Paul: His Life and His Teachings God is Our Creator
watch
No.34 Paul: His Life and Teachings - God is Our Creator (Part 1)
No.35 Paul: His Life and Teachings - God is Our Creator (Part 2)
listen
overview
In this lesson, we will talk about God, our Creator. Too many today, including Christians, believes in evolution or partial evolution. Too many don’t believe in the 6-day creation. All these can only be understood from the perspective of faith. In fact, believing in God and in the Creator-God is the beginning of our walk of faith. Hebrews 11:1-6 sets off our journey of faith. According to the passage, faith has two directions – from us to God, and from God to us. It is through this faith that the ancients gained approval from God. It is through the same faith that we understand creation. Based on the scriptures, we understand that the worlds were prepared by the Word of God. What is seen is made of things that are not seen. Words cannot be seen, they can only be heard. The creation is made through Jesus Christ – the image of the invisible God. All things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him, all things hold together (Colossians 1:15-17, cf. John 1:1-3). The Greek word for image is εἰκών (eikon) which means likeness, in the figure and moral likeness. As one translation reads, “the exact representation” of God. If one wants to see and know God, look at Jesus.
If we can only honestly observe Jesus, how He talked to people, confront problems, confront issues, etc., that is the exact representation of how God acts. Now, when He created us in His image, that is also what was on His mind. That, we will be His exact representation on earth. However, we fail as we all know it. But now with this great redemption, that gives us this opportunity once again to be like Him. Jesus is the Firstborn of all creation. A firstborn in a family is preeminent over all the other children. This is how it was in the Old Testament. This means that Jesus, the firstborn, has the preeminence over all of creation. In fact, all were created for Him. That is, both in the heavens and on the earth, both visible and invisible. Even thrones or dominion or rulers or authorities - all things were created through Him and for him. Christ’s preeminence tells us a lot about how we were created and what was in the heart of God in creating us. Revisiting the creation of man; the creation of Adam shows man’s honor and elevated status. He was created last to make known that all mortal creatures were created for his sake.
Further, man was a divine photocopy (Gen.1:26). The Hebrew word for “image” came from the root צֶלֶם tselem. It is used to speak of images, likeness, and pictorial representation - in modern times, a photocopy! Tselem is derived from “tsel,” meaning, “shadow.” Therefore, man is the “shadow” cast on the earth by the Divine Majesty. Man, alone is among the living creature is gifted, like his Creator, with moral freedom and will. He is capable of knowing and loving God, and of holding spiritual communion with Him; and man, alone can guide his actions in accordance with reason. What this means in family biology is we have the divine DNA. God made man to be just like Him. Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) is that stuff which transmits all the genetic information of that particular living being. It is God’s implanted computer program to ensure the reproduction of another being of exactly the same characteristics. When God created man to be like Him, one of the things that this mean is that God created man to have His DNA.
This spiritual DNA however, has been drastically altered after the Fall. The child of God became the child of Satan. When a person gets born again, he becomes righteous. This is a return back to the original spiritual DNA – the DNA of Adam. Also, we were never intended to experience the trauma of separation. Going back to the original concept of creation. When Jesus was born to redeem us, He was born to bring about the plan and the purposes of God. In other words, the will of God. That is, for man to be in His image and in His likeness. Thus, Jesus was born as the Second Adam. Adam was created in the image of God. We know that Jesus is the image of God and the Spirit of God was upon Him. Paul declared Jesus to be the Last Adam (Rom.5:14). The Last Adam provides humanity with a fresh start. Through the 1st Adam, humanity was driven out of Eden. Through the Last Adam, we can go back to Eden and start over again in perfect innocence and righteousness. Praise be to God!