"Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image,

  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.

"Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, after our likeness'" (Genesis 26). Before the Fall, Adam was free from sin and separate from death because the Lord created him in His own image and likeness. That is, his body was still pure, and his human soul still possessed innocence and purity, which allowed him to live in close communion with God in the Garden of Eden. As we mentioned earlier, he was separate from death, meaning that before the Fall, he would not have suffered sickness and death and would have continued to be immersed in divine grace. This is supported by what is stated in Genesis 8: "The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground that were beautiful to look at and good for food. The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the garden." Here we observe that the Lord did not forbid Adam from eating from the Tree of Life, but rather from eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Lord's command was not to approach the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, but rather... To test his obedience

Adam lived in a state of grace and fellowship with God and eternal life. He could have grown in holiness and grace and gradually drawn closer to God. But he fell, and his fall was resounding. The Apostle Paul says, "Just as sin entered the world through one man, and sin is death, and in this way death came to all people" (Romans 5:12). Finally, we say:

• God created Adam in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26), meaning he was created in a state of grace and had fellowship with God.

• (He had not yet sinned), but he was capable of sinning, meaning he had free will that could choose to turn away from God or draw closer to Him.

• Destiny: He was supposed to grow in holiness and gradually unite with God, but he fell into sin, became separated from God, and death entered human nature.

• Despite his limitations: Adam was not yet perfect or divine, but was on a path of growth toward perfection. ________________________________________

2. As for the Lord Jesus Christ:

• He is God the Word incarnate, meaning that the divine nature united with the human nature (that is, He is of two natures, fully God and fully man) in a perfect union without separation or confusion.

• Yet His human nature is without sin because He is God in essence and nature.

• The work of salvation: Christ came to restore humanity to what it was before the fall of Adam, but even more than that—to grant it deification and eternal life (union with God). That is, Christ not only restored what humanity lost through Adam's sin, but also led those who believe in Him to the fullness of salvation, for all who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and God.

• And that He was crucified for us and rose from the dead after defeating the evil Satan in Hades and saving Adam and all the righteous who have fallen asleep.

• Amen.

• Amen.