The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-05-02
UNIFORM SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
May a, 1919
MAN MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD

!! MAN MADE IN TT
REV. JOSEPH
SUNDAY School Secretary b
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Lesson Text: Genesis 1;26-2s:
.:7-s Ephesians 42o-24.
Golden Text: God created man In
his own image--Genesis 127
| Senior And Adult Topic: The
Dignity And Worth or Man.
| lesson Outline.
l. Man Created in Gods Image.
Gen, 1;26-2S: 81.
II Mans Needs Provided For,
Gen. 2:S9
III. Mans New Creatto n
Ephesians, 4:c0-24.
Introduction.
| II fs important that all men should
| study the Being and Nature Of God.
az We have done in some degree in
| the past several lessons. but It is
necessary for men to know what the
Scriptures reveal of mans origin
and nature; the original holiness OF
his state. and the dignity of his be-
| ing when placed in Eden. before they
| will have a proper appreciation OF
the redemption by which the new
creation was affected The last sec
| ton of this lesson anticipates the
lesson we are to study next week con-
corning sin. --- for. mo- regeneration
would have been needed had not man
sinned against God. Only as men are
brought to position OF noble selt
realization win they live the new life
In Christ. hence II Is most whole
! IN rcHnrf fhA divinity a ~
worth OF man, the highest or at the
created beings,
Tho Lesson Briefly Considered.
Man Created In Gods Image
Gen 1868: At.
When God said, Let us make mar
IN our image. he Was referring to the
| form alton Of a creature, who was to
be his representative. clothed with
| authority. and to rule as visible head
and monarch OF the would The
| Image" referred to was not his
form or features, not his intellect
for the devil and his angels are. II
this respect, far superior-net in hi.
Immortality: for he had not. lik,
God, past rs well as a future eter
nifty Of being; but in the moral dis
! positions OF his soul. commonly call
ed original Righteousness. (Eccl. 7:29
See IF e. 3. Com
The first pair started out with tn
favor Of God resting upon them. an,
with the power TO propagate thes
kind, although he could have mad
myriads of such beings at the be
ginning had he so chosen. The,
were TO repienish the earth and t
: have dominion over all other create,
things.
The stat ement that God forme,
man or The dust of The ground is no
q statement as to how God mad
man-hat- that t,~ -~-rs -f,-.rted bout,
the dust OF the ground "or the sam
, elements as the soil which form
tho crust OF the earth" An astron
omcr said to "a group of youn
, people: ut grows upon the astron
omer that we live in universe
Earth. sun and stars are made o
, the same substances. There nigh
have been n million elements Il
creation, hut there are less than
our own bodies. You arr made Of tn
best stun In tho universe"
Mans Needs Provided For--G er
/ Eden means pleasantness, TIL
| Garden was probably a very exten
! sive region In Mesopotamia. and
| is usually thought of as lying alon
! ttr rivers Euphrates and Figris. al
: though its location rs unknown. TIL
word garden signifies a park or para
disc, and in this beautiful and ricl
home our first parents were place
by their Maker ito be trained 4
piety and usefulness"
But God no, only placed man 4
a beautiful place in keeping with hi
capacity. but also made provision 70
kix n irio al hr \, "
with the food for his enjoyment
The Tree Of Life was also in tn
midst of the garden, and the- tree o
, the knowledge OF good and evil. "Th
tree OF life in Eden undoubtedly con
iveyed to Adam. symbolical mean
! ling. serving az visible sign o
pledge of the continuance to him o
a blessed natural state. as long a
he should continue obedient" tn
tree OF the knowledge OF good an
evil was not the same As the tree o
life, The tree was to be test o
bedience, and Adam by eating
would acquire the knowledge o
good by losing IT. and of evil by ex
periencine It" Maclear says tn
tree OF knowledge of good and evi
implies that evil WAS already presen
in the world, and therefore in par
prepares us for the dark shade,
!, that now gathers round the sacre
page.
Mans New Crca ton In Righteous
, ness Eph 4:20-24,
Here the Apostle points back I
what he had heea- saying to the -Ephe
sian church concerning the sinfulnes
of the people in the midst OF WHOM
they were bearing testimony to III
gospel of Christ. The heather ha
no such remedy for stn as was pro
, vided In the atonement and powe
of Christ, ITO learn Christ rattle
than things about Christ Is quite Il
harmony with the prevailing Nev
Testament usage, Christianity is
PERSONAL uninn-nt- tina LeIieyer- will
Christ. In hearing the gospel there
fore, n man hears Christ. and In be