Wonderfully Made, Woefully Fallen: The Doctrine of Man
What do the Scriptures tell us about our origin and the reason for the moral quagmire in which we find ourselves? Just as knowing about the biblical doctrines concerning God the Father, God the Son – our Lord Jesus Christ, the person and work of the Holy Spirit, and other essential foundations to our faith are of value and importance, we also need to examine the doctrine concerning humanity. We are not random accidents of an indifferent universe but unique in design, purpose, and relevance in the sight of Almighty God.
Let us shake off the humanistic and atheistic idea that we are somehow descendants of apelike nomads who evolved over set periods of time. This idea cannot be proven with standard empirical scientific experimentation, nor can the “theory” of evolution adequately explain the origins of concepts such as logic, reasoning, and the basic principle of cause and effect.
What engineered “early man” to decide that his body and mind needed to somehow change with the environment or other situations out of his control? That certainly cannot be a product of mere chance but of a design in the mind and anatomy. The same principle applies to members of the animal kingdom. Paleontologists and other scientists have tried in vain to find and display the “missing link” in so-called “evolutionary” development. Yet, in the discovery of fossils such as the “Cambrian Explosion,” they find perfectly developed animal life, plant life, and human remains that show no signs of evolvement from one species of human to another.
There are more scientists today who are willing to swallow their pride and admit to a kind of “design” to not just life here on Earth but of the entirety of the universe. The plain fact is that Darwin and his contemporaries thought up the “evolutionary theory” not as an alternate means of creation, but an appeal to human pride and arrogance in that something came from nothing without a Being of Power to set everything into place and function. Our “intelligence” at its base is futile and ridiculous apart from God’s standards (Genesis 1:26; Psalm 139:13-16; Romans 1:18-20).
We want to place ourselves as the center of being and purpose. However, when we look objectively at the progression of civilizations past and present, we notice that anything, any thought, or any plan apart from the guidance and counsel of Almighty God falls flat on its face and ends up in the dust bin of eternity. Evolution and its temple of randomness is destined for such an outcome in the plans of God for this world and its inhabitants.
Let us focus on God’s plan and purpose for our existence and development. Although the Bible is not a book of science, whenever it records a scientific fact, it records it without error. What the Bible declares to be truth is founded upon the authority of Almighty God (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21). Rest assured, the numerous efforts of skeptics and infidels to dilute, remove, or destroy the authority and origin of Divine Scripture have all shattered like a hammer on the anvil of God’s infallible, inerrant, and all-sufficient Word.
The first words of Genesis, “Ba’ra” (Hebrew), are used in Chapter 1, verses 1, 21, and 27. The word “day” is used to signify a set time of what we now calibrate as 24 hours, which makes the most sense in terms of preciseness, accuracy, and the logical progression we read of as God creates and designs all aspects of the universe and the privileged planet upon which we live. There are some brethren who argue that the concept of “day” can mean longer periods of time. I personally have no problems with that belief, but at the same time, it also seems to be a means by which some “old-earth” creationists have used to placate scientists and others who hold to the evolutionary theory.
We should never be ashamed, bullied, or cajoled into pleasing those who are at war with the concept of a Divine Creator and the time He took to put everything into place and order (1 John 2:15-17). If we are talked out of, pressured, or persuaded that Chapters 1-11 of Genesis are a collection of myths, legends, or oral traditions of nomadic tribes, then we might as well throw away the rest of the Scriptures; for we would have no real assurance that the redemptive work of Jesus Christ is true either (1 Corinthians 15:12-19).
Scripture is clear on the fact of our creation and design (Genesis 1:26, 2:7, 3:19). We are bodies of flesh and blood, earthen vessels, and a temple of the Holy Spirit, signifying that we were born to have a relationship with our Creator based on love and obedience (Matt. 6:2; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 4:7; Philippians 3:21). We are made in the image and likeness of God, each of us with immortal souls, originally unspoiled and holy. We lost this through the fall, but man still retains vestiges of God’s likeness and image (1 Corinthians 11:7; James 3:9).
The Bible also states that due to our fall into sin and the punishment from God for disobedience, we are separated from Him in terms of relationship, which is now reconciled by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins, the ONLY means by which we have access to the Father and the promise of heaven (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 5:6-11).
At the appointed time, our fleshly bodies will be either be raptured from the earth if we are in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) or be resurrected from the dead where we will enter the joy of heaven. However, if anyone rejects Christ’s offer of salvation, they will be what the Scriptures call the unredeemed. They will be judged and cast forever into the Lake of Fire (Matthew 7:21-23, 25:41; Luke 12:13-21, 16:19-31; John 5:28-29; 1 Corinthians 3:11-5; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:11-15).
You have the opportunity, even in your fallen and sinful condition, to receive the gift of eternal life offered by the LORD. He wants you in heaven with Him, renewed and reborn, and in eternal fellowship with Him. Don’t neglect this gift.
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Donald was born and reared in the authentic “Cajun Country” of southern Louisiana. He is a graduate of Louisiana College (B.A. in History Education/ Biblical Studies, 1984), New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div. In Christian Education, 1994) and Andersonville Baptist Seminary (Doctor of Ministry, Biblical Exposition, 2000). He has been in the Gospel ministry since 1986, serving as an evangelist, interim and supply pastor, hospital and rescue mission chaplain, high school and college teacher, and pastor in churches in Louisiana and Oklahoma.
In 2018, he began to devote his time to the rich field of internet and social media evangelism and outreach. In 2021 he became a member of the Oklahoma Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists, using his skills as a writer to contribute articles and sermons to websites such as Rapture Ready, Sermon Central, and Inspirational Christian Blogs. He also writes Bible studies and curricula for churches in southeast and central Asia and Africa, the locations of which are anonymous.
He can be contacted at: donaldwhitchard@gmail.com for inquiries, information, and speaking/preaching engagements. His website is: www.realitycityreverend.com. A copy of his resume is also available upon request.