Faith Fundamentals: Doctrine of Humanity

Faith Fundamentals • Sermon • Submitted 7 months ago • Presented 7 months ago

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Introduction

Our view of humanity is important. In fact I would argue that out of all our theology, our anthropology has some of the most important and practical implications of our every day life. Our anthropology impacts how we treat ourselves, and treat others. It impacts how we view biological sex, gender, and sexuality. Few aspects of theology (or philosophy) can permeate an entire society than the doctrine of humanity.

What we’re not

There are many popular worldviews that have permeated our society. Social media loves to amplify these. Many of these effect us subconsciously. A few examples that you may have heard or seen:

“We are stardust.” or some variant. I’ve seen this promoted in both positive and negative ways. In positive ways, people try to spin it as “You’re special because you are part of the stars!” But in the negative I’ve also seen as, “You are a small insignificant speck of dust in the entire universe.”

We are merely animals. There is nothing inherently special about us. We are no better (and may even be worse) than other animals. Teach this to an entire generation of people and you’ll start to see them treat each other and themselves like animals.

You’ll see an increase in murder, rape, slavery, abortion, racism, genocide, and every other horrible form of treatment you can think of.

On a personal level you’ll also see an increase in self-hatred, suicide, depression, and a general sense of worthlessness and hopelessness.

Sound familiar? Being “merely animals” is a hallmark of evolutionary theory which is the dominant origin worldview in our society.

When we see humans as animals, or dirt, humans will become disposable and less than human.

What we are

In contrast to these worldviews, Christianity views humans as fundamentally special and important.

Much of our theology of humanity comes right from the first couple of chapters of Genesis.

Dominion over the Earth

Work

Marriage

Procreation

This quote by Augustine is a good example of how we can start to see the practical side of Scriptural truths, in this case that humanity coming from a single ancestor was a design for unity:

"God knew also that mortals would reach such a pitch of boundless sin and evil, that brute beasts, deprived of rational thought, would live in greater security and peace among their own kind than humans, whose race was derived from a single ancestor, a fact which was intended to foster harmony among them. Yet not even lions or serpents have ever carried on among themselves the kind of warfare in which men engage. For the human race is, more than any other species, at once social by nature and quarrelsome by perversion. And the greatest warning against this perversion or disharmony is given by the facts of human nature. We are warned to guard against the emergence of this fault, or to remedy it when once it has appeared, by remembering that first parent of ours, who was created by God as one individual with this in mind: that from that one individual a multitude might be made, and that this fact should teach mankind to preserve a harmonious unity in plurality."

We believe that humans are created in the image of God (Imago Dei). This comes from Genesis 1:26–27 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Humans are the only things in all of creation that God made in His image.

That means that we have worth - and more worth than any other thing in all of creation.

We’re not just animals. We are greater than animals and creation, which God has give us to steward and have dominion over.

Psalm 8:4–6 “what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,”

Augustine liked to think of us as a mix between animals and angels.

Because we are God’s image bearers we are the most valued and loved parts of creation.

This is why God puts such a high price on human life throughout Scripture. He originally implemented the death penalty for this reason in Genesis 9:6 ““Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”

God has always wanted us to know how valuable we are and others are, simply because we are his image bearers, therefore harming another image bearer has major consequences.

Think how much deeper Jesus’ teachings go in regards to how we treat each other.

Scripture also teaches us how we should view biological sex, gender, and sexuality. God created us male and female, and there is no separation between sex and gender (or there shouldn’t be.)

God created us exactly the way He intended, and he does not and cannot make mistakes.

God created women to be queens, and men to be kings, intending for his children to be rulers over His creation.

This means that men and women are inherently different, but neither is lesser than the other. They certainly aren’t interchangeable.

When God created us (and everything) He said, “It is very good.” That means every part of us, body and soul is “very good”.

I emphasize this, because our culture has many gnostic tendencies which subconsciously view our flesh and blood bodies as neutral at best, and bad/evil at worst. But that’s not true.

Our physical bodies are “very good”. For the Christian they are event temples of the Holy Spirit!

Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, “We are spiritual creatures living a physical existence.” That’s wrong!

This thinking leads to a culture that things our bodies can be easily manipulated and changed, either because we think they need to be, or we want them to be.

It also impacts our view of sex and sexuality. Sex, within its proper context, is a good thing!

When we begin to realize that God created us exactly as He wanted, it should lead us to treat our bodies better and with more respect, wanting to improve it, and not just change it because we think it’s broken.

Even though humans are made in the Image of God we have to acknowledge the elephant in the room: sin.

Because humanity has sinned, we are corrupted and broken. Sin is what ultimately leads to all of our misguided views of ourselves and others (among other things). If the Imago Dei was meant to be a “compass” that guides us back to our Creator, we utterly destroyed it, and that’s why humanity finds itself in such a lost state from God.

The great theological debate is when sin enters the picture. Many Christians teach/believe in Original Sin, which says that Adam’s sin has been passed on to everyone, making everyone sinful from conception/birth. This is also called “total depravity” by some.

My main critique of original sin/total depravity is that it seems to indicate that humans are innately sinful, and to me this causes major problems for our understanding of Jesus being fully human (and yet without sin).

However, I don’t deny that humans are totally sinful. It’s a fact. We may not be born sinful, but we certainly start sinning at a very young age (have you seen how children behave??).

And it only takes a single sin to bring on the penalty of death. And death is what I believe was passed onto us from Adam (therefore, even Jesus died.) I’ve heard this called “Original Death”.

However you split that theological hair, the truth remains: we are sinful, dying, and need saved and redeemed. And this is exactly what Jesus did, by taking on flesh, becoming human, and going to the cross for us. Through His death and resurrection, He began the restoration of our Imago Dei, and the rest of creation back to its original state (without sin and death) and through the Holy Spirit He is transforming us (back) into His image.

Who Christians are

Having been redeemed by Christ and humans become a “new creation”. As Christians we are fundamentally “different”. So what does that mean?

To put it simply, we have become children of God. Through faith in Christ, we have been made righteous and God now views us as his children.

This is an important distinction, because many people instinctively say that all humans are “children of God”, but that isn’t quite true. We’re all image bearers, but we aren’t all His children.

Children behave like their fathers do, and for most of humanity, they follow their father the devil. Jesus talks about this when speaking to the pharisees in John 8:42–44 “Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

John himself applies this to all humans in 1 John 3:10 “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

But the beauty is that John says that Jesus gave us all the right to become children of God in John 1:12–13 “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Unlike the rest of the world, God himself in the Holy Spirit dwells within us, making us temples. Together, as the Church, we build a different, spiritual temple. There’s no need for a physical temple anymore. We are the temple.

1 Peter 2:4–5 “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 2:9–10 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

This naturally makes us foreigners in every country that we may live in. In the truest since, we aren’t our nationalities any longer, we are a unique group altogether.

Because we are a different people, we act different. We act like our Father in Heaven, which is to pursue holiness, and ultimately perfection, “as our Father in heaven is perfect.” In fact this is why we are called “saints” which means “holy ones”.

Romans 8:5–11 “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

The holy living is what so much of the New Testament encourages Christians to live out. We don’t make it a habit to continue sinning. And at the heart of our holiness is love: love for God, and then love for others.

Romans 12:1–2 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

1 Peter 1:13–19 “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

1 Peter 2:1–3 “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

Ephesians 4:20–24 “But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Ephesians 5:1–5 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

Finally, this means that Christians will experience persecution. I consider there to be two forms of persecution: physical and cultural.

Physical persecution is where Christians are mistreated, even to the point of death.

Cultural persecution is where the world/culture attempts to lead us away from Jesus, not by physical means, but by cultural temptations. I would argue that Scripture warns more against this type of persecution (Hebrews/Revelation).

At any rate, it shouldn’t be a surprised:

1 Peter 4:12–16 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.”

James 1:2–4 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

John 15:18–21 ““If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.”

The good news is: our King has already won, and all we have to do is stick with Him and we win, too.

John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.””

Revelation 2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’”

Revelation 2:11 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’”

Revelation 2:17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’”

Revelation 2:26 “The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,”

Revelation 3:5 “The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.”

Revelation 3:12 “The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.”

Revelation 3:21 “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.”

Conclusion

I simply want to read this description of Christians by a second century author who was defending/explaining Christianity to a non-believer named Diagnetus:

"Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, they champion no purely human doctrine. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign.

And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not expose them. They share their meals, but not their wives.

They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law. Christians love all men, but all men persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory. They are defamed, but vindicated. A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult. For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then they, rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life. They are attacked by the Jews as aliens, they are persecuted by the Greeks, yet no one can explain the reason for this hatred.

(To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body. As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world, but cannot be identified with the world. As the visible body contains the invisible soul, so Christians are seen living in the world, but their religious life remains unseen. The body hates the soul and wars against it, not because of any injury the soul has done it, but because of the restriction the soul places on its pleasures. Similarly, the world hates the Christians, not because they have done it any wrong, but because they are opposed to its enjoyments.

Christians love those who hate them just as the soul loves the body and all its members despite the body's hatred. It is by the soul, enclosed within the body, that the body is held together, and similarly, it is by the Christians, detained in the world as in a prison, that the world is held together. The soul, though immortal, has a mortal dwelling place; and Christians also live for a time amidst perishable things, while awaiting the freedom from change and decay that will be theirs in heaven. As the soul benefits from the deprivation of food and drink, so Christians flourish under persecution. Such is the Christian’s lofty and divinely appointed function, from which he is not permitted to excuse himself.")

(The Letter to Diagnetus)