18. In the Image of Adam

• Jul, 14 2025

Genesis 5:3 reveals a profound theological truth: Adam's descendants are born not in the pure image of God, but in the fallen image of Adam—a corrupted nature marred by sin. Calvin, Keil, and Delitzsch agree that what Adam passed on was not righteousness but a defiled nature, shaped by rebellion and self-will. This condition, known as original sin, includes both a moral and spiritual corruption and even manifests in physical and hereditary consequences.Throughout history, however, man has denied his fallen condition. From Aristotle to Aquinas, through Locke, Wesley, and modern psychologists, thinkers have tried to redeem man through reason, experience, or conditioning. Aquinas claimed man’s intellect is always true, and Locke viewed the human mind as a blank slate, suggesting that man’s environment or education could perfect him. This idea influenced both modern education and revivalist theology, which turned emotional experiences into methods of salvation, assuming man can reform himself if properly motivated.This humanistic view of man leads to immaturity, self-deception, and ultimately bondage to other men. By rejecting God's sovereignty and the reality of total depravity, man trades divine authority for human manipulation—becoming enslaved to culture, psychology, or peer expectations. From Freud’s early psychoanalytic errors to revivalist conversion scripts, we see how humans reproduce what they are conditioned to express, reinforcing the illusion that they are autonomous when, in fact, they are deeply dependent and influenced.In rejecting God, man also rejects responsibility and maturity. He seeks “freedom” by destroying limits, embracing nihilism, and believing that reality will conform to his desires. As expressed by student radicals and cultural revolutionaries, “to destroy is to feel free.” But this rebellion only leads to self-frustration and moral collapse. The so-called freedom from guilt promoted by thinkers like Freud is illusory—guilt can only be cleansed by the atonement of Christ or punished by God’s judgment.The universe is moral and governed by God. Every attempt to assert self-sufficiency apart from God results in failure and judgment. Man in Adam’s image lives with a will to self-destruction, marked by increasing lawlessness, emotional fragility, and cultural immaturity. Without grace, man remains trapped in a cycle of rebellion and futility.

Author

R.J. Rushdoony

Chalcedon Founder

Narrated by

Nathan F. Conkey

Narrator, teacher, missionary