01-Introduction

In 2021, I was asked to preach three sermons on man – his uniqueness, his ruin and his redemption. As I explained to the congregation, although it was a vital topic that I had been asked to deal with, I was not – to say the least – eager to do it. I like to think of myself as a gospel preacher, and I felt – and still feel – that the material in question would have been better presented as a series of lectures.1 Nevertheless, despite my reservations, I went ahead and fulfilled the engagement.2