SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY
Essential Doctrines of Christianity
Essential Doctrines of Christianity
The Bible God Works of God Angels Humans Sin Salvation Christ Holy Spirit Church End Times Afterlife
HUMANS:
THE make-up of humans
THE MAKE-UP OF HUMANS - Humans consist of an immaterial substance (soul/spirit) and a material one (body).
- The soul/spirit is distinct from the physical body (2 Cor 5:8; 12:2; Gen 2:7). It continues on after physical death (Matt 10:28; James 2:26; Rev 6:9; Eccl 12:5-7; 1 Sam 28), and will one day be reunited with a resurrected body (Acts 24:15).
- The soul/spirit is distinct from the physical body (2 Cor 5:8; 12:2; Gen 2:7). It continues on after physical death (Matt 10:28; James 2:26; Rev 6:9; Eccl 12:5-7; 1 Sam 28), and will one day be reunited with a resurrected body (Acts 24:15).
DON’T HUMANS CONSIST OF THREE SUBSTANCES, BODY, SOUL, AND SPIRIT?
There are some Christians who argue that humans consist of three substances: two distinct immaterial parts (soul and spirit) and one material part (body). They point to verses like 1 Thessalonians 5:23 which states, “May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” However, note that lists such as these are not necessarily divided up into distinct substances. For example Luke 10:27 states, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.”
They also point to Hebrews 4:12 which states, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” However, note that joints and marrow are divisions within the same substance (the physical body). So too could the soul and spirit be only distinctions, like intellect vs. emotions, within the same immaterial substance.
Genesis 2:7 and James 2:26 seem to suggest humans are made of only two substances, one material and one immaterial. The Bible uses the terms soul and spirit interchangeably at times (compare Heb 12:23 with Rev 6:9, and John 12:27 with 13:21), also suggesting two, not three distinct substances. Ultimately this is a tier three issue, and so should not take up too much focus or cause division among believers.
They also point to Hebrews 4:12 which states, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” However, note that joints and marrow are divisions within the same substance (the physical body). So too could the soul and spirit be only distinctions, like intellect vs. emotions, within the same immaterial substance.
Genesis 2:7 and James 2:26 seem to suggest humans are made of only two substances, one material and one immaterial. The Bible uses the terms soul and spirit interchangeably at times (compare Heb 12:23 with Rev 6:9, and John 12:27 with 13:21), also suggesting two, not three distinct substances. Ultimately this is a tier three issue, and so should not take up too much focus or cause division among believers.
WHEN DOES HUMAN LIFE BEGIN?
- Life begins at conception (Psalm 51:5), and continues its development in the womb (139:13-16). It is clearly a human person in the womb (Jer 1:4-5; Isaiah 49:1-5; Psalm 22:9-10; Luke 1:39-45). The womb was designed to be a place of protection for the fragile early growth of the child, and the baby in the womb is to be protected (Ex 21:22-25).
The image of god
THE IMAGE OF GOD - Unlike the animals in Genesis, only humans are said to have been created in the image of God, being given the attributes of God that could be transferred to finite humans (Gen 1:26-27; 5:1-3).
- Rationality and Free Will: Humans can think, reason, and make choices (Jer 23:17-20; Ps 33:11; Prov 20:5). Humans have a higher form of intellect and intelligence that is distinct from the animals. Some may argue that animals can figure things out and will point to studies where scientists have researched animals and run experiments that show that some of them can have very human-like attributes. My response is, talk to me when the animals put on white coats, grab clipboards, study humans, and marvel at how “chimpanzee-like” our behavior is.
- Creativity: God is the pinnacle of creativity as displayed in his amazing creation (Gen 1:1 et al.). Humans create art, literature, architecture, technology, mechanisms, music, and more. Certain things that humans have created are strikingly similar to things God has already made; For instance, God’s creation of the flagellum is incredibly similar to man’s creation of the outboard motor (They each have an engine, drive shaft, U-joint, stator, rotor rings, and propeller).
- Morality: Man is created with an inner sense of right and wrong (Rom 2:15), which is a reflection of God’s perfect understanding of right and wrong (Lev 11:45). Humans, in contrast to animals, are morally accountable.
- Spirituality: God is spirit (John 4:24) and humans also have immaterial spirits (James 2:26). Man’s spiritual aspect allows interaction with God (Romans 8:16, 26-27).
- Authority: God, as the author and creator of all that is, has authority over all (Matt 28:18). God commissioned humans to have authority over aspects of his creation (Gen 1:28-29; Matt 10:1; 2 Corinthians 10:8; 13:10; Heb 13:17).
- Judging/Justice: God is the perfect and just Judge of the universe who does not show favoritism (Ps 76:8-9; Is 33:22; 2 Tim 4:8; Acts 10:34-35; Rom 2:11). Humans are to avoid the kind of judging only God can do (James 4:12), and yet man is called at times to carry out fair judgments (1 Cor 6:2-3; Matt 18:15-17).
- Love: God is love (1 John 4:8; John 3:16 et. al.). Humans have the capacity to reflect the love of God (1 John 4:7-11; 19).
- Emotions? God is described as “jealous” and “angry” (Deut 32:21) at times, and he is said to “delight” in those who fear him (Psalm 147:11). To what extent these are anthropomorphisms is hard to say. Is God being described in these ‘human’ terms to bring him to a place where we can understand him, or does he actually have emotions similar to ours and after which our emotions are modeled?
- Physical Aspects? God is not a physical (John 4:24), yet God does “see” and “hear” (Gen 16:13; 2 Kings 20:5 cf. Deut 4:28), and Jesus did take on full humanity (1 John 4:2) and will have a resurrected body for eternity (1 Cor 15:20).
- Rationality and Free Will: Humans can think, reason, and make choices (Jer 23:17-20; Ps 33:11; Prov 20:5). Humans have a higher form of intellect and intelligence that is distinct from the animals. Some may argue that animals can figure things out and will point to studies where scientists have researched animals and run experiments that show that some of them can have very human-like attributes. My response is, talk to me when the animals put on white coats, grab clipboards, study humans, and marvel at how “chimpanzee-like” our behavior is.
- Creativity: God is the pinnacle of creativity as displayed in his amazing creation (Gen 1:1 et al.). Humans create art, literature, architecture, technology, mechanisms, music, and more. Certain things that humans have created are strikingly similar to things God has already made; For instance, God’s creation of the flagellum is incredibly similar to man’s creation of the outboard motor (They each have an engine, drive shaft, U-joint, stator, rotor rings, and propeller).
- Morality: Man is created with an inner sense of right and wrong (Rom 2:15), which is a reflection of God’s perfect understanding of right and wrong (Lev 11:45). Humans, in contrast to animals, are morally accountable.
- Spirituality: God is spirit (John 4:24) and humans also have immaterial spirits (James 2:26). Man’s spiritual aspect allows interaction with God (Romans 8:16, 26-27).
- Authority: God, as the author and creator of all that is, has authority over all (Matt 28:18). God commissioned humans to have authority over aspects of his creation (Gen 1:28-29; Matt 10:1; 2 Corinthians 10:8; 13:10; Heb 13:17).
- Judging/Justice: God is the perfect and just Judge of the universe who does not show favoritism (Ps 76:8-9; Is 33:22; 2 Tim 4:8; Acts 10:34-35; Rom 2:11). Humans are to avoid the kind of judging only God can do (James 4:12), and yet man is called at times to carry out fair judgments (1 Cor 6:2-3; Matt 18:15-17).
- Love: God is love (1 John 4:8; John 3:16 et. al.). Humans have the capacity to reflect the love of God (1 John 4:7-11; 19).
- Emotions? God is described as “jealous” and “angry” (Deut 32:21) at times, and he is said to “delight” in those who fear him (Psalm 147:11). To what extent these are anthropomorphisms is hard to say. Is God being described in these ‘human’ terms to bring him to a place where we can understand him, or does he actually have emotions similar to ours and after which our emotions are modeled?
- Physical Aspects? God is not a physical (John 4:24), yet God does “see” and “hear” (Gen 16:13; 2 Kings 20:5 cf. Deut 4:28), and Jesus did take on full humanity (1 John 4:2) and will have a resurrected body for eternity (1 Cor 15:20).
WHAT AFFECT DID THE FALL HAVE ON HUMANS IN THE IMAGE OF GOD?
- Sin distorts the image of God but does not remove it. Even after the fall we are told to treat each other with importance and care based on being in the image of God (Gen 9:6; James 3:9-10).
- The goal is to recover the fullness of the image of God. Jesus is the true and perfect image of God (Col 1:15-16; Heb 1:3), and believers are to become more like Christ Jesus by putting on the new self (Col 3:5-14) and being transformed into his likeness (Rom 8:29-30; 2 Cor 3:18).
- The goal is to recover the fullness of the image of God. Jesus is the true and perfect image of God (Col 1:15-16; Heb 1:3), and believers are to become more like Christ Jesus by putting on the new self (Col 3:5-14) and being transformed into his likeness (Rom 8:29-30; 2 Cor 3:18).
WHAT IS THE WORTH OF HUMANS AS COMPARED WITH ANIMALS AND SHOULD THAT AFFECT THE WAY HUMANS TREAT ANIMALS?
- Humans are vastly more valuable than animals. This is not based on a single attribute like the greater intelligence of man over beast. (For instance, some humans may be more intelligent than others, but that does not mean they are of higher worth.) This is based solely on the fact that there is an immeasurable worth that comes from the human being created in the image of God.
- From the beginning God gave man authority and dominion over the animals (Gen 1:26-28). Having dominion over the animals and being of higher worth, however, does not give man the excuse to mistreat, or to cause unnecessary pain or harm to animals. Originally it seems that both man and animal were to eat plants and seeds and not animals (Gen 1:29-30). It was not until after the fall and after the flood that it is recorded that God also gave animals for man to eat (Gen 9:2-3). Shortly after the fall, God sacrificed an animal to cover Adam and Eve with the skin (Gen 3:7, 21), and later animal skins were to be used in the tabernacle (Num 4:25-26). Yet, even as humans became allowed to eat and otherwise use animals, we are still called to be kind to them as much as possible (Prov 12:10; Ex 23:5; Num 22:32; Deut 22:10; 25:4) including to the point of giving them a Sabbath rest (Ex 20:10). God himself cares for animals (Ps 104:10-18), and we too have a responsibility to respect and care for God’s beautiful creation.
- From the beginning God gave man authority and dominion over the animals (Gen 1:26-28). Having dominion over the animals and being of higher worth, however, does not give man the excuse to mistreat, or to cause unnecessary pain or harm to animals. Originally it seems that both man and animal were to eat plants and seeds and not animals (Gen 1:29-30). It was not until after the fall and after the flood that it is recorded that God also gave animals for man to eat (Gen 9:2-3). Shortly after the fall, God sacrificed an animal to cover Adam and Eve with the skin (Gen 3:7, 21), and later animal skins were to be used in the tabernacle (Num 4:25-26). Yet, even as humans became allowed to eat and otherwise use animals, we are still called to be kind to them as much as possible (Prov 12:10; Ex 23:5; Num 22:32; Deut 22:10; 25:4) including to the point of giving them a Sabbath rest (Ex 20:10). God himself cares for animals (Ps 104:10-18), and we too have a responsibility to respect and care for God’s beautiful creation.
The Bible God Works of God Angels Humans Sin Salvation Christ Holy Spirit Church End Times Afterlife