CORE DISCIPLESHIP
from JOSHUA NATIONS
Core Foundations - Lesson 2
WHERE DOES MAN COME FROM?
Man originated in an act of special creation by God on the 6th
day of the Creator’s works. Genesis 1:26-31.
Man was fashioned from the dust of the earth, yet somehow was also made in the image of God.
God breathed life into Adam, the first man, and then formed Eve from one of his ribs. Genesis 2:7, 21-24.
There are four main beliefs about the origin of man:
Evolution or Darwinism. The concept that all living organisms arose from a simple cell. Things went from the simple to the complex up to the origin of man.
Theistic Evolution. The belief that God ordered and directed the evolutionary process. God produced the first life forms, but then God merely superintended the process of evolution.
This belief denies the true and literal account of creation in Genesis 1.
Pantheism. This theory goes back to the ancient religion of Hinduism. It is the belief that “all is God” or “God is everything.” According to pantheism, God permeates all things, contains all things, connects to all things, and is found in all things. Nothing exists isolated from God, and everything is in some way identified with God. The world is God, and God is the world. All is God, and God is all.
Special Creation. A Biblically-oriented belief that God (through a series of supernatural acts) created the world and all life forms in a relatively brief period of time. This belief interprets the Biblical account as literal and agrees with the Scriptural account of Creation.
DISTORTED AND FALSE VIEWS OF MAN.
Man is just a biological machine.
In this modern age, mankind has made many advances. People become specialized in certain areas and may be identified by what they do rather than what they are. We tend to value people for what they can contribute or how useful they are to us, rather than by the kinds of persons they are.
We come to regard people as means to an end rather than as people who are important in their own right.
We treat them like a valuable object so long as they serve a useful funtion.
Man is just an animal.
When we look at the human body, it has many physical functions similar to those of animals. Humans and animals eat, drink, and reproduce; they have a heart that pumps blood and a stomach that digests food. Eyes, ears, and nose correspond in their functions to animals. Our behavior can resemble that of animals. We are creatures of habit; we learn things by doing them over and over. Like a dog, man is motivated by reward.
Man is just an accident of nature.
Knowledge of the universe can make man aware of his own “smallness” or “insignificance.” This can lead people to think they are not important at all.
Some people argue that man’s uniqueness is purely accidental; he is a product of chance in a vast and impersonal universe. Such a view has led modern man to experience a deep sense of hopelessness and despair. Man then contemplates, “What is the purpose of life if we are just an accident?”
Read the following Scriptures and summarize what each one indicates about the creation of man:
Genesis 2:7 Isaiah 45:12
Genesis 2:21-22 Jeremiah 27:5
Job 10:8 Malachi 2:10
Job 33:4 Acts 17:24-27
Psalm 100:3 Revelation 4:11
MAN IS MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD. In Genesis it says, “And God said, ‘Let us make man in our likeness.’” What does this mean?
Dignity Man has great significance and importance (dignity, value, and worth). Only a created being has these attributes.
The animal kingdom does not have this.
Dominion Man becomes a vice-regent in the earth to reflect God.
All of the world is put under the rule of mankind. Genesis 1:26, Psalm 8:6, Hebrews 2:8, James 3:7-9.
Mentality Man is rational and intellectual; he can think and reason. Man has the capacity to know God and build relationship with Him. God gives the ability for knowledge and reason. Job 38:36, Proverbs 1:5.
Morality Man was created to reflect the divine image of God in holiness, righteousness, truth, love, and goodness. Man was created ethical. Every person has some degree of a God-given sense of right and wrong. As followers of Jesus, this ethic and morality are heightened by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:23-24, Psalm 51:3, 1 John 4:6.
Social capacity The Father has fellowship with the Son and Holy Spirit, and He knew that it was not good for man to be alone. Genesis 2:18, 1 Corinthians 1:9.
Work capacity God gave man dominion and work to do. God is at work and has been working since creation. Genesis 2:15,
Colossians 1:15-20, John 5:17.
Practical truths about being created in the image of God:
Man can have communication with God. If there were no similarity between God and man, such communion would be impossible. It would be like a man trying to speak with an ant. Hebrews 1:1-3, Ephesians 3:12, Hebrews 4:16.
How awesome that God made us like Himself so that we can speak to each other!
Man can have communion with all people. Mankind consists of many races, languages, religions, and cultures. We may not be able to completely understand people from different cultures and may even fail to understand our neighbor, but we can still work to develop a correct understanding of them and their cultures.
Human life is sacred, and all people are equal in value. Human life is of the highest value. God values human life so much that He gave Himself for humanity. The value of one’s life is not based on how wealthy, beautiful, or intelligent a person may be. This truth, recognized by all of humanity, is called “human rights.” We are all made in His image. A person’s race, color, and culture do not affect his worth as a human being. John 3:16,
Romans 5:8, James 3:9-10.
Not only is human life itself sacred, but each human being has the same value in God’s eyes.
MAN FALLS BY COMMITTING SIN. The image of God in man became warped because of the fall of Adam. God’s image in man can only be restored by the grace of Jesus Christ and a relationship with Him who takes away sin. 1 Corinthians 15:22, Colossians 3:10.
Genesis 3 is a pivotal chapter in our understanding of man.
The subtlety of the serpent Genesis 3:1-6
The serpent appealed to Eve’s intellect instead of her heart. (in which was her innermost sense of rule.) The serpent deceived Eve with an attack on the word of God. He challenges the authorship, accuracy, and acceptability of God’s Word through his questions directed to Eve, “Did God really say?” “Did He say you shall not eat of every tree?”
"Subtle" means wise, full of wisdom, or crafty.
The serpent challenges the outcomes of the Word. “You will not surely die.” The serpent denies God’s Word and concludes with a delusion saying, “your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
The success of the serpent Genesis 3:7-8. When they ate the fruit, their innocence was lost, and spiritual life was eliminated. Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together and made themselves clothes as an attempt to cover their shame. Four principles to learn:
Man must have an adequate covering in order to approach God.
Fig leaves are unacceptable because they are man’s
handiwork.
God must provide and make the covering.
The covering that would eventually be provided by God was Jesus.
Consequences of the sin Genesis 3:9-24. God calls to Adam and Adam tries to explain what happened. God sentenced the serpent. God gives simple insight that there will be an ongoing conflict between the serpent (Satan) and the woman’s Seed (Jesus). Genesis 3:14-15. Adam and Eve received the sentence and learned of the repercussions due to their disobedience. Each would strive, toil, and experience pain for the remainder of their lives. Additionally, they learned that their lives would have an end.
Genesis 3:16-19, 22.
WHAT IS SIN? Sin is the basic and fundamental problem with human nature and society. Its definition ranges from a loose “anything that hurts others” to “the conscious breaking of God’s commandments” and “any thought speech, action, or state of soul which is not in complete harmony with the perfect will of God and the urgings of the Holy Spirit.”
Man’s attempt to minimize the issue of sin. (The following are examples of excuses that are often made.)
Man is intrinsically good. Mankind has no problem and underneath it all his condition is fine. The more we believe people are okay, the better the situation will be.
Man is on the way up. Although his situation is not the best, the situation will improve as he matures. He is inherently good.
Man is not sufficiently enlightened and suffers from ignorance. Education will help man know more so he can overcome the problems that he has.
Man’s problem is the suppression of himself. Therefore he
needs to throw off all restraints and constraints.
Sin is not a reality but an illusion. Man is born with conditions and is not responsible for his actions.
God cannot be regarded as the author of sin.
God is without iniquity. Deuteronomy 32:4.
It is far from God to commit wickedness and iniquity. Job 34:10.
God cannot be tempted with evil and neither does He tempt
man. James 1:13.
Original sin. Man is lost and separated from God living in spiritual death. Sin is a therefore both a state and an action. Through Adam and without Christ, all men have sin imputed to them and must suffer the penalty of death. Psalm 51:5, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23. Christ came to restore the image of God and deliver the regenerated sinner from death. 1 Corinthians 15:22.
Because of Adam's sin, everyone after had a distorted image of God.
Definition and descriptions of sin:
The personal act of one’s turning away from God and His will. It is the transgression of God’s law and is against the person of God. Psalm 51:4.
Sin is to miss the mark, to fall short of the glory of God, to miss the aim of God. God has standards and expectations for us to meet, but we fall short. Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12, Hebrews 3:13.
Transgression. Crossing over the line. To trespass or transgress gives the idea we should keep out or away from certain things. 1 John 3:4, Romans 4:15, Hebrews 2:1-3.
Sin is bending of that which is right and was straight. 2 Samuel 24:17, Romans 1:21, 6:13.
"Righteous" means straight.
Sin is rebellion against God. 1 Samuel 15:23, Isaiah 1:2.
Sin is a debt; man owes God for his sin. Matthew 6:12.
Sin is disobedience. Disobedience can be direct or indirect. James 4:17.
Sins of omission and sins commission.
Sin is the absence of God’s likeness. All unrighteousness is sin. 1 John 5:17, 1 John 3:4, Romans 6:23, Romans 14:23.
Sin is selfish, prideful, and vain. It usurps the place of God. Isaiah 1:10-14.
Sin is iniquity; wrongdoing to the moral universe of God.Galatians 5:19-21.
All sin is against His holiness, love, and truth; violating His commands. Psalm 51:4.
Sin can be toward or against others.
Injustice Leviticus 19:13.
Selfishness Matthew 16:26.
Corruption Psalm 51:5.
Believers must avoid sin. Matthew 5:48, 2 Corinthians 7:1.
The Holy Spirit has been given to guide our behavior.
1 Corinthians 2:9-15.
Believers who do err will confess their sins, knowing that Jesus is the believer’s advocate with the Father. 1 John 2:1.
What do we do when we sin?
Repent and turn away from sin.
Live in the truths of God’s word.
Confess what the Word says we are.
Set boundaries and safeguards to help steer away from sin in the future.