What is Man? by Matthew Igbokwe

Stunned by his present revelation, he exclaimed, "what is man!" His finite mind could not fathom his discovery from the voyage of he'd embarked on, for in the foregoing verse, he unveiled his deepest cogitations, "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained..." Ps. 8:3; lucidly, the fiery and radiant sun, the glimmering and luminous moon, the shimmering and alluring stars, the endearing Earth's landscape, the greenery, great mountains,  majestic seas and oceans, he anxiously queried "what is man that thou art mindful of him or the son of man that thou visitest him?"

David, draw your chair closer, lend me your ears, and allow me satisfy your inquisitive thirst and cravings as I take you through a journey from the beginning.

Man was created in the image and likeness of God Himself, the rarest of all privileges. Even the chiefest of the angels of in his wildest imagination couldn’t have dreamt of such and never partook of it, for none of them was said to be created in the image and likeness of God, rather the scripture is replete with the fact that they were created to be servants to both God and man (Heb. 1:14). By this, man was made to partake of EVERY attribute and quality of God, save for those that touch upon His Essence, to wit: His Omniscience, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Self-Creation, Self-Sufficiency among others. 

Amazingly, man was made just a little lower than God! “For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels (Elohim) in the original Hebrew translation), and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Psalms 8:5

Thus, as radically distinct from all of God's creation, man possesses personality - intelligence, feelings, and a will - conscience, ability to make moral judgments, capacity to commune at the same level with God. He was made a tripartite being consisting of a spirit, a soul and a body. Hence, could operate conveniently in both the realm of the spirit and mortals.

He became the sole creation of God that was made to enjoy the luxury of his Breath for "...God breathed into man, and man became a living soul" Gen. 2:7. God's Breath being His Spirit and God's Spirit being God Himself.  "The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." Job 33:4; Jn. 20:22

Incredibly! man's heart became God's habitation. 

He was graciously the only of God’s creation to be authorised to have dominion over EVERY other creation and over the Earth itself. As an object of divine benevolence, he was put into a paradisical abode, given a beautiful wife – Helpmeet -, and made the general superintendent of all other of God's creation, coupled with a loving instruction not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Jn. 2:16-17

Sadly, man bit the finger that fed him. He rebelled against his Maker, teamed up with God's arch-enemy to punch Divine nose with his accusatory fingers and Alas! man fell! from glory, he fell! from grace, he fell! from dominion, he crumbled! His line, barred from communing with heaven, exiled from his mansion, became the sworn enemy of all other of God's creation. His nature became corrupted with the devil having a self-contain apartment in him. Of a truth, more than a Paradise Lost, it was.
Drums were rolled out in hell, "victory! victory !!" they trumpeted. 

Having willed his dominion on Earth to the devil, Satan and his demons took control of the Earth, corrupted the Earth and the seed of man (Gen. 6). Man became the perpetual slave and object of oppression of the devil and his demons whom they constantly use for the provocation of God. His thoughts and actions were only evil continually. Gen. 6. Man watched helplessly as he groaned under the terror to the Chief Task-master with a bleak hope of deliverance. 

"My dominion on Earth is on legal grounds”, "the claims of Divine justice must be satisfied", "it takes an innocent mortal man to save his kind," "all human race is corrupted", "all have sinned!" "they've lost it! they're ruined forever!!!" boasted the Devil.

The search for solution began, the best of man’s wits could only provide him leaves as a substitute for Life. Then came the law bragging, but it only proved itself to be the strength of sin and puppet to the law of sin and death that works in the fallen man. Man’s face beamed with smile, as a ray of hope seem to shine on him with the introduction of the blood of bulls and goats. “Finally!” He shouted, “my deliverance has come”, sadly however, his hope was dashed “for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” Heb. 10:4

In utter despondency, he cried, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Rm. 7:24

Then he heard a voice in heaven, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”  then he saw the Saviour, kneeling in front of the Father, with the golden words "Here am I; send me" Isaiah 6:8.

Paradoxically, to restore man's lost Paradise, God made Himself the sacrifice, God became man, born in a manger, walked streets of Jerusalem, ruthlessly maligned and persecuted by his own, the very Lamb of God, went about doing good, healing all that were oppressed of the devil. All hell was alarmed, "this is a strange Man," a wounded demon stuttered, "a great terror to my kingdom and reign over mankind, he must be eliminated!" ordered Satan.

The next moment, we saw the devil ferociously proclaiming through the Pharisees and the Jewish race, "Crucify Him!" "Away with Him!!" and "as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so was the Son of Man lifted up…” John 3:15

He was cruelly tortured, wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was laid upon Him. Maliciously, He was crucified, bled profusely, died, and was buried.
Satan and all the hosts of hell pounded their drums with fervor, with victory songs permeating the atmosphere and their joyous steps echoing the triumph of their hard-fought seeming victory.  

Little did the devil know that he just dug his own grave, as, to hell's rude shock, this "Strange Man" appeared again, collected the key of death and hell from the devil and gave the dominion back to man. Never knew he, that by killing Jesus, He only helped in multiplying Him in man's regenerated heart.

Wonderfully, we have millions of Jesus walking on the face of the Earth. He wailed shamefully as Christ blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was written against us – he erased it all, our curses, sins and sin-stained soul. He disarmed the principalities and powers of their weapons of terror against us, and in his triumphal procession, led them around as captives for the whole world to see.  Col. 2:14-15. Of a truth, "...had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." 1 Cor. 2:8

Little wonder, a song writer wrote:
Oh the love that drew salvation plan
Oh the grace that brought it down to man
Oh the mighty gulf that God did span
At calvary.

Being man's Federal Head, the entire human race partook of the first Adam's sin and curses.  In the same vein, the entire human race partook of the Last Adam grace and blessings being man's covenant Federal Head in the New Testament "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)...therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." Rm. 5:17-18

Indeed, of his fulness have ALL WE RECEIVED, and GRACE FOR GRACE. Jn. 1:16

A colossal loss it was for the devil, for man got more than he lost through the first man’s fall in the beginning. More than a paradise regained it was for man's sins became cleansed and forgiven by His blood "for without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins" by Christ's stripes we were healed, by his death and resurrection, we became partakers of His righteousness - his imputed and imparted righteousness - no longer debtors to the flesh to live after the flesh.
His very nature (breath) that we lost at calvary became restored, we have His Holy Spirit resident in us. Man carried the very "Zoe!". Man's dominion mandate became restored for whatever we bind (allow) on Earth, shall be bound (allowed) in heaven and whatsoever we loose (disallow) on Earth shall be loosed (disallowed) in heaven.
Like Christ, we have been authorised to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils, advance God's kingdom. He took our fears and gave us His peace, our despondency in exchange for his joy, for "...there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus..."
Every man who believes, becomes joint heir with Christ with the gracious assurance of spending eternity with God in heaven.  
Still gasping for breath and staggering under the weight of his present woe, he was given a technical knockout at the realisation that man is now sitted at the right hand of God, far above principalities and powers. And oh, the wonder of all wonders, man now has a representative in both among the twenty-four elders, (Rev. 19:10) and the Holy Trinity, in person of Jesus Christ the God-Man, our Elder Brother. Lk. 24:36-51
David, it is not about what is man, rather it is what is in man,  and the God’s gracious design behind the creation of man. It is not what man is, rather, ‘tis whom God is! It is called GRACE – G- God’s R- Riches A- At C- Christ’s E- Expense
Friend, you too can become a partaker of His manifold grace today for to them that receive him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God - Partakers of His Grace!