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Scripture Reading: Rom. 1:19-20; Psa. 19:1; Acts 14:15-17; 17:24-28a; Job 26:7; Isa. 40:22; Gen. 1:27; 2:7a; Rom. 9:21-24a; Zech. 12:1
I. The mystery of the universe is God:
А. “Because that which is known of God is manifest within them, for God manifested it to them. For the invisible things of Him, both His eternal power and divine characteristics, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being perceived by the things made, so that they would be without excuse” — Rom. 1:19-20.
B. “The heavens declare the glory of God, / And the expanse proclaims the work of His hands” — Psa. 19:1.
C. “The living God, who made heaven and earth and the sea and all things in them; who in the generations gone by allowed all the nations to go their ways. And yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness” — Acts 14:15-17.
D. “The God who made the world and all things in it...gives to all life and breath and all things. And He made from one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, determining beforehand their appointed seasons and the boundaries of their dwelling, that they might seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, even though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and are” — 17:24-28a.
E. “He stretches out the north over the void; / He hangs the earth upon nothing” — Job 26:7.
F. “It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,... / Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, / And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in” — Isa. 40:22.
G. The above verses prove that:
1. God exists.
2. God is the origin of the universe, for the heavens, the earth, and all things therein were created by Him.
3. God is the source of mankind, for mankind was created by Him.
4. Human beings live, move, and exist in God.
5. God causes the heavens to give forth rain and the earth to yield produce for man’s existence.
6. The times and boundaries of all nations were determined beforehand by God.
II. God created man according to His image that man might be a vessel to contain Him:
А. “And God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” — Gen. 1:27.
B. “Jehovah God formed man from the dust of the ground” — 2:7a.
C. “Or does not the potter have authority over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor?...God...might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He had before prepared unto glory, even us, whom He has also called” — Rom. 9:21-24a.
D. “Jehovah, who stretches forth the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him” — Zech. 12:1.
E. The above verses reveal that:
1. Man was created according to God’s image; God’s image is expressed in His four attributes, or characteristics: love, light, holiness, and righteousness.
2. Man is a container created by God according to what He is; God wants to be man’s content, and He wants man to be His expression.
3. Man’s virtues as the outward form of God’s attributes must have God in them as the reality for them to develop and shine forth.
4. Man’s spirit is as important as the heavens and the earth; the heavens are for the earth, the earth is for man, and man is for God; God is Spirit, so God created man especially with a spirit as the organ to receive God.
Romans 1:19 and 20 say, “Because that which is known of God is manifest within them, for God manifested it to them. For the invisible things of Him, both His eternal power and divine characteristics, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being perceived by the things made, so that they would be without excuse.” This passage presents a profound matter and speaks forth the mysteries of the universe. In our eyes heaven, earth, and man all are mysteries. When we look at heaven, earth, and ourselves, we cannot explain them. After all, what is heaven, what is earth, and what are we human beings? Many astronomers and geologists, and some anthropologists as well, have spent much time on these questions yet have not been able to find the answers.
We have to come back to the Bible to look at these questions. It is unavoidable that throughout the centuries, scholars have been speculating in their study of heaven, earth, and man. Nevertheless, there is a book in human history called the Bible, a book written by men under divine inspiration, that explains clearly the origin of heaven, earth, and man. In this Bible there is neither inference nor conjecture; rather, all is plain revelation.
The first sentence in the first book of the Bible says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). God said clearly that the heavens, the earth, and man were made by Him. It was only five to six hundred years ago that men discovered that the earth is round instead of flat. Therefore, they began to call the earth a globe. Yet around 700 B.C., that is, two thousand seven hundred years ago, the prophet Isaiah, one of the authors of the Old Testament, wrote in his book, saying, “It is He [God] who sits above the circle of the earth,... / Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, / And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in” (Isa. 40:22). As far as two thousand seven hundred years back, Isaiah told people that the earth is a big circle. This proves that the origin of the heavens and the earth spoken of in the Bible is neither an inference nor a fabrication but a clear word of revelation from God.
Job 26:7 says, “He [God] stretches out the north over the void; / He hangs the earth upon nothing.” Job was probably a contemporary of Abraham. Yet the book he wrote about four thousand years ago tells us that the earth is hanging upon nothing. The advance of modern day science has only proved again and again that the revelation of the Bible is totally accurate.
In the New Testament the apostle Paul tells people that the invisible things of God, both His eternal power and divine characteristics, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being perceived by the things made (Rom. 1:20). This means that we can know God through the heavens, the earth, and all things. For example, when we look at the numerous systems in the universe, either the solar system, the Milky Way, or others, there is no disorderliness. Up until now astronomers still cannot give us an accurate figure as to how big the universe is. This universe is truly vast. Yet after billions of years the order of the universe is still maintained, and the solar system still revolves in perfect order. We who live on this earth can still enjoy the distinct difference between spring and summer and the definite timing of day and night.
Just as the great things in the universe operate according to their laws, so the smaller things have their principles. We all know that there is a law, a principle, to everything, and behind all things there must be One who establishes the laws and principles. If not, where do all the laws and principles of all matters come from? The Bible clearly says that the universe was created by God. Hence, we can have a glimpse of all that God is, all that God has, God’s power, and God’s divine characteristics through all things in the universe. Besides, the Bible further reveals that man was created by God. Genesis 1, which is a record of God’s creation of the universe, shows us how God created all things out of nothing and how He created man.
God first created the inorganic things such as the earth, the sun, air, and water. Then God created the organic things, which require air, water, the sun, and the earth. God created the different kinds of life in an orderly way, from the lowest class to the highest class. He first created plants such as grass, vegetables, and trees, and then He created oviparous animals such as the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. Thereafter, He created viviparous animals such as the beasts and the cattle. At the end God created man. Man was created in a way that is different from the other living things; God created man in His image (Gen. 1:26), and He also created a special organ for man — the human spirit — so that man may contact God. This spirit in man is the highest matter.
There is no animal among all the creatures that has the image of God or has a spirit within. Yet there is another life that is higher than the life of man, and that is the life of God Himself. God’s life is the super-class life. God created man in His own image with a purpose — God’s purpose is to make man His vessel. A vessel is for containing things. For example, a cup is for containing water. Likewise, as God’s vessel, man is for containing God.
The creation of man is an exceedingly great thing. Zechariah 12:1 says, “Jehovah, who stretches forth the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him.” Here the human spirit is greatly emphasized, for the verse says that at the same time that God created the heavens and the earth, He also created a spirit for man within. Man’s spirit is thus as important as the heavens and the earth. This means that the heavens are for the earth to grow all things, the earth is for man’s existence, and man’s existence is for him to be God’s vessel to express God. For this reason, when God created man, He created two things for him. One is that man has God’s image without, and the other is that he has a spirit within.
The image that man possesses refers to the expression of the attributes of God. The Bible tells us that God’s attributes are love, light, holiness, and righteousness. These can be clearly seen from the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament. We all know that a certain kind of a person will enact a certain kind of law. Good people enact good laws, whereas bad people enact bad laws. The Ten Commandments enacted by God make manifest what kind of God He is. The essence of the Ten Commandments is simply love, light, holiness, and righteousness. These four virtues are God’s divine characteristics.
The Bible tells us over and over again that God is light (1 John 1:5), God is love (4:8), God is holy (1 Pet. 1:15-16), and God is righteous (Exo. 9:27). God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. God is love, and He loves the world. God is holy, and in Him is no filthiness. God is righteous; in Him is total justice and impartiality, without any crookedness at all. The emphasis of His Ten Commandments is that we should have love, light, holiness, and righteousness. Since we were created according to God’s image, even though we became fallen and corrupted, to this day we still have these four elements in us.
We appreciate kindness. When we love people and treat them benevolently, we feel comfortable within. But if we cheat or hate people, we feel unspeakably miserable. This shows that there is love in man. Moreover, everyone has a predisposition for light. If a person does evil, he deeply reproaches himself within and does not need others to rebuke him. Not only so, no one likes to do filthy things; rather, everyone hopes to be upright and have a just heart. The Chinese always say, “Justice is in man’s heart.” All this tells us that when man was created, he was created according to God’s image of love, light, holiness, and righteousness. Within man there is the predisposition, or desire, for these four virtues, and this predisposition is not out of man himself but was created for man by God.
When we observe other creatures, we discover that among the animals, whether cows, sheep, cats, dogs, horses, or donkeys, none of them possesses these four virtues nor has any feeling or tendency toward them. This is because the animals were not created in God’s image. Only man was created in God’s image of love, light, holiness, and righteousness; therefore, within man are the characteristics of these four virtues.
Even though man has the characteristics of love, light, holiness, and righteousness within, he has only the image but not the reality of love, light, holiness, and righteousness. For example, we wear gloves in cold winters. A pair of gloves has ten fingers like the hands, but that is only a pair of gloves, not the hands themselves. The gloves have been created for the hands; therefore, there must be the hands inside the gloves for the reality to be there. The gloves are empty and floppy without the hands. This is why man always feels empty. Man was not created for himself; rather, he was created to be God’s vessel to contain God. If man does not contain God, he is empty, weak, and without reality like a pair of gloves.
Today man feels empty, insecure, wavering, and restless and has no calming and stabilizing power within, simply because he lacks God within. God is man’s content, and man should be God’s expression. For this goal God created a spirit especially for man. This spirit is the organ for man to contact God, just like the receiver in a radio. Even though a radio may have all the outward parts, if there is no receiver, or if the receiver is out of order, this radio cannot function. Regardless of how hard you try to tune to the right frequency, you will not be able to receive the radio waves in the air. Our heart is like a radio, and our spirit is that receiver; if we turn our spirit to focus on God, we can touch Him.
A great part of the human spirit is the conscience, which is man’s deepest part. In your mind perhaps you have never thought about the existence of God, and you have never seen God with your eyes. However, your conscience, the deep part in you, your spirit, always gives you a feeling that there is a Supreme Being, that there is a God in this universe. This proves two things. First, you have a spirit within, and second, you need God in your spirit.
God loves us and has created a stomach for us in our body so that we may take in food. Outside of us, God has prepared for us all kinds of food, including the supply from plants, the supply from animals, and the supply from minerals. God supplies man not only with food but also with drink. Besides these provisions that are necessary for man’s physical existence, something that is more precious within man is the human spirit. God created man with a spirit for man to receive Him.
The gospel we preach today is not merely to tell people that they are sinful and must therefore believe in Jesus to avoid perdition. Rather, we tell people that the universe is a sphere created by God for Himself so that in it He could create man as a vessel in which He can put Himself. Every human being, whoever he is, whether male or female, old or young, finds that as soon as he approaches twenty years of age, deep in him there are inexplicable questions, “What is the purpose of my life? What is the meaning of the human life? Where do the heavens and the earth come from? What is the universe all about?” Actually, not only is this universe a mystery, but God also is a mystery, and even we ourselves are a mystery.
Once I was invited to have supper with a group of doctors. One of them, a non-Christian, said to me, “We who are students of medical science, after dissecting a corpse, cannot help but bow down our heads to confess that there is a Creator in this universe, because the human body is structured so wonderfully.” This word is true. Even for one like me who does not know medical science or any other science, I am amazed whenever I look at myself in the mirror. The ears are facing the front and are shaped like an arc, resembling receivers. If the ears faced the back and were not shaped like an arc, we would find it difficult to hear any sound. Furthermore, our nose facing down meets our exact need. If our nose faced up, dust and rain water would get into the nostrils. Who has arranged and designed this for man? Not only so, but man is truly a wonderful living creature with thoughts and wisdom, even being able to produce a spacecraft to land on the moon. Are all these coincidences? Without a doubt, all these have been designed and created by the Supreme Being in the universe.
All those who study science, physics, and medicine ultimately say that there must be a Sovereign One in the universe. Concerning this point, the Bible says clearly what heaven is, what the earth is, and what man is. The Bible even tells us what God Himself is. John 4:24 says, “God is Spirit.” Man has a spirit, and God is Spirit. Man is God’s vessel, and the pneumatic God wants to enter into man to be his content to satisfy him. In other words, since man is a vessel created by God, without God man can never be satisfied. This is the same as the human stomach, which is for containing food. Without food, the stomach will definitely feel hungry, uncomfortable, and unsatisfied.
Take the example of one from a humble origin who finally becomes successful after many years of hard work. He is successful in his career and is respected by others. He does not have to worry about his daily necessities, and you may say that he has enjoyed all honor and fame. Both in his physical and psychological needs, he has a way to attain to the highest and best level. Yet at this juncture he discovers that he has a lack in the depth of his being. Within him he has a very deep thirst that cannot be satisfied by material things and amusements. This is the real situation of man. Even though there is a difference in degree concerning our outward material life, there rises up in the deepest part of every man’s heart an inexplicable sigh. Without God, man is in a state of emptiness.
Human beings, regardless of race or skin color, have the need to worship God. Of all the living creatures, only man feels the need of worshipping God. We have never seen a cow or a horse erect a small temple to worship God; neither have we seen a cat or a dove setting up something as a symbol of God for worship. Nevertheless, the concept of worshipping God is very common among the human race. Even the least civilized aborigines set up a bonfire to worship as god. From this we can see that the human heart desperately desires to find the true God who created the universe and all things in it. There is a story of someone whose heart was hardened and who did not believe in God, yet at his deathbed when he was asked if he needed anything, he replied that he wanted a Bible.
Though man may deny the existence of God in broad daylight, in the deep of the night, in solitude and quietness, when he examines himself, he worries as to what he should do if there really is God. This tells us that man was created by God and that he was even created for God. Therefore, man needs God. Hundreds of thousands of Christians can bear the same testimony that their human life had been empty for more than half of their life until they met Jesus and called on His name and that they became satisfied within because of Him.
Many friends who have not yet believed in the Lord wonder why Christians seem to have something extra, something as a “motor” in them. Some Christians previously spoke little, yet after they believed in Jesus, they try their best to preach Jesus to others. Not just one or two but nearly all of them are like this. This is because the believers of Jesus have tasted the sweetness of the Lord, and they have obtained real satisfaction and rest. Previously, their human life was like a big boat tossing in the sea, without any stabilizing power within. But now that they have gained Jesus as their Savior and therefore have a stabilizing power, how can they refrain from preaching to others?
Our human life is like a boat in the sea, and there is the real need of a stabilizing power. This stabilizing power is the God who has created us. He is waiting to enter into us. Once God enters into us, He can satisfy our heart and remove our sense of vanity and despair. May the Spirit of God operate in each one of us that we may gain Him as the Savior of our life.
(A message given on December 6, 1985, at a gospel meeting in Taipei.)
