Anthropology: The Doctrine of Man (Class 2)

I. The Importance of the Doctrine of Man

Biblical worldview: Essence determines Existence

Existential worldview:

Existence determines Essence

II. Man as a Created Person

‌What is one of the basic presuppositions of the Christian view of man?

- The belief that God is the Creator, and we are a creation or creature of God. (Gen. 1:1, 27)

A. Man is a creature

What is an obvious implication of the fact that humans are all created by God?

- Humans do not exist autonomously or independently; we are entirely depended upon God.

Nehemiah 9:6 ESV

6 “You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.

What key truths do we find about man in this text? God made us and He preserves us.

Preserve- חיה, Piel participle, this is a being verb. It is used in the causative sense in this verb. God causes us to be, He causes us to have life or to stay alive.

This verse teaches that all of us, all of God’s creation, are dependent upon Him for our continued life. God not only made us, he causes us to continue to have life, or he preserves us.

Acts 17:24–25 ESV

24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

Acts 17:28 ESV

28 for “ ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “ ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

What is Paul teaching us about anthropology in this text?

“We owe, Paul is saying, our very breath to God; we exist only in him; in every move we make we are dependent upon him. We cannot life a finger apart from God’s will.”[1]

B. Man is a Person

What does it mean to be a person? What is the difference between being a creature and being a person?

- To be a person means to have a kind of independence- not absolute but relative.

- It means that we can set goals, and set out to accomplish those goals.

- It means that we possess freedom. We are free to make our own choices (in accordance with our natures)

- A person is not a robot. Our course is not totally determined by outside forces.

C. A Mysterious Paradox

A Human being is both a creature and a person- we are created persons.

What does it mean that we are a creature? Absolute dependence upon God.

What does it mean to be a person? Relative independence.

What is the problem with this definition? How can we be both at the same time? “This, now, is the central mystery of man: how can man be both a creature and a person at the same time?”[2]

Do these verses emphasize the creaturehood or the personhood of man?

Romans 9:20–21 ESV

20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?

Galatians 6:7–8 ESV

7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Joshua 24:15 ESV

15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

2 Corinthians 5:20 ESV

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Philippians 2:12–13 ESV

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

This is why we call this a mystery. The fact that man is both a creature and a person is a paradox. Yet it is a paradox that Scripture clearly teaches. And because the Scriptures teach both we must believe both, even if we don’t fully understand it.

Which truth, man’s creaturehood or personhood, do secular anthropologies deny? What is the result?

- They have a distorted view of man.

- They see man as separate and apart from God. Anytime we deny that we are wholly depended upon God as His creatures we become idolaters. We replace God with some aspect of ourselves.

- We also deny that we are in any way responsible to God.

Some Christian anthropologies deny the personhood of man. What is the result?

- Humans become puppets or robots with God pulling the strings or pushing the buttons.

“The creaturehood and the personhood of man must be held both together and in tension. When theology stresses creaturehood and subordinates personhood, a hard-faced determinism surfaces and man is dehumanized. … When personhood is stressed to the exclusion of creaturehood, man is deified and God’s sovereignty is compromised. The Lord is left standing helplessly in the wings as if man had the power to veto the plans and purposes of God.”– Robert D. Brinsmead

What implications does man as a created person have on the doctrine of sin?

- Why was it possible for Adam to fall into sin? Because he was a person, able to make choices.

- Yet, even in Adam’s sin he was still a creature, dependent upon God.

“God, so to speak, had to furnish man with the strength with which he sinned; the magnitude of man’s sin consists in the fact that he used God-given powers in the service of Satan.”[4]

What implications does man as a created person have on the doctrine of salvation?

- Is salvation a work of God or a work of man? From beginning to end it is all a work of God’s grace. (Eph. 2:8-9)

- Man is a creature fully dependent upon God. Man cannot be redeemed from sin and rescued from his fallen state without the intervention of God’s grace. We are in utter dependence upon the mercy of God.

- But man is also a person and that implies that we have an important part to play in salvation.

John 3:18 ESV

18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

What implications does man as a created person have on the doctrine of sanctification?

- What is progressive sanctification?

- “Sanctification may be defined as that operation of the Holy Spirit, involving man’s responsible participation, by which he renews man’s nature and enables him to live to the praise of God.”[5]

Philippians 2:12–13 ESV

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Work Out- agricultural term, “cultivate” the salvation God has given you.

“Work out what God has worked in; apply the salvation you have received to every area of your lives—work, recreation, family, life, culture, art, science, and the like.

We must take an active part in our advancement in Christlikeness! Personhood!

But, on the other hand- God is the One who gives us the desire and the ability to do His good pleasure. Creaturehood!

“The harder we work, the more sure we may be that God is working in us.”

God treats us as both persons and creatures. And we must make sure our anthropology constantly keeps these two truths in a mysterious tension.

III. The Image of God: Biblical Teaching

The most import teaching regarding our understanding of Anthropology is the biblical concept of the Image of God. This notion that humanity has been created in Gods’ image is found in both the Old and New Testaments. And we need to cover all of the relevant passages on this important topic.

A. Old Testament Teaching

There are four key passages in the OT that we are going to cover that deal with the image of God. Explicitly, the concept is mentioned in three passages: Genesis 1:26-28; 5:1-3; 9:6. While not mentioned specifically, Psalm 8 also is an important passage on man’s creation in God’s image.

1. Genesis 1:26-28:

Genesis 1:26–28 ESV

26 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.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

One of the truths taught in Genesis 1 is the uniqueness of man.

Man’s uniqueness is seen in several areas:

“According to their kinds”

Genesis 1:21 (ESV)

21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:24 (ESV)

24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.

Genesis 1:25 (ESV)

25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Each animal that God made was according to its kind. Yet, only man was created in God’s image and after God’s likeness.

Genesis 1:26 (ESV)

26 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.”

Genesis 1:27 (ESV)

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

“Let us make man...”

Genesis 1:26 (ESV)

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

What is striking about this verb? Why is the main verb in the plural?

Three possible reasons:

“Plural of majesty” scholars create this grammatical structure to explain the use of the plural. However, such a use is not found in elsewhere in the Scriptures.

God is here addressing the angels. Why is this suggestion unlikely? Angels are created beings and they themselves have no power or ability to create. Also, no where else in the Scriptures do we find God taking counsel with the angels. Also, man is not said to be made in the image of angels.

Isaiah 40:13–14 ESV

13 Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? 14 Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?

God does not exist as a solitary being, but as a being in fellowship with “others.” One being, three persons. We cannot say that we have a clear teaching on the Trinity here in Genesis 1, but we do learn that God exists as a “plurality.” The concept of the Trinity is hinted at here in Genesis 1 and later developed in the NT.

How does this plural verb, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...” show the uniqueness of man?

The creation of man is in a class by itself. God does not use this expression for any other aspect of His creation.

Also, God holds a divine counsel or deliberation preceeding the creation of man. This is unique. No where else does God do this in the creation week.

“Let us make man...”

Man: אָדָם, adam- (541 x’s in the OT)

“The Hebrew word adam, however, may also mean man in the generic sense: man as a human being. In this sense, the word has the same meaning as the German word Mensch: not man in distinction from woman, but man in distinction from nonhuman creatures, that is, man as either male or female, or man as both male and female.” —Hoekema (12)

“in our image, after our likeness”

Notice there is no conjunction between these two phrases. The text does not say “in our image, and after our likeness.”

Both the LXX and the Vulgate insert an “and” between the two expressions, but the in the Hebrew it is lit. “in our image, after our likeness.”

Why is this an important observation?

If you add the conjunction it would imply that there is a difference between the ideas of image and likeness. However, the Hebrew text makes it clear that these two ideas- image / likeness are essential the same. In other words, likeness is just a different way of saying image.

Other reasons this seems to be the case:

In 1:26 both image and likeness are used.

In 1:27 only image is used.

In 5:1 only the world likeness is used.

In 5:3 the two words are used, but this time their order is switched- “in his own likeness, after his image.”

In 9:6 only the word image is used.

This data indicates that the words likeness and image are used interchangeably in the other OT texts.

While these two words are generally used as synonyms there are slight differences to word meaning.

Image: tselem, has a root meaning of “to carve” or “to cut.”

This word could be used to describe the carved likeness of an animal or a person- such as a statue.

Statue:

2 Kings 11:18 (ESV)

18 Then all the people of the land went to the house of Baal and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest posted watchmen over the house of the Lord.

Cast-metal statue:

Numbers 33:52 (ESV)

52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places.

Image, model:

1 Samuel 6:5 (ESV)

5 So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you and your gods and your land.

Image, drawing:

Ezekiel 23:14 (ESV)

14 But she carried her whoring further. She saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,

image, man in the image of God:

Genesis 1:26 (ESV)

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

form n. — the visual appearance of something or someone.

“When it is applied to the creation of man in Genesis 1, the word tselem indicates that man images God, that is, is a representation of God.” — Hoekema (12)

Likeness: demuth, has a root meaning of “to be like.”

likeness n. — similarity in appearance, character, or nature between persons or things.

Pattern:

2 Kings 16:10 (ESV)

10 When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, he saw the altar that was at Damascus. And King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a model of the altar, and its pattern, exact in all its details.

Something like something else:

Ezekiel 1:26 (ESV)

26 And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance.

Image (of God):

Isaiah 40:18 ESV

18 To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?

Image (of man):

Ezekiel 23:15 (ESV)

15 wearing belts on their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them having the appearance of officers, a likeness of Babylonians whose native land was Chaldea.

“One could therefore say that the word demuth in Genesis 1 indicates that the image is also a likeness, “an image which is like us.” The two words together tell us that man is a representation of God who is like God in certain respects.” — Hoekema (12)

What is the important follow up question to Hoekema’s statement?

In what ways or respects is man a representation of God? In what ways is man like God?

Implied resemblances to God:

From vv. 26-28 we find three implied ways that man is a representation of God who is like God in certain respects.

Dominion

Genesis 1:26 ESV

26 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.”

How does man represent God in the area of dominion?

When we exercise our dominion over the animals and over all the earth we image God since God has supreme dominion over all His creation.

Fellowship

Genesis 1:27 ESV

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

How does man represent God in the areas of fellowship?

One important aspect of the image of God is that humanity was created as male and female. In an important way our maleness and femaleness allows us to image God.

John 4:24 ESV

24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Since God is a spirit, our resemblance to God is not found in the physical differences between men and women. Rather, God created us with the need for companionship. Man needs the companionship of woman, and woman needs the companionship of man. God made us as social beings.

Also, the way God made woman complements man. And the way God made man complements woman. Maleness and femaleness are part of the very essence of humanity. Gender is is part of our essence. And both, male and female, are needed in order to rightly image God.

“In this way human beings reflect God, who exists not as a solitary being but as a being in fellowship— a fellowship that is described at a later stage of divine revelation as that between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” — Hoekema (14)

Personhood

Genesis 1:28 ESV

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

How does v. 28 display the personhood of man?

God gave them a mandate to follow. That implies that humans are responsible beings, that we have the freedom to make our own choices, that we have the ability to set our own goals and accomplish them.

Because God gave them this mandate they are also responsible to God as their creator and ruler.

Just like God is a person (later on revealed to be three persons) who is able to make decisions and rule, so too is man a person who is able to make decisions and rule.

V. 28 is also referred to as the cultural mandate.

“God commands man to be fruitful and to have dominion. This is commonly called the cultural mandate: the command to rule the earth for God, and to develop a God-glorifying culture.” Hoekema (14)

One more important piece to this theological puzzle is found in v. 31

Genesis 1:31 ESV

31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Everything that he had made includes man / humanity. When God made man, man was not corrupt, depraved, or sinful. Man was in a state of integrity, innocence, and holiness.

So the corruption that is in man today was not part of man’s original creation. When God made man in His image that creation was very good.