201
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
April 1926
ANTHROPOLOGY : or, The Doctrine of Man Mans Authority and Accountability
L I F E E T E R N A L
Sing, with all the sons o f glory, Sing the resurrection song! Death and sorrow, earth’s dark story, To the " former days’’ belong. Even now the dawn is breaking, Soon the night o f time shall cease, And, in God’s own likeness waking, Man shall know eternal peace. “ Life eternal!” Heaven rejoices; Jesus lives who once was dead, Join, O -man, the deathless voices; Child o f God, lift up thy head. Patriarchs from distant ages, Saints all longing for their heaven, Prophets, psalmists, seers and sages, All await the glory given. — The Hymnal.
DR. F. E. MARSH London, England
The evolutionary theory is given a death blow by this splendid series of articles by Dr. Marsh in which he gives absolute proof from the Word of God that man was created in the image and likeness of God, and could not, therefore, have evolved from any lower form o f life. The first article appeared in the January issue.
SYLLABUS: Man’» primeval place an« power— Man made^ a little lower than God: Sevenjeaeone for•mag being higher than
Judgment will demonstrate it—Young s words.
1. Man and not angels was made in the image of God. 2. To man and not to angels authority was given in the first place.*-, 3. Angels are servants to those humans who are heirs of salvation. 4. Christ took not on Him the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham. 6. The world to come will be subject to man, and not to angels. 6. The words applied to man are applied to Christ. They could not mean He was made lower than angels, for in His humanity He was called the son of man. 7. The Hebrew word “ Elohim" being one of the names of God, and applied to man, makes him one with God. “ Oh, what is man, great Maker of mankind! That Thou to him so great respect dost bear; That Thou adorn’st him with so bright a mind, Mak’st him a king, and even an angel’s peer? "Oh, what a lovely life, what heavenly power, What spreading virtue, what a sparkling fire; How great, how plentiful, how rich a dower, Dost Thou within the dying flesh inspire! “ Thou leavest Thy print in other works of Thine, But Thy whole Image Thou in man hast writ; There cannot be a creature more Divine, Except, like Thee, It should be Infinite. “ But it exceeds man’s thoughts, to think how high God hath raised man, since God a man became; The angels do admire this mystery, And are astonished when they view the same. “ Nor hath He given these blessings for a day. Nor made them on the body’s life depend; The soul, though made in time, survives for aye; And though it hath beginning, sees no end." (Continued on next page) *
Man’s Authority AN’S primeval place and power was to have “ dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth on the face qf the earth” (Gen. 1: 28). These words reveal to us the authority which God determined man should have. He was vested with domina tion over creation. It may be in his primeval glory in an unfallen state he was clothed with a luminosity which would create an awe over the animal creation, and which caused the lower order of things to crouch before him in lowly submission, just as man himself is overcome with awe at the appearing of angelic beings. Man’s vested authority is wrapped up in the word “ domin ion ” There was given to him authority over “ the works of God’s hands” (Psa. 8 :6 ), and all things were put under his feet. The word “ dominion” means to tread down, to sub jugate, to rule, to reign. It is translated “ rule” in Isaiah 14:2, “ reign” in Leviticus 26:17, "prevailed against” in Lamentations 1:13. and "dominion” in 1 Kings 4:24. Man’s dominion and power have been limited and marred by sin. hence, the Spirit says. "We see not yet all things put under him, but we see Jesus” (Heb. 2:6-9). God’s “ second Man, the “ last Adam,” will cause God’s original purpose to be realized to the full. Even though man has sinned and thwarted God’s original purpose, man’s superiority over matter and ills distinction from animals is clearly taught in Holy Scripture. Man is said to be “ made a little lower than the angels” (Heb. 2 :7 ). The Spirit quotes the words from Psalm 8:5. The general Interpretation is, that man was created lower than the angels, but the right reading of the passage in the Psalm is, as given in the American Revised reading, "Thou hast made him a little lower than God” (or, as the margin, Hebrew “ Blohim” ). Wescott renders the passage in Hebrews 2, “ a little less than God.” I accept this rendering for seven reasons:
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker