The Bible & Anthropology: Understanding the Origin and Uniqueness of Humanity

1. Please pick up a handout from the table in the back of the auditorium for class this morning. Lesson Eight: The Bible & Anthropology From Wayne Jackson’s book

2. The Bible & Anthropology • Introduction • Anthropology is the study of mankind, including the history, distribution, physical development and cultural peculiarities of the human species • Modern anthropology is dominated by Darwin’s notion that humans evolved from primitive life • A consideration of evolutionary anthropology “is the key to understanding why people look and behave the way they do.” – How Humans Evolved (1997), textbook widely used on university campuses • Biblical anthropology is light-years removed from evolutionary anthropology

3. The Bible & Anthropology • The Origin of Humanity • We are largely what we are (in terms of behavior) depending on how we view our history • If we consider ourselves to be descended from apes, our conduct could be impacted significantly • If we believe we were fashioned in the image of a holy God (Isa. 6:3; Hab. 1:13), with a religious & moral responsibility to Him, our conduct would be impacted significantly (cf. Lev. 11:44-45; 1 Pet. 1:13-16).

4. The Bible & Anthropology • The Origin of Humanity • Major Ideas Relative to Human Origin • Atheistic Evolution – all forms of living creatures (incl. man) have evolved strictly by natural processes from a primitive spark of life that was spontaneously generated • Wholly philosophical with no genuine scientific basis • Where did the matter come from? Even science admits matter is not eternal & cannot create itself. • Even science admits that life could not generate itself • The necessary mechanisms for developing the vast world of living creatures from one-cell organism do NOT exist!

5. The Bible & Anthropology • The Origin of Humanity • Major Ideas Relative to Human Origin • Theistic Evolution • They acknowledge that evolution, as a purely naturalistic system, is inadequate to explain the biological world, so they feel obligated to introduce “God” into the equation as a cure-all for the problems. • It is argued that God started life initially, and He has guided the evolutionary process at various junctures subsequently.

6. The Bible & Anthropology • The Origin of Humanity • Major Ideas Relative to Human Origin • Theistic Evolution • Manipulates the Biblical text • Creating gap of billions of yrs btwn Gen. 1:1 & 1:2 • Viewing “days” of initial week as long periods of time (contrary to plain teaching in passage like Ex. 20:11) • Rearranging the order of days in the creation week • Adam & Eve are mere “symbols” but not the first • Jesus & apostles discredited for their literal approach to Genesis (cf. Matt. 19:4; Rom. 5:15; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:13-14).

7. The Bible & Anthropology • The Origin of Humanity • Major Ideas Relative to Human Origin • Biblical View • Pure & uncluttered by ancient myth • Entire creation occurred by divine power during a period of six, literal days • Scriptures offer no endorsement to the constantly-being-revised evolutionary scheme

8. The Bible & Anthropology • The Uniqueness of Mankind • Physical distinctions between humans & apes • The axis of the human head is positioned to accommodate upright walking • The ape’s feet are designed for grasping • Most of man’s brain development is post-birth • Ape arms are fashioned longer to accommodate tree-swinging • Vastly different mating patterns between humans & apes

9. The Bible & Anthropology • The Uniqueness of Mankind • Physical distinctions between humans & apes • Commonly claimed that fossil evidence reveals man’s apish ancestry, particularly skeleton fragments found in Ethiopia (1974) that were named “Lucy” • The Lucy-human connection is highly disputed • Fragments gathered from several places at diff depths • No evidence they are anything other than animal bones • Based upon human footprints found in hardened volcanic ash in Tanzania, even some evolutionists argue true human beings pre-dated “Lucy” considerably • Thus, “Lucy” was not a creature on-the-way to human • No fossil evidence of any half-ape, half-human creature

10. The Bible & Anthropology • The Uniqueness of Mankind • Psychological differences separating humans & apes • Humans possess self-awareness & ability to reflect upon their history • Man plans for the future, ever longing for improvement • Human beings have a sense of the aesthetic • No monkey admires a sunset or composes a symphony • Mankind accumulates knowledge over the ages; today’s ape is as “dumb” as one of 30 centuries past • Humans have a spiritual urge; chimps do not

11. The Bible & Anthropology • The Antiquity of Man • Evolutionary chronology alleges that: • The universe is approx. 20 billion years old • The earth is about 5 billion years • Biological life spontaneously arose about 2-3 billion yrs ago • True man developed approx. 2-3 million years ago • The motive for this exaggerated chronology is the need for time, so that evolution has opportunity to occur. “Time is in fact the hero of the plot.” • However, the evidence has been seriously misrepresented by those who aim to dismiss God.

12. The Bible & Anthropology • The Antiquity of Man • There is no fail-safe method for determining the age of the earth or man, based upon the “decay” methods (ex: uranium-to-lead or carbon 14). • ALL such dating methods are based upon assumptions • Example: Uranium-lead process (uranium decaying) • Must be assumed one’s sample not contain lead already • Must be assumed that decay rate has always been constant • Must be assumed no contamination from extraneous sources • Each of these assumptions is highly questionable • There is considerable evidence against long-age contentions

13. The Bible & Anthropology • The Antiquity of Man • Notion that man has been on earth for more than a million years is at variance with Biblical data • From present back to Abraham only about 4,000 years • Only 20 generations between Abraham & Adam (Luke 3) • No way to squeeze a million or so years into that record • Jesus placed man at “beginning of the creation” (Mk. 10:6) • Not possible to accept Jesus’ words & contend universe is 20 bil. yrs old & man only here couple million years • Only reasonable approach to the Bible is to view the entire creation as a relatively recent event • There is no hard-core scientific evidence that contradicts

14. The Bible & Anthropology • The Nature of Man • “What is man, that You are mindful of him?” – Ps. 8:4 • Atheist = “man consists of nothing but matter” • Really? Who truly believes that? • Do we treat a human being like piece of wood or a dog? • Why do we eat cattle & chicken but not men? • Why different rules for human conduct vs. animals? • Do we prosecute & incarcerate a dog for stealing bones?

15. The Bible & Anthropology • The Nature of Man • Scriptures declare that man is more than material substance • He has been made in the very “image” of God – Gen 1:26 • God does not consist of flesh & blood – Matt. 16:17 • Humans must possess something beyond the physical • Man has a “soul” or “spirit” • Daniel was grieved in his “spirit” – Dan. 7:15 • God is able to punish “body and soul” – Matt. 10:28 • The spirit is the “knowing,” “feeling” part of man – 1 Cor. 2:11; 16:18 • The spirit is that which will survive the death of the body – 2 Cor. 5:11ff; Rev. 6:9ff (more in coming weeks)

16. The Bible & Anthropology • The Purpose of Man • David Hume (Scottish philosopher, strongly opposed Christianity) wrote in Treatise of Human Nature, “Where am I, or what? From what causes do I derive my existence, and to what condition shall I return?...I am confounded with all these questions, and begin to fancy myself in the most deplorable condition imaginable, envisioned with the deepest darkness, and utterly deprived of the use of every member and faculty.”

17. The Bible & Anthropology • The Purpose of Man • Humanity was made to glorify God – Isa. 43:7 • Creator does not need it – Acts 17:25 • Rather our greatest happiness lies in serving God • “And Mary said: ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.’” – Luke 1:46-47 • The whole duty of man is to reverence his Maker & keep his commandments – Ecc. 12:13 • Those who do not know and do not fulfill their purpose to serve the Creator have wasted their lives!

18. The Bible & Anthropology • The Fall & Redemption of Man • Through willful sin, humans beings become estranged from God – Isa. 59:1-2 • They are spiritually “dead” – Eph. 2:1ff • Because of His holy nature (Hab. 1:13), God could not merely overlook this matter, lest His own integrity be compromised. • Options: • Let humanity remain lost – forever isolated from Deity • Provide a means of redemption for the fallen race • How could God remain just and yet justify wayward man?

19. The Bible & Anthropology • The Fall & Redemption of Man • Because of His great love (1 John 4:8; John 3:16), the Father offered His Son, Jesus Christ, as an atoning sacrifice for human sin (see Rom. 3:21-26). • The prophets had previewed it – Isa. 53 • The gospel writers detail its fulfillment • When we, in obedience submit to His will, pardon can be ours – Heb. 5:8-9; Acts 2:38; 22:16 • Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift – 2 Cor. 9:15

20. The Bible & Anthropology • The Destiny of Man • What is the ultimate human reality? After death? • Madame Marie Curie – “It is the end of everything, everything, everything” (when her husband died).

21. The Bible & Anthropology • The Destiny of Man • Beyond the grave is either “something” or “nothing” • If death is the end, life is meaningless & not matter how live • If there is something, surely it is “good” or “bad” (or both) • If it is all good or all bad, what difference does conduct in this life make? • If one’s destiny is determined by the manner of his life, and whether such is in the will of God, it behooves any thinking person to be serious about eternity! • The Scriptures teach that the destiny of humanity will be either with God or without Him – Matt. 25:31ff • The latter is simply too horrible to contemplate

22. The Bible & Anthropology • Conclusion • Man is the only creature on earth who is interested in his past, his purpose and his future. • Surely this should be an index into his soul. • The wise person will pursue the answer to these queries with all diligence.