Choices

There is nothing more unique in all creation than the human being. In Genesis 1:26-31 (NIV) we read the account of God creating man. "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.' Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground— everything that has the breath of life in it— I give every green plant for food.' And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day."

In Genesis 2:4-7 (NIV) we get just a little more insight about God creating man. "This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens—and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground—the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."

We were fashioned by God's hand.

Let’s highlight the most obvious points found in this passage, and then we’ll dig deeper. First, we were fashioned by God's hand. We are not eternal. There was a point in time when we did not exist. But now we do exist, and it is only because God created us. The Bible says, "...the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground." As we saw last week, the big bang theory and the theory of evolution are terribly inadequate explanations for the origin of man. The sophisticated design of mankind, even the sophistication of a single tiny invisible cell, is so complex that it can be explained in no other way than coming from the hand of an intelligent designer.

Second, we were created in God’s image. The Bible says, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him..." Man was created to be like God, and he was created to represent God. Notice that man was given authority to rule over the fish, the birds, livestock, plant life, earth, and all creatures. Man’s relationship to the world would be different than that of other creatures. We were created to be stewards of all God created.

Third, we were created for community. The Bible says, "male and female he created them." We were created for fellowship with one another, but we were especially created for fellowship with God. Our connection with God is unique in that God breathed his very breath, his Holy Spirit, into our nostrils. We are incomplete without one another, but we are especially incomplete without God!

The image of God.

But let's back up for a moment. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them. What does this mean to be created in God’s likeness? In his book Systematic Theology Wayne Grudem enumerates the many different ways human beings are different than the rest of creation.

First, we are truly unique morally. Other than the angels, we are the only creatures who are morally accountable to God. We have an inner sense of a right and wrong, a conscience that speaks to our actions, attitudes, and human nature.

A lot of people think that animals share a moral conscience. At home we have two schnauzers. One is particularly devious. Sometimes when we come home, he acts really strange. His ear goes down, he cowers, and he hides under the table. Reilly has gotten into the trash. He has eaten dirt out of the planter. He has made a lake on the floor. He has soiled the carpet. "Bad dog!", I shout. He has learned to associate behavior with consequence, and behavior with reward. He has been trained. But he hasn’t a real conscience beyond learned behavior! He has fear of punishment and hope of reward.

Second, we are truly unique spiritually. The Bible teaches that we have a spirit and a soul that allows us to relate to God. Since the beginning of time, man has worshiped God, prayed to God, praised God, sought God, and served God. Is there any evidence that animals relate to God in these ways?

Our dog sleeps with us at night. He’s the strangest dog. He often sleeps on his back with all four paws raised high into the air. He looks like a charismatic, like maybe he is praising the Lord with all fours. But if you listen closely, he is snoring. Animals don’t worship God, not consciously like humans anyway.

Third, we are truly unique mentally. Like no other animal in all creation, we have the ability to reason and think logically. We have the ability to pass on learning from generation to generation, to solve complex puzzles, to work out problems, and to engage in abstract reasoning. We communicate with complex language and symbols. We learn from the past and plan for the future. Human beings are creative. This is evidenced by our singing, instruments playing, architecture, painting, sculpting, acting, gardening, and sewing.

It seemed like a few months ago scientists were all excited to discover a gorilla using a stick, instead of its hand, to forage for food. There was also excitement about a whale that would spit up shad parts in order to attract unsuspecting seagulls. As soon as they would scoop up the shad parts, the whale would shoot up out of the water and capture the sea gulls in mid-air. But none of these creatures exhibit the depth of intelligence that human beings exhibit in their governance over the world.

Fourth, we are truly unique relationally. There isn’t any question that many animals live in community. Fish swim in schools, livestock gather in flocks, and birds migrate in huge formations. But consider the interpersonal harmony of human marriage. Now there are bad marriages, but think of the highly specialized roles husbands and wives fulfill with one another.

We are truly unique emotionally. Our dogs experience emotions, but not the complexity of emotions that human beings experience.

But of all the ways we might be considered unique, the most significant is that we were created with a truly unique purpose. There is a sense in which heaven and earth in all its majesty declare the glory of God. Psalm 19:1-2 (NIV) says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech…" That is all well and good, and quite significant. But the Bible teaches that we were specifically created for the purpose of bringing glory to God.

In Isaiah 43:7 (NIV) God describes us being, "formed and made" and, "created for my glory."

Ephesians 1:11-12 (NIV) says, "In Christ, we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory."

In 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV) the apostle Paul says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

We exist for the praise of God’s glory. Our purpose, as John the Baptist said of Jesus, is that God become greater and we become less. The creatures of the earth exist for themselves. It is the survival of the fittest. But the human being's purpose transcends himself. He exists for God’s glory.

True worship.

In Revelation 4 we find this grand picture of worship before the throne in heaven. Consider the description the apostle John gives us in Revelation 4:1-11 (NIV)."After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, 'Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.' At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal."

"In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.' Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 'You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.' "

In Romans 11:35-36 (NIV) Paul entertains this notion of what God owes us as human beings. His answer is that God owes us absolutely nothing! Paul says, "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."

In Mark 12:30 (NIV) Jesus tells us what our place is. Our place is to, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." There is nothing more higher, nothing more greater, nothing more majestic, nothing more wonderful, nothing more breathtaking, nothing more glorious, and nothing more worthy of every ounce of our heart, mind, body, and strength than our creator God. Our purpose is to truly exist for God’s glory, and not primarily for self. Everything we do is to be done for the glory of God. There is no higher calling than worship. And I’m not talking about worship in a choir robe. I’m talking about worship in life.

We were created to glorify and worship God but we have a choice to do as we please.

Romans 12:1 (NIV) says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship."

In light of being uniquely created by God, and not just in our social, physical, moral and intellectual being, but also in unique purpose, we have set before us a choice. We were created for God’s glory, but God created us with the power to choose otherwise. We were created to enjoy God, to have fellowship with God, and to please God, but we have this freedom to do as we please, as we will.

In the Garden of Eden God set before Adam and Eve a powerful choice. Genesis 2:15-17 (NIV) says, "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.' "

Adam and Eve had a choice. They could live within God's will, within his boundaries, and within his purposes, and then they would enjoy life everlasting. Or they could follow their own wills, violate God’s boundaries, pursue their own purposes, and experience death. We are most fully alive when in all our uniqueness, we choose to exist for God’s glory.

In Psalm 16:11 (NIV) the psalmist praises God by saying, "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

In Psalm 27:4 (NIV) the Psalmist says, "One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple."

In Psalm 84:1 (NIV) he says, "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God." And Psalm 84:10 (NIV) tells us, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." There is no greater joy than choosing to draw near to God, or to choose to live within his purpose. To live for God’s glory is experience life to the full!

Because we chose evil, we are in need of God's mercy.

Regrettably and with tragic consequences, Adam and Eve chose not to live for God. They rejected his purpose. They shattered God’s image within themselves. Adam and Eve are no different than any of us. They chose death, but so have we.

Because of this, all of us are in need of God’s mercy and grace. Remember, God owes us nothing! He is the one who created us, and not the other way around. We have no choice but to humbly come before God and ask his forgiveness. Why not ask God for forgiveness in Christ this morning? Why not say to God, "Forgive me for not choosing your glory. Forgive me for not living according to your purpose. Forgive me for trading away your awesome presence for the false promise of sin."

God created us for his glory. We chose oth            erwise.

Next week, we are going to talk further about this choice and explore the consequences of sin. But we will            look forward to God’s redemption in Christ. Don’t miss next week!