Subject Eight

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD AND MAN

Scripture: Gen. 2, 3

1. Man is a creature of God—showing the origin of man
   1. God used the earth to form a body for man; then He breathed the breath of life into him. Today chemists can tell us that the elements of a human body are similar to the elements of the earth.
   2. From the wonder of the structure of the human body, prove that man is God’s creature.
2. Man is God’s image—showing the dignity of man
   Man’s mind, wisdom, will, ideas, emotion, likes, and many other characteristics are like God’s. Man’s love symbolizes God’s love. Point out how dignified man is to be in God’s image!
3. Man is God’s representative—showing the position of man
   Among all the creatures, only man was to represent God to rule over everything. Even to this date, man is still in control of the whole earth. (Dr. John Sung said that before the fall man was the commander-in-chief of the navy, army, and air force.)
4. Man is God’s vessel—showing the usefulness of man
   God’s desire is to be mingled with man, to work Himself into man; so man was made for God. This is like a bulb which was made to contain electricity and shine. A bulb is a waste if it is not for the electricity to shine. Likewise, a man is a waste unless he is containing God. With this section, it is easy to touch the feelings of the unbelievers, so you need to stress this point. The reason men feel empty is that they will not contain God. Today men are out of place and out of use.
5. The fellowship between God and man
   1. Man is different from all other living creatures because man has a spirit.
   2. Every race worships God. Some have worshipped in a wrong way; nevertheless, their worship proves that with man there is a desire for God. Such a desire grows stronger as men grow older. Man’s spirit causes man to:
      1. Need God.
      2. Be able to contact God. When a man touches God, right away he has fellowship with God.
6. The problem between God and man—showing man’s sins
   In this section you need to cover four points:
   1. Man fell.
   2. Man sinned.
   3. Man escaped from God’s presence.
   4. Man was condemned by God.
7. The salvation for man—showing man’s salvation
   First speak about the Savior, then about salvation. Salvation includes:
   1. Blood shed for redemption.
   2. Imparting of life.
      This message may be given in two days.