MAN

The word for “man” in the Greek, in which the New Testament was written, is “anthropos” which is the general term for Man which includes both females and males.  There are other words in the Greek which specify male or female.  You can see that we get the word “anthropology” from “anthropos.”  The word for “man” in the Hebrew, in which the Old Testament was written, is “awdawm” which is also the generic term for Man.  There are specific words in the Hebrew for male and female.

1. Created in the Image of God

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26, KJV)

If you notice there is discussion in heaven concerning the creation of man.  Look at the phrases “our image” and “our likeness.”  The discussion was between God the Father and God the Son.  When Adam and Eve were created, they were created in the image and likeness of God.  They were created in sinless perfection according to the likeness and image of God the Father and God the Son.

God created Adam first and then he created Eve.

1. Adam - Genesis 1:27

2. Eve – Genesis 2:21-23

2. Before the Fall

Before the fall into sin, Adam and Eve were placed in a pristine environment called the Garden of Eden.  The name “Eden” means “pleasure or delight.”  This was a place of purity since sin had not yet entered the world. 

1. Eden – Genesis 2:8

2. Free to eat from all the trees – Genesis 2:16

3. The one prohibition – Genesis 2:17

4. Animals formed out of the ground as man was – Genesis 2:19

5. Adam receives Eve which was the first marriage in the Bible – Genesis 2:21-25

6. Satan makes his first appearance – Genesis 3:1

7. Eve’s big mistake, instead of rebuking Satan she dialogued with him – Genesis 3:2-5

8. Eve submits to Satan’s lies and Adam also disobeys – Genesis 3:6-7

3. After the Fall

1. They both suffered shame – Genesis 3:10

2. They were now accountable for their sin – Genesis 3:11

3. The serpent would now crawl on its belly – Genesis 3:14

4. This is the first mention of a coming Savior – Genesis 3:15

5. The woman will have much pain in childbirth and be subject unto her husband – Genesis 3:16

6. The ground was cursed for Adam’s sake – Genesis 3:17-18

7. Physical death was now pronounced upon the entire human race – Genesis 3:19

8. Adam and Eve lived 930 years after this pronouncement of death. (Genesis 5:5)   What happened to them immediately is that they died spiritually.  This means that  until God gives them their resurrected soul and makes them born again, they are dead to the things of God.  Before you were saved, you did not concern yourself with the things of God but after you became saved, your concern was not for things of this world.  Look at the following verses:

1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (Ephesians 2:1-5, KJV)

9. The first animal sacrifice in Scripture which looked forward to the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ for his people – Genesis 3:21

10. Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden of Eden.  If they ate of the tree of life in a sinful condition, then they would be doomed to live eternally in a sinful state which would include living with debilitating diseases and painful bodily conditions in human flesh – Genesis 3:22-24

11. Now every human being that is born is born in the image of Adam – Genesis 5:3 -  This means that when Adam was created, he was created without sin, but now  every human being is born with the sin nature.  Even when we become saved we do not shed the sin nature as it lives with our new nature after the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  This creates the war within the believer between doing good and doing evil.  The Apostle Paul was well aware of this situation and he wrote about it in Romans 7:15-25.

4. Eternal results of the Fall

As a result of the fall there are only two destinations which have been prepared for man.

1. For the unsaved – Everlasting destruction – 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10