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Return to You and Your Beliefs Series Return to Wednesday Bible Study Series "You
and Your Beliefs"--Anthropology, part 2 Note:
Last week we began with part 1 of Anthropology but did not have time to
finish that material. This week we
will begin with a brief review and then pick up where we left off… Review:
The Doctrine of Man, part 1
There is great confusion in our world today concerning who man is.
1. What New Agers think
about man--Man has the potential of God himself, for man
is a "god."
2. What Secularists think
about man
a. Man is the product of
evolutionary chance.
b. Man is a neutral
blank-slate. Man's problem is
not himself, but his environment.
The next sentence is critical. Our
absolute authority on who man is is the Word of God.
If you want to know the truth about who you are you must look to the
Owner’s Manual, God’s Word. The
Bible answers five key questions about Man for us, in Genesis 1-3… I.
Where? Man's Origin (1:26;
2:7) 1:26
"And God said, Let us make man" 1:27
"So God created man" 2:7
"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground..." Where did man come from? Biological chance? No. The Bible makes it clear that Man is the Creation of God. We're not self-made. We're not the product of some cosmic process.
Key: We exist because God
made us. New
Material: That’s where we left off last time.
Now we’re ready for an important question…
What makes man different
from all other creatures? II.
What? Man's Design as Image
(1:26, 27) 1:26
"...let us make man in our image..." 1:27
"So God created man in His own image"
What does it mean to say we are created in God's image?
--not referring to physical likeness
--in part, it says we have been given the ability to enjoy a relationship
with God; He made us a moral creature. He
gave us intellect, conscience, personality.
Key: God created man to live
in fellowship with Himself. Man was
given the significant distinction of being created in God's image.
Man alone was given the capacity to know God and to enjoy a relationship
with God.
Discuss: What are the
implications of saying that we are created in God's image?
Man possesses dignity and worth because Man is image.
Anthony Hoekema, in The Christian Looks at Himself, writes about a
little boy who put up a banner in his room that read, "I'M ME AND I'M GOOD,
CAUSE GOD DON'T MAKE JUNK." (15)
Keep in mind, man’s “worth” is not inherent but derived.
Only God possesses inherent worth, and consequently only God is worthy of
worship. Man is significant because
God has declared that man is His image-bearer.
E.g.—Think of a flag. If I
burned the American flag in front of you, would it upset you?
Yes. Would that be because
the flag possesses inherent worth? No.
I could burn an ordinary white sheet in front of you and you might think
I was strange but you wouldn’t be upset with me.
The flag’s materials don’t make it special.
What it represents is what makes it special.
Man is God’s image-bearer. To
destroy a human being is to attack the very reputation of God.
That’s what makes abortion and euthanasia so grievous.
Our world goes to two dangerous extremes.
One is to say that a human being is no different than an animal (as
evolution teaches). The other is to
say that a human being possesses infinite worth and thus worthy of worship
(that’s the way some parents look at and treat their children, as though the
world revolved around them—but the world isn’t supposed to revolve around
anyone except God Himself).
This is critical to see. How
you view man (your anthropology) affects the way you approach parenting, the way
you view the care of the elderly, the way you respond to reports on the evening
news concerning the slaughter of people in other countries, and on and on. III.
Why? Man's Purpose in the
World Let's
notice three reasons God created man, as revealed in Gen 1-2:
A. To Live in Fellowship
with God Gen 2:16 "And the LORD God
commanded the man..."
God gave purpose to man by revealing His will.
Fellowship with God is possible only when we live in obedience to God's
will.
B. To have Dominion over
the earth (1:26, 28)
God gave man a job to do in His world…
1. Develop the earth (2:15)
2. Name the animals (2:19) Key: This indicates that "work" is not bad. God created mankind to work, pre-fall. God expected Adam to care for the earth, nurture it, subdue it, use his God-given creative abilities. Have you ever noticed how you "feel good about yourself" after a good day's work?
Discuss: Are there any
implications for today? Ecological?
Environmental?
C. To Live in Relationship
with Others: The Family (1:28; 2:18,
24) 1:28 "Be fruitful." 2:18 "It is not
good...alone." 2:24 "Therefore shall the man
leave..."
There are attempts in our day to redefine the family.
To say that two men living together constititues a legitimate family, or
that a family is two women living in a “loving relationship.”
We’re told, “What right do you have to impose your values on someone
else? If two men want to marry and
establish a family, it’s their right, isn’t it?
You’re being narrow-minded for being so intolerant.”
And so the rhetoric goes. But
the bottom line remains… God designed the family. God established the family. I have no right to “reinvent” things in God’s world. Sociology is established in Genesis. Why then do men try to do things their own way in God’s world? The answer brings us to another question… IV.
What Happened? Man's Fall
A. Man sinned (3:1-6).
We'll see this more when we cover the Doctrine of Sin.
B. Man came under the
Curse of a Holy God (3:17-19)
1. Alienation from God
2. Alienation from Mankind
3. Alienation from Self V.
What did God Provide? Man's
Hope
Now we are moving from Anthropology into another doctrine, Soteriology,
the Doctrine of Salvation. Here's
what God provided for fallen man:
A. The Promise of a Coming
Deliverer for Mankind Gen
3:15 "...He shall bruise thy head..."
B. The Provision for
Present Needs Gen
3:21 "...the LORD God make coats of skins..." Next
Week:
Q: What does it mean to say
that man is depraved?
Q: Is Man still God's
Image-bearer since the Fall?
Q: What happens to Man when
he is born again?
Q: Does a new man have an old
nature? Rom 6-8
Q: What does God expect of
Man now?
1. Humility (Micah 6:8)
2. Worship (Jn 4:23-24)
3. Praise (Ps 150)
4. To know Him (Jn 17)
5. Reflect His Character (Mt
5:18) [1]
These unedited notes were prepared for use in a Wednesday evening,
discussion-oriented Bible study at |