Chapter 1

Beginnings

To understand the plan of redemption we need to go back to the beginning, Genesis, and ask some questions: Why did God create Man? What was mankind’s purpose and position under God? And what went wrong that made it necessary for mankind to be redeemed?

Genesis 1:26-2826Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Why did God create man? I suspect that the main reason was that He wanted a family. Mankind, more than any other created beings, were to be God’s children. God had the angels, but they have more of a role as servants or workers.

God wanted to be a Father. He could have stopped with creating stars and planets and galaxies, but that would not have satisfied His creative urge. He could have stopped with the creation of the animals, but that still wouldn’t have been enough. Even the creation of the angels did not assuage that desire.

As a father myself, I understand that urge. Where do you think I, or any other father, got it from? From the Heavenly Father. There is a deep joy and satisfaction that comes from watching the children that issued forth from you grow up, learn, and develop their own personality. You can see a part of you in them, and also the part that is uniquely them. Sure, parenting is a lot of hard work. Sure, my kids have given me some headaches (and believe me, we’ve given God His share of “headaches” too!). But if I were starting over, I’d do it again.

God has no need to “propagate His race” as human beings do, but He does have a need to express the love that makes up His being. For a long time in eternity past, it was sufficient to have that love circulate between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But it got so big that He needed to expand it outside of Himself and since He was the only One around, He had to create what was to be the object of His affections.

So God created man in His image, a spirit being similar to Himself. We were not created so far below God that we are like ants to Him, or even like a dog. We were created to be the same class of being as God; enough like Him that He could have fellowship with us.

Psalms 8:3-63When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
4What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?
5For You have made him a little lower than Elohim, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
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