What is man? What purpose does God have in mind that He would create man and then command him to crucify his flesh with its desires and passions? Why did God make adamic man in the first place when God knew an animal creation could never fulfill the roles and responsibilities God has in mind for this new member of the universe? Why require man to experience the agony of passing from a living soul to a life-giving spirit?

What is man?

Why does man have to be crucified?

God has established the heavens, the earth, man, and all else of the material creation for eternity. The material creation is superior to the spirit realm. Although the present heavens and earth will one day pass away they shall be replaced immediately with a new heaven and earth and a new humanity. But it still will be heaven, earth, all of nature, and humanity.

God's plan never fails. He does not move in dispensations such that the succeeding represents a change in goal from the previous. He does keep improving His covenants but God's goal for the physical world and man never changes.

The first "man" to appear on earth is the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus is what God means by man in His image. God will not cease working until every human being reflects to a greater or lesser extent the Lord Jesus.

The great question is, Why did God not make people the way He wanted them to begin with? Why create the adamic race and then say, "Crucify yourselves!"

The Lord Jesus, the all-powerful Son of God, the Brightness of the Father's Glory, was cast down into the dirt under the weight of His cross. From the judgment hall to Calvary there was one unrelenting humiliation, oppression, and pain after another. Would it never end? To be nailed to the cross was enough torture for any human to bear. But to add to this the weight of the sins of the world?—the grotesque ghouls of darkness vomiting on His pure Spirit?

Paul was always bearing about in his physical body the dying of the Lord Jesus. At times he despaired of life. On one occasion he was stoned and then dragged out of the city, supposedly dead. But the resurrection Life of Jesus kept lifting him up.

When God's Life lifts us up it spills over onto those around us. They too live because they have been touched by Divine Life. This is how the saints of God brings God's Life to people. Resurrection life comes from crucifixion, from nowhere else.

For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. (II Corinthians 4:11)

The true minister of God knows he or she has been called out of the world in order to experience the sufferings of Christ. But the true minister also knows a joy that others do not. There is a compensating Presence of the Lord that keeps on lifting him up from death. Death and life! Death and life! Death and life! It is that uplifting life that brings righteousness, peace, and joy to a dead creation.

To be continued.