God created humans in His image to have dominion over His creation. He gave them free will to choose to obey or disobey. Adam and Eve chose to disobey and sin, which corrupted human nature. God became the first missionary by calling to Adam and Eve after they sinned and explaining His plan to save humanity through the sacrifice of His Son. Now God calls all Christians to be missionaries and spread the gospel to others as the "salt of the earth" and "light of the world" in order to save the world from corruption and destruction.

1. Lesson 1 for July 4, 2015

2. God
created
man
He gave him free will
Man sinned God was the
first
missionary
We are
missionaries too

3. “So God created man in His own image; in
the image of God He created him; male and
female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27)
Humans are not a consequence of chance.
Our life is not senseless. God revealed our
origin and our destiny; the reason why we
exist and how we should live.
1. We are the crown of Creation. Everything
created before them was made for us.
2. God created man in a different way than
the rest of Creation: “Let us make…”
3. We were created in the image of God,
according to His likeness and morally
free.
4. We were given dominion over the whole
Creation to take care of it as stewards of
God.

4. “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of
the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you
shall surely die.’” (Genesis 2:16-17)
God created us free to
choose: to love or not to
love, to obey or not to
obey.
If we could only love and
obey, would we be really
free?
“God desires from all His creatures the service of love—service that
springs from an appreciation of His character. He takes no pleasure in
a forced obedience; and to all He grants freedom of will, that they
may render Him voluntary service.” E.G.W. (Patriarchs and Prophets, cp. 1, pg. 12)

5. “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for
food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree
desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.
She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”
(Genesis 3:6)
Adam and Eve were free to choose,
and they chose to disobey God’s
command, “You shall not eat.”
They lost their freedom when they
sinned. Sin transformed our nature
so we can’t stop sinning by our own.
 The lust of the flesh.
 The lust of the eyes.
 The pride of life.
Choosing to obey
every day is only
possible with
divine help.
We are called to make the right choices everyday
concerning several realms of sin. See 1 John 2:16:

6. THE FIRST MISSIONARY
“Then the Lord God called to Adam and
said to him, ‘Where are you?’” (Genesis 3:9)
They tried to solve their problems with fig
leaves. They chose to avoid God’s presence
when they felt it.
God took the initiative. He became the first
missionary.
He called them and
explained the plan He
formed to save them
(Genesis 3:15).
He gave His only Son,
that we could have
eternal life
(John 3:14-16).
“The Lord has laid on
Him the iniquity of us
all.” (Isaiah 53:6;
2 Corinthians 5:21).

7. “Christ might, because of our guilt, have
moved far from us. But instead of moving
farther away from us, He came and dwelt
among us, filled with all the fullness of the
Godhead, to be one with us, that through His
grace we might attain to perfection. By a death
of shame and suffering He paid man’s ransom.
What self-sacrificing love is this! From the
highest excellency He came, His divinity
clothed with humanity, descending step by step
to the very depths of humiliation. No line can
measure the depth of this love.”E.G.W. (The Upward Look, June 26)

8. “You are the salt of the earth… You are the
light of the world.” (Matthew 5:13-14)
God passed the “baton”—His missionary
initiative—to us: “As the Father has sent Me,
I also send you.” (John 20:21).
Jesus used two metaphors to explain how
He wants us to do our mission:
 Salt of the earth.
Every Christian must
mingle with the world
and to “infect” others
with his example.
 Light of the world.
Every Christian must
light this spiritually dark
world. We must teach
the plan of Salvation to
others.

9. “‘Ye are the salt of the earth,’ Jesus said. Do not
withdraw yourselves from the world in order to
escape persecution. You are to abide among men,
that the savor of the divine love may be as salt to
preserve the world from corruption.
Hearts that respond to the influence of the Holy
Spirit are the channels through which God’s blessing
flows. Were those who serve God removed from the
earth, and His Spirit withdrawn from among men, this
world would be left to desolation and destruction,
the fruit of Satan’s dominion. Though the wicked
know it not, they owe even the blessings of this life
to the presence, in the world, of God’s people whom
they despise and oppress.” E.G.W. (The Desire of Ages, cp. 31, pg. 272)