III. Man

Man is the special creation of God, made in His image. Male and female He created them as the crowning work of creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God's creation,. In the beginning, man was innocent of sin and endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice, man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherit a nature and environment inclined toward sin. Therefore as soon as they are capable of moral choice, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable him to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God made man in His own image, and that in Christ died for man; therefore every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.