1. FULLVIEW BAPTIST CHURCH
WEDNESDAY NIGHT 6:00 P.M.

2. WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT MANKIND (part three)
God created man in his own image: male and female. (Gen 1:26-27; Gen 5:1-2; Mat 19:4-5)

3. In The Image of God
Created in God’s Image is a likeness mentally, morally, and socially.
Mental Likeness: mankind was created as a rational, volitional agent that can reason and choose. Man has the capacity to make free choices; good or evil. (Gen 1:28)
Moral Likeness: mankind was created in righteousness and perfect innocence, a reflection of God’s holiness. (Gen 1:31)
Social Likeness: God’s social nature is grounded in His affections. Mankind was created for fellowship, with God and mankind (Gen 2:18)

4. THE FALLEN IMAGE
There are two distinguishing marks of God’s image within man:
The power of immortality-man is not only a living and breathing soul like the animals which are made for this earth, man is a spirit, an immortal being made both for this earth and for eternity. (Jo 17:3)
The drive and the ability (choice) to worship- man not only has the soulish ability to reason and to relate, but he has an unquenchable drive and ability to relate to God. (Isa 43:10; Jo 4:24)
[Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible]

5. Restored Image of God
Man’s fall into sin did not destroy or remove the Image of God; it merely marred or disfigured it. (Gen 1:27; 5:3)
God in His grace is restoring His image through the person and work of Christ. (1 Cor 15:49; Col 1:14-15; 3:10; Rom 8:29; Heb 1:3)
When God redeems an individual, He begins to restore the original image of God, creating a “new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).
Our conforming to Christ's image takes place in this life. (2 Pet 1:3-4)

6. Regeneration, Renewal, Redeemed Image
When God saves a person He saves the whole person, beginning with the spirit, continuing with the soul, and finishing with the body (LK 8:48; Jo 5:6)
Salvation of the spirit comes first: this is regeneration- the new birth. (Jo 3:3; 2 Cor 5:17; Col 3:10)
Second God works with the soul, renewing it after the image of Christ. This process is called sanctification. (Rom 8:29; 2 Cor 3:18)
Finally there is the resurrection of the body, which is redeemed from destruction.(1 Cor 15:42-54)

7. The Extent of Christ’s Sacrificial Death
Christ died for the elect: not only in the sense of making salvation possible for them, but also in the sense of actually saving them when they believe on Christ. (1 Tim 4:10; Mt 20:28; Jo 17:9; Rev 3:5; 13:8)

8. The Extent of Christ’s Sacrificial Death
Christ died for the whole world: although Christ died for all in the sense of reconciling God to the world, not all are saved, because their actual salvation is conditioned on their being reconciled to God (Jo 1:29; 1 Tim 4:10; 2 Cor 5:18-20; 2 Pet 3:9; Heb 2:9)
Christ’s death secured a delay in the execution of the sentence against sin.
Christ’s death removed every obstacle to the pardon and restoration of the penitent sinner.
Christ’s death provided salvation for those who die in infancy.

9. The Decrees of God and Free Will
The decrees of God are His eternal purpose. He made them in eternity and they remain unaltered. (Isa 14:24-27; Eph 1:9-11)
The decrees of God are based on His most wise and holy counsel.
The decrees of God originate in God’s freedom. He is not obligated to purpose anything.
The decrees of God are not inconsistent with free agency; they do not take away all motives for human exertion; and they do not make God the Author of sin. Sin was introduced into creation by the creature himself. (Isa 14: 12-14; Gen 3:17-19; Rom 5:12)

10. The Application of Salvation
God must make the imitative: men are dead in trespasses and sins.
Election and Vocation: Election is the sovereign act of God in grace whereby He chose in Christ Jesus for salvation all those whom He foreknew would accept Him. (Rom 8:29-33; 1 Pet 1:2-5).
God is under no obligation to elect anyone, since all had lost their standing before Him. (Rom 3:23; Gal 3:22)
The teaching of Scriptures that man is responsible for accepting or rejecting salvation necessitates that it is man’s reaction to the revelation God has made of Himself that is the basis of His election. (Ezk 18:32; Mat 11:21-23)

11. The Doctrine of Election
In His foreknowledge God perceives what each one will do with the restored ability, and elects them to salvation in harmony with His knowledge of their choice of Him. (Eph 1:4-10)
Since mankind is hopelessly dead in sin, God graciously restores to all men sufficient ability to make a choice in the matter of submission to Him. That is why we preach the gospel. (Jo 3:16; Rom 1:15-16)
(Systematic Theology- Henry Thiessen)

12. Election and Predestination
Predestination: “that effective exercise of the will of God by which things before determined by Him are brought to pass.” (Scofield, Op, page 1250)
God in His foreknowledge has foreseen what would happen and has decided to let it happen. (Systematic Theology- Henry Thiessen)

13. The Means of the Call (Vocation) to Salvation
Vocation: that act of grace by which God invites men to accept by faith the salvation provided by Jesus Christ. (Jo 17:9-21)
The means of the call:
The Word of God directly. (Rom 10:16-17; 2 Thess 2:14)
By His Holy Spirit. (Jo 16:8; Heb 3:7-8)
Through His servants. The Word of God must be brought to the unsaved by regenerated persons. (Mat 22:2-4; Rom 10:14-15)
By His providential dealings with men. His goodness is intended to bring men to repentances. (Jer 31:3Rom 2:4)

14. Man’s Free Will?
Free will: the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one's own discretion.
When we talk about free will we must begin with an understanding of his nature because man’s will is bound by that nature. (Jer 17:9; Rom 8:6-7)
Humans have a will; human will is active and we are genuine moral agents with the ability to decide between alternatives. But we will all give an account to God for our choices. (Mat 12: 36; Rom 14:12)
Divine sovereignty does not deny human freedom to make real choices. (Deut 30:15-20)
Free will does not mean man is free from God’s dominion. God chooses to tolerate man’s rebellion, but God will not do so indefinitely (Prov 21:1; Ps 37:1-10)

15. WHAT’S HAPPENING AT “THE VIEW”

16. COMING IN SEPTEMBER: Training Course in Evangelism & Missions Certificates will be awarded