14 - Humanity

• Creation of Humans -

  • In Genesis 2, God creates Adam first, before the animals and before Eve
  • Adam is made from the dust of the Earth and God breathes life into him, which means God gave Adam a soul
  • God places Adam in the Garden of Eden and makes all living creatures as company for him
  • God puts Adam into a deep sleep and makes Eve out of one of his ribs. At last, Adam has a suitable partner and companion
• Soul -

  • The soul is eternal - it will live on after the body has died and go to heaven
  • The soul is the part of humans made in 'the image of God'. When God created Adam, he 'breathed' into him which means he gave Adam a soul
  • The difference between humans and animals is that humans have a soul, and animals don't. No animal was given life like Adam was
  • The soul is the part of humans that relates/connects with God in worship
• Image of God -

  • In the creation story it says 'God created humankind in his image... male and female he created them'
  • Image of God doesn't mean we look like God
  • Image of God means having something of God's personality
  • This means we have reason, creativity, morality and free will
• Reason - The ability to think, plan and make good choices (rationality)
• Creativity - The ability to make new things or to surround ourselves with beauty
• Morality - Ability to know right from wrong, to have conscience and to follow God's rules
• Free Will - Ability to have choices for which we are responsible like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
• The Fall -

  • Adam and Eve are tempted by the serpent (devil) and eat from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They are thrown out of the Garden of Eden
  • This is called the fall as they fall from perfection
  • It is also known as Original Sin, as it is the first sin humans commit
  • It has separated us from God and needs Atonement to join us to God