--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Roberts, B. H. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 24 number: 10 published: 1921-08 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'B. H. Roberts, "God’s Need of Man," *Improvement Era* 24, no. 10 (August 1921): 907–911.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera24010unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera24010unse start_page: 907 end_page: 911 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1921-08) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera24010unse publication_year: 1921 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1921, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # God’s Need of Man God's Need of Man By President B. H. Roberts, of the First Council of Seventy And God made the beasts of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind; and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and mul- tiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it. * * * And God saw everything that he had made and, behold, it tvas very good. Genesis, I. The account of the creation of man by God, is used in beginning the discussion of the subject, God's need of man, be- cause it must be quite evident that God had need of man, or why his creation? One must either concede some necessity for the creation of man, some need God had for him, or charge Deity, in such a capital matter, as having created an unnecessary thing. Man's very existence, then, since God created him, or begot him, is strong evidence that God needed man. One does not need to search far for reasons why God had need of man. The most obtrusive reason is found in the fact that God needed man to round out to completion his creative work in the earth. To what purpose had God created the earth and all things in it, if man had not been created? How mean- ingless everything else that was created would be without man! High mountain range and expansive ocean; rolling hills with verdure clad, and the level plain of fertile soil; rivers, brooks, lakes, forests, flowers, sunrise, sunsets: the moon, the stars; whispering winds, the gentle showers; the rising and ebbing tides; the spring's bright freshness, the summer's glowing warmth, the fruitful autumn, "grim," but restful, winter— all these things without man would doubtless be as beautiful and enchanting as now, but who would appreciate them? Who would be enraptured of them? Who enjoy them, if man was *A companion article, "Man's Need of God," appeared in the July nnmber of the Era.— Editors. 908 IMPROVEMENT ERA not on the earth? He alone of all the creatures in the world is capable of marking their beauty, or feeling grateful for these varied things, and the mighty changes that take place in nature. He alone is capable of looking up through these things of nature to nature's God. He alone of all the creatures of the world is capable of as- piring to comprehension of God, and to companionship with him. Remove man from the earth, and what does it matter that day and night follow each other? That seed time and harvest time come and go? What does it matter that the horse has strength, or the bee skill to hive the sweets of the flowers? What matters the song of birds and the perfume of the wood- lands in which they sing? What does it matter that the earth has extensive coal fields, and under ground oil lakes? Or seams of gold and silver, and stores of precious gems? Of what use would all these things be, had man never been created? Of no use, must be the answer; to no purpose, all this creative energy, unless man comes to crown the work, and give it mean- ing and purpose. Undoubtedly all nature was created for man, and man for God. Otherwise considered, the creation is mean- ingless, and void; if to man the created world would be mean- ingless without God, even more so to God would the created world be incomplete and without objective and purpose with- out man. When God had completed the creation of the earth and all that was in it, save only man, he "saw that it was good?' ( Gen. 1:25); but when he had created man, male and female created he them, and thus crowned his work, then "God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good?' (Gen. 1:31) ; for then surely it was completed. He unto whom dominion over it was to be given, had come into his heritage; he for whom it had been created was in possessioin, and "it was very good." God, then, needed man for the completion and the glory of his creation of earth and all things therein: for his glory, through man, were they created. n The chief evidence, however, that God has need of man i^ found in the nature of God, the prime factor of which nature is love. So pronounced is this attribute of the divine nature that one writer of holy writ, without qualification, has said: "God is love." And further he said: "He that loveth not, knoweth not God," and in this was manifest the love of God towards men, because that God sent his Only Begotten Son into the world, that men might live through him. "Herein is love," continues this apostle, "not that we loved God, but that he GOD'S NEED OF MAN 909 loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (I John 4:10.) This attribute of the Divine nature, love, implies the ne- cessity of an object for it: and it also pre-supposes a worthy object; one capable of responding in kind, for perfect love is made up of giving as well as receiving. Otherwise he who gives love would go unrequited, and there is nothing more bitter in sorrow than unrequited love. It must be mutual in giving and receiving in order that it may be wholly blessed. It is written in the creation story of Genesis that after God had created out of the ground every beast of the field and every fowl of the air, they were brought to Adam to see what he would call them; but for this lord of the new creation, Adam, there was not found an helpmeet, a suitable companion, and so one was made for him, and worthy of him, woman: kindred to himself in nature and dignity; different from him, yet like; and fit for love and companionship; complement of him as he of her, making completed man — male and female, as God created them. Completed man is plural. If for man among the inferior creatures there was none fitted by near equality with him for that close companionship that would make the creation for him "very good," then we may fearlessly conclude that in all the creatures below man there was none worthy of God for closest companionship, intellect- ually or spiritually. Nothing that he could love supremely and be loved by supremely in return, and with the spirit and with the understanding. Nothing that approached to nearness of image or likeness; or that was of the same nature with himself. Nothing like him in these creations lower than man, there was with those creatures no basis for the fellowship of the spirit and of the mind; nothing that could respond to the nature of God. Nor could God love gases, or merely mechanical forces. These were but insentient powers, without mind qualities, and of importance only as they could be used to affect the purposes of God in the works of creation, and in the maintenance of that creation. For God, then, there was no suitable companion in the created creatures or forces lower than man; hence man was created for God; in the very image and likeness of God was he created; for union and communion with God; for companion- ship and for fellowship, based upon the existence of mutual characteristics, and attributes. These perfect in God, in man imperfect, but capable of development, and by such develop- ment at last approaching perfection, man shall become worthy of God's fellowship and of God's love. That God loves man, is evident in all the creation. It will not require argument that the earth and the fulness thereof was 910 IMPROVEMENT ERA made for man. That is sufficiently self-evident. And through- out the creation are the evidences of God's care and love for man. He has ever been mindful of him. Truly in the lan- guage of the Psalmist, he has crowned man "with glory and honor." He made him to have dominion over the works of his hands, and has put all things under his feet. "All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowls of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the sea." (Psalms 8.) All through the revealed word of God, also, God's love for man is an ever recurring refrain, and God is ever seeking means to express it. Lastly and supremely it was expressed through the mission of the Christ: "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that who- soever believeth in him should not perish, but have ever- lasting life." (John 3:16.) The counterpart of this, according to the burden of the revealed word of God, is to awaken love in man for God. Hav- ing chosen Israel through whom to express his purpose in hu- man life and his relationship to men, God asks: "And now, Is- rael, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but * * * to walk in his ways, and to love him." (Deut. 10:12.) "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God" (Deut. 11:1) is the repeated love-hunger-cry of God through the Old Testament; and it be- comes the dominant note in the New Testament, reaching its climax in the supreme message of the Christ in summing up the whole law, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." (Matt. 22:37.) This proclaims God's need of man — God's love-hunger. To love, and to love supremely. To be loved, and to be loved su- premely. This the desire of God and of man. This the bond of their union. This the glory and the joy of each, when at- tained. What a dignity is here for man! To be needed of God! To be loved by him! To be the desired companion of the Creator! To have fellowship with him! To be co-laborer with him in achieving his high purposes in creation; and in the redemption and in the sanctificatipn of the human »ace! This surely is worth while. Worth existence, and effort and sacrifice — worth everything. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath be- stowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. * * Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him [i. e. fellowship and companionship with God] purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (I John 3:1-3.) GOD'S NEED OF MAN 911 L* Envoi Man's Need of God! Gocts Need of Man! These two subjects of my present writing: The equal values of a perfect whole. Reciprocal conditions of the Finite, and the Infinite. They lead to man's quest of God; and to God's crea- tion and salvation of man. Man's glory to find God and to form and maintain a perfect union with him. God's work and glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life and joy of man. Man attains his glory by union with God, because in that union with God he finds the completeness of his life, and har- monious relations with all that is; and hence reaches the high- est development obtainable. God finds his glory in bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man, because in so doing he makes it pos- sible to have an object worthy of his love — worthy of his com- panionship— and thus satisfies his deep yearning for love — to love, and to be loved by man, in return. In that love both God and man find incentive to action. To action that spells prog- ress— progress that means growth, the one thing alone which can satisfy intelligences and make existence itself worth while.