God created Man in His image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them;

and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and

over the fowl of the heavens, and over every animal that moveth on the earth. (Genesis 1:27-28)

It is written, “Male and female He created them,” thus from the beginning God revealed His thoughts concerning the blessed union

of Christ and the Assembly. This is the first intimation of human

relationships in the world, and marriage remains in that honored place, as a type of the union of Christ and the Assembly, which is so beautifully spoken of in Ephesians 5.

Man is a special creation, created after God’s likeness. The spirit of man lifts him higher than the animals, giving him a conscience, a capacity to understand, to reason, and to commune with God and others. Thus man was qualified to have dominion over other living creatures and has been able to bring them in measure under his authority.

Added to this is God’s precious instruction to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.” Civilization was great indeed before the flood, and though millions have died since then, the number of people on earth today is certainly not easy to count! When the Lord Jesus comes, how many sadly will be left to face a dreadful judgment! If people dare to question this, let them remember the flood with its awesome results.

Thus, mankind has been greatly privileged by God to represent Him on earth, but their failure, their sin and rebellion have led great numbers into the mire of well-deserved judgment. Let us not be of that number, but by faith in the Lord Jesus find rest and blessing in His gracious presence for eternity.

L. M. Grant