Man & woman are created in the image of God
Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image, to be like Him in character. 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. Adam and Eve received a command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which allowed them, while they kept it, to remain joyfully whole in their communion with God and have dominion over the earth and all living things. Although man has tremendous potential for good, 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 incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death which is separation from God. God permitted their sin, having allowed it to His own ultimate mercy and glory. By this sin they fall from there original righteousness and communion with God and so became in sin and wholly corrupted in all their parts and faculties of soul, spirit, and body. As they were the root of all mankind, the guilt, death, and corrupted nature caused by this sin was imputed and conveyed to all their posterity descending from generation to generation. Since this original corruption, we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good. 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. Man was created to exist forever and he will exist either eternally separated from God by sin, or in union with God, through forgiveness and salvation.
Genesis 1:26—30; 2:5,7,16—22; 3; 5:3; 6:5; 8:21; 9:6; Job 14:4: 15:4; Psalms 1; 8:3—6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5, 9; Matthew 15:19; 16:26; Acts 17:26—31; Romans 1:19—32; 3:10—18, 23; 5:6,12,15—19; 6:6; 7:5, 8,14—25; 8:7, 14—18, 29; 11:32; 1 Corinthians 1:21—31; 15:19,21-22, 45, 49; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Galatians 5:17; Ephesians 2:1—22; Colossians 1:21—22; 3:9—11; Titus 1:15; James 1:14—15; 1 John 1:8,10