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The Essentials: Part II – Humanity: Our Original
Righteousness and Fall Into Sin: Humans
were created for fellowship with their Creator. We were also created in God’s
likeness, “to know, love, and obey God and be righteous stewards of the
creation.[1] One
of Humanity’s first free acts was to rebel against this purpose, bringing
judgment on all creation.
“There is now a radical
brokenness and corruption in human nature that is the result of and results in
sin. Sin is destructive. Human beings are sinners by nature, by choice, and by
action.”
While the image of God still
exists in humanity, it is clouded, twisted, and deformed by our sinfulness to
the point of being difficult to perceive and understand. Even our noblest
actions are tainted by our sinful nature which touches every part of our being
– our personality, intellect, emotions, will, motives, virtues, and actions –
all are corrupted by sin. As a result, human beings are in bondage to sin and
subject to God’s holy judgment. Apart from the gracious work of Jesus Christ,
humanity is without hope.
In all of this we affirm our
own responsibility for our actions. We lay no blame at the feet of our Creator.
We renounce any idea that claims human nature as basically good and
self-redeemable through our own efforts or discipline.
The book of Romans holds up
the mirror to our face. There is no one
who is righteous, not even one; there is no one who has understanding, there is
no one who seeks God. All have turned aside, together they have become
worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, there is not even one. Their
throats are open graves; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of vipers
is under their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their
feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery are their paths, and the way of
peace they have not known.[2]
No one living is righteous before you.[3]
Before such evidence, we have
no hope apart from the work of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Craig
Thanks Van and Kathy will keep up to date
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