THE MAN You may not be a farmer, and, like me, you may know
nothing about taking care of a garden. But God still has
So why did God created man? For what?
Why does man exist?
If you know where you came from---from knowing that
you have been saved and accepted and redeem ---- and
if you know why you exist ---you can now fulfill your
work- your purpose and you can work effectively if you
know your purpose as a man.
Genesis story of man
It makes sense that the biblical definition of man begins
by setting him apart from his partner. Regardless of what
the culture might preach, the Bible is clear that men and
women are unique. Again, both hold value as the
pinnacle of God’s creative work, but a proper
understanding of the Bible’s definition of a man has to
start with that truth.
BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF MAN.
1. Man is created in God’s image. The theological term is
imago dei, which is Latin for “image of God.” And like the
distinctions between man and woman, this truth is drawn
from Genesis. Even before Adam was created, God
declared that human beings would be made “in our
image” (Genesis 1:26). The narrative goes on to explain
that God followed through on His word. He “created man
in his own image; he created him in the image of God”
(Genesis 1:27, CSB).
The biblical definition of man includes humanity’s
reflection of its Creator. We reveal God to the world in a
special way. Over the centuries, scholars have debated
exactly what that looks like, but one thing remains clear.
The Bible says a man has value and purpose
because he is made in the image of God.
2. Man has work to accomplish. The psalmist said that
God made man “ruler over the works of (God’s) hands”
(Psalm 8:5-6).
5You have made them[a] a little lower than the angels[b]
and crowned them[c] with glory and honor.
6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their[d] feet:
From the very beginning man was given the
responsibility of watching over the garden and taking
care of everything God had created (Genesis 2:15).
While we want to avoid becoming a workaholic, part of
man’s value is tied to the responsibility and trust God
bestowed on him.
given each of us purpose by giving each of us work
to do, and our work does provide for our families. In
fact, Paul told Timothy that anyone who did not provide
for his family was worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy
5:8). The biblical definition of man involves embracing
work for His glory (Colossians 3:23).
3. Man is an eternal being. In his essay “Weight of
Glory,” C.S. Lewis stated that “ordinary people” do not
exist: “You have never talked to a mere mortal.” That’s
because every person—including every man—is an
eternal being. We all will live forever. The only question
is our final destination.
The Bible’s definition of man emphasizes our eternal
nature. As followers of Christ, we believe that living
is Christ and dying is gain (Philippians 1:21). We
believe that being “away from the body” means
being “at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).
The fact that we will live forever should influence the
way we live as men right now.
4. Man is built for relationships. A look at the biblical
definition of man reveals that we are wired for
relationships. We are not made to go it alone. From the
Bible’s point of view, being a man is a team sport. Men
like Moses and Joshua, David and Jonathan, Jesus and
His disciples, and Paul and Timothy underscore just how
seriously God’s Word takes our need for relationships.
One biblical writer compared our need for relationships
to iron sharpening iron (Proverbs 27:17).
First and foremost, we need a relationship with God
through Jesus Christ. Beyond that, we need family and
friends to keep us sharp. We need our lives to
intersect with mentors who will help us become better
husbands, biblical fathers, better friends—better men.
No consideration of the Bible’s definition of man would
be complete without focusing on relationships. We need
to build relationship to be a better man.
5. Man has moral options. God could have created us to
love and serve Him without question. But He loved us
enough to give us a choice. And while the narrative of
Eden reveals how our freedom led to our frailty, it also
reminds us that we have options for salvation.
Of course, sin has left its mark. We are broken and we
are imperfect creatures who desperately need a Savior.
But we are not beyond hope. The biblical definition of
man states that we are moral agents, free to choose God
over self. In fact, we are never closer to experiencing
true manhood than when we embrace Him.