What do Baptists Believe about Man?

From the Baptist Faith and Message:

Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God's creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was 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 an environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

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Man is a special creation, made in God's image. The Hebrew language used for "image" means that God created man to be like God and represent God. (Gen. 1:27, "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."). This does not mean that man was made exactly like God, but it does mean that he bears likeness to God, like in morality, spirituality, relational nature, and even intellect.

A huge distinction that Southern Baptists make (as well as other conservative Christians) is that gender is a gift of God. This means that God created men to act like men and women to act like women. We believe that even though men and women are created equal as people and importance, God has given each different roles in life. Throughout Scripture, it is clear that men have been given a role of leadership over women, and that women were created to assist men. With gender, each has different gifts which will help them fulfill their roles. Does this mean that a woman who feels gifted to lead should never lead? No, but she should apply her leadership skills to her role, not to overcoming all the men around her. How has God ordained men to lead women in Scripture?

• Adam was created first, and Eve was made as a helper for Adam (Gen. 2:11).
• Adam bore responsibility for Eve's actions, and through man all humans were born sinful.
• 1 Cor. 11:11-12, "
• 1 Pet. 3:1-7, "

Man was innocent, but then became guilty when he transgressed God's command. All of Adam's descendants inherit sin. In this inheritence, men are prone to sin, and creation is prone to go against the things of God (1 Cor. 15:21-22, "For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive."). Sin is frequently described as a slavery, such as in Rom. 7:14, "For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin."

As soon as a person is capable of moral decision making and transgresses God's command, he is a guilty sinner. The question then becomes, "When is a person capable of making a moral decision?" Is a two year old a guilty sinner who will go to hell if he dies?

Only God can reconcile himself and man because man is so wrapped up in sin. Check out the harsh words against man in Rom. 3:10-18, 10:

As it is written, 'There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, there is not even one; Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving, the poison of asps is under their lips; Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; Their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known; There is no fear of God before their eyes.'

You may say, "But I wasn't that hostile toward God! I liked God--even before I became a Christian!" We must remember, however, that as slaves to sin, we could not achieve our own freedom, but God had to free us from a sin that blinded us and had our hearts bent toward hell (even when we didn't notice it).

Because every man is a special creation of God, every man must be treated with respect and dignity. Even though the fall of man has corrupted the image of God with which we were created, we still bear a fragment--we find this in our consciences, creativity, morality, intellect. Because of even the slightest image of God that is in every human being, we should treat all humans as special creations of God, even when they rebel against Him. We love them because God demands the respect and reverence, not because we feel like being nice. As believers, we are constantly being renewed into the image of Christ, and need to be grateful for the wonderful work of God in us. Gen. 9:6, "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man."

Psalm 8:3-6
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet...

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Discussion Questions:

1. 1. What is the image of God?
2. 2. How has our culture, and how have we, neglected or misunderstood God creating men and women differently?
3. 3. When does a person become a guilty sinner? Is there an 'age of accountability'?

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