What the Bible Teaches about Man
It has been said that the big questions everyone wants to know are: Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?
Various movies and books over the years have been produced that deal with the topic of purpose and meaning and a search for an understanding of who we are and why we are here.
Those questions are in all of us at some point. The great news is that man comes with an instruction manual that explains who he is, where he came from, why he is here, and where he is going – it is called the Bible.
Man is created by God (Genesis 1:26-28)
Created Unique (v.26) – On the sixth day of creation, God paused and did something special when he made man. He paused and had some kind of counsel about man. Man would be the crowning work of His creation and would be the who would be in charge of God’s creation (v.26,28)
Created in God’s Image (v.26-27) – Made with qualities that are like or resemble God.
- Not a physical likeness – God does not have a body, though He has used the form of a human body when appearing to man.
- A personality likeness:
- A mind capable of hearing and understanding God’s communications with him.
- Emotions capable of responding to God in love and devotion
- A will which can make choices, whether or not to obey God
- A moral likeness – Man only, of all creatures, has a spirit or God-consciousness.
- Man has the ability to know God and spiritually commune with Him through prayer, praise, and worship.
- Plants have body and unconscious life; animals have body and conscious life (“soul”); humans have body, conscious life (“soul” – intellect, emotions, and will), and spirit (God-consciousness). 1 Thess 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Some see in this three-part being a reflection of the Trinity.
- A social likeness
- God’s social nature and intrinsic love is seen in the Trinity.
- God – who is love – created man with a social nature and a need for love.
- Adam and Eve enjoyed talking with God on a daily basis probably. (Genesis 3:8)
- God provided for human fellowship and love in a very special and intimate way through marriage. (Genesis 2:18-24)
Created male and female (v.26)
- Man (mankind) was created male and female
- Both man and woman were created in the image of God and together would exercise dominion over God’s creation
- But man and woman were made physically diverse in order to accomplish His command of being fruitful and multiplying
- They were to be a team working together to carry out God’s plan and purposes on the earth – serving and glorifying God together
- Read Genesis 2:4-8,15,18-25
Application – what does this mean for us today
- You and I are no accident; that we are made intentionally by God for a very special purpose.
- We have the wonderful privilege to know and to worship God.
- We need to accept who we are and how God made us (our make-up, our gender, our birthrank, our family, our background, our strengths/weakness) – and live our lives to know and glorify God.
- Psalm 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Marvellous are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well.
Man is separated from God by sin (Genesis 3:1-24).
Man sinned against God (Genesis 3:1-6).
- Man was originally created morally innocent and positively holy which is why He could talk with God (3:8) and why God said everything He made was “very good” (1:31).
- But then man sinned against God and was alienated (cut off) from God and from one another.
- v.1 Satan in the form of the serpent entered the world and tempted man to sin
- He questioned God’s Word (v.1); denied God’s Word (v.4), and sowed doubt in man’s heart about God’s goodness (v.5).
- v.6 The fruit of the forbidden tree was not seen in a different light and so the woman took and gave to her husband.
- The woman was deceived but Adam knew what He was doing and he would be held responsible as the head of the human race.
- 1 Timothy 2:14 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
- Romans 5: 12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
All men are sinners.
- By nature – the sin nature of Adam is passed on to every child
- Born in sin. Psalm 51:5 5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.
- Heart is wicked. Jeremiah 17:9 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
- We sin because we are sinners. James 1:14 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
- The problem is not out there but in here. Matthew 15:19–20 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
- By choice
- Romans 3:23 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
- Psalm 14:2–3 2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: There is none that doeth good, no, not one.
- 1 John 1:8–10 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Sin separates man from God (Genesis 3:7-24).
- There was an immediate difference when man sinned.
- v.7 They knew shame and fear.
- v.8-11 They were afraid of God.
- v.12-13 They began to blame one another and make excuses.
- v.14-24 The serpent, the woman, the man, the land, and all of creation was affected by sin.
- v.15 an enmity (hostility) between Satan and mankind
- v.16 pain in child-bearing, sorrow in the world, struggle between men and women
- v.17 ground cursed and sorrow
- v.18 thorns and thistles
- v.19 sweat and hard work
- v.23 driven from the garden
- All of mankind and all of creation was affect by the fall.
- The world we live in is groaning and travailing together waiting for redemption (release) from the curse of sin (Romans 8:18-23).
What this means for us today.
- We are born into a fallen world.
- We are born with a sin nature.
- We are born cut off from God.
Man cannot save himself (Genesis 3:7,21).
- The sin problem of man is not something he can solve on his own.
- The fig leaf aprons that man created were not sufficient to cover his nakedness which is why God had to kill and animal and created coasts of skins.
- The leave aprons are a type of man’s efforts to save himself, which man has been trying to do for generations and still has not succeeded.
- All through the generations, men would try to do things their own way to make themselves right.
- Cain with his fruit.
- Nimrod with the tower of Babel.
- Jeroboam with his alternative alter.
- All through the generations, every man who we think might be the deliverer fails and has some flaw.
- All through the generations, men would try to do things their own way to make themselves right.
- This is one of the hardest concepts for man to grasp – you can’t do it.
- We want to keep trying harder and harder, but we still fail.
- No amount of political, social, economic, or religious reform will ever make man good enough.
- Read Romans 3:9-20.
- Everyone Jew and Gentile is in the same boat – unrighteous before God.
- The law cannot make men righteous; it only shows how unrighteous even the ones who think they are righteous are.
- The law just shows us how sinful we are and that we cannot justify ourselves in His sight.
What this means…
- We cannot fix our problems.
- We are lost and unable to save ourselves.
- We need to turn from whatever it is we are thinking will rescue us.
Man’s only hope is Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21-28).
- v.21 There is a righteousness that man can have that comes without having to keep the law.
- v.21 This righteousness is on that the law and the prophets pointed to and witnesses about.
- v.22 This righteousness comes by faith of Jesus to all and upon all who believe – there is no difference.
- v.23 All have sinned and come short and so all need a Saviour.
- v.24 All men then can be justified (declared righteous) freely by God’s grace through the redemption (paying the ransom price) that is in Christ Jesus.
- v.25 Christ Jesus was chosen by God to be the propitiation (mercyseat – means of satisfying God’s wrath against sin) for those who believe on Him and His shed blood.
- v.25 In this way, God declares His righteousness in forgiving past sins and being patience (forbearance of God) toward sin.
- v.26 Because of Christ’s sacrifice, God is righteous in forgiving those who believe on Him because He is both just (sin was paid for), and the justified (able to forgive) those who believe in Jesus.
- What this means…
- There is only one way to be made right with God and be forgiven – believe on Jesus Christ.
- You must get to the point where you recognise you cannot save yourself and that Christ is your only hope.
- You must them completely trust in Him.
- Notice that nothing you do has any merit (v.27-28) – no rule/law keeping, no work – church, baptism, Lord’s supper, none of it.
- The salvation of humanity rests totally upon the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, received by grace through faith.
- Have you believe on Jesus in this way?
Man will spend eternity somewhere forever (Revelation 20:11-15).
- God made man eternal, which means that he will live somewhere forever. Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
- Death of the body is not the end – there is life after death for some and death after death for others.
- We will live somewhere forever – either rejoicing in God’s presence forever or separated from God’s presence forever.
- Daniel 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
- John 5:28-29 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
- The only way to guarantee you will die and go to heaven rather than die and go to hell and be cast into the lake of fire is to have your name written in the lamb’s book of life through faith in Jesus.
- Revelation 20:11–15 11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
CONCLUSION
- You have been created by God for a special reason and special purpose – to know God and to enjoy Him forever.
- Sin has cut you off from God and affected all of creation & humanity.
- God in His love sent Christ to reconcile you back to Himself.
- But you must believe to be saved. Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
- If you have believed on Jesus, then are you living for Him? are you serving Him? are you honouring HIm? Are you doing the work He has for you?
- Are you putting HIm first in your life? Are you showing you love Him by being His commands? Are you telling others about Him?
- Don’t be like the 9 lepers who were healed and never came back to say Thanks! Show your thankfulness by living your life to do God’s will!