The Significance of Humanity
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18
The setting in which the story of humanity began is one of beauty, peace and tranquility. Adam lived in the presence of God in the Garden of Eden, and God met all of his physical needs as well as his psychological needs for acceptance, security and significance. Adam was significant because God had created him in His own image and likeness. He had also given Adam a divine purpose: “Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:28).
Adam’s first assignment was to tend the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 2:15), and his first act of taking dominion over the creatures was to name them (see verse 20). At that time Satan was not the “ruler of this world” (John 12:31, NASB) or the “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4), nor did he have any claim over the earth. God had given that responsibility solely to Adam and his descendants.
God’s story tells us that the tree of life was in the center of the Garden of Eden. Adam could freely eat from it and from any tree of the garden. The only restriction the Lord gave to him was that he could not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (see Genesis 2:15-17). Had Adam chosen to obey God and continue to depend on God to meet all his needs, he would have lived forever.
God saw that all He had made was “very good” (Genesis 1:31), except for one thing—it was not good “for the man to be alone” (2:18). So God created a “helper suitable for him” (verse 18). She and Adam were naked and unashamed (see verse 25). There was no sin in their lives, and they had nothing to hide. Adam and Eve could have an intimate sexual relationship in the presence of God. They were unconditionally loved and accepted and had a sense of belonging to God and to each another. They were both physically and psychologically secure in the presence of God.
The Lord gave Adam and Eve an assignment: “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28). God had created humans in His own image, and it was his intention for Adam and Eve to form a culture that would bear the image of their Creator and participate as servants in His kingly rule. The birds of the sky, the beasts of the field, and the fish of the sea all operated according to instinct, but God had given humans the ability to think, feel and choose. No other creature had been given this gift or been assigned such significance on earth.
Each of us is a reflection of our Creator. Our existence has meaning, and we maintain that significance as long as we stay intimately connected to the source of all life. As Paul writes, “We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen” (2 Corinthians 4:18). Our faith in the invisible God is the only means by which we can withstand the seductive powers of the visible world.
questions to consider:
Why was Adam significant? What assignment did God give to him?
How does the sense of safety, significance and security that was evident in the Garden differ from what we see in the world today? What changed?
What was the purpose for humanity, whom God had created in His image and likeness?
What does it mean to you to fix your eyes “not on what is seen, but on what is unseen”?
Do you personally feel safe? Secure? Significant? Why or why not?
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.