The Message of the Cross

Lesson One

THE CREATION AND FALL OF MAN

All scriptures are taken from New King James Bible.

Introduction to God and His Plan

God is tri-personal (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) as the One and Only Supreme God

Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who came in the flesh as the Son of Man to die

     for our sins on the Cross and was resurrected on the third day

Jesus Christ is the Only Way, Truth, and eternal Life

Jesus, now glorified, pours out in believers, the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father

The Message of the Cross is the power of God to be saved, to overcome, and to Live

Our Lord Jesus is coming again soon—very soon

The Bible is the inerrant written Word from God, which is totally inspired by God

What the Bible shows about the attributes of God:

• Self-existent (I am who I am)                 
• Omnipresent (He is everywhere and is all in all) 
• Omniscient  (He knows all; past, present, and future)       
• Omnipotent  (He is all powerful, there’s no power greater)

God’s Creation

God is the Creator and created living things and creatures:                                                    

• Plants, stars, earth, etc. (Created life in physical bodies only, substances)    
• Animals (Flesh and blood body with soul only)          
• Adam was made in the image and likeness of God                              
  • with body, soul, and spirit (as God is tri-personal)                                
• Man was given dominion over all the earth and creatures             
• Adam received God’s breath (His Spirit) and had God’s character   

Man is creation, and God is Creator.  Man was not and never will be God.

Man was created with a free will (the two trees represent man’s free will choice)

Why did God give man a free will choice?                                                 

Example:          God didn’t create Adam or any of us like a robot with on-off switch to

                            automatically love Him on command: “Now you love me-now you don't”.

                        God created us to freely choose to serve and obey Him, which is to love Him, as

                             "LOVE ALWAYS REPRESENTS A CHOICE".

The Fall of Man

The fall of Adam and Mankind                                                   

• God gave Adam one command with the choice to obey or not 
• Serpent’s (Satan’s) voice to the woman (The lie to oppose God’s Word)
• Woman lusts for fruit that God commanded not to eat and choose the world:
  • Woman “saw” it as good for food (lust of the flesh)            
  • Pleasant to the eyes (lust of the eyes)
  • Desirable to make one wise (pride of life)
• Adam chose to also eat of the fruit, which opened their eyes to good and evil:
  • Man knew he was naked and tried to cover himself (Man lost innocence)
  • Man hid himself from God (Guilty conscience and tried to hide from God) 
  • Man was afraid of God (Fear entered into man's heart)                           

God’s Judgment for Actions

God brings accountability and gives opportunity for repentance to Adam and woman

Adam blames the woman God gave him                           

Woman blames the serpent                                                                                          

God’s Judgment and curses for disobedience              

• Curse on the serpent (Satan)                                                              
• Curse on the woman (Eve)                                                             
• Curse on the man (Adam)                                                        
• Drove them out of garden of Eden to keep them from the Tree of Life

Man's Heart (Spiritual) Condition after the Fall

The choice “IF” given to Cain by God                                                             

Fruit of actions and condition of man (Lying and murder)                                            

Heart (spiritual) condition of mankind                                  

Has man’s heart condition improved over the last 6000 years since Adam?

Example:          Has Technology improved man? It enslaves man more and makes

                             us more dependent on the world, not God.

                        Has Medicine improved man?  Abortions, euthanasia, and cloning

                             show that man tries to act as god, but produces only death.

                        Has Man's rights and freedom improved man?  Man is able to choose

                             pornography, homosexuality, and drugs more easily and freely.

                        Has Peace and safety increased?  Terrorism, wars, and rumors of wars

                             continue to increase.

                        Has Love increased and improved mankind?  Lawlessness will abound

                             and the love of many will continue to grow cold.

 Adam’s Inheritance to Mankind--Fallen Heart Condition

Can man improve his heart condition?

• Sin entered the world through Adam                              
• Man is born into sin                                                                   
  • Man’s fallen heart condition is the problem                    
  • Man cannot change his heart condition                                        
• Man’s fallen nature is now in the image and likeness of fallen Adam, not God     

Separate Natures of God and Man After the Fall

Example:          Differences between the nature of lamb (Spirit)                                      

                             and the nature of pig (Flesh)                                                           

                        Man is blind to God’s nature and the image of God                              

                        Man is blind to his fallen condition, which separates us from God          

                        Man lives according to the flesh                                                

Fallen Man Lives for Himself, but Serves the Ruler of This World

• The sin of "I, me, and myself” began with Satan                 
  • Self minded, self willed, self exaltation, self pity, self love    
• Like father, like son--the fruit does not fall far from the tree     
• Man has chosen the world to satisfy his own lustful desires               
• Man thinks that he’s in control, but Satan deceived whole world from start 
• Kingdom of this world belongs to Satan      
• Ruler of this world (Satan) is judged at the Cross of Christ        

 Man is Desperately Sick and Needs God’s Help

The HEART transplant by God