Without exhaustive details in Genesis creation, humanity remains embroiled in mysteries. To effectively illustrate the differences between Man’s creation and Adam’s formation, a digestive postulate is summarized in the following thirteen-point analysis:
- God’s image is Spiritual. Anything physical, as portrayed in physical humans, is the opposite of a spiritual condition.
- Adam’s physical form (Gen. 2:7) is the opposite of God’s image (Gen. 1:26–27). Adam’s loneliness depicts a formation, whose outcome is from the dust, and not necessarily God’s image. The Thomson Reference NIV Bible, 1982 edition footnote shows Adam as not synonymous with the man of Gen. 1:26–27. Moreover, Genesis 4:15-16 suggests that Adam’s formation may not have been the first formation.
- If the goodness in Genesis 1:31 includes the “Man” in God’s image, this excludes Adam, who is vulnerable to Satan’s deception (Gen. 2:7). God did not say, “Let us create Adam in our image” (Gen. 1:26) the configuration of Adam shadows the reality of the created Man of Genesis 1:27.
- God categorically confirmed Adam’s corporeal condition: “…for dust you are, and to dust you will return” (Gen. 3:19 NIV). Dust is another product of God’s creation––which is the least of the things inferior to the Man of God’s image (Gen. 1:9–13). The communication: “Dust you are,” confirms Adam’s inferiority to God’s image creation.
- When the gospel books portray Jesus as the “Son of Man”, the projection is not the man of the dust as known today. The identity of the ‘Man’ in God’s image, encompassing both genders, is Jesus.
- Paul, furthermore, agrees: “Those who are of the earth are like the man who was from the earth: and those who are of heaven are like the one from heaven. And in the same way as we have taken on us the image of the man from the earth, so we will take on us the image of the one from heaven” (1 Cor. 15:48-49 BBE). Of the two attributes, one portrays God’s image of Gen. 1:26-27.
- Scientifically, material things are not designed to last for eternity. The old order of things eventually passes away (Rev. 21:1–4), whose longevity, is predetermined by God’s timing factor. What is spiritual is permanent, as Paul confirms: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18 NIV). Adam is of the dust (temporary) while the Man of God’s image is spiritual (eternal).
- A corpse is described as “someone’s body”. The one owning the body is the character created in God’s image; valued so much by Christ as to be liberated from physical prison-hood. By allowing His body to be lacerated, mercilessly, by sinful characters, Christ demonstrated the significance of the spiritual nature, when compared with the physical nature.
- Christ declared: “Destroy this temple and I will raise it in three days” (John 2:19, 21). If Christ’s body was His Temple, it logically follows that Christ was not the Temple. Crucifying Jesus’ body, they supposed they were destroying the actual being. Figuratively, they behaved like brute animals, delighting in sensational trampling on a garment whose owner would have long escaped.
- To Jeremiah, God declared: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jer. 1:5 NIV). The determination of Jeremiah’s assignment was concluded for him after Man’s creation (Gen. 1:26–27). Before Jeremiah’s body formation, God appointed him as a prophet to the nations, possibly even before Adam. What was known by God before Jeremiah’s formation, was God’s image.
- The status of being male and female, desiring food for survival (Gen. 1:28-29), suggests the corporeal condition, characteristic of genetical products, which are the opposite of God’s image. Also, Genesis 9:6 infers that shedding blood is a crime against God’s image. Nonetheless, this depicts spiritual significance, as earthly products cannot be God’s image.
- When obsessed with physical survival, it is impossible to entertain spiritual reality. After death, an unconverted person cannot consciously imagine being associated with God. The physical nature decays––being different from God, in whose image the individual was created. This reveals the physical phenomenon of not holding the Godly attribute.
- Jesus’ mission restores the Godly image status of humanity. The genealogy of Adam does not reflect God’s image, except Jesus (See 2 Cor. 4:4b, Col. 1:15 and Heb. 1:3).
The creation story is complemented by “Man” in God’s image––an icing on God’s “very good” creation (Gen. 1:27, 31). The stated goodness ought to reflect God’s perfection. Ostensibly, it is impossible to refute God’s image, implying God’s exact likeness.
A human being is as good as God––in whose image humanity was created. Understanding the discourse of Man’s creation enables comprehending the significance of Christianity. If God does not need food for survival, the Man in God’s image ought not to need food for survival.
God’s nature identifies with making something out of nothing. Yet the man of the dust makes nothing out of something––having to kill something for survival purposes.
Without the existence of other species, human organisms cannot survive. The Adamic man appears as depicting the groundwork for forming Godly characteristics. The idea of loving one’s enemies encourages developing the principle of making something out of nothing––portraying God’s characteristics.
Earthly humans are blamed for whatever is not right with our planet. Those of the scientific community can confirm that natural disasters are attributed to global warming, provoked by humanity’s mismanagement of the earth and its resources.
Certainly, no blame can apply to the Man of God’s image. If all creation was very good, the reversal of that state could only be attributed to the Adamic men––having been corrupted by the Garden of Eden incident.
Sadly, the man of the dust passes as the only most dangerous species whose formation encroached upon the originally very good creation (Gen. 1:31). Adam’s pedigree, menacingly threatening to annihilate all creation, needs removal, for things to come back to normal.
Nothing of Adam’s formation was ever revealed as having been good (Gen. 2:7). There cannot be any reason to construe Godly nature from the dust. Other beasts were similarly formed (Gen. 2:19).
But Adam was different from other species. The statement: “for dust you are” (Gen. 3:19), makes no sense to brute animals, but to Adam, whose Godly origin is not dust.
The dust attribute could either be for Man’s Godly character development, or for instilling self-determinism. The dust factor was considered a necessary prerequisite for induction into the deity. Living in physical form is similar to a fiery furnace––solidifying the needed Godly characteristics.
The Adamic nature is not what was created in God’s image (Gen. 1:27). Understanding this principle is vital for Spiritual grasp and necessary, before proceeding.
Confusion arises from failing to distinguish differences between physical and spiritual realities. The spiritual concept is actually like a designer’s idea––misunderstood by independent observers.
In art, the concept represents the artist’s original idea. To destroy a concept, one has to aim at destroying the artist. Destroying the product cannot effectively eliminate the reality, embraced in the concept-holder.
Physical humans are the opposite of God’s original idea––though scripturally described as God’s image. The physical nature is unreal; temporary––but causing confusion––gripping humanity. What is unreal is taken for reality, whilst what is real is treated as unreal.
The created Man was never meant to be robotic, but spiritually conditioned to resemble God in quality and form. The created Man ought to declare with Jesus: “I and the father are one” (John 10: 30). Jesus is the only known human figure displaying a Godly image. Yet unselfishly calling humanity His brothers and sisters.
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Col. 1:15 NIV). Therefore, Jesus displays the only concept depicted in Genesis 1:27. He is the prophesied Messiah—the divine image of God––enabling us to appreciate the significance of God’s image (Heb. 1:3).
As “Son of Man”, Jesus validates Man’s identity with God’s image (Gen. 1:27). The term “Son of Man” is preferred ahead of Adam’s genealogy. Christians should also vehemently claim Sonship to ‘Man’, after discovering their true identity—casting away Adamic attributes. Unlike Adam, the ‘Man’ in God’s image needs no supervision.
Eve, bonded to Adam as his helper, facilitated the deception towards the wrong fruit. Only in physical conditions do humans need helpers. Like Jesus, humans ought to be at one with God. In his physical condition, Adam needed Eve, who eventually led him into partaking in the wrong fruit, as a helper.
The Man of God’s image had not been designed to succumb to death. Without such a “suitable” helper, Adam may have not succumbed to the paranormal tree. The availability of the wrong fruit had been designed to enable free choice—liberty extended to humans only.
The willpower is the most important component in humanity. God does not manipulate people to obey Him. But is interested in those obeying Him because they choose to. God only provides humanity with the necessary data for making choices. The wrong fruit was necessitated to physical Adam—for character development.
The created Man returns to God after the dust returns to dust (Eccles. 12:7). The physical body without life does not feel the pain. Having become God’s child invalidates concerns about physical healing.
Since the Garden of Eden incident, humans have remained corruptible, reaping the fruits of wickedness. Sicknesses and dying in sorrow continue—so long as Godlessness continues. Persuading humanity to live responsibly, provides benefits thereof––but impossible to sustain.
Through the nation of Israel, God proved that law-keeping alone could not be sustainable with physical humans. That story shows a people repenting when facing crisis, but relapsing to sin when everything went well. They repeated the cycle over and over again.
This proved how impossible it is for humans to live lives, independent of their Creator, even with the perfect law at their disposal. After Adam had succumbed, the Tree of Life became inaccessible to humanity (Gen. 3:22–24). Even with strict Law-keeping, humans were hopeless without Jesus’ novel order (Rev. 22:14).
Satan became the most effective instrument at God’s disposal. This is just as Judas was also unintentionally effective towards Jesus’ crucifixion. Our salvation could not have been possible without Judas’ role—-bad as most people suppose Judas’ betrayal of Jesus was.
What Judas did was unacceptable. But that wrongness affected Judas alone—as it became a wonderful blessing for Jesus and the rest of humanity. No other blessing surpasses Jesus’ sacrifice––facilitated by Judas’ betrayal.
The tree of knowledge of good and evil symbolizes sinfulness, negatively affecting physical humans. God instituted natural laws to govern the physical universe. A physical person cannot escape injury after violating those laws.
Death became inevitable after eating the wrong fruit. If the couple had not appreciated the significance of death, they eventually experienced it through physical pain before dying. Their genealogies would face a similar phenomenon, just as the committed sins of today affect future generations.
The workability of God’s plan is revealed in Adam’s formation. Later, through God’s impeccable love and absolute wisdom––blocked the Tree of Life, after Adam had sinned (Gen. 3:22–24). Access to the tree of life––after sinning––would have exposed humanity to sinfulness for all eternity.
Physical nature is necessary for character development, before Christ’s redemptive processes. God’s character is perfect, and His choices are, accordingly, perfect. Humans without God lack perfection. Access to God’s perfection demands dying first. But dying in a sinful state does not guarantee access to perfection.
What is imperfect cannot be mixed with perfection. To achieve perfection, a conscious awareness of helplessness and incapability through sinful experiences becomes necessary. Yet we were created with Godly standards, before exposure to the school of hard knocks. This invites humility. While God created humans in His image, a provision of free choice was also availed.
Exposure to sin—through Adam’s mistake––necessitated Jesus’ redemptive processes—enabling choosing between two alternatives. Tough experiences show futility in life without God. But, by following Christ’s example, one accesses life. Presently, our genealogy is Adamic, but that genealogy can now be broken when assured of Jesus’ redemption.
Renouncing Adam’s genealogy means disowning its cultural dictates in favour of Jesus’ attributes. This gives the greatest challenge. Anything new is not only considered sceptically but also induces discomfort—sustained by a lack of faith.
This then brings us to the purpose for which Jesus came––dealing with issues of imperfection, validating our salvation through Him alone (Phil. 2:6–8). As our advocate, Jesus takes away the death curse, but this requires perfect understanding.
One can confidently sit on a chair––when convinced of its stability to carry the body weight. One would avoid the chair when unsure of its stability. Our knowledge and experience with Christ are also necessary before obtaining similar faith. We cannot take advantage of Jesus without knowing His ability to carry our sinful burdens—failure to access salvation results from lacking faith.
Continuing to ‘enjoy’ sinfulness when claiming to believe, portrays hypocrisy. It is one thing to believe––yet disregarding Christ’s teachings. But it is quite another to believe, even without affirming it––when effectively practising what Christ says works.
People are not necessarily punished by God for their wrongs. But in most––if not all cases––it is the effects of their wrong conduct that punish them. When ignorantly touching a hot stove, one gets burnt.
The pain experienced would be a result of touching without the knowledge of the stove being hot. The person to blame for touching a hot stove would be oneself. How could one touch without obtaining facts?
Our greatest enemy, therefore, is ignorance. Christ’s ways are most workable, compared to other methods of existence. Believing in Jesus implies being convinced of His workable standards.
Moreover, it is a damnable falsehood to imagine ever enjoying sinful living––with well-documented tribulations in sinfulness. “Enjoying” in sin portrays an aberration due to perpetual exposure to sinful conditions.
Now that Christ has come, fearing death has become unnecessary. Those fearing death display faithlessness — still stuck in assuming that the physical nature is more real than Christ.
However, succumbing to death does not necessitate suicidal consideration. Jesus exhibited true love by sacrificing His life for our salvation.
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers” (l John 3:16 NIV).
What remains is offering our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God (Rom. 12:1-8) when discovering homage to Christ’s righteousness. God’s will––restoring what was lost––is paramount. The desire to live longer becomes spurred by desiring to show love to others––but being able to declare with Paul:
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.” (Phil 1:21–26 NIV).
Death confirms departure from the physical body, either toward damnation or toward eternity. “Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of His saints” (Ps. 116:15 KJV). Fearing death implies assuming immortality in the physical body. But that consideration is induced by pain, signifying death.
Under normal conditions, pain and suffering precede death––causing death to be dreaded. Anything that causes pain reminds death. Pleasure suggests abundant living—which everyone yearns for––confirming the law of opposites.
Nevertheless, in Jesus, there is the assurance of achieving abundant living only after experiencing death. All have to die first, as impossible to access abundant living in sinfulness. Paul put it aptly:
“We were buried therefore with him through baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life…But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him; knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dies no more; death no more hath dominion over him” (Rom. 6:4-9 ASV).
The fear of death grips those unaware of Jesus’ services. There is no reason to fear death after experiencing death through baptism—allowing Christ to take over. Baptism is not different from death when genuinely repenting. This is like a mother experiencing birth pangs, before a delightful sight of a newborn baby.
Conversion is guided by Jesus’ cross that removes death fear––when carrying out one’s ministerial mandate. Jesus was able to mix with the quarantined leprosy-infected individuals.
Jesus was divinely protected. Likewise, true Christians are safe—as long as carrying out ministerial responsibilities (Mark 16:16-18). Their presence restores order––being a blessing to everyone—just as Jesus was a blessing. Baptism bears no significance—unless understood in the context of pain before death.
Human nature is stubborn and unwilling to accept new experiences. The determined crucifixion of old habits and beliefs is necessary to ensure victory in Christ. Only then, are humans on track—towards the original Godly image.
We cannot talk about a New Civilization when stuck in sinful conditions. The New Civilization can be understood when consciously aware of the origins of humanity, revealed in Jesus.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing relief to those having witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
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