What the Bible Contains: Pt. 3 The state of man and the way of salvation.
Good morning...
We have seen that the Bible reveals the mind of God to man. Now, we will see how the Bible reveals to us the state of man.
Mankind's original state: Made from dirt!
Genesis 2:7-8 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 soul. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
Jehovah Elohim formed man out of dust. That fact alone should give us pause to wonder why it is that so many people seem to have an inflated view of self? After all, we are essentially made from dirt.
Jehovah Elohim then breathed life into Adam and gave man a soul. It is of interest that God designed us to do work. Now, the type of work we may perform varies greatly from person to person, but the idea is that we were made for doing some form of work. God put Adam in the garden of Eden so that he could care for it.
Mankind's original state: a moral being.
Genesis 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 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.
God made man with the ability to make moral choices. He did this so that man could make choices to obey what God commanded. In this case there were many trees in the garden and Adam was free to eat from every one except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
God gave Adam a free will to exercise and make moral choices. He outlined the consequences of disobedience for Adam's understanding. Adam was not born a sinner like you and me. God formed him and gave him intellectual and moral qualities. God gave Adam clear boundaries and the opportunity to obey and be blessed or to disobey and suffer the consequences.
We know the story that unfolds in Genesis 3. The devil came in the form of a serpent to tempt Adam and his wife, Eve. Eve sinned first by listening to the devil's lie and ate from the forbidden tree. She gave it to Adam and he also ate. Both humans who were previously without sin fell into sin.
Mankind's current state: Depravity and death.
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:
Adam and Eve became sinners and the original close relationship with their Creator was broken. Also, every child born to Adam and Eve would be sinners at birth. The experience of death and the curse upon the earth were long term consequences of their sin. Death passed upon all due to their sin.
Romans 3:10-18 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
The text above is a well known section called "Romans Road" and it shows us the state of every person today. We are born as a spiritually dead, depraved people. It is certainly not a pretty picture of humanity however, our Great God did not leave us in this hopeless state.
God made a way of salvation through Jesus Christ.
God made a way to restore Adam and Eve right away. He judged their sin and told them how the consequences would impact their lives. God took an innocent animal and sacrificed it. Its life was forfeited, its blood was shed and its skin became a covering for Adam & Eve.
All of this was a preview of what Jesus Christ would do when He hung and died on the cross as an innocent substitute who died in our place for our sins.
Rom 3:21-22 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Most of you know by now that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:19-20; Revelation 13:8). The Godhead of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit acted in concert to plan for the sacrifice of Christ at the right moment in time. Jesus would make an end to all sins, defeat death, hell and the devil.
Paul tells us the awful news about our sin separating us from God but in the same text, the Spirit of God inspired Paul to tell us that righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ was available to all who hear the gospel and respond with repentant faith.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
This is why the preaching of the cross of Christ is paramount. The gospel must be shared with the lost and we who are born again have the glad privilege to share the gospel and be witnesses for Christ.
Thoughts to Ponder...
First, the first Adam was formed by God as a mature, thinking, rational being with a soul and the ability to make moral choices. Then, after they sinned, the children of Adam and Eve were born sinners. They were shown what pleased God and had to personally choose to obey and be blessed or disobey and be cursed.
Second, God in exercising great grace made a way to restore Adam and Eve although the new relationship would be different from what it originally was. They no longer could stay in the garden but their sins were covered by the killing of an innocent animal.
Have we thought about being born a sinner and even when born again, still carrying around flesh that has no good thing in it?
Have we thought about the great lengths God took to make a way of salvation for the whole world through His Son, Jesus Christ?
These things are very humbling and yet fill our hearts with joy for a Savior who was willing to save us and who loved us even when we were still sinners and enemies of God.
Romans 5:8-10 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Bob
We have seen that the Bible reveals the mind of God to man. Now, we will see how the Bible reveals to us the state of man.
Mankind's original state: Made from dirt!
Genesis 2:7-8 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 soul. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
Jehovah Elohim formed man out of dust. That fact alone should give us pause to wonder why it is that so many people seem to have an inflated view of self? After all, we are essentially made from dirt.
Jehovah Elohim then breathed life into Adam and gave man a soul. It is of interest that God designed us to do work. Now, the type of work we may perform varies greatly from person to person, but the idea is that we were made for doing some form of work. God put Adam in the garden of Eden so that he could care for it.
Mankind's original state: a moral being.
Genesis 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 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.
God made man with the ability to make moral choices. He did this so that man could make choices to obey what God commanded. In this case there were many trees in the garden and Adam was free to eat from every one except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
God gave Adam a free will to exercise and make moral choices. He outlined the consequences of disobedience for Adam's understanding. Adam was not born a sinner like you and me. God formed him and gave him intellectual and moral qualities. God gave Adam clear boundaries and the opportunity to obey and be blessed or to disobey and suffer the consequences.
We know the story that unfolds in Genesis 3. The devil came in the form of a serpent to tempt Adam and his wife, Eve. Eve sinned first by listening to the devil's lie and ate from the forbidden tree. She gave it to Adam and he also ate. Both humans who were previously without sin fell into sin.
Mankind's current state: Depravity and death.
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:
Adam and Eve became sinners and the original close relationship with their Creator was broken. Also, every child born to Adam and Eve would be sinners at birth. The experience of death and the curse upon the earth were long term consequences of their sin. Death passed upon all due to their sin.
Romans 3:10-18 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
The text above is a well known section called "Romans Road" and it shows us the state of every person today. We are born as a spiritually dead, depraved people. It is certainly not a pretty picture of humanity however, our Great God did not leave us in this hopeless state.
God made a way of salvation through Jesus Christ.
God made a way to restore Adam and Eve right away. He judged their sin and told them how the consequences would impact their lives. God took an innocent animal and sacrificed it. Its life was forfeited, its blood was shed and its skin became a covering for Adam & Eve.
All of this was a preview of what Jesus Christ would do when He hung and died on the cross as an innocent substitute who died in our place for our sins.
Rom 3:21-22 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Most of you know by now that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:19-20; Revelation 13:8). The Godhead of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit acted in concert to plan for the sacrifice of Christ at the right moment in time. Jesus would make an end to all sins, defeat death, hell and the devil.
Paul tells us the awful news about our sin separating us from God but in the same text, the Spirit of God inspired Paul to tell us that righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ was available to all who hear the gospel and respond with repentant faith.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
This is why the preaching of the cross of Christ is paramount. The gospel must be shared with the lost and we who are born again have the glad privilege to share the gospel and be witnesses for Christ.
Thoughts to Ponder...
First, the first Adam was formed by God as a mature, thinking, rational being with a soul and the ability to make moral choices. Then, after they sinned, the children of Adam and Eve were born sinners. They were shown what pleased God and had to personally choose to obey and be blessed or disobey and be cursed.
Second, God in exercising great grace made a way to restore Adam and Eve although the new relationship would be different from what it originally was. They no longer could stay in the garden but their sins were covered by the killing of an innocent animal.
Have we thought about being born a sinner and even when born again, still carrying around flesh that has no good thing in it?
Have we thought about the great lengths God took to make a way of salvation for the whole world through His Son, Jesus Christ?
These things are very humbling and yet fill our hearts with joy for a Savior who was willing to save us and who loved us even when we were still sinners and enemies of God.
Romans 5:8-10 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Bob
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