“Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my
servants whom I have chosen; that ye may know
and believe me, and understand that I am he:
before me there was no God formed, neither shall
there be after me.” Isaiah 43: 10.
As we study God’s ultimate intentions for his
entire creation beginning in Genesis, one thing
stands out very clearly. From the very beginning,
God began to lay down the building blocks to his
kingdom and his ultimate residence with man. In
the process, as we shall see in this study, from the
very “get-go” the Creator placed man as the major
player in his grand design. Instead of building a
wall of separation between himself and man, God
constructed man within the framework of himself.
DO NOT LET THIS TRUTH SLIP AWAY
FROM YOU!!
To teach our oneness with God in religious
circles is to ask for trouble: and to be castigated
by mainstream religion. We grew up being made
to understand that God is holy: in fact, so holy
that he dare not look upon sin; and as sinners, we
must come to him pleading for mercy, confessing
our unworthiness. As I like to say, that mindset is
a false humility that is designed to rob you of your
power and victory. No father is appreciative of a
son who comes to him with his head bowed low,
confessing how unworthy he is. One day the
father is likely to grab the son by the collar, shake
him a few times, look him directly in the eyes and
ask: “What is your problem son? Why are you
engrossed with overwhelming inferiority
complex?
But what is the real story of who we are and
why we are here? In the very beginning, we are
told that God made man
in his image, and after
his likeness. We did not suggest or invent that
status for ourselves. That was God’s choice, and
there was a profound reason behind that choice.
He tells the end from the beginning, and before
the foundation of the world, he placed the
building blocks in place. Even the name Adam
carries certain connotation that impacts the ever
unfolding workings which is in his predestinated
will for us and for creation at large.
The Hebrew word for Adam, is ad’-um or aw-dawn: It means to show blood in the face, to
flush, to turn rosy, and of low degree. Remember
that David wrote saying that man was made a
little lower than the angels which means a little
lower than el-o-heem which is plural meaning
lower than the Gods. This fits in with the
announcement: “Come let US make man in OUR
IMAGE and after OUR LIKENESS. After man
disobeyed God’s command, the Lord said:
“Behold, the man is become as one of US, to know
good and evil.” Genesis 2:22.The word image is
tsch’-lem and it means to shade, resemblance, a
representative, a figure. The word likeness is dem-ooth and it means resemblance, model, manner,
similitude. We know that God is Spirit, but from
the words used in the creation of man, we see a
precursor, or a harbinger of things to come. But
let us look at the fact that God breathe into man,
the breath of life, and he became a living soul.
That breath of life that is in every man is the God-part of all of us. And we know that at death the
spirit returns to God who gave it, while the body
returns to the dust.
The apostle John puts it this way: “In him (the
Word) was life; and the life was the light of men.
That was the true Light which lighteth every man
that cometh into the world.” John 1:3,9. This
drives home the thought that God has placed
himself in every person that comes into this
world. But we learn from the prophet Isaiah, that
our sin has separated us from God. “Behold, the
Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save;
neither his ear heavy, that he cannot hear: But
your iniquities have separated between you and
your God, and your sins have hid his face from
you, that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59: 1,2.
Looking back at the time in the Garden when
Adam first came on the scene, we see that God
brought the animals to Adam to see what name he
would give to each of them. And whatsoever he
called them, that was the name they went by. But
as I mentioned in other writings: not only did
Adam give them names: it was necessary for each
one or each species to possess a corresponding
nature. In other words, the lion did not act like a
rooster: and a zebra did not act like a domestic
goat. The lesson to take away from this action is
that Adam functioned as a “co-creator” with God.
He did not have to be corrected or advised in his
task. In my early days of ministry, I paid little
attention to Old Testament Scriptures. There were
too many hard names to pronounce, and the color
of the stones in the priests’ vesture did not
impress me enough for me to do research on the
subject. The placing of the tribe of Judah at the
head of the line did not impress me enough, again,
to do research.
It is only in recent years that I saw the
importance of paying keen attention to the Old
Testament scriptures, because of their unfolding
of God’s master plan for the entire creation. I am
constantly drawn to the truths that surrounds the
first man Adam. He lived and died without
making any great impact upon the nations that
followed him as the head of the human family.
The importance of Adam’s life is revealed in New
Testament scripters, that enables us to begin to
catch a glimpse of the hidden cause and reason,
not only in the case of Adam, but of people
throughout the ages of the Old Testament. Paul
opened the door that leads us into the “reality
room” as it pertains to Adam. This personal
exhibit showcases the reality and spiritual
implications in the very person of the man Adam.
“Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to
Moses. (For all the prophets prophesied until
John: so in essence, death, reigned from Adam to
John the Baptist), (Matthew 11: 13) even over
them that had not sinned after the similitude of
Adam’s transgression, who (speaking of Adam)
who is the figure (type) of him that was to come.
Referring to Jesus Christ. Romans 5:14. It is quite
clear in this account, that God had placed great
prophetic value in the man Adam, because he was
a type of the Christ who should walk the earth and
preach life to creation more than seven thousand
years later. In order to know what God is building
as we get ready to be laborers with him, we must
embrace the fact, or the TRUTH, as written: “He
that is joined unto the Lord is ONE SPIRIT.” God
does not work in duplicity, but rather in the
singular. Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is ONE
LORD. Thus, it was God’s intent and divine
purpose that his brand new creation, should reflect
all that he is in a visible world, while he remains
invisible as the Eternal Spirit.
We are told that God IS LOVE; but love
is invisible as an entity. It cannot be harnessed
and put in a bottle, and even our description of it
varies from one individual to another. Love can
only be assessed and judged by the actions we
take that serve as an “expression” of love. The
word has been over-used in the movies by people
falling in and out of love that the true meaning has
long been lost. But we must remember that it is
not merely that God loves for us to love. He does
not merely delight himself in love among us
human beings. No! The fact is that GOD IS
LOVE! That is what and who he is!
But to bring it out of the invisible realm and
give it form, he said “Let there be, and there was.”
Paul indicated that God has made himself known,
meaning that he has demonstrated his love in such
visible ways that we read: “For the invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that
are made, even his eternal power and Godhead;
so that they are without excuse.” Romans
1:20. Indeed, the God of love, who himself is love
would not have it any other way. But the creation
did not totally fulfill his divine purpose in
displaying his love. Yes, the creation was fine in
its time, but obviously not dramatic and
meaningful enough. There was not enough reason
for LOVE to be appreciated! So to up the ante,
God lowered the entire creation into bondage or
futility, resulting in thorns and thistles, sickness
and death. But with hope attached!
Every time you look in the mirror before you
hit the road to fight peak hour traffic, (morning or
afternoon) know that the person looking back at
you is the product and result of God’s love. You
are a visible expression of his love. I like to
remind the saints in my sermons that “you are not
a product of God’s after-thought.” It was not like
baking a cake and having some cake mix left
over, so you bake some cookies as an after-thought. David reviewed the issue in careful
deliberations and concluded: “I will praise thee;
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
marvellous are thy works; (including you, you,
and you) and that my soul knoweth right well.
“Psalm 139:14. As God placed one brick upon
another, in building his grand design for man,
using man in the process, he had us in mind.
Remember that God is fine without the creation.
All that he creates is for man’s benefit and well-being. Like the oceans that surround the earth
(two-thirds water to one third land) God’s love
stretches from heaven to earth, and it even
reached into hell, in so much that after Jesus
Christ was buried he had a ministry to those who
were disobedient to the preaching of Noah, and he
finally led captivity, captive, and gave gifts unto
men. In order to put substance, shape, and form to
his love: in order to make his love personal and
applicable to every human being who ever walked
the earth we read: “For God so LOVED the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.” John 3:16. The mystery
and the miracle in this narrative, is the fact that
this Son who came to die on the cross, was God
himself, taking on the form of the son (Adam) that
he came to redeem. (He came as a Son, to redeem
a son.) If God had sent an angel to redeem
mankind, we would be bound to worship that
angel. But God is a jealous God and his glory he
will not give to another. So he came himself, gave
himself, and all glory goes back to him. Christ
came as the “firstborn” as the “pattern Son” after
whose image we are to conform. Notice that God
did not demand that we become perfect or meet a
specific requirement, without knowing what it
was, or learning how to accomplish those
requirements. He outlines the task, then gives us
the wherewithal to get the job done. When the
Son came in our midst, as lost sheep without a
shepherd, he called for us to gather unto him, and
he announced: “Take my yoke upon you, and
LEARN OF ME.” If I say we are to learn how to
be Godlike many will raise their brows in
wonderment. But Jesus himself said: “As your
heavenly Father is holy, even so be ye also holy.”
To me, that sounds like Jesus is saying we are to
be like God, because we are exhorted again by
Christ” “As your heavenly Father is perfect, so be
ye also perfect.” Now, honestly! What are we to
conclude from those statements? One statement
settles it! “He that is joined unto the Lord IS ONE
SPIRIT!” Yet, we have been so brainwashed into
a “poor sinner mindset” that being like Jesus is
possible and perhaps some of us will achieve that
high mark. But please, don’t tell me to be like
God. However, since God was in Christ, (the
fullness of the Godhead was in Christ bodily), if
we become like Christ, it seems to me that we also
become like God. Don’t be scared by the word
God. In Christ Jesus he has removed the fear and
the awe that people in the Old Testament lived
with; in so much they never tried to pronounce his
name. God’s ultimate intention is that we as his
children, sons and daughters, will fill the earth as
his embodiment and physical expression, just as
Jesus was the expression of the invisible God. It
is to this end, and for this very reason Jesus took
on the seed of Abraham and not the nature of
angels.
Let us remember that even at this very
moment, we are told that “As Jesus IS,
so are we
in this world.” 1 John 4:17. Notice it did not say
as Jesus
was, and it did not say
so shall we be.
That is the views and doctrine of the futurists,
who preach and teach what “is about to happen”
and each year they sound the same symbols and
beat the same drums. I teach the present realities,
and I suggest that what we shall be when he shall
appear will have to wait until he does appear.
But if you have $20 as a part of the grocery
money which should to be $80, you do not sit
with no dinner on table as your husband walks in
from work. With a quick glance he sees that
nothing that remotely resembles dinner is on the
table. He turns to you and asks why there is no
dinner ready. Imagine you saying: “Honey as you
know, I need to have $80 in order to provide
dinner, but I only have $20, so we will have to be
on compulsory fasting for the time being.”
Alarmed, and perhaps a little annoyed, he
says: “Honey, why not spend the $20 at
McDonalds, or buy a few items to rustle up dinner
in whatever size. At least let us eat something.”
By the same token, God is not impressed with
those who crave for big gifts and talents in order
to serve, while ignoring the talents they already
have. First of all, working as laborers together
with God in his vineyard is not meant to be a
competition between the workers. Paul exhorted
the church that each man should abide in his
calling. It is in faithfully utilizing what we are
blessed with, no matter how bumble it seems to
be, that God waters it, nourishes it, feeds it with
nutrients, so that it produces the maximum.
The call is not for skilled careers people, but
for laborers (unskilled labor.)
Jesus suggested that if a man abides in him, he
will bring forth fruit, and his Father will be
glorified that he brings forth much fruit. Thus the
process goes from fruit, to more fruit, to much
fruit. As the branches abiding in the vine, what
sort of fruit are we bringing forth? Remember that
back in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1:11) God
determined that each seed must produce after his
kind. That is the law of reproduction! So if Jesus,
as the grain of corn, falls into the earth and dies
(death marks the process of germination) what is
he bringing forth? What is he reproducing?
Multitudes of
HIMSELF or offshoot after his
kind! That is why in Mars hill in Athens, Paul saw
the people worshipping “The unknown God” and
pointed to the fact that even their own poets said:
“We are the offspring of God.” Meaning his next
of kin, offshoot, or his children! That is why our
salvation is designed that we are made partakers
of the divine nature, which in turn, enables us to
be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, so that
as a matter of progression, he becomes the
“firstborn” among a family of many brothers. Can
you see more clearly how God systematically and
purposely put in place a divine order that will
produce his offspring in the earth?
While we savor divine worship in the local
Assembly with the saints: and while we dance in
the Spirit down the aisle, lay hands, and even
prophesy, all of that is like fringe benefits. They
are like by-products! But the real purpose goes a
long way beyond our average understanding,
because we think and equate things on our basic
human level, with human understanding. We will
get no help from sermons and bible teachings that
highlight how undone and unworthy we are.
While some think that is humility, the truth is that
possessing that mindset robs us of our birthright,
and de-throne us from our place with Christ on his
throne, even though we are told in scripture, that
as kings and priests of God, we shall reign with
him on the earth. Rev.5:10.
What intrigues me about this whole business
of our salvation, is how God wonderfully,
skillfully, hides as if between each line of
scripture his ultimate intentions for us as a people,
and for his entire creation. I can only say that the
“BIG PICTURE” is so big that it passes human
comprehension.
I join George Beverly Shea in singing: “O
Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
consider all the worlds thy hands have made: I see
the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, thy power
throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my
soul, my Savior, God to thee, how great thou art.”
The average believer builds up a schedule and a
system that allows for divine worship, with music,
a few selections from the youth choir, and the
adult choir. A message is preached and the doors
of the church are open for prospective members to
step forward. The Sunday routine is usually clear
cut and fixed in the church bulletin and program
handouts by the ushers. This process continues
years in and years out, while folks come and be
saved: served their years and die. At the funeral
we are told of the mighty works that the person
did in a life well lived. And yet, without
maliciousness or being overly critical, the average
believer in Christ is never told how to be like
Christ in the earth, not merely as a Christian,
because the word Christian can mean different
things to different people. The saints must learn
what it means to be “Sons of God” heirs of God,
and joint-heirs with Christ.
They need to be told perhaps on a daily basis
that “As Jesus IS, so are we in this world.” They
need to be told perhaps in every service that as
Christ and the Father are one, so are we one with
him, because the fullness of the Godhead was in
Christ bodily, and he now lives within us,
bringing along that same fullness. It is no wonder
then, that Paul wrote saying that we are complete
in him. Colossians 2:9,10. It is rather amazing
and even a little intriguing that the believers in
Christ are being told in just about every service to
prepare to go back with him to heaven in the
Rapture, while Jesus prayed to the Father, not to
take us out of the world, but to keep us from its
evil. The reason is obvious! Jesus said that as long
as he is in the world, he is the light of the
world. But after he left the world, he surely did
not leave the world in darkness! O No! He that
follows after me shall have the light of life. He
admonished us to “Let your light so shine before
men.” Ye are a city that is set upon a hill, and as
such, ye cannot be hidden. Like a lighthouse
shining in the night on yonder hillside, your light
must shine to lead the wanderer home. God’s
master plan of salvation is designed so he can
make his abode in us and be the center of gravity
in his creation. Even angels sought to look in on
this master plan and were not afforded that
privilege. His master plan is that the earth shall be
full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters
cover the sea. Don’t be put off, side-tracked, and
confused, by the commotions and contrary winds
that blow from one nation to another. Everything
is alright!
“In your patience possess ye your souls.”
Luke 21: 19. God does not adjust and revamp his
plans based upon how we react. Every iota is
moving along just the way he planned it, and
within the time frame that he ordered it. Indeed he
alone is God! Be blessed my Friends!
Royce O.
Kennedy
