Article 3: Man

Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male

and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the

goodness of God's creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by

his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought

sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of

God, and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an

environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action,

they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring

man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The

sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and

in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and

is worthy of respect and Christian love.