God created man to physically recreated Himself in bodily form, thereby continuing with His “after their kind” theme which He had employed when creating all other living things.  God’s crowing creation was the bringing forth of a man and a woman in His visual image.  But that was only half–the less important half–of His human creation agenda.  The ultimately important half of the process involved the input of man himself.  This would allow man to choose to be one with his Maker by submitting to Him in all things.  GOD CREATED MAN TO BE LIKE HIM IN BOTH SHAPE AND CHARACTER.  GOD, BEING HOLY, CREATED MAN TO BE HOLY.  HE EXPRESSES THIS IN HIS COMMAND TO HIS CHURCH IN 1 PETER 1:15,16 AND 2:5,9: “BUT AS HE (GOD) WHICH HAS CALLED YOU IS HOLY, SO BE YOU HOLY IN ALL AREAS OF YOUR LIFE, BECAUSE IT IS WRITTEN: ‘BE YOU HOLY FOR I AM HOLY’ (LEV. 11:44,45).'”  IN 2:5,9 WE FIND GOD SAYING TO SALVATION SEEKERS THROUGH PETER: “YOU ALSO, AS LIVELY STONES ARE BUILT UP AS A HOLY HOUSE, A HOLY PRIESTHOOD TO OFFER UP SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES ….  YOU ARE A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PECULIAR PEOPLE ….”  NOTE THE WORDS GOD USES TO DESCRIBE HIS TRUE SAINTS: HOLY, PRIESTS, CHOSEN, ROYAL, PECULIAR.

By this time the picture should be clear: God commands holiness from those who call themselves by His name.  Holiness is a process that is developed over time until one “comes to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).  Does this sound like He will let anyone get away with sin?  Is there the slightest hint of a possible change in His requirements for sainthood and eventual salvation?  Is He not the same yesterday, today and forever?  Where does this leave so-called sinners saved by grace?

The Word (Jesus) explained the holiness process to Adam and Eve early on.  When questioned by the Serpent (Satan) of Eden, Eve told him that God had told her and Adam that they could live forever in the paradise He had created for them and their descendants, meaning that they would never die, but would live happy and successful lives throughout eternity.   However, there was a caveat connected to God’s incredible gift.  She, Adam and their descendants would have to obey His command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil located in the midst of the garden.  They were forbidden to even touch it.  To disobey Him would result in their deaths.  The Serpent convinced Eve that God would not kill her and Adam for disobeying Him.  I can almost hear Eve’s reasonings.  She and Adam were the crown jewels of God’s creation.  They were the founding members of His first church and the first inhabitants of the paradise He had created specifically for them.  Surely, as important as they were, He would not kill them for such a minor infraction.  The rest is history that their descendants continue to make to this day.

Why did God kill Adam, Eve?  BECAUSE HE HAD CREATED THEM TO BECOME LIKE HIM BY OBEYING HIM.  GOD WANTED A FAMILY WHO WALKED EXACTLY AS HE WALKED–IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, HOLINESS AND GODLINESS.  ANYTHING LESS THAN THIS DISQUALIFIED MAN FROM REACHING THE CHARACTER GOAL GOD HAS SET FOR HIM.  Nothing has changed because, as He said: “I AM THE LORD, I CHANGE NOT” (Mal. 3:6).  God does not change; He expects his human creations to adapt themselves to His example.  HE EXPECTS MAN TO FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE SET BY THE MAN JESUS OF NAZARETH AND TO “WALK AS HE WALKED”–IN A STATE OF TOTAL OBEDIENCE TO HIM IN EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE.  THIS WOULD RESULT IN MAN LIVING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS AND INHERITING ETERNAL LIFE AS EXPLAINED IN ROMANS 5:21 AND 6:22.  THOSE WHO DO SO WILL RECEIVE SALVATION UPON CHRIST’S RETURN.  

God created man so that He could RECREATE HIMSELF AFTER HIS KIND, IN HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS.  Man quickly proved that he would not allow God to fit him into His (God’s) mold.  Man rebelled so badly that God had to kill every human being on earth except Noah and his family.  Fast forward many generations.

The Word became Jesus Christ and set out to show mankind that a human being could obey God.  So far, very few had done so.  However, God’s mind had not changed; obedience was still the only way to please Him.  For that reason the Word became Jesus of Nazareth.  After three plus years of teaching and demonstrating His ability to overcome Satan, He suffered and died for three specific reasons: to take away man’s PAST sins (Rom. 3:25), to empower men to resist Satan’s temptations to sin (Rev. 3:21) and to empower those who hunger and thirst for righteousness to obey God’s Law (1 Jn. 3:4), thereby keeping sin out of their lives.

The reason God sent the Word to earth to complete the three tasks mentioned above.  He wanted to have a family of true sons who, like His first Son, obeyed Him and thereby prove that they love Him and His Son (Jn. 14:15,23).  Those who do this will, along with Jesus Christ, will comprise God’s eternal family (Mat. 19:17).  Jesus will be the head of the family due to His obedience to His Law, which proved His love for God (Jn. 15:10).  Those who prove their love for God by obeying Him will abide in His love forever (Jn. 15:10).  It was to have people around Him who would love and obey Him that He created man.  L.J.