Mankind: Anthropology PDF

# 5 Mankind: Anthropology "People are essentially good. Each person possesses a spark of divinity which can be fanned into flames of goodness by the proper environment. To improve ourselves, we must first improve our education and living conditions." You have probably heard this statement. Maybe...

# 5 Mankind: Anthropology "People are essentially good. Each person possesses a spark of divinity which can be fanned into flames of goodness by the proper environment. To improve ourselves, we must first improve our education and living conditions." You have probably heard this statement. Maybe you haven't heard it quite that way, but you have no doubt something similar. These statements reflect an idealized view of mankind, but the Bible presents a different picture. In this chapter, we are going to see exactly what the Bible says concerning our nature. ## Adam and Eve ### A Perfect Environment - When God created the world, He made a beautiful garden, Eden - the perfect environment. Read Genesis 1:1-25. Pay special attention to verses 10, 12, 18, 21, and 25. What one phrase occurs in all these verses? ### A Perfect Man - And in this perfect environment, God made Adam. Read Genesis 1:26-27 and 2:7. What do we learn about Adam from these verses? ### A Perfect Woman - Genesis also tells us about Eve's creation. God did not want Adam to be alone, so He created Eve using Adam's own body. According to verse 24, God brought this first man and woman together so that they could be ## Adam's Duties - Notice also one thing God told Adam to do in the garden. Genesis 2:15. - Read Genesis 2:16-17 and state the one thing Adam was forbidden to do. - According to verse 17, what was his punishment if he broke God's commandment? ## Adam's Sin and Its Effects You probably know what happened in Genesis 3. Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan and broke God's commandment. Now note the effects of Adam's sin. ### It affected mankind's relationship to God - How did Adam's sin affect mankind's relationship to God? (Gen. 3:23-24). ### It affected mankind's perfectly-created nature - Adam and Eve once walked in fellowship with God, unashamed. Now what did they try to do? (Gen. 3:8-10) ### It affected mankind physically - How did it affect mankind physically? (Gen. 3:19; Rom. 5:12; and 1 Cor. 15:22) ### It affected mankind's environment - How did it affect the environment in which mankind lived? (Gen. 3:14, 17-19) You may think, "But I didn't sin in the garden! Why do I suffer because of something my ancestors did so long ago?" - What tragic results sin brought upon man. We don't know everything that happened as a result of Adam's disobedience, but we do know that every person since Adam has been under God's condemnation. Read Romans 5:12-21. In these verses there is a parallel drawn between what two people? Keep that parallel in mind. Read Romans 5:14 and explain in your own words the role Adam played in relation to Christ—the one who was to come. - According to verse 12, what two things entered the world by one man? - Now, read verses 17-19. According to verse 19, what happened because of one man's disobedience? - And because of one Man's obedience? Adam was the world's first unrighteous man and passed his death to us. Christ, being God, came and lived as the world's first righteous man and gave His life for us. - Read the following scriptures and state in your own words mankind's condition before God (Rom. 3:9-19, 23; Rom. 7:18; Isa. 1:4-6; 53:6; Jer. 17:9). ## The Answer to Mankind's Problems - People today are making great efforts to cure the problems of the world. Poverty, war, sickness, and drug abuse can all be eliminated by better education, better housing, or more money, they say. But is mankind's real problem an outward or an inward deficiency? - According to the Bible, what is the one basic case of all mankind's problems? - Is this an outward or an inward problem? - Can it be cured outwardly or inwardly? - What is the first step that needs to be taken to solve man's problems? - What is the only cure for sin? Thus, the real cure for the problems of man is Remember: Peace cannot come without Christ. Peace must be achieved inwardly. The cessation of war won't bring peace. Man must stop war with God by receiving Christ as his Lord and Savior before he will ever realize inward peace. ## Complete This Section Without Looking Back at the Lesson 1. Name the four areas affected by Adam's sin. 2. In what condition was mankind originally created? 3. What brought about mankind's fall? 4. Are mankind's problems outward or inward? 5. What caused all of mankind's problems? 6. Will education and improved living conditions answer all of mankind's problems? - Why or why not? ## Verses to Memorize - Romans 5:12 - 1 Corinthians 15:22 - Jeremiah 17:9