Lesson One
THREE THINGS YOU MUST KNOW

Chapter 3: Man

This last chapter of the first lesson is a study about the human race. Here again the final word must be found in the Bible—not in your own judgment, knowledge or desire.

First, let us briefly think about the age-old question: Where did the human race come from? There are two views to this question: that of man, and that of God as recorded in the Bible.

Some men say that you are a product of natural evolution—meaning that you have progressed from a lower form of life through the passage of time. The Bible says that human beings are God's direct creation. You were created by God, says the Word of the Creator. You did not come into existence by accident, but with a definite purpose.

When God created man He was very pleased (Genesis 1:27). He created mankind independent of all the creatures of the world. He speaks of people who belong to Him as those "whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made" (Isaiah 43:7). This is God's statement.

 After creating mankind He gave them two privileges. One was to rule over all other creatures. God said, "Let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground" (Genesis 1:26).

The other privilege was that the humans would enjoy freedom of choice. You were not created like a robot or a piece of machinery that moves without its own will and initiative. You were created with freedom to choose good or evil, because you were made in the image of God.

It may surprise you to know that, in spite of all your sins and imperfections, you were made in the image of God. The Bible says, "Let us make man in our image (God's image), in our likeness…. So God created man in His own image" (Genesis 1: 26, 27). This is what distinguishes human beings from other creatures such as birds, animals and fish. God gave you a will to exercise, an intellect to think, emotions to feel.

This brings us to the second point of our study about mankind: What is man like? We learned that man was given freedom of choice. Then what was man's first choice? Open your Bible and read Genesis 3:1-24… SLOWLY, CAREFULLY, UNTIL YOU GRASP the picture painted in that part of the Bible. In it you will find the answer to the question: what was man's first choice?
 What is man like? Have you read all the verses? Do you understand the meaning? If not, you must read them again. The Bible clearly states that man's first choice was to sin. When tempted, he used the freedom of choice to sin. Man (you) hid from God's presence. Man (you) betrayed God's trust.

What happened then? Death came as the result of man's sin. God is holy and therefore cannot condone sin; He must judge it. From that first act of sin, all men thereafter have been born with sin and are destined to die. "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me" (Psalm 51:5).

Now, we must ask another question: Where is man going? In other words, what is your final destination? As we have already seen, man (you) sinned. And the result of sin was death. So all men must die. This is the fate of all men, including you and me. The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). But the same verse also says, "But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." We will study about this in our next lesson.

Congratulations! You have finished Lesson One. Now go on to the Review Questions for Lesson One and see how well you can answer the questions.