My Creed: Mankind

MAN

Adam and Eve were created as mature, perfect, and righteous beings after God's spiritual image. They were spiritual beings with a body and soul and had all physical, emotional, and spiritual needs met by God. They did not have one need that was not met by God.

Adam and Eve, though their needs were all provided for, chose to go against God's command and ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which God placed in the middle of the garden of Eden. They sinned by choosing to go their own way and, in essence, set themselves up as their own god. God had previously promised that if they ate the fruit of the tree they would die. Therefore, when Adam and Eve partook of the fruit they died spiritually. This spiritual death resulted in a separation from God and eventually physical death.

Adam and Eve became parents of children after their own image. Since Adam and Eve themselves were spiritually dead, they could not pass on spiritual life to their descendants. Therefore, all who are born today are born spiritually dead; making them enemies with God, under bondage to sin, and without any spiritual understanding. They do not have the capacity to produce good that is acceptable to God, their hearts are wicked, and they do not even search after God.

God was not under any obligation to man to provide any type of solution to his problem. God would have been perfectly just and righteous to destroy Adam and Eve upon their act of disobedience. However, because of His grace and mercy, God provided a solution to the sin of man when He predestined the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, before the foundation of the world.

Jesus Christ voluntarily took the sin of the world upon Himself and made payment for that sin when He was crucified upon the cross. Jesus did not remain dead but was resurrected and given new life. God, in His grace, has chosen some out of fallen humanity to give this spiritual life to in order that they may glorify His name forever.

All mankind will exist for eternity. Those who have received the life of Christ will be forever with Him and will enjoy heaven and all the benefits of their new spiritual life. Those who do not receive new life will experience eternal condemnation and remain as they are, spiritually dead and separated from God forever.


SCRIPTURE REFERENCES BY PARAGRAPH

• Paragraph #1: Genesis 1:26;27; Genesis 2:7-9,16-18; Genesis 5:1,2; Deuteronomy 4:32; Job 31:15; Job 33:4; Psalmn 8:5; Psalm 119:73; Psalm 139:14; Isaiah 42:5; Isaiah 43:7; Hebrews 2:7,8
• Paragraph #2: Genesis 2:16,17; Genesis 3:4,5,14-24; Job 31:33; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Isaiah 43:27; Hosea 6:7; Romans 5:12-18; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22
• Paragraph #3: Genesis 5:3; Genesis 6:5-13; Genesis 8:21; Job 14:4; Job 15:14-16; Psalm 14:1-3; Psalm 51:5; Ecclesiastes 7:20,29; Ecclesiastes 8:11; Isaiah 1:5,6; Isaiah 48:8; Isaiah 53:6; Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:19; Romans 3:9-23; Romans 5:12; Romans 8:7; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 2:1-3; Ephesians 4:18
• Paragraph #4: Genesis 3:15; Genesis 6:5-13; Genesis 15:6; Deuteronomy 9:4-6; Job 10:12; Psalm 94:17,18; Romans 5:2-8,15-21; Acts 2:22-36; Revelation 13:8
• Paragraph #5: John 1:29; John 3:16; John 5:21-24; John 6:38-40; Romans 3:22-24; Romans 5:6-8,21; Romans 9:10-16; Romans 11:5; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; Ephesians 1:5-12; Colossians 2:8-15
• Paragraph #6: Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:46; Mark 3:29; Luke 20:36; John 3:14-21; John 5:24-29; John 6:40-47; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:10; 1 John 5:11-13; Revelation 14:10,11; Revelation 20:10