[theology foundations]
[theology foundations] Week Three | The Doctrine of Man
Introduction “Since the human is the highest of God’s earthly creatures, the study of humanity brings to completion our understanding of God’s work and, in a sense, of God Himself, since we do learn something about the Creator by seeing what He has created.” -
Millard Erickson, Christian Theology
“Every person, therefore, on coming to the knowledge of himself, is not only urged to seek God, but is also led as by the hand to find him.” -
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion
ROCKHARBOR’s Belief [Non-Negotiable]: Humans are created in the image of God, but each one has fallen short of God’s perfect standard and is in need of salvation. [Genesis 1:26; Romans 3, 5:12-19; Ephesians 2:1-3, 4:18-19]
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
Page 1 of 10
[theology foundations]
1. We are created in the image of God. Mankind and the “Image of God” “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” [Genesis 1:26-27]
Our Original Mandate “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’” [Genesis 1:26] “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’” [Genesis 1:28]
Sidebar: Was there a literal Adam and Eve?
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
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[theology foundations]
The “Goal” of Creation “[H]umanity is crowned the royalty of creation. Whereas other creations come about by the divine word in a predictable manner....there is a pregnant theological pause before the creation of humanity....The goal of creation is anthropological.” -
Stephen G. Dempster, Dominion and Dynasty
160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Intr.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
1
Number of words per day of creation in Genesis 1:1 – 2:3.
Implications:2 1. As God’s image bearers, human beings are under God and over lower creation, and great error arises when they are pulled up toward God or pushed down toward animals. 2. The human is valuable and the image is universal in humankind; all humans have value. 3. Our value is intrinsic in our being, and not limited to a certain aspect of us or our performance. 4. We experience full humanity only when we are properly related to God.
1 2
Stephen G. Dempster, Dominion and Dynasty. #1 and #3, Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears, Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe; #2 and #4, Millard Erickson, Christian Doctrine.
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
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[theology foundations]
2. That image was tarnished in the Fall by sin. The Fall “God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.” [Ecclesiastes 7:29, New Living Translation] “‘You will not surely die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” [Genesis 3:5]
The Effects of the Fall: Sin and Death The Ugliness of, Pervasiveness of, and Punishment for Sin The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. [Genesis 6:5] “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one.’” [Romans 3:10] “For the wages of sin is death.” [Romans 6:23]
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
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[theology foundations]
“Original” Sin “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” [Psalm 51:5] “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” [Romans 5:12]
Sidebar: Are all sins equal? “For the wages of sin is death.” [Romans 6:23] “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” [Matthew 5:27-28] “Jesus answered, ‘You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.’” [John 19:11] “If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.” [1 John 5:1617]
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
Page 5 of 10
[theology foundations]
Humanity: Conclusion “The basic, unifying Christian perspective on humanity…includes the relatively simple (not simplistic) idea that all human beings are both unique and possessed of special dignity and value because they are created in the image of God and corrupted from birth by a spiritual disease that prevents them from being fulfilled apart from God’s saving grace.” -
Roger E. Olson, The Mosaic of Christian Belief
Humanity
The Image of God
Sinful & Corrupted
3. We are hopeless on our own to be fully restored into God’s image. “Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin’?” [Proverbs 20:9] “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” [Jeremiah 17:9]
4. God promised He would do something about it. “‘This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.’” [Jeremiah 31:33] “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” [Ezekiel 36:26]
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
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[theology foundations]
5. Jesus came to this earth as the image of God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and serves as our example. The Image of God “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” [2 Corinthians 4:4] “He is the image of the invisible God.” [Colossians 1:15] “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being.” [Hebrews 1:3] “He who sees Me sees the one who sent Me.” [John 12:45, NASB] “So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam, a lifegiving spirit.” [1 Corinthians 15:45] The Spirit-Empowered One "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. [Acts 10:38, NASB] “Jesus gave them this answer: ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.’” [John 5:20] “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness…” [Luke 4:1]
6. When we respond to Jesus in repentance and belief, we are empowered by the same Holy Spirit and remade into the image of God. Our Response to Jesus: Repentance and Belief “‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’” [Mark 1:15]
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
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[theology foundations]
The Result: We Are Empowered by the Holy Spirit… “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” [Ezekiel 36:26-27] “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.” [Ephesians 1:13-14] “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” [Galatians 5:22-25] “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” [Romans 8:13-14]
...and Remade into the image of God. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” [2 Corinthians 3:18, NASB] “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.” [Romans 8:29, NASB] “...and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” [Colossians 3:10] “Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.” [1 Corinthians 15:49, NASB]
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
Page 8 of 10
[theology foundations]
Our Rediscovered Mandate3 1. We image God by connecting with God in an informed and passionate way through repenting of sin, believing in Jesus Christ, and living in an ongoing humble and repentant relationship with God. 2. We image God by submitting to godly authority and ultimately to God’s authority. 3. We image God be serving him in ways that advance His kingdom, including making culture that honors him. This also includes fighting injustice, evil, and oppression by working for justice and mercy. 4. We image God by respecting all of human life, particularly the weak, oppressed, sick, elderly, and unborn. 5. We image God by refusing to live autonomous lives and by contending for community. 6. We image God by suffering well.
Sidebar: The Continued Influence of Satan
“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” - C.S. Lewis “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” [1 Peter 5:8]
3
Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears, Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe.
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
Page 9 of 10
[theology foundations]
Application for the Church -
Humans are important: we should value each other, which includes valuing ourselves. We should glory in our dependence on God and on His Spirit. We should raise our children to learn dependence on Him, as well. We should seek to minister to the “whole” person as an image of God. We should seek reflect the image of Christ to the world around us.
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
Page 10 of 10
Introduction “Since the human is the highest of God’s earthly creatures, the study of humanity brings to completion our understanding of God’s work and, in a sense, of God Himself, since we do learn something about the Creator by seeing what He has created.” -
Millard Erickson, Christian Theology
“Every person, therefore, on coming to the knowledge of himself, is not only urged to seek God, but is also led as by the hand to find him.” -
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion
ROCKHARBOR’s Belief [Non-Negotiable]: Humans are created in the image of God, but each one has fallen short of God’s perfect standard and is in need of salvation. [Genesis 1:26; Romans 3, 5:12-19; Ephesians 2:1-3, 4:18-19]
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
Page 1 of 10
[theology foundations]
1. We are created in the image of God. Mankind and the “Image of God” “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” [Genesis 1:26-27]
Our Original Mandate “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’” [Genesis 1:26] “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’” [Genesis 1:28]
Sidebar: Was there a literal Adam and Eve?
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
Page 2 of 10
[theology foundations]
The “Goal” of Creation “[H]umanity is crowned the royalty of creation. Whereas other creations come about by the divine word in a predictable manner....there is a pregnant theological pause before the creation of humanity....The goal of creation is anthropological.” -
Stephen G. Dempster, Dominion and Dynasty
160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Intr.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
1
Number of words per day of creation in Genesis 1:1 – 2:3.
Implications:2 1. As God’s image bearers, human beings are under God and over lower creation, and great error arises when they are pulled up toward God or pushed down toward animals. 2. The human is valuable and the image is universal in humankind; all humans have value. 3. Our value is intrinsic in our being, and not limited to a certain aspect of us or our performance. 4. We experience full humanity only when we are properly related to God.
1 2
Stephen G. Dempster, Dominion and Dynasty. #1 and #3, Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears, Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe; #2 and #4, Millard Erickson, Christian Doctrine.
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
Page 3 of 10
[theology foundations]
2. That image was tarnished in the Fall by sin. The Fall “God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.” [Ecclesiastes 7:29, New Living Translation] “‘You will not surely die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” [Genesis 3:5]
The Effects of the Fall: Sin and Death The Ugliness of, Pervasiveness of, and Punishment for Sin The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. [Genesis 6:5] “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one.’” [Romans 3:10] “For the wages of sin is death.” [Romans 6:23]
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
Page 4 of 10
[theology foundations]
“Original” Sin “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” [Psalm 51:5] “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” [Romans 5:12]
Sidebar: Are all sins equal? “For the wages of sin is death.” [Romans 6:23] “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” [Matthew 5:27-28] “Jesus answered, ‘You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.’” [John 19:11] “If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.” [1 John 5:1617]
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
Page 5 of 10
[theology foundations]
Humanity: Conclusion “The basic, unifying Christian perspective on humanity…includes the relatively simple (not simplistic) idea that all human beings are both unique and possessed of special dignity and value because they are created in the image of God and corrupted from birth by a spiritual disease that prevents them from being fulfilled apart from God’s saving grace.” -
Roger E. Olson, The Mosaic of Christian Belief
Humanity
The Image of God
Sinful & Corrupted
3. We are hopeless on our own to be fully restored into God’s image. “Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin’?” [Proverbs 20:9] “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” [Jeremiah 17:9]
4. God promised He would do something about it. “‘This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.’” [Jeremiah 31:33] “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” [Ezekiel 36:26]
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
Page 6 of 10
[theology foundations]
5. Jesus came to this earth as the image of God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and serves as our example. The Image of God “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” [2 Corinthians 4:4] “He is the image of the invisible God.” [Colossians 1:15] “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being.” [Hebrews 1:3] “He who sees Me sees the one who sent Me.” [John 12:45, NASB] “So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam, a lifegiving spirit.” [1 Corinthians 15:45] The Spirit-Empowered One "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. [Acts 10:38, NASB] “Jesus gave them this answer: ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.’” [John 5:20] “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness…” [Luke 4:1]
6. When we respond to Jesus in repentance and belief, we are empowered by the same Holy Spirit and remade into the image of God. Our Response to Jesus: Repentance and Belief “‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’” [Mark 1:15]
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
Page 7 of 10
[theology foundations]
The Result: We Are Empowered by the Holy Spirit… “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” [Ezekiel 36:26-27] “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.” [Ephesians 1:13-14] “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” [Galatians 5:22-25] “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” [Romans 8:13-14]
...and Remade into the image of God. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” [2 Corinthians 3:18, NASB] “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.” [Romans 8:29, NASB] “...and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” [Colossians 3:10] “Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.” [1 Corinthians 15:49, NASB]
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
Page 8 of 10
[theology foundations]
Our Rediscovered Mandate3 1. We image God by connecting with God in an informed and passionate way through repenting of sin, believing in Jesus Christ, and living in an ongoing humble and repentant relationship with God. 2. We image God by submitting to godly authority and ultimately to God’s authority. 3. We image God be serving him in ways that advance His kingdom, including making culture that honors him. This also includes fighting injustice, evil, and oppression by working for justice and mercy. 4. We image God by respecting all of human life, particularly the weak, oppressed, sick, elderly, and unborn. 5. We image God by refusing to live autonomous lives and by contending for community. 6. We image God by suffering well.
Sidebar: The Continued Influence of Satan
“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” - C.S. Lewis “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” [1 Peter 5:8]
3
Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears, Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe.
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
Page 9 of 10
[theology foundations]
Application for the Church -
Humans are important: we should value each other, which includes valuing ourselves. We should glory in our dependence on God and on His Spirit. We should raise our children to learn dependence on Him, as well. We should seek to minister to the “whole” person as an image of God. We should seek reflect the image of Christ to the world around us.
Week 3 | The Doctrine of Man
Page 10 of 10
