Created by God in His Image
• According to the Bible, humans were a direct creation by God: “So God created man in His own image…” (Gen. 1:27). “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7).
• Three Hebrew words are used in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 to describe human creation:
1. bara, which means “the production or effectuation of something new, rare and wonderful,”
2. asah, which means “to form, to construct, to prepare, to build” and
3. yatzar, which means “to form or shape” (as a potter forming vessels). According to Genesis 1:26, the triune God said, “Let us make man” (asah); in Genesis 1:27 we read, “So God created man” (bara); Genesis 2:7 states, “And the Lord God formed man” (yatzar).
• The idea in 1:26 is that God constructed people in conformity with His own image; in 1:27 He created humans as something new and wonderful in His purpose, and in 2:7 He formed and shaped the human body from the earth as a potter forms a vessel of clay.
• The “dust of the ground” (2:7) identifies human beings with the scene of both their fall and redemption.
• The breath of God identifies humans as having a God-given origin and a heavenly destination. Men and women are of the earth but intended for fellowship with God.
• The Word establishes the following facts concerning human creation:
1. Of all created beings, only humans receive the breath of God.
2. God formed humans in His own image.
3. God created people for His glory.
4. Humanity was planned and designed in the council of the triune God.
5. Jesus Christ, by becoming human, redeemed humankind.
Created as Living Souls
• According to Genesis, God gave humans two gifts at creation: (1) A body formed from the dust and (2) the breath of God (Gen 2:7).
• The following are important facts concerning the body as revealed in Scripture:
1. It is a mortal body that will return to the dust out of which it was fashioned. God made humankind’s origin very clear: “… For dust you are, And to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19).
2. Humankind is made of mere dust, but dust in the hands of God became something wonderfully made (Ps. 139:14-16a).
3. The natural physical body is a temporary home for the real person who inhabits it (2 Pet. 1:14; 2 Cor. 5:1).
4. In the resurrection, the human body will be changed; however, the new spiritual body will have a relationship to the old natural body (1 Cor. 15:44a, 53; John 5:25; 1 Thess. 4:16b).
5. The body of a redeemed person is a temple of the Holy Spirit; therefore, it must not be used as an instrument for sin (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
6. The human body when dedicated to Christ is considered a living and holy sacrifice (Rom. 12:1).
7. Redeemed believers may employ their bodies as weapons against Satan. Although Satan strives to motivate believers to use their bodies to advance his cause, Paul urged believers to use their bodies as weapons against Satan and for God (Rom. 6:13).
8. Redeemed people enjoy many benefits of Christ’s redeeming work in their present bodies (Matt. 8:16-17; Jas. 5:14-15a; Rom. 8:11).
9. Each believer will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ based of things done in the body. The Bible clearly states that the works of the body will be judged: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10).
10. People possess an inherited body of dust, bearing both the image of Adam and the image of God (1 Cor. 15:45-49).
The Fall
• Although they were created in God’s image, placed in an ideal environment, and given everything they needed, Adam and Eve rebelled against God and disobeyed His commandment.
• The result of their sin was shame, guilt, alienation, and death, not only for themselves but also for the entire human race. Considering the devastating consequences of sin, why would God subject Adam and Eve to temptation? (see Ps. 14:1-3; Rom. 3:10-23; 5:12-21).
• Created in God’s image and endowed with intelligence, emotion and will, men and women are free, moral agents capable of making choices. Since humans are created for God’s glory (Isa. 43:7) and can best glorify God by freely choosing to worship and serve Him, it was necessary humans be given an opportunity to choose.
• It is important to explain how beings created with holy natures could sin. Adam and Eve were each created with a holy nature, but they were not born with holy character.
• A holy nature is the result of creation, while holy character is the result of choosing good when the choice for evil is possible.
• With free choice there is, of necessity, the possibility of wrong choice. Adam and Eve made the wrong choice with disastrous consequences for themselves and humanity.
• God, having foreseen Adam’s failure, provided a plan for his redemption. God is not the author of sin. He did not cause Adam to fall, for Adam had every reason to obey. However, God purposed to bring out of human failure redemption; a redemption wrought through the incarnation and vicarious death of His own Son; a redemption that would include the final defeat of Satan who was, after all, the first sinner.
• The fall of man is found in Genesis 3.
Article III: The Fall of Man (light blue)
We believe that man was created in the image of God, before whom he walked in holiness and purity, but that by voluntary disobedience and transgression, he fell from the Eden of purity and innocence to the depths of sin and iniquity, and that in consequence of this, all mankind are sinners sold unto Satan, sinners not by constraint but by choice, shapen in iniquity and utterly void by nature of that holiness required by the law of God, positively inclined to evil, guilty and without excuse, justly deserving the condemnation of a just and holy God. (Gn. 1:27; Rom. 5:12, 19; Jn.3:6; Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:15-19; 8:7; Is. 53:6; Gen 6:12; 3:9-19; Eph. 2:3; Rom. 1:18, 32; 2:1-16; Mt. 20:15; Gal. 3:10; Ez.18:19, 20; Rom. 1:20; Rom. 3:19; Gal. 3:22)
Questions and Scripture
How would you articulate a Christian doctrine of creation? Why is that important? How will you use a theology of creation to help people to whom you minister?
What do you believe about the nature of mankind (Romans 5:12, 19; 3:23)?
Consider Romans 3:23 and Romans 5:12, 19. What does this tell us about ourselves?
What makes the fall relatable to everyone? How does it explain the painful struggles we face today?
Class Notes