Systematic Theology: Lesson 17 - The Creation and Composition of Mankind

 

THE CREATION AND COMPOSITION OF MANKIND
Anthropology - Lesson 17

Psalm 8:4 – “What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?”

It is important that we have a biblical anthropology, because the culture we live in is so steeped in secular evolutionary philosophy. A biblical anthropology will inform us about the hot-button issues of our day. With a correct anthropology, we can navigate the waters of topics such as abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, transgenderism, Communism, etc. The world is confused about these things, but God’s Word is clear.

The Bible teaches us that mankind is a direct creation of God, imbued with dignity and purpose and worth by being made in the image of God. Though mankind rebelled against God in Adam, the image of God still persists in every man, woman, and child; though distorted by sin. Christ Jesus, the perfect image of God, laid down His life, so that all who believe in Him will be renewed into the image of God to accomplish the purpose of God for mankind.

The purpose for mankind will be explored more later, but we can see the purpose of man in Genesis 1:26-28.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

This one text debunks all of the false anthropology of the modern-day cult of Evolutionary Theory. Man is not an accident. Nor is he just a bunch of star dust. Nor is he descended from apes. Mankind is the pinnacle of God’s creation, made in His image to rule over the rest of Creation.

We will consider these truths in three main sections: man’s being, man’s composition, and man’s purpose.

 

 

A Biblical Theology of Man in 10 Steps[1]

 

1.     The kingdom mandate—under the federal headship of Adam, man is created as king and son to fill, rule, and subdue the earth for God’s glory (Gen 1:26-28). He is also created to be in three relationships—with God, other people, and creation.

 

2.     Man disobeys God and fails the kingdom mandate to rule and subdue the creation; he becomes spiritually dead to God and damages his relationships with other people and nature (Gen 3).

 

3.     God promises a coming seed of the woman, a man who will destroy Satan and reverse the curse (Gen 3:15).

 

4.     The people of God anticipate this coming man who will be a Savior (see Gen 4:1 and 5:28-29).

 

5.     Man’s right to rule and subdue the earth is affirmed even in a fallen world (Ps 8:4-8).

 

6.     Jesus as ultimate man and last Adam gives samples of dominion over the earth with His first coming (Gospels—Jesus’ healing and nature miracles are glimpses of the coming restoration of all things).

 

7.     Writer of Hebrews affirms man’s right to rule the world but affirms that this does not happen yet (Heb 2:5-8).

 

8.     Jesus, the ultimate man and last Adam returns to earth and binds Satan and reigns over all in the millennial kingdom and fulfills the rule and subdue mandate (Rev 20:1-3; 1 Cor 15:24-28).

 

9.     Those who identify with Jesus also rule and reign in the millennial kingdom as a result of their identification with the last Adam (Rev 5:10; 20:4-5). (The federal head of mankind allows other men to succeed with Him.)

 

10.  When the mandates to multiply, rule, and subdue are completely fulfilled by Jesus and the saints in the millennium, the kingdom then transfers to the Father’s kingdom of the Eternal State (1 Cor 15:24-28; Rev 20-21). Mission accomplished! As a result of the ultimate man, Jesus, the earth has been successfully ruled over and subdued, Satan has been defeated, and the curse has been forever removed. Man is in proper relationship with God, other people, and creation. Man’s task is a success because of Jesus!

 

Today, we will discuss man’s essence. What is he and where did he come from?

 

MAN AS A CREATED BEING

The Bible always presents mankind as a creation of God on Day 6 of Creation Week. There are several words that describe how man came into being.

1.   Made - Gen 1:26; 31; 2:18; 5:1; 6:7; Psa 100:3; Matt 19:4; Acts 17:25-26; Jas 3:9

2.   Created – Gen 1:27; 5:1-2]

3.   Formed – Gen 2:7, 8

 

The Bible is completely opposed to the modern Theory of Evolution. Though many have tried to foist Evolution upon the text, the text simply will not support it. To say that mankind evolved over an incomprehensibly long period of time directly contradicts the Bible’s presentation of the quick and complete creation of the man and the woman on Day 6.

 

THE HISTORICAL ADAM DEBATE

Because evolutionary theory has infiltrated parts of the church, there is an ongoing debate concerning the historicity of a literal Adam. Was Adam a historical person? Or is he merely a storytelling device? If one believes that the earth is billions of years old—and if God took a hands-off evolutionary approach to Creation—then Adam could not have been an actual person. Perhaps, at best, Adam was the first fully realized human being discernibly different than an ape. However, if one believes the Creation account in Genesis 1-2 means what it says, then a literal and historical Adam is necessary.

I would contend that a literal and historical Adam is necessary for all of redemptive history to happen. Billions of years of death and the extinction of many species makes any kind of Fall event void. If death did not enter because of sin, then why did God send His Son to death for the atonement of sins and the reversal of the curse? Every theme of redemptive history likewise flows out of a literal Creation story. Without the first chapters of Genesis, the Bible makes no sense at all.

More evidence of a literal and historical Adam: Gen 4:1-2, 25; 5:1-3, 5; the seed theme; Luke 3:38; 1 Chron 1:1; Rom 5:12, 14; 1 Cor 15:22, 45, 47, 49; 1 Tim 2:13

MAN IS THE PINNACLE OF CREATION

Everything that happened during Creation Week was to prepare a world for mankind to live in and function according to God’s design. When Genesis 1:2 says that the earth was formless and void, the chapter goes on to explain how God formed it and filled it. Finally, God created the man and the woman and put them in charge of all the earth.

Genesis 1:28 – 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.”

Man stood in as a sort of vice-regent for God, because…

 

MAN IS THE IMAGE OF GOD

·       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. And God blessed them.

·       Genesis 5:1-2 - In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created.

·       Genesis 9:6 - “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.

·       1 Corinthians 11:7 - For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God;

·       James 3:9 - With it [our tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God.

 

It is important that we have an understanding of what the image of God in man looks like. As Demarest states, “The implications of human persons created in the image of God are immense for theology, psychology, ministry, and Christian living. Ramifications of the imago embrace issues of human dignity and value, personal and social ethics, relations between the sexes, the solidarity of the human family. . . and racial justice.”[2]

“The concept of "image" carries the idea of "representation." Just as an ancient king often would have an image of himself placed in an area of his realm to show his sovereignty, God makes man in His image to represent Him in His newly created world. Thus, the concept of "image" has kingship implications. While God is the King, God created man as king, a vice-regent and mediator over the creation.”[3]

Peter Gentry points out that "The term 'likeness' indicates that ādām has a special relationship to God like that of a father and son."[4] This point finds support from Genesis 5:3 where Seth is born in the likeness of Adam. The text says, “When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.” This is also supported by Luke’s genealogy of Jesus going back to Him being “the son of Adam, the son of God” (Luke 3:38).

Vlach has written extensively about “The Kingdom” being the main theme of the Scripture.[5] He argues that the rest of the Bible’s story is about how God restores mankind to the Kingdom Mandate given to him by God in Genesis 1:26-28. He writes, “This relationship between the image of God and ruling over the creation is so close that some have concluded that the image of God itself is the function of ruling. But the function of ruling is probably a consequence of man being in the image of God. But either way, the main point is that man is God’s image bearer who was created to rule the earth on God’s behalf. Man was to be a mediator for God. The relationship between God and man was that of ‘a sovereign-vassal nature.’ This is why we can say that God’s kingdom program begins in the first chapter of the Bible.”[6]

We must note:

·       All people are created in the image of God.

·       Men and women are created in the image of God.

·       To be made in the image of God means that all people are like God in some way. This does not mean that people are divine beings.

·       Since all people are created in God’s image, all people have an inherent dignity not shared by other created beings.

o   The Bible sees murder as a capital offense, because all people are made in God’s image (cf. Gen 9:6).

o   The Bible calls cursing another human unjustly to be an affront to God (Jas 3:9).

·       The Fall of mankind caused the image of God to become corrupted and distorted. “After the fall, then, we are still in God’s image—we are still like God and we still represent God—but the image of God in us is distorted; we are less fully like God than we were before the entrance of sin.”[7]

·       Since we are created in God’s image, we belong to God. No one can escape this responsibility and accountability.

·       Jesus is the perfect image of God (cf. 2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15). Therefore, we can see what we were meant to be by studying His life and teachings.

·       Christians are being transformed into the image of Christ (Rom 8:29).

 

WHAT IS THE IMAGE OF GOD?

1.   The Substantive View – There is some characteristic or quality in the composition of the human being that can be specifically pointed to and called ‘the image of God.’

a.   Humans represent God like a statue represents a living (or once-living) person. As long as we don’t go too far with this view, it does fit that mankind is a sort of ‘living statue’ of God that represents His infinite being and nature in a finite way. Thus, one of the reasons that it is sinful and blasphemous to make an image of God (cf. Exod 20:4) is that God has already made an image of Himself (and, again, we must be very careful how far we take this!). Of course, Christ is the EXACT REPRESENTATION of God (Heb 1:3).

b.   Humans have some mental or spiritual quality that is the image of God (Most common)

                                      i.    Reason

                                    ii.    Moral capacity

                                   iii.    Intellect

                                   iv.    Memory

                                     v.    Understanding

                                   vi.    Will

                                 vii.    Love

2.   The Relational View – The image of God is the ability to experience relationships.

a.   Karl Barth surmised that this is why mankind was made “male” and “female.”

b.   Bonhoeffer argued that the image of God is linked to man’s freedom to have relationships with God and other human beings.

3.   The Functional View – The image of God is the calling, ability, and duty to perform the tasks God gave to mankind. Thus Genesis 1:27 is explained by the mandate in 1:28 and following.

 

All of these views have at least some merit. There is probably truth in them all. The Bible never explicitly identifies what the image of God is. We can see how each of these views make human beings stand out from the rest of Creation. However, as we have noted, the best way to understand what it is to be in God’s image is to look at Jesus. He is the ultimate man. He is the perfect image of God.

STAGES OF THE IMAGE OF GOD[8]

1. Original Image  (Creation)

Man in proper relationship with God, humans, and creation.

2. Corrupted Image (Fall)

Man’s relationships with God, humans, and creation is tarnished.

3. Perfect Image--Jesus (Incarnation)

Jesus embodies perfectly the image of God and is in proper relationships with God, man, and creation.

4. Renewed Image (Redemption)

Although still imperfect, man is in right relationship with God, has the ability to love fellow man, and will be in proper relationship with creation later.

5. Perfected Image (Restoration)

Man is in perfect relationship with God, man, and creation.

 

 

MAN CREATED IN TWO GENDERS

Genesis 1:26-28 - Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 2:18-24 - Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

 

MANKIND AS A SINGLE ETHNICITY

The Bible is emphatic that there are not multiple branches of human evolution. God created mankind on Day 6, and all of the variations in human attributes are due to genetic mutation and adaptation and natural selection[9]. All ethnicities trace their ancestry back to Noah—and, ultimately, Adam. The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 explains how the nations came about after the Flood and the Tower of Babel. Paul affirms in Acts 17:26 - and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation.

 

MANKIND AS A SINGLE CONSTITUTION

The Bible says that human beings are made up of a…

·       Body

·       Soul

·       Spirit

·       Heart

o   Mind (Prov 23:7; Heb 4:12)

o   Emotion (Prov 15:13; Psa 19:8; Jas 3:14)

o   Will (Dan 1:8)

·       Conscience

 

How do we divide this up?

·       Into 3 Parts? This view is called trichotomism. It divides the human being into body, soul, and spirit.

o   1 Thess 5:23 – but if we insist that this teaches 3 parts, does Luke 10:27 teach 4—heart, soul, strength, and mind?

o   Heb 4:12

·       Into 2 Parts? This view is called dichotomism. It divides the human being into body and soul/spirit

o   Gen 2:7

o   Soul and spirit seem to be used interchangeably

§  Gen 41:8 with Psa 42:6

§  Compare Heb 12:23 with Rev 6:9

§  Luke 1:46-47

§  Body and soul (or spirit) together are mentioned as constituting the entire person (Matt 6:25; 10:28; 1 Cor 5:3; 3 John 2)

§  Job 7:11

§  Isa 26:9

§  Compare John 12:27 and 13:21

 

We must keep in mind that though we can identify different parts of a person’s composition, they are a unitary whole. We cannot consider their spiritual well-being in isolation from their body. I like what Erickson writes, “Their spiritual condition cannot be dealt with independently of their physical and psychological condition, and vice versa…The Christian who desires to be spiritually healthy will give attention to such matters as diet, rest, and exercise. Any attempt to deal with people’s spiritual condition apart from their physical condition and mental and emotional state will be only partially successful, as will any attempt to deal with human emotions apart from people’s relationship to God.”[10]

 

IN CONCLUSION, the Bible lays the foundation for us to understand our origin, our constitution, our ancestry, and our function. We see how the Fall has corrupted the image of God within people. We also see how God is renewing a people unto Himself through His Son, Christ Jesus, who is the perfect image of God.

 

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[1] Vlach, Unpublished Theology III Class Notes at The Master’s Seminary, 5. This set of notes owes much to Vlach’s presentation.

[2] Demarest, The Human Person, 141.

[3] Vlach, Ibid, 14-15.

[4] Peter J. Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum, Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants, 195.

[5] See for instance, his books, He Will Reign Forever and The New Creation Model.

[6] Vlach, Ibid, 15.

[7] Grudem, Systematic Theology,

[8] Vlach, 28-29

[9] We would affirm the basic meaning of this Darwinian term as long as it is contained within a ‘kind.’ Natural selection never crosses ‘kinds.’ For example, it will never cause a monkey to become a human. See Answer in Genesis, Natural Selection, https://answersingenesis.org/natural-selection/?srsltid=AfmBOooqX6v0tMxnVKFfZqdvwTFXHA9HJ3-Oyw2OFagjSxCmOQ7Z8YTy

[10] Erickson, Christian Theology, 557