Anthropology: The Doctrine of Man

Anthropology: The Doctrine of Man

Then God said, “Let us make humanityin our own image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on the earth.” God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them, male and female God created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and master it. Take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and everything crawling on the ground.” Genesis 1:26-28, CEB

What is man (mankind, humankind, etc.)?

Approaching Anthropology • The Purpose of Humankind • Made in the Divine Image • Why Male and Female? • Humankind as Masters and Rulers

The Purpose of Humankind • Why do we exist rather than not exist? • Did God create humankind because he was in need of something? • Did God create humankind because he was lonely? • Did God create humankind because he had to? • Did God create humankind for companionship?

The Purpose of Humankind • Why God created humankind: • To bring God glory—to give him great honor and praise. • Gives life purpose and meaning. • Incites joy, joy that we all desire. • Enables having “life, and [having] it abundantly.”

The Purpose of Humankind • Why God created humankind: • To give humankind God’s nature. • Gives a spiritual dimension to our existence. • Shows the importance of God’s love. • This distinguishes humankind from the rest of creation; part of our uniqueness comes from the fact that we are the only part of God’s creation man “in the divine image.”

Made in the Divine Image • 1. We are separate from the rest of creation. • We are moral creatures, created with a sense of right and wrong (i.e., conscience)—reflects God as the basis for morality • We are spiritualcreatures—reflects God’s nature as spirit; allows us to relate to him personally • We are intellectualcreatures—reflects God’s knowledge • We are relationalcreatures—reflects God’s perfect community within the Trinity

Made in the Divine Image • Sin has marred God’s image in us. • Because of sin, God’s image in us is partly distorted. His image is not seen as clearly as it once was. • Although the Bible is clear that humankind is still “made in the likeness of God” (James 3:9), that likeness, because of sin, doesn’t look like everything it is supposed to. • Sin distorts our moral judgment. • Sin clouds our thinking. • Sin hinders our fellowship with others.

Made in the Divine Image • Through the Messiah’s life, death, and resurrection, God has begun the process of restoring his image. • Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection initiated God’s kingdom and ushered in the new creation. • Now, those who believe in and trust in the Jesus, the Messiah, possess a new nature, “which is being renewed…after the image of its Creator” (Col. 3:10). • While here on earth, we “are being transformed” into the Messiah’s image “from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor. 3:18).

Made in the Divine Image • At the end of time (the doctrine of consummation), all of God’s children will become like his son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah. • 1 Cor. 15:49: “just as we have borne the image of the man of dust [Adam], we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven [God].” • The Messiah “is the image of God” perfectly—inJesus, we see God’s likeness as it was intended to be. • Because of the Messiah, we will eventually be changed to reflect God’s image as we were intended to do.

Made in the Divine Image • The human body possesses more than simply a physical component. • What is debated: Does the human body consist of three parts (body, soul, and spirit—a “trichotomy”) or two parts (body and spirit/soul—a “dichotomy)? • What is not debated: The human body is more than just physical.

Made in the Divine Image • God’s spirituality is reflected in the fact that we have a spirit. • Naturalists claim that all that exists is what can be seen. • We know this is not true, however, because we seek spiritual answers and deeper meaning to life’s biggest issues. • The desire to discover and confirm truthis built in to our nature—because God is truth. • One day, our spiritual selves will be our primary identity, and we will commune in spirit with God our Creator.

Made in the Divine Image “If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body...I declare to you brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable...the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.” 1 Corinthians 15:44, 50, 53

Male and Female? • Christianity has sometimes been wrongly accused of denying equalitybetween men and women. • However, Christianity is the only religion that mandates equality and special worth for bothsexes. • In Christ, all people are equalin the eyes of God. • “God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them, male and female God created them.” • Genesis 1:26

Male and Female? • God created a man first, and then a woman. The woman was made to be “part” of the man, to show that they are the same, that they are equal. (The timing is given too much significance sometimes!) • The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helpersuitable for him.” • Genesis 2:18

Male and Female? • So, what is the point? Why are there two sexes, and why is the man seen by some as the “dominator”? • God created two sexes to enable humankind to enjoy the blessings of relationship. A man and a woman are to be bonded together in a community that is built on trust, intimacy, and mutual love—much like the Trinity. • The Fall, though, brought disunity: now, Even would become dependent on the man, from whom she was created.

Male and Female? • This fracture in the unity between man and woman has nothing to do with their importance, nor does it give a man or woman license to abuse their position. • Rather, in a biblically based marriage, both the man and woman have equality in importance but difference in roles. • So, in essence, a marriage is a God-designed, God-desired union that he intends to point to his union and relationship that he experiences with us and, ultimately, himself.

Approaching Anthropology • The Purpose of Humankind • Made in the Divine Image • Why Male and Female? • Humankind as Reflections and Rulers

Reflections and Rulers • As creatures made in God’s image, we were also made to be his representatives on the earth. • Wherever we are, we are God-imagers. This is why he commanded Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen. 1:28). • When we fill the earth with God’s image, we demonstrate all the places where he reigns and rules.

Reflections and Rulers • As creatures made in God’s image, we are also called to take care of his land. • “subdue” the earth and “have dominion over…every living thing that moves on the earth” = care for God’s kingdom in a way that honors him. • This means that we must use the earth’s abundance wisely. • We must also make improvementswherever we can—this makes God’s world look more like he designed it to look.

Reflections and Rulers • As creatures made in God’s image, we have the responsibility to restore his people and his land to the way they were meant to be. • We must have great hopeand respectfor all people, regardless of their beliefs, spiritual condition, etc—they are still made in God’s image. • We must have great hopeand respectfor the world God has entrusted us with. • We long to see it continually—and fully—recreated. • Working toward this goal brings God the glory he intends.

Anthropology: The Doctrine of Man

Anthropology: The Doctrine of Man