A New Way To Be Human – Week 7
I. Big Question
If sin is falling short of God’s holy standard, what does sin do to us as humans?
II. Sin breaks our relationship with God
Genesis 3: from walking with God to hiding from Him in fear and shame.
God is holy, righteous, and good—so His settled, right response to sin is wrath and judgment, yet His heart is patient and compassionate toward sinners.
III. Sin breaks our relationship with others
Immediately: blame-shifting between Adam and Eve.
Ongoing: envy, strife, gossip, selfishness, and factions instead of loving our neighbor.
IV. Sin breaks our relationship with ourselves
Our hearts are deceitful and sick (Jer 17:9); we can’t fully understand ourselves.
We deny, excuse, and rename sin, and no amount of self-help can give true peace while we remain spiritually dead.
V. Sin breaks our relationship with creation
Work becomes toilsome; the ground resists us (Gen 3:16–19).
Good gifts (work, food, pleasure, stuff) get twisted into idols that can never satisfy.
VI. The only real solution
We cannot fix any of these breaks ourselves; Christ alone restores us to God and begins to heal every other relationship.
We are called to recognize humanity’s universal need for Christ, uphold personal responsibility for sin, and proclaim the gospel with clarity and compassion.
Romans 5:12; Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Revelation 20:11-13
A church with a clear, biblical view of sin will view the world realistically, depend on Christ fully, and minister to others with truth and compassion.
Genesis 3:1-24
Because every person bears the image of God, love all people, including those unlike you or opposed to you, with the dignity, mercy, and truth that reflect Christ Himself.
Genesis 1:26-27; Acts 17:26-27; James 2:1-9
Because every human life bears God’s image, we must honor, protect, and love all people with the same value, compassion, and dignity that God Himself gives.
Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 5:1-2; Titus 2:1-8
Honor God in both body and soul: care for your physical and spiritual life as one, unified whole redeemed by Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:23; Genesis 2:7; Matthew 10:28
Because every person bears God’s image, treat every human life with dignity, and live each day reflecting the character of the One whose image you bear.
Genesis 1:26-28
