The Illustrated GospelSample

MAN

Man and woman were created good but fell prey to temptation and sinned against God, bringing death to their souls and to all mankind. They rebelled against God, their maker, Lord, and provider, doubting His goodness and disobeying His commands.

TAKE THE TRUTH TO HEART

God created Adam and Eve for His pleasure, His glory, and their enjoyment. He established mankind’s rule and dominion over all the creatures and the earth. He placed them in the Garden of Eden and explained that they could eat of any tree in the garden except one. One tree was off-limits. One.

They were in a beautiful garden with every need provided for, in intimate and amazing companionship with God and one another. There was no death, no dying, no cancer, and no ugliness—nothing to complain about, no fear, no reason to blame God. Nothing bad happened.

Then along came a serpent to tempt Adam and Eve to doubt God.

Despite all God had given them. Despite having been formed and created in the image of God. Despite being in perfect fellowship with Him, Adam and Eve listened instead to the lies of a serpent. Listening to his voice, they questioned whether God was as good as He seemed to be. They questioned if what He said was true. They doubted God and His goodness.

Through the deception of the enemy, they came to desire that which was not theirs. They believed the lies, disobeyed and rebelled against God. They turned against God and became His enemies. They broke their intimate fellowship with Him. In the process, they lost their lives, their purity, and their position. And they have passed this on to each of their children.

In Romans 3, the apostle Paul states that all are under sin, "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God."

Paul then proclaims hope in Christ in Romans 5, "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God, and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ, abounded for many.