p. 4 | WHAT IS MAN? by J. H. D.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 5, 1895

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 21, No. 35.

WHAT IS MAN?

By J. H. D.

BY J. H. D.

“For unto the angels hath He not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. 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? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.” Heb. 2:5–8.

“What is man?” is a question on which volumes have been written. As to whether he is naturally mortal or immortal, whether he is conscious or unconscious in death, has been a question that theologians have discussed for centuries, and yet men still differ as to what the Scriptures teach on these questions. No less differences have been found in regard to his origin and his future. Whether he evolved from the ape family or was created as he is, is a question that all wise men have not settled so as to be of one mind. As it seems to be a subject that men’s wisdom or logic can not settle, all we can do is to let the Scriptures answer the question they have asked, and accept the answer, whether we are able to understand the reasoning part of it or not.

“What is man that Thou art mindful of him?” “This is a verbatim quotation from the Septuagint. The Hebrew is more emphatic than the Greek: What is miserable man, (Enosh) that Thou rememberest him; and the son of Adam, that Thou visitest him? The variation of the terms in the original is very emphatic. Adam is the name given to man at his creation, and expresses his origin and generic

distinction from all other animals. Enosh, which signifies sick, weak, wretched, was never given to the man till after his fall. The son of Adam means here any one or all of the fallen posterity of the first man. That God should remember in the way of mercy these wretched beings, is great condescension; that he should visit them, manifest himself to them, yea, even dwell among them, and at last assume their nature, and give up his life to ransom them from the bitter pain of eternal death, is mercy and love indescribable and eternal.”—Dr. Clarke.

Man’s Position When Created.

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him.” Gen. 1:27. To be created in the “image of God” signifies a capacity for understanding God and his works, with the power for ruling the dominion given him, and with the capability of living an upright life. After he was thus created, God said, “Have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” The earth was made for man,—for him to direct and control.

“Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” Eccl. 7:29. But what is it to be upright?—“Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me; then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.” Ps. 19:13. To be upright is to be innocent, and this was man’s condition when he was created. He was just in the sight of his Maker. “The way of the just is uprightness.” “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace.” Then, when man was created, he was upright, just, and the possessor of peace.

He was made in the likeness, image, and glory of God. See Gen. 5:1; 9:6; 1 Cor. 11:7. When Moses said, “I beseech thee, show me thy glory,” the Lord answered, “I will make all my goodness pass before thee.” God’s glory is his goodness, his righteousness. When he made man in his own glory, it was that he had the righteousness of God. He had a character like God, and therefore he had a capacity and a desire for an endless life. He was made a little lower than the angels (Ps. 8:5), yet he was crowned as the ruler of the earth and all it contained (verses 6–9). This endless life, which man was created with a desire and capacity for, was assured to him on the condition of perfect obedience. The very nature and character of the Creator, the very law of his existence, necessitated righteousness as the condition of endless existence. Sin is contrary to the very existence of the Godhead, for it is contrary to the law of his being. Its very existence, if permitted to triumph, means destruction to the created universe. The whole creation of God is upheld by his word (Heb. 1:3), but sin makes God a liar, and his word worthless. Therefore, were sin to be perpetuated eternally, truth and the Author of truth must cease to continue.

The Effects of Sin upon Man.

“All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” But, as we have already seen, the glory of God was his character, his goodness. When man had this he had a capacity for uprightness and dominion. When he lost the glory of God, he lost the power to understand the things of God, for “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” In receiving sin he lost the dominion given to him in the beginning, for “now we see not yet all things put under him.” More than this, he lost the power to do right. “What then? are we better than they? No, in nowise; for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” Rom. 3:9–11.

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Rom. 5:12. As sin is the opposite of righteousness, so death is the opposite of life. Wherever death takes up its abode, life must depart. Death may begin in the very extremities of the body, yet just so far as death has gained possession, life has departed. Man by yielding to sin came under the sentence, “In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Gen. 2:17. Not only Adam and Eve came under this sentence, but “in Adam all die.” See 1 Cor. 15:22. “The wages of sin is death,” and all in Adam had sinned, so all in Adam must die. Man, who once stood in the image and glory of God, with the capacity for eternal life, sinks into the depths of sin, and has no way to extricate himself from the sentence pronounced upon disobedience.

The Nature of Death.

“If Christ be not raised . . . then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.” 1 Cor. 15:17, 18. Some critics render the above, “they which have fallen asleep in Christ have gone to nothing.” Following these words the apostle says, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” Verse 19. In his reasoning he regards man as under the death penalty, and, without redemption, he would certainly go to nothing at death. This proves that death is the breaking up of the human integer. Man was organized to live, but by going contrary to the law of that organization he caused the human integer to be broken. This is fitly illustrated by the water we drink. It is composed of two component parts, hydrogen and oxygen. As long as these two elements exist together, the result is water. But separate them, thus breaking the law of their existence, and you no longer have water. So when the elements that made man are separated, man ceases to exist.

Satan is the author of sin, and death came by sin. See 1 John 3:8; Rom. 5:12. This being true, we can readily see that all the power of Satan is in death. But Satan is a disorganizer, for he will not submit to God’s government, but seeks to set up a government of his own in opposition to God. His rebellious course is not only destructive of happiness but of life also. “When lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” James 1:15. Righteousness has but one enemy, and that is sin. But sin has two deadly foes, viz., itself and righteousness. It is a well-established fact that nothing can exist eternally that is not in harmony with the law of its being, and does not conform to the will of its Creator. The law of man’s being was to be obedient to God. The will of God was that he chose a godly life, which is the only life that can be perpetuated. Man by listening to Satan failed in both requirements. He chose sin and came under the death sentence pronounced upon all that would disobey. In this condition he is not only lower than the angels, but he has lost his glory, and has no power in himself to place himself back where he was before he fell. Naturally he is without God or hope in this world. He is doomed to death, which means that eternal life is beyond his reach. What can he do? Is there no hope?—Yes, thank God, there is a way that provided to raise sinful man from his sinful condition.