As deep and pervasive as the effects of sin have been on humanity, our plight is not irreversible. The Bible speaks about the possibility of renewal and restoration of the image of God in us, at least to some degree. Study the following passages carefully: Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18; Eph. 4:23-24. What hope is presented? The Bible clearly holds … Continue reading –>
One of the many great obstacles for those who read evolution into the biblical creation account is the Fall. In the Bible, the world and humanity were perfect when created, a teaching that contradicts evolution at the most basic level. Only through transgression did suffering and death enter the world, a concept that’s contrary to … Continue reading –>
Whatever else it means to be “made in the image of God,” it also shows that we were made to be in relationships. What are those relationships, and how should we, made as we are, act in them? Read Genesis 2:19-20. What does that tell us right away about humanity’s relationship to the world? Notice the autonomy, … Continue reading –>
As we saw yesterday, Adam and, of course, Eve were literal people, not symbols or myths but actual flesh and blood beings made “in the image of God.” Obviously, being made in the image of God is something good, something sacred, something that bestows inherent value on us. What, however, does that really mean? Read Genesis … Continue reading –>
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Gen. 1:27). What does this text tell us about our origins that is so radically different, even openly contradictory, from other views of human beginnings, such as evolution? It is impossible to miss the … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Gen 1:27; 1:26; Mark 12:13-17; Gen. 2:19-25; Acts 17:26; Rom. 5:12-19. Memory Text: “Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves” (Psalm 100:3). Key Thought: God created humanity in His own image; sin defiled that image. God’s plan is to restore that image in us. A nineteenth-century … Continue reading –>
Read Ellen G. White, “Danger in Speculative Knowledge,” pp. 427-438, in The Ministry of Healing; “The Word Made Flesh,”pp. 746-749, in Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5; “Preface” and “Introduction,” pp. 5-7, in The Great Controversy. “God has been pleased to communicate His truth to the world by human agencies, and He Himself, by His Holy Spirit, qualified men and enabled … Continue reading –>
Even the most cursory reading of the Bible reveals that God is actively involved in humanity and in what happens here on earth. He is not distant, detached, removed, as some ancient Greek concepts of God taught, or even as some Christian theologians try to depict Him. Though radically different from what He created, the … Continue reading –>
The Bible reveals to us truths about God that we aren’t going to find anywhere else. Among those truths is that He is the Creator. In fact, that’s the first thing the Bible tells us about God, that He created “the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). One of the many fascinating things about this text … Continue reading –>
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). Understanding how inspiration works, however important, is only a means to an end, and that end is to know God. A deep understanding of how the Bible was written, or even a deep understanding of the truths revealed in it, mean … Continue reading –>
