All for the Kingdom Podcast – Episode #232: "Breath of Life, Genesis 2:4-17" Subtitle: Man's unique creative purpose to glorify God, dwell with God, and love God.

Join Pastor Ben in this insightful expository sermon as he delves into Genesis Chapter 2:4-17, exploring the profound theological depths of man's unique creation, his intended purpose, and the transformative power of Christ's redemption. This sermon unpacks fundamental truths about man's relationship with God, addressing both the goodness of creation and the pervasive impact of sin.

Key Scripture: Genesis 2:4-17

Episode Highlights:

• Man's Unique Creation: Discover how man was distinctly made in God's image, possessing both a physical nature (formed from dust) and a spiritual nature (God's breath of life). This uniqueness sets humanity apart from all other creation, designed specifically for a relationship with God. The sermon contrasts this with false teachings that deny man's uniqueness or spiritual nature.

• Man's Purpose: To Glorify, Dwell, and Love God:

◦ Glorify God: Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, a core doctrinal truth emphasized by historical catechisms. This involves both reflecting God's glory and finding soul satisfaction in rejoicing in it.

◦ Dwell with God: God created man to dwell with Him, a principle element of the Garden of Eden and recurring throughout scripture, from Noah to Abraham, Israel, and ultimately for the redeemed in the New Jerusalem (heaven). Dwelling with God requires being a people of God, in a place of God, receiving the provision of God.

◦ Love God: Man was created with the freedom to choose God or to sin. This includes the ability to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which gave the ability to distinguish between good and evil. Death results from the desire for evil that stems from this knowledge and the choice to disobey.

• The Garden of Eden: A Real Place of Provision: The Garden is not a metaphor, but a real, physical place of God's perfect provision and blessing. Man was placed there "to work it and to keep it," indicating that labor was part of God's good design before the Fall. In the Garden, desire and good were in perfect unity.

• The Corruption of Sin: Since Genesis 3, sin has corrupted man's heart, leading to a desire for things that don't glorify God and causing man to hide from God's presence out of shame. The sermon touches on the profound impact of Adam's sin, which brought death into the world (Romans 5:12).

• Redemption Through Christ: Only through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ are people made able to fulfill their purpose of glorifying and rejoicing in God. Jesus, unlike Adam, knew the distinction between good and evil but lived a sinless life, offering salvation through his perfect obedience (Romans 5:19, Hebrews 4). The good news of the gospel is not man's free choice of God, but God's sovereign grace in choosing to so love the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life.

Find Out More:

Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.

Additional podcasts, books, and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon outlines and manuscripts are available at http://bensmithsr.org.

You can find information about Central Baptist Church at cbcwaycross.org.

This sermon was originally preached on 9/7/2025.