p. 4 | A Bible Study on Man by L. A. Reed

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Feb 11, 1913

A Bible Study on Man

By L. A. Reed

1. As Man Came from the Hand of God

If one were to judge what man was at the beginning, basing his conclusions on what man is now, he might make serious mistakes. A great change has come. Man has lost many things given him in the original creation.

For example, as created, God made man a little lower than the angels, crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of creation, putting all things in subjection under his feet. And in this relation of nature to man, the subjection was complete; “for in that He subjected all things unto him, He left nothing that is not subject to him.” Heb. 2: 6-8. This relation of man to nature, however, did not continue; for the inspired writer says, “But now we see not yet all things subjected to him.” In other words, man has lost control of the wonderful kingdom over which he was made a divinely ordained king, not to be its tyrannical master, but its supreme crown and blessing.

Another evidence that a great change has come is furnished in the words of the scripture, “Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” Eccl. 7: 29. The inventions are not the inventions of mechanical skill or artistic craft, but they are the new contrivances of evil which man in every age has been thinking out and acting out—new plans, new schemes, new methods of transgression. It shows the low state into which man has come, that he gives his thought to planning new ways of doing wrong. It shows the awful change that has come from that time when man was made upright.

Reasoning, then, from what man is now, we would go wildly astray as to what man was at creation. Let us study for a few minutes regarding that being as he came forth from the hand of his Creator.

Created Upright

In the first place, he was upright. That is, there was nothing perverse in him, nothing tending toward transgression, or working at cross purposes with the moral excellency of God; and, following out the real meaning of the definition, there was not even a temptation to sin, or any impulse toward anything that was wrong, given by God to His creature. Man was upright.

We learn further that God made him a little lower than the angels (Heb. 2: 6, 7), or as some translations give it, for a little time to be lower than the angels, inferring that some day his nature would be on an equality with that of the angels; and this at some time future will be fulfilled, as promised by Christ, recorded in Luke 20: 35, 36. When God’s purpose is fully worked out, man is to be equal to the angels.

In the record of the creation, we find that man was formed of the dust of the earth. The material of which he was composed was of the earth, giving man a kinship with the kingdom over which he was to reign. Man was thus a part of the nature over which he was to rule, therefore in sympathy with it, and understanding it.

A Living Soul

But after forming man of the dust of the earth, the same materials of which the rest of the creation was formed, God breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. This is the origin of that principle of life which otherwise is so mysterious and so unexplainable.

Scientists to-day declare that there is no life without antecedent, or prior life; and following out the dictum rigidly—for it is a true one—man’s life must be accounted for in some way, and this is the only adequate explanation of the origin of human life.

The fact that man was made a living soul is used by Inspiration to show the difference between the man Adam and the man Christ. This difference is a difference in the nature of the two beings. The first man was made a living soul, the last Man was made a quickening Spirit. 1 Cor. 15: 45. Inspiration further explains that this first man was a natural being, but that the second Man is a spiritual Being. The first one partakes of nature; he is so allied with nature that he is defined by it as a title—he is natural. The other is allied with the Spirit of God. He partakes so intimately of the Spirit that it is used to define Him—He is a spiritual Being.

A Spiritual Being

The ultimate destiny of man, however, is that he is to have a spiritual body, and thus become like the second Man. This change will take place at the resurrection, when the natural body is raised a spiritual body. Verse 44. However, this spiritual body at the resurrection will be given only to those who have accepted the spiritual, moral life of Christ by voluntary choice. This work of changing the spiritual character takes place in this life, if it takes place at all.

Hence man’s spiritual body, being given him at the resurrection only on condition that he accept the spiritual life through Christ here, and this in turn being dependent upon his voluntary choice, it follows that man is on probation.

This is in accordance with the statement of Job 4: 17, that man is mortal,—that is, he is subject to death. The majority of mankind, even if they secure immortality, do so through the resurrection, when this mortal puts on immortality, and we have already shown that this immortality comes only to those who have accepted previously the spiritual character of Christ.

Who May Possess Eternal Life

That this eternal life is not for all, is plainly declared by the scripture, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” 1 John 5: 12. Man was driven out of the Garden of Eden, lest he should put forth his hand, and take of the Tree of Life, and eat, and live forever. Gen. 3: 22. And the garden was guarded against man’s ever afterward entering and achieving this possibility of eternal

life, by the flaming glory of the cherubim. Gen. 3: 24.

We have no desire to go, in this article, into man’s condition under sin, but merely to show that man did not have, at the first, inherent immortality. He was a living soul, a natural being, placed on trial. If he continued upright as he was, his life would continue. If he failed, in the failure couched death. This was plainly told him by his Maker. Gen. 2: 17. Since man’s life as thus created depended upon his obedience, it is folly to speak of man as immortal in the sense of its meaning that he could not die, for life or death lay within the reach of his own choice. To obey meant continued life as he was, ever moving on to enlarged capacities. Disobedience meant death, and loss of all that God had granted him, or endowed him with.

The Power of the Word

The record, in stating that man became a living soul through the act of God’s breathing into his nostrils the breath of life, teaches us more than merely man’s thereby possessing life. The breath of God is merely another expression, in the Bible, for the acting, spiritual, living power of the Word of God. The picture is not merely that of air entering the breathing apparatus of man, but that the whole being was vivified, and the whole process of breath, and blood circulation, and cell action, began as a direct result of the active agency of God’s Word; and since that which is produced is, by the very nature of things, like that from which it was produced, it follows that man’s nature would be exactly in harmony with that word which made him. This explains his upright, perfect nature.

This imparted life, coming from God, of necessity had in it marks of its divine origin; but it is absurd to call it God’s life, because given to man, it becomes man’s life, and man and God are two separate beings. To connect them in any wise as one, would be pantheism.

In producing all the varied manifestations we call creation, God remains separate from that which He has produced. To show this distinct separation between God and His creation, the Word speaks with authority: “And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine hands: they shall perish; but Thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail.” Heb. 1: 10-12.

A Delegated Life

Man is a separate entity, a being free to act for himself. In this way only could his conduct be his own. In this way only could he be worthy of commendation or condemnation. On any other basis, he would be merely a machine. And being a separate entity, choosing to be like his Maker, to continue in the way in which God has started him, or to refuse and turn away into the unknown ways of sin and death, it appears clear that the life in man is a delegated life. It comes from God; but whether that life shall continue to represent God or not, depends upon him who for the time possesses it. In this possibility of perfection or of error lay man’s mortality or immortality. And until the choice has been entirely, irrevocably

made, man continues mortal; but when man’s probation has ended, and his choice eternally is fixed, then consistently God may acknowledge man’s choice as fixed, and grant him immortality.

It was for this life of immortality that man was made in the first place; but it existed only as a hope, a possibility that in time he might achieve.

And, thank God, now through Christ it may still be our hope. God’s original purpose to make man immortal is not lost. It must be worked out under harder conditions, but the hope through Christ is sure and certain. We may all attain to a life as measureless as the life of God. And since it comes only through Christ, it is a part of the unspeakable gift.