in God's image- to represent God's glory to His creation. After man's fall, his representation of God was distorted. (However, in Jesus Christ, God's image is true, and will be restored in those who He makes new. See Col 1:15 & Col 3:10)
in God's likeness-
with intellectual & creative abilities which set man apart from all other earthly creatures.
in three parts- body, soul, spirit (cp. 1The 5:23)
for personal relationship with God.
Mankind -was given responsibility by God. Gen 2:15-17
-is under God's sentence of death for his sin. Gen 2:17; Rom 5:12
Death involves separation:
Physically from the world and human relationships. Psa 90:7-10
Spiritually from God, the source of all life and of all that is good. Mat 10:28
Mankind -is loved by God, who has made provision for their redemption. Joh 3:16; Rom 3:23; 6:23
The Jewish race was chosen by God as the channel through which He would communicate the message of redemption, and through which the Redeemer would come into the world. Gen 12:1-3; Rom 3:1-3; 9:1-5
Those who die in their sins will be condemned to eternity in hell. Joh 8:24; Rev 20:11-15
Those who have been redeemed will be "forever with the Lord." Joh 14:1-6
The Bible tells the story of man's failure before the Holy God. Man is revealed as incapable of fulfilling his responsibilities to God, regardless of the requirements placed upon him, and regardless of his environment and opportunities. Seven distinct periods may be observed in scripture, in each of which, man consistently fails, though he is tested under varying circumstances. These periods are sometimes referred to as "the seven dispensations." (The dispensations are explained in Chapter 2 of the more advanced study entitled Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth.)