The Tragedy of the Fall The Good News of Salvation #1 THE LOSS OF LIFE A SPIRITUAL DEADNESS Ephesians 2:1-10

GOD CREATED US IN HIS IMAGE 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. – Gen 1:26-27

A scientific principle: life comes from life We mistakenly assume that life is innate. God is life and it is only in relationship to Him that every living thing enjoys life. 7 the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. -- Gen 2:7

PRINCIPLE: For the wages of sin is death, – Rom 6:23a We are suckers for the lie Jesus said, 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. – Jn 10:10 “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” – Gen 2:17-16

Lost His Spiritual Life Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… Eternal Life is not just more or longer living It is the quality of the Life of God

A SEQUENCE OF THINGS HAPPENED, but the last things we read of Adam is, “...and he died.” The death of... INNOCENCE TRUST RESPECT INTEGRITY PRIVILEGE GUILT - Their eyes were opened. FEAR - They hid from the Lord SHAME - They realized they were naked. Lost Glory BLAME – PRIVATION - They lost dominion, fellowship,

MAN’S PROBLEM …made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions -- Eph 2:5

GOD God Created Man God Created Earth In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. -- Gen 1:1 God created man in his own image – Gen 1:27 The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. -- Gen 2:7

WHEN MAN "FELL" He died spiritually and became sinful. He lost the Glory of God Sin = a moral choice to distrust God The Fall = The consequences of a bad moral choice. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. -- Rom 5:17

GOD SIN

GOD Fall SIN

GOD The written Word of God The Word made flesh Redeeming Love

GOD Our Gate I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved – Jn 10:9 I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. --Jn 14:6

GOD

TO RESTORE LIFE IN THE CREATURE a plan must Deal with the cause Cleanse from sins Restore Eternal Life Reverse the propensity Unbelief to Belief Forgiveness Regeneration Transformation All this without: Losing Moral control Violating personhood

So that’s why Jesus came and in Him God has come near God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. --Eph 2:4-5.