Christ overcame the devil. Adam got his bride in a garden, passing through death in a figure. With Christ the Garden of Gethsemane anticipated His actual death, and another garden His resurrection.
.. The creation of woman: If the creation of man intimates the Lord's temptation, the creation of woman speaks of how He overcame Satan's power of death at the cross and in so doing secured a bride for Himself.
The creation of woman has no parallel. It was distinct, and different from every living creature..."and the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam and he slept." Then He removed one of his ribs and filled up the incision. God formed a woman from the rib and brought her to the man. Adam exclaimed "this at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Isha woman, because she was taken out of Ish man.”
This first surgical operation was a prediction of how Christ the last Adam would get His bride the Church. Adam's deep sleep is a picture of the death of Christ. The incision needed to remove the rib from the sleeping Adam was a picture of the piercing of the Lord's side after He was dead. God brought Eve to Adam as the Father presents the Church to Christ. After Adam awoke from his deep sleep and saw Eve he exclaimed "this at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." The counterpart of this is what the Lord said when He was risen from the dead. He told Thomas to thrust his hand into His spear pierced side i.e. where the ribs are. In Luke's Gospel He says "a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see I have." He specifically says flesh and bones, not flesh and blood. His pierced side is the witness that the blood has been shed. The first Adam says "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" the last Adam "flesh and bones" so the redemption price has been paid. The Lord is risen and about to receive His bride.