Introduction:  The scriptures present man as being significantly different from all other "animals." Man has dominion over the animal creation, for instance (Gen. 1: 28). Unlike mere animals, man was created in the image of God (Gen. 1: 26). Man is presented as a triune being, having body, soul, and spirit (I Thes. 5: 23). Man is a complex being having social and spiritual needs (Gen. 2: 18, Eccl. 12: 13, see "The Truth about Man" elsewhere in Archives).

I. The origin of man

  A. All men, regardless of race, have the same origin. The Bible and science reveal this common origin (Acts 17: 26).

  B. Man is not the product of mindless organic evolution or natural selection. The first book of the Bible opens with "In the beginning God…" (Gen. 1: 1). The next words are, "…God created…." God created man, male and female (Gen. 1: 27, 2: 7, 22). Male and female were "simultaneously" created by God (Darwinian evolution can not begin to explain the concurrent beginning of the male and female species).

  C. The Genesis' account of creation is not something man can reject and still claim to believe the Bible. Jesus himself confirmed the Genesis' account (Matt. 19: 4-6).

   a. Hence, to reject Genesis is tantamount to rejecting Jesus! Unless man accepts his origin and the relevant circumstances, he has no hope in ever determining his real purpose in this life.

II. The fall of man

  A. God indeed blessed the progenitors of mankind in their garden state (Gen. 1: 28). Their surrounding and environment was indescribably beautiful and sufficient (Gen. 2: 8, 9-15).

  B. Man's paradise, though,  was conditional (Gen. 2: 17). God said, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Adam and Eve were free moral agents. Alas, they made a choice that would affect all men thereafter; they chose to sin (Gen. 3, I Jn. 3: 4).

  C. The devil employed all three avenues of temptation, the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (Gen. 3: 6). He distorted and perverted God's command (been doing so ever since, Gen. 3: 1 ff.). Eve looked, physically desired, and did eat and thus sinned. While Adam also sinned, Eve was deceived by the devil (I Tim. 2: 14).

  D. Appreciate the fact that God's commandments and the keeping of them stood between remaining in God's paradise and expulsion. God's law was plain and capable of being obeyed. Nonetheless, man disobeyed.

   a. The devil knew he had to discredit and belittle God's law in order to succeed and so he focused on deprecating the law God had given to Adam and Eve (cf. Ps. 119: 89, 93, 94, 97, 103-105).

  E. Adam and Eve sinned and thus experienced the results of sin.

   a. Alienation from God and his paradise were first in their terrible deprivations (Gen. 3: 22-24).

   b. Many of the original consequences of the sin of the first parents have come upon all men (Gen. 3: 16-19). However, the original sin itself has not been transmitted or imputed, as such (Ezek. 18, Rom. 5). "The soul that sinneth, it shall die…," wrote the prophet (Ezek. 18: 20). Adam did introduce sin into the world, though, and thus create an environment in which sin could prosper (Rom. 5: 12 ff.).

III. The redemption of man

  A. The good news is man can be released from the bondage of sin. The release payment is called "redemption" (exagorazo), "…denotes to buy out (ex for ek), especially of purchasing a slave with a view to his freedom" (Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words).

   a. The Romans had been the servants of sin, Paul wrote, "but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine…being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness" (Rom. 6: 17, 18).

   b. This redemption is the result of Jesus' shed blood and is located in Christ (Eph. 1: 7).

   c. "In Christ" is tantamount to being in Christ' spiritual body, the church (Gal. 3: 26, 27, I Cor. 12: 13). We are baptized into Christ, Paul taught the Galatians (Gal. 3: 27). In writing to the Corinthians the same apostle wrote, "For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body…" (I Cor. 12: 13). In Christ there is no condemnation, there are all spiritual blessings, and salvation (Rom. 8: 1, Eph. 1: 3, 2 Tim. 2: 10).