Created in God’s Image, Not Born Condemned. The Son of Man Was Manifested to Destroy the Works of the Devil.

Created in God’s Image, Not Born Condemned. The Son of Man Was Manifested to Destroy the Works of the Devil.

You live in a story that began with blessing, was assaulted by a lie, was answered with atonement, and will end with the Lord appearing with His holy ones to judge every work and every word. This is not just about “how you feel about yourself.” It is about how a very common line is handled: “Adam fell, so I am a sinner from the beginning,” or, “In Adam’s fall now all are sinners.” Spoken as an identity, those sentences condemn the humanity God created, drag Jesus’ own humanity into that condemnation, and train the mouth to speak against God every time a person describes himself or herself. The aim is not to deny that everyone sins; the aim is to stop using that truth as a curse against the image of God, and to replace it with language like: “I am made in God’s image. Yes, I sin, but the Lord takes it on Himself and I repent.”

1 John 3:8 sits at the center of this issue:

“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”

The question is: whose “beginning” is that? The devil’s, or ours? Scripture and the Second Temple witnesses make it clear: “from the beginning” is about the devil’s rebellion and his works, not about human nature or about Adam’s original state. Romans 5:12 still stands—“by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin”—but that is about how sin enters the human story, not about where sin first arose in the cosmos.

He who practices sin is of the devil

John 8:44 says, “You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do: he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth… for he is a liar, and the father of it.” Ephesians 2:2 describes unbelievers as walking “according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience.” Matthew 13:38 calls the weeds “the children of the wicked one.” These texts explain what it means to be “of the devil”: there is a spiritual fatherhood and an active spirit at work in those who practice sin. Being “of the devil” is not how God created humans; it is about whose voice they obey and whose works they do.

1 Enoch fills in the mechanism. In chapter 8, Azazel teaches men to make swords, knives, shields, breastplates, all sorts of armour, as well as jewelry, cosmetics, and the use of costly stones and dyes, and “there arose much godlessness.” Other Watchers teach enchantments, astrology, and occult arts, so that violence, vanity, and sorcery spread across the earth. In chapter 9, the archangels pray, “Thou seest what Azazel hath done, who hath taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were preserved in heaven, which men were striving to learn.” Azazel’s core sin is teaching forbidden heavenly knowledge to humans who are striving to learn it. In chapter 10, God’s verdict is: “The whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel; to him ascribe all sin,” and Azazel is commanded to be bound and cast into darkness until the day of judgment. In chapter 15, the spirits that proceed from the dead giants are called “evil spirits” who remain on earth, oppressing, destroying, attacking, doing battle, and working destruction and trouble.

These spirits look very much like “the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience” in Ephesians 2. Azazel is the fountainhead; the unclean spirits are the ongoing agency. Those who practice sin show that this evil spirit is at work in them and are therefore “of the devil” in Johannine language. None of this says that humans are created “of the devil”; it says that sinning humans have joined his side.

If we put it succinctly: 1 John 3:8, John 8:44, Ephesians 2:2, and Matthew 13:38 give the doctrinal statement that those who practice sin align themselves with the devil. 1 Enoch 8–10 and 15 give the narrative explanation in terms of Azazel’s forbidden teaching and the spirits that proceed from the giants. Any phrase like “Adam fell, so I am a sinner from the beginning” that uses “from the beginning” as a name for human origin is misusing language Scripture reserves for the devil’s story.

The devil has sinned from the beginning

Biblically, the beginning of human sin is in Genesis 3. The serpent is “more subtil than any beast of the field.” He questions God’s word and then contradicts it: “Ye shall not surely die… ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:1–5). The woman sees that the tree is good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise; she takes, eats, and gives to her husband with her, and he eats (Genesis 3:6). Their sin is believing a lie and disobeying a command about a tree, not lust or fornication. The text never calls sex the first sin.

Romans 5:12 builds on this: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Adam is the door by which sin enters the human world and death spreads. But 1 John 3:8 and John 8:44 say that the devil has been sinning “from the beginning” and was a “murderer from the beginning,” pointing to a deeper, pre‑human rebellion.

Second Temple texts fill that in. Jubilees 3 retells Genesis 3, stressing the serpent’s approach and Eve’s confession that “the serpent deceived me, and I ate,” clearly tying the primal human sin to the serpent’s initiative. Jasher 1–3 expands the fall narrative, emphasizing the serpent’s subtle speech and Eve’s hearkening, depicting sin as answering the serpent instead of God.

1 Enoch 6–8 shows chiefs like Shemihazah and his company swearing an oath in heaven, descending, taking wives from the daughters of men, and teaching forbidden arts. Lust and violence come after a heavenly counsel and oath; the first sin in that story is unbelief in God and organized rebellion, not human desire. Chapter 69 lists chiefs and their functions: Yeqon leads the sons of God down through the daughters of men; Asbeel gives wicked advice and leads them into defilement; Gadreel “led astray Eve” and showed humanity “all the blows of death” and the weapons of war; and Azazel is named twice among the commanders over “hundreds, fifties, and tens,” marking him as the central organizer.

So “from the beginning” in John and 1 John is the devil’s career as liar and murderer; Genesis, Jubilees, and Jasher show the beginning of human sin initiated by the serpent; and Enoch shows the earlier heavenly conspiracy under Azazel’s command, with Gadreel extending that rebellion to Eve. When a believer says, “Because Adam fell I am a sinner from the beginning,” he is sliding the devil’s “from the beginning” onto his own origin. That is what must be corrected.

Creation blessing: Be fruitful and multiply

Before any fall, God speaks a blessing and a vocation over humanity:

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it” (Genesis 1:27–28).

This comes before Genesis 3, in a state of innocence, with no mention of lust, fornication, or frustration. Genesis 2 then adds that “they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed,” again presenting their union as part of God’s “very good” creation, not as sin. The first human sin in Genesis 3 is not fulfilling this blessing; it is believing the serpent’s lie and eating from the forbidden tree.

Enoch and Jubilees confirm that the problem is forbidden knowledge and rebellion, not the creation blessing itself. As already noted, Azazel “taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were preserved in heaven, which men were striving to learn,” and as a result “the whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel; to him ascribe all sin.” Gadreel “led astray Eve” and showed the “blows of death” and weapons of war, extending that angelic rebellion into the human story. “Be fruitful and multiply” remains God’s good design; the corruption comes from the lie and the forbidden teaching, not from lawful fruitfulness itself.

The works of the devil

1 John 3:8b says: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”

The New Testament describes those works as the “principalities and powers” disarmed by the cross (Colossians 2:15), the “ruler of this world” cast out and judged (John 12:31; 16:11), and “him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” destroyed through Messiah’s death (Hebrews 2:14).

Enoch and Jubilees spell out what those works look like. In 1 Enoch 8, Azazel teaches weapons, armor, jewelry, cosmetics, and “all kinds of costly stones and coloring tinctures,” and “there arose much godlessness.” Other Watchers teach enchantments, astrology, and occult arts, so that violence, vanity, and sorcery spread. In 1 Enoch 9, the archangels cry, “Thou seest what Azazel hath done, who hath taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were preserved in heaven, which men were striving to learn.” In 1 Enoch 10, God replies that “the whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel; to him ascribe all sin,” and commands that he be bound and cast into darkness until the day of judgment. In 1 Enoch 15:8–12 the spirits from the giants remain on earth as evil spirits who oppress, destroy, and mislead, continuing Azazel’s corrupting work. Jubilees 10 portrays Mastema asking that a portion of these spirits remain to test and tempt humanity; God allows one‑tenth to remain, nine‑tenths to be bound, so their activity continues under restriction.

1 Enoch 53–54 then shows the other side of “the works of the devil”: not only what Azazel started, but what happens to those who join him. Enoch sees a deep valley with burning fire, where kings and mighty ones are brought, and “fetters of iron without weight” are being made. When he asks, “For whom are these chains being prepared?”, the angel answers that they are for the hosts of Azazel, and for those who have become servants of Satan and led astray those who dwell on the earth, to be cast into the burning furnace and the abyss of condemnation. This is a vivid apocalyptic picture of what 1 John 3:8 means when it says “he that committeth sin is of the devil”: to practice his works is to join the host that will share his chains.

These are the works of the devil: lawlessness, violence, unjust bloodshed, idolatry, sorcery, destructive spirits, and a network of rebel powers under chiefs like Azazel, Gadreel, and Mastema, with chains prepared for their servants. When human tongues say, “In Adam’s fall now all are sinners,” as if our beginning were identical with these works, they allow a truth about human participation in sin to become a curse that assigns the devil’s works and destiny to human nature as such.

The Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil

1 John 3:8 ties everything to the appearing of the Son: “You know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin” (1 John 3:5), and “for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”

Other passages fill this out. Genesis 3:15 promises that the seed of the woman will bruise the serpent’s head even as his heel is bruised. Hebrews 2:14 says that through death he destroys “him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” John 12:31 announces, “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” Colossians 2:15 says he has disarmed principalities and powers, making a public spectacle of them. Revelation 20:2 and 10 shows the “dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan” bound and later thrown into the lake of fire.

Enoch gives a literary model of this destroying and judging role. In chapter 10, God commands Raphael to bind Azazel hand and foot, cast him into darkness, cover him with rough stones, and keep him there until the day of judgment when he will be cast into the fire, after which “the whole earth” will be healed. Chapters 53–57 show chains and a burning valley prepared for the hosts of Azazel and for those who became “servants of Satan,” anticipating the same judgment scene Revelation applies to Satan and his followers.

1 Enoch 46 introduces the Son of Man figure whose task is to execute that judgment. Enoch sees “one whose face was like that of a man” beside the Head of Days and asks who he is. The angel answers: “This is the Son of Man who possesses righteousness, with whom righteousness dwells, and who reveals all the treasures of that which is hidden; because the Lord of Spirits has chosen him.” This Son of Man “shall raise up kings and the mighty from their seats, and the powerful from their thrones; shall loosen the bridles of the powerful, and break in pieces the teeth of sinners.” He “shall put down the kings from their thrones and kingdoms, because they do not extol and praise Him” and will cast down their faces into darkness. Enoch 46 thus pictures the Chosen One / Son of Man as the one in whom righteousness dwells, the true revealer of what is hidden (in contrast to Azazel’s counterfeit secrets), and the judge who overthrows the kings and sinners aligned with the rebel powers.

Enoch’s last chapter, 1 Enoch 108, returns to the same theme of final outcome. It is presented as another book written for those who will keep God’s law in the last days. It opens with a promise: “You who have done good shall wait for those days till an end is made of those who work evil, and an end of the might of the transgressors. And wait indeed till sin has passed away, for their names shall be blotted out of the book of life and out of the holy books, and their seed shall be destroyed for ever, and their spirits shall be slain, and they shall cry… and in the fire shall they burn; for there is no earth there.” In contrast, the righteous who “have loved My holy name” are brought forth “in shining light,” each seated “on the throne of his honour,” and “they shall be resplendent for times without number,” while they see “those who were born in darkness led into darkness.”

That is Enoch’s way of saying what 1 John 3:8 declares: the Son of God’s appearing brings a final end to those who work evil and to sin itself, and an everlasting vindication and glorification of those who refused to join the devil’s works. The works of Azazel and his servants do not define the story; they are brought to an end, and the righteous shine where righteousness is the judgement of God.

Put together: Azazel and his hosts are the origin and spread of forbidden knowledge and violence (Enoch 8–10, 15, 53–57). The Son of Man / Son of God is revealed as the righteous one who judges those kings, breaks the sinners’ teeth, removes their thrones, brings an end to those who work evil, and makes sin pass away (Enoch 46 and 108), fulfilling Genesis 3:15, Hebrews 2:14, Colossians 2:15, and Revelation 20. 1 John 3:8 is the doctrinal summary: “for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”

Seed and children: children of the devil vs. children of God

1 John 3:10 concludes, “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil.” John 8:44 uses the same family language: “You are of your father the devil.” Genesis 3:15 introduces the two “seeds”: the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman.

Enoch and Jubilees deepen this. The giants and their demon offspring in Enoch form a “seed” of rebellion whose spirits remain to mislead humanity; those who follow their ways become, in effect, their children. Jubilees tracks righteous and unrighteous lines and presents nations allotted to angelic princes, with Mastema heading the hostile side, giving an apocalyptic backdrop to the idea of “children of God” and “children of the devil.”

So the chain runs: Genesis 3:15 sets up the seed of the serpent versus the seed of the woman. Jubilees and Enoch develop seed as spiritual lineage under opposing heavenly powers. John and 1 John apply this as “children of the devil” versus “children of God,” those who practice sin versus those who practice righteousness and love.

To call oneself “a sinner from the beginning” because of Adam’s fall is to place one’s beginning on the serpent’s side of that line. Instead, the believer must locate his or her beginning in God’s creation and new birth: “So God created man in his own image” (Genesis 1:27). “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” is spoken as blessing before any sin; there is no lust or fornication in this command, only innocent vocation. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God… Beloved, now are we the sons of God” (1 John 3:1–2). “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

 Jesus’ true humanity and our words

If we say “human from the beginning = sinner from the beginning,” we run straight into a Christological wall. Scripture insists that Jesus is fully human, born of a woman, and yet without sin.

The Gospels present Him as truly man. He is conceived and born of Mary (Matthew 1:18–25; Luke 1:26–35; 2:1–7). He grows, hungers, thirsts, weeps, tires, suffers, and dies (Matthew 4:2; 8:24; 26:37–38; Mark 4:38; 15:37; Luke 2:40, 52; John 4:6; 11:35; 19:30). Luke traces His genealogy back to Adam, calling Him “the son of Adam, the son of God” (Luke 3:23–38). John says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). There is nothing sub‑human about Him; He shares our humanity completely, apart from sin.

Hebrews makes this explicit in doctrinal form: “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things” (Hebrews 2:14). He was “made like his brothers in every respect” (Hebrews 2:17). He was “in every respect tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). If “flesh” or “from the beginning” simply meant “sinful by nature,” then either Jesus would not truly be flesh, or He would share that sin. Hebrews will allow neither option. He is fully one of us and yet without sin.

1 John holds the same tension. It says “in him is no sin” (1 John 3:5). It insists that “every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God” (1 John 4:2; cf. 2 John 7). The very letter that says “the devil has been sinning from the beginning” (1 John 3:8) also insists that the One who came in the flesh is sinless and opposed to the devil’s works (1 John 3:5, 8). To deny His true flesh is “the spirit of antichrist” (1 John 4:3). To deny His sinlessness is to make Him just another child of Adam under the devil’s “from the beginning.” John will allow neither. Jesus is the true human, the second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45–47), who walks through the same world, under the same spiritual war, without ever joining the devil’s works.

Revelation presents this same Jesus as the exalted Son of Man. John sees “one like a son of man” in the midst of the lampstands (Revelation 1:13), with eyes like a flame of fire and a sharp two‑edged sword coming from His mouth (Revelation 1:14–16). He is “the first and the last… who died and came to life” (Revelation 2:8), the Lamb who was slain and yet lives (Revelation 5:6), and the One who “judges and makes war” in righteousness (Revelation 19:11–16). This matches the Son of Man / Chosen One of 1 Enoch. Enoch sees “one who had a head of days,” and with him “another whose face had the appearance of a man”; the angel explains, “This is the Son of Man who possesses righteousness, with whom righteousness dwells, and who reveals all the treasures of that which is hidden, because the Lord of Spirits has chosen him” (1 Enoch 46:1–3). This Son of Man “shall raise up kings and the mighty from their seats, and the powerful from their thrones; shall loosen the bridles of the powerful, and break in pieces the teeth of sinners” (1 Enoch 46:4–6), and in later chapters (1 Enoch 62; 69; 108:1–3, 10–15) he sits in judgment over kings, sinners, and the spirits aligned with Azazel, vindicating the righteous and making sin pass away. The New Testament’s Son of Man who destroys the works of the devil (1 John 3:8; Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 19–20) is walking in the same role 1 Enoch assigns to the righteous Son of Man who judges the kings and the hosts of Azazel (1 Enoch 46; 53–57; 108). He is fully human, yet entirely without sin, and His mission is to undo what Azazel and the devil began.

James then brings all of this down to the level of our tongues. “If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body” (James 3:2). “The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness… set on fire by hell” (James 3:6). “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:9–10). To curse a human being who is “made in the likeness of God” is to misuse the same tongue that should bless the Lord. When we curse ourselves—speaking as though we are worthless, “trash,” or “sinners from the beginning” by nature—rather than confessing particular sins and clinging to Christ, we are letting our mouths participate in the devil’s accusation against God’s image. We are taking the Lord’s name in vain by slandering His image and His Son’s flesh.

Jude and 2 Peter tie this back to the fallen angels and their chains. Jude 6 says, “The angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day.” 2 Peter 2:4 says, “God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into Tartarus and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment.” Jude 14–16, citing 1 Enoch 1:9, says the Lord comes to convict the ungodly “of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him,” and describes them as “grumblers, malcontents… and their mouth speaks arrogant words.” Together with Revelation 20:1–3, 10 (Satan bound, then cast into the lake of fire), and 1 Enoch 53–54 (chains prepared for the hosts of Azazel and for those who became “servants of Satan”), this shows that the same Lord who judges the devil and his angels will also judge the “harsh words” of those who joined their pattern in speech.

Putting it together: the devil “sins from the beginning” (1 John 3:8); fallen angels are bound in chains awaiting judgment (Jude 6; 2 Peter 2:4; 1 Enoch 10; 53–54). The Son of Man / Son of God, fully human and without sin (Hebrews 2:14–17; 4:15; John 1:14), appears to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8; Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 19–20; 1 Enoch 46; 108). Our tongues either line up with the devil’s accusations and harsh words (1 Enoch 1:9; Jude 14–16; James 3:6, 9–10) or with the Son’s truth and blessing. That is why you cannot let your mouth say, as an identity, “I am a sinner from the beginning.” That kind of speech blurs the line between the devil’s “from the beginning” and your own created beginning in God’s image; it treats your humanity as if it were Azazel’s work instead of God’s handiwork; and it fails to honor the sinless flesh of Jesus, who took on our nature to destroy the works of the devil. The tongue must learn to speak of you the way Scripture speaks of Him and of those who are in Him: truly tempted, truly fallen in Adam, but redeemed, cleansed, and called children of God—not of the devil—from now on.

Enoch 1:9, Jude 14–16, and how we speak

1 Enoch 1:9 says:

“Behold! He comes with tens of thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment upon all, and to convict every soul of all the godless deeds they have committed, and of all the harsh words that godless sinners have spoken against Him.”

Jude 14–15 explicitly quotes this:

“Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Then Jude immediately describes the people in view (v. 16):

“These are grumblers, malcontents, walking according to their own lusts; and their mouth speaks great swelling words, flattering people to their own advantage.”

So Enoch and Jude agree on two key points:

First, when the Lord comes with His holy ones, He does not only judge deeds; He convicts “of all the harsh words that godless sinners have spoken against Him.” Our mouths will be called into account for the way we speak about God.

Second, those “harsh words” are not just explicit blasphemies. Jude connects them to a whole pattern: grumbling, complaining about God’s ways, using big, boastful words, and flattering people for advantage. It is a posture of speech that misrepresents God’s character and sets ourselves, our feelings, or our advantage at the center.

This is where the Third Commandment and the image of God come in. “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain” is not only about cursing or saying “God” lightly. In Scripture, God’s name is tied to His people; they bear His name, and humanity bears His image. To speak harshly against God, or to speak harshly and contemptuously about yourself as an image‑bearer, is a way of taking His name in vain. You are using your mouth to slander the One whose image you carry and whose name you bear.

That is why the way we talk about ourselves in light of Adam and sin matters. If I say, as an identity, “I am a sinner from the beginning, I am worthless, I am trash,” I am not just describing my failures; I am speaking “hard things” against the One who made me in His image and redeemed me in His Son. I am aligning my tongue with the accusations of the adversary rather than with the blessing and calling of God. Enoch 1:9 and Jude 14–16 warn that the Lord will convict for “all the harsh things” spoken against Him—and that includes the harsh, godless way of speaking that treats His image and His name in me as if they were nothing.

So the call is:

Stop using your tongue to echo the devil’s story over yourself. Stop calling yourself by names that belong to “the devil from the beginning.” Confess real sins, yes; but do not curse the image of God or the name of God in you. Let your words agree with what God has said: that you were created in His image, that in Adam sin entered the world and you have truly sinned, that the Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil, and that in Christ you are called a child of God. To speak that way is to bear His name in truth, not in vain.

Where Romans 5:12 fits—and what we must stop saying

Romans 5:12 is true and non‑negotiable: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Adam opens the door; we all walk through it by our own sins. But that does not give us the right to say:

“I am a sinner from the beginning.”  

“From Adam’s fall all are sinners from the beginning.”  

“In Adam’s fall now all are sinners” as a definition of human origin.

Those phrases take “from the beginning,” which 1 John 3:8 and John 8:44 use for the devil’s rebellion, and attach it to the human beginning. They speak as if our nature were originally “of the devil,” instead of our sins placing us under his influence. They ignore the creation blessing (“Let us make man in our image,” “Be fruitful, and multiply”) and the fact that fruitfulness is a pre‑fall blessing, not original sin. They muffle the appearing of the Son of God who takes away sin and destroys the devil’s works.

The better, biblical way to speak is:

“I was created in God’s image. In Adam, sin and death entered the world, and I have sinned and need repentance. By my own choices and practice, I have too often walked according to the prince of the power of the air, but in Christ I am called out of those works and named a child of God. The Son of God was manifested to destroy the works of the devil, and my tongue must agree with that victory, not curse the image of God in which I was made.”

That is how 1 John 3:8, together with Genesis, Romans, Enoch (including chapter 9 on Azazel’s forbidden knowledge, 46 on the Son of Man, 53–57 on the chains prepared for Azazel’s hosts, and 108 on the end of those who work evil), Jubilees, and Jasher, can be used to correct the dangerous habit of calling ourselves “sinners from the beginning” and to relocate our identity in God’s original creation and Messiah’s new creation, not in the devil’s “from the beginning.”