Nature of Man – Seventh-day Adventist Fundamental Belief 7

Man and woman were made in the image of God with individuality, the power and freedom to think and to do. Though created free beings, each is an indivisible unity of body, mind, and spirit, dependent upon God for life and breath and all else. When our first parents disobeyed God, they denied their dependence upon Him and fell from their high position under God. The image of God in them was marred and they became subject to death. Their descendants share this fallen nature and its consequences. They are born with weaknesses and tendencies to evil. But God in Christ reconciled the world to Himself and by His Spirit restores in penitent mortals the image of their Maker. Created for the glory of God, they are called to love Him and one another, and to care for their environment. (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:7; Ps. 8:4-8; Acts 17:24-28; Gen. 3; Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:12-17; 2 Cor. 5:19, 20; Ps. 51:10; 1 John 4:7, 8, 11, 20; Gen. 2:15.)

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See also these Bible lessons from previous years:

  • The Nature of Man – series of 13 lessons from 1999b, covering subjects such as creation in the image of God, our physical nature, our social nature, condition in death, and more
  • In the Image of God (2.77MB PDF file) series of 13 lessons from 1975b, covering such subjects as the image of God, man and nature, man and death, man and eternal life, and the image of God restores.
  • On Death, Dying and the Future Hope – a series of lessons for the fourth quarter of 2024

 

Some blog posts touching on the subject follow:

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The Two Resurrections and the Second Death

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The Bible teaches two different resurrections. Jesus spoke of one resurrection for those who are saved, and another resurrection for those who are lost. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the … Continue reading –>

Male and Female – In His Image

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On that first morning, sweeter than a tree-ripened peach, more beautiful than a flowering valley, God felt a void. There amidst the verdure, the teeming animal life, the crystal, rushing water, something was missing. That something was us. “And God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male … Continue reading –>

I Could . . .

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Today in the U.S. we commemorate the signing of America’s Declaration of Independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. When we finally won the war in 1783, America (named the United States in 1777), became a “sovereign state.” Notice the word “reign” in “sovereign,” indicating that we reign over ourselves. Are you thankful as … Continue reading –>

Keeping Up Appearances

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Have you ever noticed that humans, as a group, tend to be extremely superficial and shallow? We expend enormous amounts of time, money, and energy making sure that we look a certain way – wear particular brands of clothes and shoes, dye our hair, even have surgery. We go to great lengths to change our … Continue reading –>

Punishment of the Wicked In Light of The Cross

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To me, the biggest lie out of the Dark Ages is not that Sabbath was changed to Sunday, or that when you die you go straight to heaven. To me, no lie distorts the character of my loving heavenly father like the lie that sinners will be tormented throughout the endless ages of eternity. Fact … Continue reading –>

Death and the Resurrection in Light of the Cross

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It’s that time of year when the leaves spring back onto barren trees and flowers bloom back to life. Every spring reminds me of the second coming and resurrection. I believe God lets everything die in the winter and come back in the spring to demonstrate for us His re-creation and resurrection power. Just as … Continue reading –>

Whatever

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Have you seen it?  The head-bob and the eye-roll?  You, the adult, have just said something that your teen has deemed – uh, less than intelligent or, at least, not pertinent to his or her current life situation.  I hate to admit, though, that I have also performed that little operation as well.  Usually just … Continue reading –>

Thursday: The Restoration of Relationship With God

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“Before the entrance of sin, Adam enjoyed open communion with his Maker.”–Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 7. After the Fall, however, that close relationship was radically altered in many ways. Read Genesis 3:24, Exodus 33:20, and Deuteronomy 5:24-26. What did sin do to the close relationship that existed between humanity and God? Sin had broken the relationship between … Continue reading –>

Monday: A Companion for Adam

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Genesis 2:20, in which Adam names the animals, helps to reveal the great gap between humans and other earthly creatures. There was no animal that was comparable to Adam. Not even among the apes was there any creature like Adam, because Adam was not like an ape. This is an important point for us to … Continue reading –>

Tuesday: Made of One Blood

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In Genesis 2:23, Adam is given the task of naming his wife, whom he called Havah. This word is related to the Hebrew verb hayah, which means “to live” (Jews sometimes use the related expression lehayim, “to life!”). The Hebrew word for “Eve” (Havah) can be translated as “life-giver.” Eve’s name represents the fact that she is the ancestor of all humans. We … Continue reading –>