The Heaton File

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (Matthew 16:13-14)

Who Is Jesus?

After more than two years as disciples of Jesus, the twelve were examined by their Teacher to determine whether they had understood the ministry of the Son of God. Jesus had shown His power with numerous miracles. His teachings touched the hearts of the people and challenged the minds of the Jewish rulers. Jesus wanted to know what His disciples understood about Him. He asks them to say what people are saying about the man from Nazareth. The reply by the twelve reflects the attitude that many had of Jesus and what they were expecting in their Messiah.

The Jews believed when the Messiah came, some of the prophets would rise from the dead. They had a material view of the kingdom of God, believing that when the Lord’s Anointed came, He would conquer the Romans and restore the land to its former glory of ancient Israel. Before Jesus ascended to His Father after the resurrection, the disciples inquired if He would restore the kingdom to Israel. The manifestation of a bodily resurrection would accompany the signs of the Messiah. It is to this backdrop the disciples answered Jesus.

When asked what people were saying about Jesus, the disciples said the people thought of Jesus as the resurrected John whom Herod had killed. John the Baptist was beheaded at the whim of the daughter of Herodias. Even Herod thought at one time Jesus was John who had risen from the dead. According to the pattern of religious thought for the Messiah, many considered Jesus the risen Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets. What is remarkable is that Jesus showed His power as the Son of God, and the people were unsure. However, it was easier to believe in the resurrection of a prophet who died six hundred years earlier.

Jesus asked the disciples who they thought He was, and Peter proclaimed Him as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. They knew He was not a risen prophet. Their Teacher was in His early thirties, ate bread with them, walked on water, healed any disease, raised the dead, cast out demons, and taught heavenly lessons with authority. They knew who Jesus was because they had been with Him, seeing and hearing all He did. The world had a wrong view of Jesus because they could not see His divinity because of His humanity. They could only see a man from Nazareth. The irony was it seemed easier to believe Jesus was a resurrected Elijah rather than He who was the resurrection and life.

Humanity continues to face the question of who Jesus is. Many consider Him to be a good man and nothing else. Some reject Jesus as being divine. A few consider Him a prophet. The majority of the world refuses to see Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. The world does not recognize the one identifying mark of God’s Son. Refusing to know Jesus as God’s Son has eternal consequences. Living without the knowledge of who Jesus is brings loss in eternity. The kingdom of God, the church of Christ, is built upon the foundation that Jesus is the Christ – the Chosen and Anointed One of God. Do you believe who Jesus is?

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17)

Why We Should Not Love The World

If there is an absolute about life, the world is a difficult place to be in. There are so many things in life that vie for the hearts and minds of humanity. With social media bursting on the world stage, the attractions of the world have become center stage in everything. Sin has been around since the beginning. It comes in a different form today, but its nature is the same. Fleshly lusts are not new, and yearning for the eye candy of a corrupt and perverse world has always attracted the weak of heart. Pride rules the hearts of most men.

The evil of three began when Eve looked at the forbidden fruit and desired its wisdom, taste, and beauty. Nothing has changed. In the days of Noah, the world had become so corrupt with the lusts of the world that God killed all but eight. Millions of people drowned in a global flood that did not cleanse the human spirit of sin. When Jesus came, sin was just as dominant as it had always been. At the death of Jesus, sin did not go away. The purpose of the Son of God coming to earth was not to remove sin but to offer a way of escape. Sin still rules in the hearts of men. The world is not getting worse; it has always been worse.

For Christians, the challenge is living in a world dominated by the influence and power of corruption. When a man becomes godless, he turns his back on the divine to accept the pittance of worldly crumbs. An eternal truth illustrated by Jesus throughout His teachings is found in the pitiful language of men who spend their whole lives gaining the world, only to lose everything in death, including their souls. Men desire to live in the lusts of the flesh, enjoying all the fulfillments of fleshly satisfaction. To what end? Nothing. It all comes to an end. Men will exhaust themselves working to attain all the world’s wealth with its finest instruments of enjoyment and status to make a name for themselves, and to what end? Nothing. It all goes away.

The pride of life makes the human heart arrogant and self-centered. Every generation has those who think they rule the world with the influence of power and might, and to what end? They die and are forgotten. Death is the great equalizer. The powerful man dies as quickly as the peasant. Rich men are buried in elaborate tombs, and the poor are shuffled off in wooden boxes, and they both share in the reality of death.

John reminds Christians not to love the world or things in the world. When the heart is focused on the world, it turns away from God. The lusts of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life do not draw someone closer to God but away. What becomes the sad reality of the godless is they spend their lives embracing a world that is passing away. Death ends the lusts of the flesh and the lusts of the eyes. Pride is killed in death. And to what end? Nothing. There is no abiding for those who love the world because God does not dwell in a godless heart. Do not love the world. It is a foolish effort doomed from the start. Do the will of God, and you will abide forever.

Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. (Psalm 3:7)

Imprecatory Language

The Bible is a book of books that challenges the nature of man on every level. There is the nature of love and hope sprinkled throughout the word of God, including some very harsh and judgmental language. Critics of the Bible point out the severe language of many stories and passages as against the character of God. The idea that God can have a severe side concerns those who think of the Creator as only compassionate and loving. If the Bible points to one characteristic of God’s divine nature, it is the idea of the goodness and severity of God. This can be found in clear terms in the imprecatory language of the Psalms.

Imprecatory language is where elements of vindictive and vengeful language are found. It is the vocabulary of cursing one’s enemies. Imprecatory language is found in many of the psalms. These psalms express deep pain and sadness at the state of the world, often asking God why he allows suffering and evil to exist. They also contain expressions of anger and curses towards the Psalmist’s enemies. In David’s psalm, when he fled from his son, Absalom, the Psalmist seeks the wrath of God against his enemies and that the Lord would strike them on the cheekbone and break the teeth of the ungodly. This is a rather harsh language. Another psalm asks the Lord to break the arm of the wicked and the evil man.

David seeks the Lord’s vengeance on his enemies in the form of fire, brimstone, and a burning wind. He will also desire to have the necks of his enemies under his foot so that he can beat them as the dust before the wind to be cast in the streets like dirt. He wants the offspring of his enemies to be destroyed by fire. Many other psalms have imprecatory language seeking the vengeance of the Lord against those who stand against Him, including the prayer against Babylon to have their little ones taken and dashed against the rock. This kind of language is unsettling to the nature of man.

The covenant of Jesus Christ is established in imprecatory language but admonishes the followers of Christ to be forgiving, kind, and compassionate. Jesus preached that enemies should be loved, blessed, treated fairly, and prayed for. The early church learned to accept others who were once treated harshly into the fold of God. Jews and Greeks worshipped in the same place and shared fellowship with God in the church. Slaves and free were members of the same body and treated one another with the grace of God. A Christian’s life is to seek others’ welfare and good, which leads to salvation. While the life of the Christian is modeled after the spirit of love, the imprecatory language of the Lord has not changed.

Jesus used imprecatory language when He taught that those who did not do the will of the Father would be rejected at judgment. The Lord said few would be saved, suggesting that most people would be lost. Jesus taught more about eternal punishment than anyone and used language like everlasting fire, everlasting punishment, fire and brimstone, burned in the fire, furnace of fire, wailing and gnashing of teeth; the fire is not quenched, and hell fire. In one of the stories told by Jesus, He described a man tormented in the flames of eternal punishment.

Paul said the Lord is coming back in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. The apostle writes these will be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord. John describes in the Revelation that the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

Imprecatory language may not be popular, but it is part of God’s word. It should serve as a warning of the impending judgment of God against all unrighteousness. There will be consequences for those who reject the will of the Father. We are thankful for His grace and mercy and eternal love. Through Christ, we have been saved from the imprecatory language of judgment. Only those in Christ will enjoy God’s grace. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says.

And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.” (Exodus 4:21)

The Heart Of Pharaoh

After Joseph, his brothers, and his generation died, a new king who did not know Joseph ruled over Egypt. Fearing the growing power of the Hebrews in his land, Pharaoh established laws seeking to genocide the Hebrews out of existence. The people continued to grow in number. As the king made life for the Hebrews harsher, they cried out to the Lord because of their taskmasters and sorrow of heart. God chose Moses to lead His people out of Egypt and to use Pharaoh as an example of the power of the Almighty.

God told Moses Pharaoh would harden his heart against the word of the Lord. Through the signs and wonders God performed in Egypt, He would show the world how great the power of the Almighty would be against any nation that opposed Him. At the time, Egypt was a superpower in the world. When God finished with the Egyptians, all their glory and power would be gone. Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh seeking permission to let the Hebrews go. Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and it became a serpent. In like manner, the magicians of Egypt, through their enchantments, turned their rods down to become serpents. Pharaoh’s heart grew hard.

A series of ten plagues were brought upon the nation of Egypt. Pharaoh’s heart grew hard after the water turned to blood, and he did not heed them, as the Lord said. Following the terrible plague of frogs that covered the land, Pharaoh hardened his heart and did not heed Moses and Aaron, as the Lord had said. This hardening of the heart repeated itself after the plague of lice flies and the death of the livestock. The sixth plague was boils breaking out as sores on the Egyptians. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh. Next, thunder and hail enveloped the Egyptians with fire, destroying everything. When the plague stopped, Pharaoh sinned yet more and hardened his heart. After the plagues of locusts and darkness, the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and the king did not let the children of Israel go.

The final plague was the death of the firstborn over the Egyptians. Pharaoh’s household suffered the same fate as every house of the Egyptians was stricken with the death of a child or animal. No home was spared. Pharaoh relented and let the people leave Egypt. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh a final time when the king decided to go after the escaping Hebrews with his army. Pharaoh’s army perished in the Red Sea with the seashore scattered with the dead. God’s promise had come to pass. He had told Moses He would perform mighty works against Egypt to show His great power, and no God is as great as the Lord God.

God executed His great vengeance on the Egyptians with a furious rebuke so they would know that He was the Lord when He brought His vengeance against them. The Lord did not harden the heart of Pharaoh because the king of Egypt possessed a pure heart. Pharaoh considered himself a god and demanded his people treat him as a god. When Pharaoh wrestled with the true God, he was destroyed. God hardened Pharaoh’s heart because nothing was redeeming remaining. The Lord used Pharaoh as an instrument for His glory to show the world the Lord reigns in the affairs of nations. This has been repeated throughout history and continues to this day. God still works in men’s affairs, raising nations and bringing nations down.

Having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. (1 Peter 3:16)

Living With Slander

Character comes from what a person allows to influence their life for good or evil. It is a natural reaction to respond negatively to criticism and slander, but what sets a noble character apart from others is how to face those who speak evil of a person. No one likes to be ridiculed. Specific laws are in place to protect individuals from defamation. In the eyes of the world, slander can bring a response in kind, seeking to damage the one making such accusations. A Christian has a different view of character assassination. The saints of God living in the day when Peter wrote his letters faced harsh criticism and severe persecution. Peter reminds them how God wants His people to act, and it’s nothing like how the world reacts.

Living with slander is the character of enemies of the cross defaming or slandering those who follow Jesus Christ. Peter will admonish his brethren to not suffer as a criminal but instead live for Jesus Christ, wear the name of Christ with courage, and face those who speak maliciously against them with faith. A Christian will not react in kind or with anger, malice, or hatred. The spirit of the child of God will accept the slander leveled against them with the spirit of Jesus, who was ridiculed and treated contemptuously by His brethren. How must a Christian react to harsh words of condemnation? An example of faith.

What sets a Christian apart from the world is his life. When the world sees the good conduct of life cloaked in the garments of holiness, truth, forgiveness, and kindness, the world will see the glory of God. It may not stop the persecution, but the world will see the image of Christ. A good life speaks volumes to the faith found in the heart of the Christian. Living with slander does not come easy, but the purpose is to glorify God. If someone is spoken evil of and it is true, how does the love of God live in that person? The world can see evil things, but let a person’s life be judged by their obedience to the word of God.

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)

Two Necessary Births

There are two elements that Jesus needed to come to earth, which are essential for His mission. Jesus had to be born of a woman and born under the Law of Moses. These two parts of the mission to save humanity explain the purpose and design of why He came. At creation, Jesus was there when Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. Adam and Eve were eternal creatures that bore the body of flesh. When sin changed the relationship between man and God, the scheme of redemption was enacted through the promises of God. To save the creature, the Creator had to become like His creation.

Jesus had to be born of a woman to be in the fashion of a man. God could have sent Jesus to earth as a full-grown man to accomplish His will, but the relationship of man to God would have been compromised if Jesus did not become like His brethren. The Holy Spirit conceived in the womb of a young virgin the spirit of Jesus to be born in the same fashion as all men. Jesus was in the womb for a period of nine months, according to the natural pattern of childbearing. When Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem, the days were complete for her to be delivered. She brought forth her son in the same manner all women bring forth their children. Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.

To be born of a woman connects Jesus with all the children of Adam. Luke’s genealogy shows that Jesus is the son of Adam, the son of God. This genealogy ties Jesus to the human factor to share in the human experience in every way. He is God, but He became man in the flesh. Jesus knew hunger, thirst, weariness, sadness, grief, anger, disappointment, and Jesus wept. He was tempted in all points as any man. When they crucified Him on the cross, He refused the anesthetic drink that was offered so that He would experience the full measure of suffering. Jesus died because he was born of a woman.

The second necessity for Jesus was to be born under the Law of Moses. Matthew shows in his genealogy that Jesus was a son of David, a son of Abraham. He was circumcised on the eighth day according to the Law. Jesus was raised under the Law and never broke one commandment. His life was measured by the keeping of the Law. There was never a time in His life that He failed one commandment of the Law. Breaking a commandment brought the curse of sin, but Jesus never sinned. He showed humankind that He could live in perfection before the Father. No man came close to keeping the Law as Jesus. Through the example of Jesus, the Son of God proved that man is helpless without Him. The Jews could not keep the Law given to them, and the Gentiles failed in trying to be a law to themselves. Jesus was a Jew, lived as a Jew, and died to seal the new covenant with His blood in the fashion of the sacrificial lamb of the final Egyptian plague.

The fullness of time was a single time in history when everything was ready for the Son of God to come to earth. Jesus had to be born during this time, He had to be born of a woman, and He had to be born under the Law of Moses. This makes Him the perfect Savior to all men, whether Jew or Gentile. Jesus can sympathize with the trials of the human spirit because He experienced the same. Living perfectly under the Law of Moses establishes His authority as King of Kings and Lord of Lords to the salvation of all men. Born of a woman and born under the Law. Thank God.

Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. (Hebrews 2:17-18)

He Helps Overcome Temptation

Jesus came to save men from the dirge of sin. He left His heavenly place with His Father to embody the fleshly form and die on the cross, redeeming sinful men. The scheme of redemption was formed before time began and was fulfilled in exacting details to the will of the Father. All men rejoice at God’s saving grace to give His Son that whosoever believed in Him would find eternal life. Heaven is a promise given by God, who cannot lie. The Bible unfolds the story of God’s mercy to save humanity from His wrath. Eternal life is real and made possible by Jesus.

The sacrifice of Jesus was not only to save men from their sins but also to help men in the trials of life. Jesus was born of a woman under the law to become an example of living in a world of temptation and serving God faithfully. His life demonstrates the completeness of serving the law of God to perfection as a human being fashioned as all men. Jesus experienced every facet of humanity. He was tempted in every fashion as any man today. There is nothing a man can face today that Jesus did not face. Jesus was made like a man to bear the brunt of temptation, as all men face.

If Jesus came to earth as a full-grown man and, within a week, died on the cross, what value would there be for anyone to follow His example? The Father willed Jesus to be born of a woman. God’s Son was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin who carried the Son of God for the natural time of birth. Mary gave birth to Jesus like any woman. Someone had to cut the umbilical cord of Jesus and wash His tiny body. Jesus learned to walk, talk, put his clothes on, use a hammer in his father’s shop, and help with the family business. The Son of God shared a home with stepbrothers and sisters.

When Jesus came of the age of knowledge, He was tempted by sin. Satan came to Jesus at the beginning of His ministry not to tempt Jesus for the first time. The devil had been after Jesus, the Son of God, for many years. He failed. What Satan sought to do was to tempt Jesus to take a different course than the will of the Father, and again, he failed. Jesus was willing to complete the will of the Father, even if it meant to die on the cross. All this was done to give all men the hope of salvation from one tempted in all points.

Jesus suffered the cruel temptations of Satan so that He could help those who are tempted by the same evil. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but not Jesus. He never sinned. His example is not given to brag or shame men. The example of Jesus is saying to anyone facing temptation that through the power of God, Satan can be defeated. Jesus defeated Satan every time He was tempted, and through His love for the Father, He left a pattern for anyone to look to the Son of God with hope and assurance. There is no temptation – no exception – a man will face a situation for which Jesus does not have an answer.

The story of Jesus is the power of God, showing all of us that Jesus is our help in temptation. He was made like to us to help us, and no one can help us like Jesus. There are great examples of faithful men and women who are examples of faith, but we have all sinned. How can anyone compare to the example of Jesus? He is the perfect pattern to overcome temptation. He lived on earth for over thirty years as a man and never sinned. He is my example. Jesus is my answer.

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 1:1)

Paul’s Tombstone

As Paul penned his letter to Timothy, he knew he had a short time to live. His ministry in the kingdom of Heaven had taken him to countless cities over many years, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. The souls he led to Christ were without number. His travels had covered untold miles of long and arduous journeys. He had suffered a lot but enjoyed many blessings. At the end of his third missionary journey, he was arrested and, through an appeal to Caesar, brought to Rome for trial. He was released for a time and then arrested again. This time, the sentence of death would be carried out when the executioner removed his head with a sword.

Timothy was very dear to Paul. His letter to Timothy was filled with courage and faith, encouraging him to continue preaching the gospel. The church would suffer much under the heavy hand of persecution. Paul was not afraid of dying. He had fought the long fight of righteousness for his Lord, Jesus Christ. His faith was stronger than ever, but his race was ending. How a man faces death says a lot about his character. Paul’s view of death defined who he was, what he was, and what he lived for. If Paul were given a tombstone and asked what to inscribe on the marble face, it would be that he served the Lord as an apostle of Jesus Christ and lived for the promise of life, which is in Christ Jesus.

Two things defined his life: who he was and to whom he lived. Paul considered himself the worst sinner, but he knew that was impossible. All men sin and fall short of the glory of God. Paul’s view of his life was the damage he did to the early church as he sought to destroy every visage of the kingdom of God. He was a blasphemer and insolent man. His life was directed to destroy those who followed the Way. And he was good at what he was doing. But Paul could not resist the grace of God. Of all the people chosen to be a mouthpiece for the gospel of Jesus Christ, Saul of Tarsus was not on the list. God saw him and showed him grace.

Paul knew the grace of God saved him and put him to work as an apostle. He cherished the many years he worked tirelessly in the kingdom. He was beaten five times by his fellow countrymen. On one occasion, he was stoned and left for dead. He suffered three shipwrecks in his life, spending more than 24 hours in the sea adrift. His life was a perilous journey of toil, travail, danger, and false accusations against his character. He suffered these things because he was an apostle of Jesus Christ. Those times of peril were trying, but Paul exalted in the glory of the Father to suffer for Christ. Paul never gave a quarter to fighting and defending the gospel as an apostle.

Why would anyone live with such depravities? Paul came from a wealthy and influential family of Tarsus. When he became a Christian, he gave all that up for the life of a servant. The heart of Paul endured all the trials of life because of one thing: the promise of life in Christ Jesus. His goal was to live for the promise God made to him. Eternal salvation defined the life of Paul. He lived it every day, longing for the reality. There was nothing in this life that appealed to him. He wanted eternal life. When he writes to Timothy, he tells him a crown is waiting for him with his name on it. A crown was inscribed with the name “Paul.”

What a person puts on their tombstone says a lot about their life. Paul exalted in two things that mattered to him. He served the Lord as an apostle and was faithful to death. The promise of eternal life measured his life. Nothing else mattered to Paul. Just those two things. What do you want on your tombstone? So many people waste their lives for glory on a piece of marble. Paul lived to have his tombstone show Christ.

• Kent Heaton

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them. (Mark 10:13-16)

Jesus Loves The Little Children

Creating the world was an incredible feat perfectly designed by the greatest architect to show His glory and power. The stars remain unnumbered by the hand of the One who placed each one in an exact position. Planets fill the universe along with stars and galaxies without number. The world is a perfect machine of incredible design from the atmosphere, seas, mountains, rivers, and valleys that form a rock circling the Sun in a constant and perfect pattern. Adam and Eve were formed from perfection. The human body is the blueprint of the anatomic precision of a body only the Lord God could have formed. There is nothing that can match its beauty, design, and function. When God created the world and everything in it, He established His handiwork as the eternal power of the divine.

Jesus was part of creation. The world was formed by the Son of God. Through His power, everything was established. He came to earth as a man to live among His creation. Through signs, wonders, and miracles, Jesus proved He was the Son of God. Jesus healed every disease, cured blindness, walked on water, cast out demons, and raised the dead. No man on earth was as powerful and mighty as Jesus of Nazareth. Satan trembled at the presence of God’s Son. And one of the greatest acts of divine power was demonstrated when the Lord took little children in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them. Jesus loved the little children.

Being the Creator and the Son of God did not make Jesus aloof from the precious children of His Father’s world. When the parents brought their children to Jesus for the Lord to touch them, the disciples decided Jesus was too important for such a menial task. They scolded the people for bothering Jesus. When Jesus saw what the disciples were doing, He was moved with indignation and anger. Jesus wanted the children to be around Him. The disciples’ hardened hearts could not see the value in taking time with the little children. Jesus often used them as object lessons to show the true nature of the child of God.

There are important lessons with the children being brought to Jesus. Parents need to see the importance of bringing their children to Jesus. The knowledge of God begins at the home, where the family altar is surrounded by the reading and study of God’s word. If the home does not establish the love of Jesus in the children’s hearts, it will make it difficult for the home to know Jesus. Parents must take their children to worship. Jesus grew up with the custom of going to synagogue regularly and constantly. Children never need to wonder where they will be when it is time to worship. They will know where their parents are taking them.

Jesus spent time with children to bless them and encourage them. He did not teach them a great mystery hidden from the foundation of the world. When He placed His hands on them, He taught them love. Adults must show love to children and how important the love of God is for their lives. A child’s early life forms the foundation of a spiritual life. What they see from adults will form much of their view of God, the Bible, and the church. Bless the little children with the love of God. Jesus loved the children to show them His Father. Can we do any less?

This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. (Genesis 5:1-3)

In the Likeness Of God

Man is created in the image of God. The creation bears the image of the Creator. What sets humankind apart from the animal kingdom is that one has an eternal spirit, and the other does not. God formed the birds, fish, and land creatures on the fifth and sixth day of creation. On the fifth day, the waters abounded with life, and the skies were filled with fowls, but there were no land creatures, and Adam and Eve had yet to be created. The sixth day, God created all the land animals. He took the dust of the ground and formed the man, calling him Adam. It was not good that man should be alone, and God took a rib from Adam to create the woman. The creation was complete.

God gave Adam and Eve law. He did not give the animals law. The two trees in the midst of the garden were put there for the creature formed in the image of God. Adam and Eve had a consciousness to obey God’s command or disobey. None of the animals were under the law established by God, as they were not made in the image of God. Satan deceived the woman because she was made in the image of the eternal. He did not try to deceive the animals because they have no eternal spirit. When Adam and Eve sinned, they felt guilt and shame. Sin affects the soul of an eternal creature. Animals cannot feel the guilt and shame of sin. They have no eternal consciousness.

Adam was created an eternal creature with the power to create an eternal creature. The act of procreation is the grace of the Creator allowing man to bring into the world an eternal creature. God created Adam in His image, and Adam brought forth his children in his image. Cain and Abel were eternal creatures. When Cain killed Abel, it was an abomination to the creation of God. Cain sinned in killing Abel because he killed a creature made in the image of God. When Abel offered the firstborn of his flock for a sacrifice to God, he did not murder the animal because it was not an eternal creature made in the image of God. After the death of Abel, Adam brought forth a son in his image and named him Seth.

Parents must realize the eternal consequences of procreation. A soul is formed by the hand of God that will never cease from existing. The mortal body will die, but the immortal will never die. Man is formed in God’s image to show God’s glory. Each soul will find itself in an eternal world that never ends. That will either be a time of great joy or dark terror. Being made in the likeness of God has eternal consequences. You are an eternal creature who will never cease to exist. Where will you spend eternity?