Fallen from Grace
Transcript:
Hello this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.
No philosophy or religion has a higher and more dignified perspective on human nature than the Bible. It tells us that God created us in His own image, fully righteous and holy. We were not created sinful, but good.
This means that sin is an interloper. It is not intrinsic to human nature, but a corruption of human nature. It comes not from being faithful to our humanness, but from rebelling against it. When we sin, we are destroying our true humanity.
God made us for covenant relationship with Himself—to be His special creatures. By trusting and obeying Him, we were meant to show forth His beauty to all creation.
Unfortunately, we were not content with this. In our sin, we deemed it not good enough to be mere creatures, displaying the beauty of our Creator. Rather, we determined to be our own creators. We didn’t want to reflect God’s glory; we wanted to create our own. How foolish! This is like a mirror wanting to reflect itself!
The irony of such madness is that no other creature had been given such an exalted status! We alone were made in the image and likeness of God. What more could we ask for? Yet, sadly, we were deceived and so demanded more. Thus, we fell and became less. Our humanity plunged into sin, and this sin has irreparably corrupted our human nature. As Genesis 6 puts it:
5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…. 12 for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.
This infection of sin is so bad that it leaves us utterly hopeless, desperately needing the intervention of a Savior.
Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.
“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.’ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”
~Genesis 6:5-8 (ESV)
*Below, we are appending some basic catechism questions that go along with this Kingdom Perspective. A catechism is a classical Christian teaching device, helping both children and adults better understand the unique claims of the Bible. Below, you will find questions taken from both a children’s catechism and a more advanced catechism. For the full catechisms, you may go to our website by clicking here.
Questions for Kids: A Basic Catechism for Children
21. What were Adam and Eve like when God made them?
They were very good.
22. Did Adam and Eve remain good?
No, they sinned.
23. What is sin?
Disobedience to God’s law.
An Advanced Catechism
15. What special act of providence did God exercise toward man when he was first created?
When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him, upon condition of perfect obedience; (Galatians 3:12) forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon pain of death. (Genesis 2:17)
16. Did our first parents continue in the state in which they were created?
Our first parents being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the state in which they were created, by sinning against God, (Ecclesiastes 7:29) by eating the forbidden fruit. (Genesis 3:6-8)
17. What is sin?
Sin is any lack of conformity to, or transgression of the law of God. (1 John 3:4)