TENET LESSON 17

Man

Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God’s creation. In the beginning, the man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherited a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Matthew 16:26; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,29.

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Mankind was God’s crowning creation as they are the only creation specifically said to be made in the image of God, Genesis 1:26-27. Mankind was given unique authority over the earth that God had created. Genesis 1:28-20; 2:15-17.  There is not a specific length of time mentioned between Adam and Eve being placed in the Garden of Eden and the arrival of the serpent.

God had given Adam and Eve the ability to choose to obey or to choose to disobey. There was only one rule they could break and yet in Genesis 3:6 both Adam and Eve broke the one rule they had been given with the hope of becoming like God himself.

The fall caused the sin nature to be part of all mankind. We all struggle with sin. Romans 3:10, 23. None of us are as bad as we possibly could be but none of us are holy enough to stand in the presence of God. We have a natural tendency to want to sin. Romans 7. The separation between God and mankind created the need for a Savior.

God in His great love and desire to see mankind restored to Him through Salvation sent His one and only son Jesus to pay the price for our sins so that we could have an opportunity to be saved. John 3:16. Despite God’s extravagant sacrifice many choose to reject God’s offer of salvation because they love their sins more. John 3:19.

Mankind will all one day face a day of reckoning for their sins. Hebrews 9:27. Based on their acceptance or rejection of God’s offer of salvation mankind will live internally in heaven or hell.

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