In the Image of God. Man's spiritual dimension, his personality, his free agency, and his rational faculties such as logical thinking and speech could all be thought of as being included in the image and likeness of God. One likeness to God that man initially possessed at creation but later lost was his moral righteousness. If we do not maintain a proper balance between these two truths, both revealed in Genesis 1, we will have a distorted view of both God and man. Thus, the created realm, including man, is declared to be intrinsically good, simply in virtue of the fact that it is the creation of the almighty and sovereign God.
Sin is an un-natural intrusion into human nature.
The doctrine of creation is foundational to a proper understanding of the doctrine of sin. Because God is Creator and man is creature, man falls under a natural obligation to obey God, thai is, to allow God to determine for him what is right and what is wrong. It is this very important principle which is behind the prohibition given in Genesis 2 17. The issue was, would Adam and Eve allow God to determine for them what was right and wrong or would they choose to determine for themselves what was right ann wrong. When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden tree, it was an act of rebellion against the lordship of their Creator, pure and simple.