“WHAT IS MAN” Meditations in the Psalms (Psalm 8, Part 2)
What is man? Let us not consider man from man’s viewpoint for he would give us a pretty good opinion of himself. God gives a perfect anatomy of man whether he agrees or not. Consider with me what man was in his origin, Ecclesiastes 7:29 says, “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion … over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” We know this likeness is not physical likeness (John 4:24) for “God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” So what is this likeness? Scripture is always to be interpreted by scripture. Two passages will answer this question – Ephesians 4:23-24, “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” – Colossians 3:10, “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him.” The ‘image’ consists in ‘knowledge’ which I take to mean an understanding of God, “righteousness and true holiness.” Therefore God created man in ‘moral’ likeness to Himself. Does that mean that man in his origin was somewhat equal to his Maker? No! That was the lie that the serpent sold to Eve. Man was not even equal to the angels, look at v. 5. But man fell from that holy, happy state. What man is in sin! “What is man, that he should be clean? And he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? Behold, he putteth no trust in His saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in His sight. How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?” (Job 15:14-16) “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.” The natural heart is a never ending churn of wickedness. Do you know what it takes for man to have the morals of a dog, or to become an absolute devil? For God to leave him alone (Gen. 6:5). Do you know how long it took for the world to get into the shape it’s in? About seven generations. No part of man is untainted with sin, Isa.1:4-9. Do you know where and how God found you? Read Ezek.16. God sends seasonable judgments; He will punish those against His Anointed. The new man IN Christ! Do you know what the most crucial and smallest word in the NT is? “IN”, (I Cor.1:30), “But of Him are ye IN Christ Jesus”, (I Cor.5:17), “Therefore if any man be IN Christ”, I Cor.5:21, “…that we might be made the righteousness of God IN Him.” Why is this so critical? Because it speaks of the most vital thing in experimental religion, union (Eph.1:1, 3:4, 6:7, 10:13, and Col. 1:13-14, 2:10-11, 3:3). O blessed union! I had rather have what I have IN Christ than have what I would have had in a perfect man/Adam. IN Christ I am accepted, complete, spotless, and holy; as His fullness, His beauty, His glory. If we are IN Christ He says these things about us (Rom.8:31-34). Are you “IN HIM”? I will assure you there is no other place to be. ~~Terry Worthan, 1938-2022
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