Theology
by WordExplain
Bringing Truths from Different Books of the Bible into Focus, Perspective, and Understanding.
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Theology by WordExplain Bringing Truths from Different Books of the Bible into Focus, Perspective, and Understanding. |
"Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart." Genesis 6:5-6 |
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 When God created
Man on the sixth day of creation, God created him in his own Likeness
and Image (Gen.
1:26-27). This cannot mean a physical likeness, for
God is Spirit (John
4:24). There are at least four ways in which God
made man like Himself. God made man, like Himself, a Creative
being, a Sovereign being; a Moral being; and a being with a
fully developed Personality.
Tragically, when man sinned (Gen. 3:1-6), there followed disastrous consequences. Not only did man alienate himself from God, but the image of God in Man was deeply marred. Man's Creativity became marred, as did his Sovereignty, his Morality, and his Personality ... A. CREATIVITY:
In
the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:7-25), man had been alive
spiritually and physically, and able to pass that life on to his
children. But now that he had deliberately disobeyed God (Gen. 3:1-6),
he lost his innocence (Gen. 3:7), and he became afraid of God,
spiritually dead and dying physically. Adam retained his ability to
pass on physical life to his descendants. He could still create
physical life. But instead of passing on immortal life to
his descendants, Adam passed on sin and decaying physical life that
ended in disease, deformity, and death. Man's Creativity had
been terribly marred....
1. Genesis 3:8-10 Man became afraid of God and hid from him. This was a sign that he was spiritually dead – separated from God. 2. Genesis 3:16 Now as part of God's curse on Eve, there was pain in childbirth. 3. Genesis 5:1-32 Everyone died physically. 4. Romans 5:12-14 Adam passed on sin and death to all his descendants. B. SOVEREIGNTY:
God
had given man the job of subduing the earth; of ruling over the fish,
the birds and every living thing on the land (Gen.
1:26-28). This was to have been a
happy cooperation between man and animals.
1.
But now... Genesis
3:21 Animals had to die for man's
benefit.
2.
Genesis
3:17-19 The ground was cursed; thorns
and thistles began to grow; work became burdensome; man would decay and
return to the dust.
3.
Genesis
9:2-3 Because of man’s persistent
corruption and violence, God covered the entire globe with a flood
(Gen. 6-8). After the flood, man would
be permitted to eat animals because of the changes in nature. Animals
would now fear man. The earth, over which man had been given dominion,
bears everywhere, in its altered topography (layers
of water-born
sediment) and billions
of fossils, the marks of this
catastrophic judgment caused by man’s rebellion
against God.
C. MORALITY:
God
had created man with a Holy Moral Nature. But now he had an Evil Moral
Nature – a tendency to do the bad things instead of the good.
1.
Genesis
4:5-8; 1 John
3:12 Man early in history committed
the first murder. Cain killed his brother out of jealousy.
2.
Genesis
6:5-7, 13 The earth became “filled with
violence.” The thoughts of man's heart are “only evil continually."
D.
PERSONALITY: God
had made man with intellect, emotions, will and communication that was
always and only holy and good. But now...
1. Mind:
Man lost the ability to think and perceive the way God
had first created him.
a.
Romans
1:21-22 Failing to honor God, mankind,
though “professing to be wise, ... became fools.
b.
Ephesians
4:17-18 Man’s mind is futile; man’s
understanding has been "darkened.
c.
Romans
1:28-32. Man’s mind is depraved.
2.
Emotions:
Man’s heart is deceitful, darkened and
hardened. He becomes obsessed with sexual immorality.
a. Jer. 17:9 Man’s heart is deceitful and “desperately sick.” b. Rom. 1:21 Man’s “foolish heart was darkened.” c. Rom. 1:21-24 God gave mankind’s lustful hearts over to sexual impurity. d. Rom.
1:25-27 Because mankind exchanged
God’s truth for a lie and worshiped the creation instead of
the Creator, God gave mankind over to "degrading passions."
e. Ephesians 4:18 Man has “hardness” of heart. f. Ephesians 4:19 People are callous, "past feeling." 3. Will: Man persistently chooses to disobey God and turn aside from Him. a. Isaiah
53:6 Each of us, like sheep, turns
aside and follows his own way.
b. Romans
3:11-12 There is no human being who
really seeks after God. Every human turns aside to
his own way.
4. Communication: Man’s speech is as corrupt and deadly as the grave, as searing as a fire. a. Psalm 5:9 Man’s speech is unreliable, destructive, and disingenuous flattery. b. Romans 3:13-14 Man’s speech is filled with deceit, cursing and bitterness. c. James 3:6 The human tongue is motivated by hell and scorches everything in its proximity. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being man’s original creation and 1 being as low as possible, how would you now rate "The Image of God in Man?" 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 So the Image of God is still there in man, but it is sadly tarnished, stained and broken. It is only a shadow of what it once was. What effect does this stained image have upon the long-term relationship between God and man? The relationship is ruined – broken beyond man's ability to repair! No person who has the image of God within him stained or marred in any degree can spend eternity with a completely holy and perfect God. That is why we need to be made a "new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17) in Jesus Christ, with a Holy Moral Character our goal – so we can live with God forever. We call this "Salvation." Have you been saved from God's judgment so you can live with God forever? How Sin Marred the Image of God in Man by James T. Bartsch, WordExplain.com Email Contact: jbartsch@wordexplain.com First Published July, 2007, updated
February 17, 2022 Scriptures referenced are from the NASB 1995. WordExplain
by James T. Bartsch
(Scripture quotations taken from the NASB 1995. Used by Permission.) Search WordExplain.com here. This
page updated February 17, 2022
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