Mankind: The Culmination of Creation
How do we know Mankind is the _Culmination_ of Creation?
(1) Man was created on the last day, this is meant to be climactic in the creation narrative. (2) Man was made in the image of God and had the breath of God breathed in his nostrils (Gen. 2:7), unlike the planets, animals, and plants, and lastly (3) Christ incarnated as a man, not a shrub or a giraffe. It is true that man is a “little lower than the angels,” (Heb. 2:7-9), but this is temporary. Man will one day “judge” the angels (1 Cor. 6:3), indicating that we are lower now but not for eternity. We will be “like” the angels (Luke 20:36). Mannkind, in our fallen state, are lower than the angels, but in our eternal state, are re-made more similarly to them and will in fact be higher than the angels.
WHY Did God make Mankind the _Culmination_ of Creation?
The short answer is because it pleased God. God chose to glorify Himself by establishing patterns and a kind of chain of _command_. Why does God delight in patterns and chains of command? It is who He is.
The long answer offers more details. God made mankind as the culmination of Creation because:
He loves order. (1 Cor. 14:33).
God loves different parts working together. God loves teamwork, He loves community (1 Cor. 12-14).
God loves hierarchy, before and after the Fall hierarchy existed (Gen. 2:18; Ro. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-32)
God desires that man and nature in some ways govern themselves. We see this before and after the Fall (Gen. 2:15; Gen. 9:6).
God delegated man authority (Gen. 9:6)–how much, and what for?
I. How much: God delegated man supreme authority over nature as long as it is used justly. We know this because man is permitted to kill man in certain situations (Gen. 9:6).
II. What for: Man possesses this supreme authority to further God’s plan for the world. So, man has complete authority over creation (not over God), to be used–why?-- to further God’s plan for creation.
What is God’s plan for creation?
Genesis, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Revelation, and others spell out God’s general plan for creation: #1 population growth (Gen. 1:28 “fill the earth and subdue it…”),
#2 Mankind’s Subduing and Ruling (exercise authority) Over It (“subdue it”), The Hebrew word for "subdue" in Genesis 1:28 is kabash (???????). This word carries the sense of bringing something under control or into subjection. It can mean a gentle subjection or an abusive one (Neh. 5:5), depending on the context. The other key verb in Genesis 1:28, "have dominion," is radah (?????). Radah means to “rule,” often with absolute authority (Lev. 26:17; Num. 24:19).
#3 spread the Gospel throughout it (Mt. 28:19-20), with the world worsening (Gen. 6:1-10; Mat. 24:37; Luke 17:22-37), being judged, and then God Himself bringing about final victory including spreading the Gospel over the whole world (Habbakuk 2:14).
So, why did God make mankind the culmination of creation? He did this in order to further his plan for creation which includes population growth, mankind ruling, and ultimately God Himself exercising complete dominion.
Application:
What about Climate Change?
Scholars on all sides agree that the earth’s climate has changed drastically throughout the centuries. Nobody disputes that. Whether it can be stopped or even should be stopped is debated. We do know it’s going to be OK.
“Following the Flood, God assured Noah that there would be no other worldwide water catastrophe as long as the earth remains (Genesis 8:22). According to this promise, “seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Along the same line, Peter mentions that in the last days people will say that “all continues just as it was from the beginning” (2 Peter 3:3–7). Christ also mentioned that in the days prior to His second coming all would continue routinely, ‘just like in the days of Noah’ (Matthew 24:37–39). From these verses it appears that until the tribulation occurs no worldwide catastrophe will affect the earth. Global warming is described as a worldwide catastrophe by the radical environmentalists and the media.”
What about Trees and Grass?
“Genesis 2:11–12 identifies the location of gold, resin, and onyx. According to Genesis chapter 4, later generations raised livestock, developed musical instruments and worked with bronze and iron. God never rebuked mankind for mining, farming, ranching, or cutting trees for building projects. All of these activities are part of man’s God-given rule over the earth.” Mankind can use resources for the sake of furthering God’s plan with His blessing.
What about the population growth?
Mankind is supposed to “fill” the earth; population growth is good. God himself will depopulate the earth, as He has done throughout history, when the time is right. The Bible does not specify exact numbers for the events in Revelation, but it does use fractions to indicate proportions of the population that will be affected. The judgments of Revelation are part of God's wrath and will ultimately lead to more than half of the original population being destroyed.
What about Clean energy?
God destroyed most living things in the entire world with the flood, and that was not morally wrong. Why not? Because it was to serve His purpose of someday reigning with complete dominion. It is not morally wrong for mankind to harm aspects of creation if it is done within boundaries established by God. God himself has destroyed more creation than anyone else. Some day, the entire world will be consumed by fire, fire sent from God (2 Peter 3:10). It is not necessarily sinful to damage creation. That said, we need to be excellent stewards of creation and refrain from waste or any kind of abuse.John 6:12 “When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” Our focus on energy as Americans should to be refrain from waste, excessive luxury, abuse, and selfishness.
What about Vegetarianism?
The healthy benefits of vegetarianism are hotly debated. What is clear is that Jesus ate fish (Luke 24:42-43), which may have been a kind of Tilapia or Carp in keeping with typical fish eaten from the Sea of Galilee at that time. God himself delights in the pleasing aroma of animals being cooked over a fire. The "pleasing aroma" is not meant to be taken literally as God enjoying the physical smell of burning flesh. Its an expression of God's approval and acceptance of the worshiper's heart and faith. Nevertheless, God commanded that animals be used in worship of Himself. Not only this, but the New Testament assumes Christians will be eating meat (Acts 10:9-16; Ro. 14:6).
Conclusion: Mankind has a right to use creation responsibly in order to grow the population, spread the Gospel, and make disciples.
