The Nature of Man

Why it matters?

In order to understand ourselves, we need to look back at the starting point and understand how we got ‘here’. If we don’t understand or appreciate our own nature, we are oblivious to the pitfalls that have entrapped so many. Not considering the fallenness of our innate nature has led to disaster in our own lives and the lives of countless others. To understand and accept the realities of our nature is wisdom that will aid you in your journey.

Original Design

God made man (and woman) in his own image

• Genesis 1:27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
• Matthew 22:15-22: Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

Question: What other created thing bears his image?

God made man to be in communion with Him

• Genesis 3:8: And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

God made man to rule and govern the earth

• Genesis 1:28: And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
• Genesis 2:15: The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
• Psalm 8:6-8: You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

God made man with free choice

• Genesis 2:16-17: And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
• Deuteronomy 30:19: I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,

Question: Who put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden?

Fallen Man

God’s original design was not bad and in fact has not changed, nor has the nature of man.

Man can be proud

• Proverbs 16:5: Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.
• Proverbs 16:18: Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
• 1 Peter 5:5: Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Man can be foolish

• Proverbs 12:15: The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.
• Proverbs 18:2: A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

Man can be wicked

• Genesis 6:5: The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

• Psalm 53:1-3: The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.

  God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand,[b] who seek after God.

  They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

• Jeremiah 17:9: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Man pursues pleasure

• 2 Timothy 3:1-4: But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

• Titus 3:3: For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

• Ecclesiastes 2:1-11: I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man.

  So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

Discussion Points

• What does this mean for us?
• How do I avoid the pitfalls?