What We Believe #6 – Humanity
3 Minute Video: https://fb.watch/f-R_JQv0WL/
Sometimes we spout out spiritual truths so quickly, we assume everybody understands what we’re saying. We ourselves may miss fully hearing it.
An example is the next two sentences in our Statement of Faith regarding humanity. It’s packed with four sizable and interlinked doctrines.
“Man and woman were created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27), yet fell through disobedience, incurring both physical and spiritual death (Romans 6:23). Everyone is born with a sinful nature (Romans 5:12), is separated from the life of God (Ephesians 4:18), and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:25).”
Creation: Being created in God’s image, with God’s divine imprint, every human being has dignity, value, worth.
We have minds to think, wills to choose, emotions to feel, and consciences to distinguish right and wrong. These qualities and more make us unique above all God’s other creations.
Fall: We also have a spiritual component that seeks after God. But our human ancestors chose to disobey God, which has infected the entire human race with sin.
God created an ideal world. Yet instead of trusting and loving God, Adam and Eve believed a lie, fell to temptation, and sinned against God. The consequences of spiritual and physical death resulted. The image of God within us became twisted and broken.
Sin: Sin now dominates everything. Sin is the evil we do and the good we don’t do. Even our good actions can cause harm. A.W. Tozer said, “Never underestimate the ability of human beings to get themselves tangled up.”
The central problem is within us, and what’s on the inside comes out. We hurt others, and our relationships are broken. We actively resist God or passively ignore him, and we are disconnected, separated from God.
Salvation: God’s solution, and our salvation under these desperate circumstances, is through Christ. In dying on the cross, Christ atoned for, covered over, and carried away our sins.
Making amends with our broken relationship with God, Jesus Christ made a way for us to come to God through faith. God restores us so we can accomplish the purposes he intended for us.
The Equation for Life: The person we are + Jesus Christ = The person we want to be.
~ Pastor Dave
