Study 4: Man: Our True Nature
How do you see man? Is he basically good, or bad? One of the most important things we need to know is the truth about ourselves. As the booklet puts it, “True knowledge of ourselves destroys self-confidence”.
This study shows both the dignity and the ruin of man. We are made by God and in His image, and therefore each person has real worth. Yet we are also fallen sinners, guilty before God, corrupted by sin, and utterly in need of His saving mercy.
Before you begin
It is important to look up the Bible references and think carefully about what they say, so that you can see for yourself the Bible’s teaching. This study is searching, because it deals with the truth about what we are by creation, and what we are now by the fall.
We will not understand salvation properly unless we first understand the seriousness of sin and the helplessness of man. Yet this study also reminds us that every human being has dignity and worth because we are made by God.
This study at a glance
Man is made by God
Every person has dignity and worth because we are made in God’s image.
Man has fallen into sin
Adam’s sin brought guilt, corruption, brokenness, and death into the human race.
Man needs God’s mercy
We are powerless to save ourselves, but God is able to save sinners through Christ.
Man is made by God and therefore each person has dignity and worth
Man is made in God’s image. Man’s nearest relative is not the ape but God. Read Genesis 1:26-27 and Genesis 1:31.
What does it mean to be made in God’s image?
This can be seen in the structure of our personalities and in our relationships. See Ephesians 4:24, Colossians 3:10, Genesis 1:27-28, James 3:9, and 1 John 4:7-11.
What remains even in fallen man?
Even now man, like God, has immortality and spirituality. He is able to think, has a moral sense, is creative, and is able to love.
How should we apply this today?
Read Genesis 9:5-6. The Bible’s doctrine of man is deeply practical. Human life is not cheap, disposable, or merely animal life with a little extra complexity. Every human being matters because every human being is made by God.
The booklet warns that an evolutionary view which treats man as merely an animal has produced terrible brutality, and still does so in matters such as abortion and euthanasia. The Bible calls us to see human life very differently.
Man in his original state
Man in his original state was free from death, holy, perfect, free, and able to obey God’s commands. Read Genesis 1:31 and also Ephesians 4:24.
Holy
Man was made upright and morally pure.
Free
Man was not forced into sin, but able to obey God.
Alive
Death was not part of man’s original condition.
Why did all this change?
Read the conditions God set in Genesis 2:16-17. Then see how Adam and Eve disobeyed in Genesis 3:1-24. Man did not remain as he was created. Through disobedience, sin entered and the whole human condition changed.
What were the results of the fall?
Broken relationships
- Shame between humans, Genesis 3:7
- Guilt before God, Genesis 3:8
The curse
- The curse of God upon them
- A broken relationship with creation, Genesis 3:14-19
Why is Adam’s objective, historical sin important?
Adam is seen by God as man’s representative head. He sinned and fell, and the whole human race has been viewed as sinners since then and has also inherited his corrupt nature. Read Romans 5:12-21.
The Bible does not treat Adam’s fall as a mere symbol. It is historical, covenantal, and deeply personal in its consequences for us all.
What is sin?
Sin must be seen in relation to God. It is missing the mark, God’s standards, breaking God’s law, not doing as God commands, and not having faith in God. See Romans 3:23, 1 John 3:4, James 4:17, and Romans 14:23.
Missing the mark
Sin falls short of the glory and standard of God.
Breaking God’s law
Sin is not merely weakness. It is lawlessness before God.
Failing to trust and obey
Sin includes both what we do wrongly and what we fail to do before God.
Sin has the following effects on us
Dead spiritually
We are unable to respond to God. Read Ephesians 2:1-3, Romans 8:5-8, John 6:44, and 1 Corinthians 2:14.
Sinners by nature
We have a sinful heart and therefore commit sin. Read Jeremiah 17:9 and Matthew 15:16-20.
All sinners
This is true of all of us. Read Romans 3:23.
Sin results in
God’s wrath
Read John 3:36.
Death
Read Romans 6:23.
Everlasting punishment
Read Matthew 25:46 and 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.
What does this show us?
These verses indicate how helpless and hopeless we are as sinners, and how we need God to help us if we are ever going to be saved. We are powerless, but God is able.
In your own time, look up Ephesians 2:1-10, Hebrews 7:25, and Mark 10:26-27.
Helpless in ourselves
We cannot repair our own ruin or make ourselves spiritually alive.
Hope in God
The God who exposes our ruin is also able to save to the uttermost.
If you see yourself as a sinner
If you see yourself as a sinner and are moved by that awareness, see what the Bible says you must do. Read 2 Corinthians 7:10, Acts 16:29-31, and John 3:16-21.
If God has saved us, we should be thankful. There is no room for boasting about ourselves. Read 1 Corinthians 1:27-31.
You may be wondering
If man is made in God’s image, how can he be so sinful?
The image of God gives man dignity and worth, but the fall has deeply corrupted human nature. Even fallen man retains remnants of the image, yet all of us are sinners.
What does total depravity mean?
It does not mean every person is as wicked as he could possibly be. It means sin affects every part of our nature, so that even our best works are stained by sin and we are unable to save ourselves.
Is there any hope if man is this helpless?
Yes. The point of seeing our helplessness is not to drive us to despair, but to drive us to God. We are powerless, but God is able.
If sinners are unable to come, why tell them about Christ?
Because God commands the gospel to be preached, sinners are responsible for their sin, and God uses the message of Christ to bring life to the dead.
Reflection and response
Take time over these questions and answer them carefully from Scripture.
- How were men originally made, and what are the practical applications today?
- What is sin and how has it affected mankind?
- The Bible says people are unwilling and unable to come to God, because they are slaves to sin, so is there any point in telling sinners about Christ and are they really responsible for their sin?
A simple prayer before moving on
Keep going
Having considered man and our true condition, the next study turns to God’s work in salvation.
