Who Are We?

The Human Problem

The invisible parts of us are dysfunctional

The present state of creation and those with the Spirit is groaning and longing .

Romans 8:21–25 “21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

Our troubles are a complex mix of sin and suffering

Shame isolates us from help

I shouldn’t have done that

I should be able to deal with this

Ignorance leaves us spinning our tires

Why do I think this way?

Will it ever get better?

Is there something wrong with me?

The troubled life and the agony of the soul are not foreign to Scripture – they are anticipated by Scripture.

Finding a Solution

Can the struggles of the invisible parts be solved through physical means?

We live in an increasingly psychologized society where problems of the soul are relegated to the professionals.

Questions Raised

Talk to your pastor?

Talk to your doctor?

Talk to your therapist?

What relationship does the material body have with the immaterial soul?

How do the authority of science and the authority of the Bible interact?

Fundamentally, we have an authority crisis

Science over the Bible?

The Bible and science over separate spheres?

The Bible over Science?

Rightly interpreted, there is no conflict between the two

1 Samuel 2:8 and Revelation 7:1 could teach a flat earth, but don’t when rightly interpreted

1 Samuel 2:8 “8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world.”

Revelation 7:1 “1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.”

The bubonic plague and pilgrimage T

he invisibility of the soul could teach materialism but doesn’t when rightly interpreted

The search for truth demands humility – Christians who believe that all things are reliant on God should be most humble of all!

All that God reveals is true

Nature provides revelation

The Bible provides more

If we approach human problems without the Bible, we will find truth, but it will be limited

Secular consideration of mental health is always limited because it denies fundamental realities about people

Who are We? (Foundational anthropology)

We live in God’s World

Genesis 1:1 “1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Genesis 1:26 “26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.””

We bear God’s image

Genesis 1:27 “27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

We have a unique position of dominion

Genesis 1:28–29 “28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”

Genesis 2:15 “15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

We are dust and spirit

Genesis 2:7 “7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

We have law

Genesis 2:15–17 “15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.””

We are made for relationships

Genesis 2:18 “18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.””

We are sinners

Genesis 3:6–7 “6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”

We are isolated

Genesis 3:8 “8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”

Genesis 3:16 “16 To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.””

We are ashamed

Genesis 3:8 “8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”

We have hope

Genesis 3:15 “15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.””

Conclusion

If we fail to encompass the whole person in our view of the self

We magnify specific aspects of the person

We may ignore important aspects of the person