CHAPTER 8: THE STUDY OF MAN (ANTHROPOLOGY)
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Anthropology as a doctrine of Scripture concerned with the second great order of moral beings created by God-the human race. What does the Bible teach about man in God's plan?
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1. ORIGIN OF MAN
God has revealed the essential facts in Genesis 1:27, 2:7 and in other passages. God formed the human body out of the dust of the ground. God breathed into man the breath of life and he became a living soul. We also read that God created man in His own image. God is Spirit (John 4:24), and man was created body, soul, and spirit in the image of God. Why did God create man? God speaks of men as those "whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made¡¨ (Isaiah 43:7).
The Bible teaches that Adam was the first man. He was a special creation of God (Genesis 2:7). What took place before Adam is not detailed in Scripture. Evolutionists claim to have found men's bones or things made by men dating back tens of thousands of years.
There are many theories which seek to reconcile the Genesis account and scientific theories. Some of them are quite possible and compatible with the Bible. Others yield too much to man-made theories. Make your own judgement! For more information, please read the course: Apologetics.
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2. NATURE OF MAN
Christians agreed that man is more than a material being. Trichotomists believe that man is essentially threefold, composed of body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:12).
The material part of man, the body, is subject to scientific investigation. Flesh, blood, bones, etc., compose this body created by God. Due to the fall, the human body is a "body of our humiliation¡¨ (Philippians 3:21). It is subject to disease, decay and death. When Christ comes, the saints will receive new bodies like His (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 John 3:2). The death and resurrection of Christ guarantee the resurrection of all men. The wicked will rise from the dead to face judgment for their sins (John 5:28, 29).
The soul is the subject of self-conscious personal life (Psalm 13:2; 42:5, 11). While it can be directed toward heavenly things (Psalm 42:1, 2), it can also be directed toward earthly and emotional things and is often closely associated with bodily appetites (compare Deuteronomy 12:15, 20; Psalm 107:9; Proverbs 6:30; Isaiah 29:8). It displays a variety of emotional responses, such as desire (Deuteronomy 12:20), hate (2 Samuel 5:8), vexation (2 Kings 4:27), rejoicing (Isaiah 61:10), suffering (Genesis 42:21) and sorrow (Mark 14:34).
The principle of rational, ethical, and spiritual life is called the spirit. Men have spirits to commune with God. Hebrews 4:12 points out that the Word of God can pierce through body ("joints and marrow"), soul and spirit.
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3. THE PROPAGATION OF THE IMMATERIAL PART OF MAN
A man is the product of procreation of his mother and father, as were his parents of their parents, and so forth back to Adam. Science tell us nothings about the origin of our non-physical natures. Where does the individual get his immaterial parts? There are three possible suggestions to this question.
The pre-existence theory states that God created all souls and spirit at once in the beginning and that they are just waiting to be born into the world when bodies are procreated for them.
Creationism states that God creates the immaterial parts of man at a stage somewhere before birth at which time it enters the body. The soul is said to be corrupted in this process. Problems with this view are: How do children inherit so many non-physical traits of their parents, and how can Christ be the "Kinsman Redeemer" of the race if He has only physical connection with it? Also, it seems unlikely that God would create sinless creatures only to let them be immediately corrupted and have an individual "fall." Surely God did not create fallen souls.
Traducianism (the term means "to pass on") teaches that God created the entire man-material and immaterial-once for all in Adam and Eve, and that the entire nature is passed on from generation to generation. It is evident that God made Eve entirely out of Adam-there is no evidence that He created a soul for her. Also, He is said to have rested from creating after making man (Genesis 2:1-3). He would be continuously creating if there were no means of transmitting the immaterial parts of man through procreation. Traducianism best accounts for our being "in Adam" and in ruin by nature (Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:22). It also explains the teaching that individuals are in the loins of their ancestors (Genesis 46:26; Hebrews 7:9, 10).
How Christ partook of the complete nature of man and escape sin. In accord with the Virgin Birth and Luke 1:35, it is clear that Christ was sanctified (set apart) from all of sin's condemnation and corruption from the instant of His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin's womb.
In the light of all the facts and the Scriptures regarding inheriting of non-physical things such as sin, responsibility, etc., it seemed that traducianism is the best theory.
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4. POSITION OF MAN
In Psalm 8:5 we see that man was created lower than the angels but higher than the animals (Psalm 8:6-8). The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of all creation (Hebrews 2:6-9; Revelation 3:14).
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5. FREE WILL OF MAN
God has given man free will. Man is a "personality," that is, he is conscious of his own existence and his own responsibility to make the right choice. Free will does not mean that man is at liberty to follow his own selfish desires without restraint. He must keep the laws of the land and respect the freedom of others.
In divine things man is free to choose right or wrong, to do good or to do evil. In the Garden of Eden God gave man freedom with one minor restriction. Adam was not under any compulsion from God to sin or not to sin. His "free will" made him responsible to do what was right. By choosing the wrong Adam acquired a sinful nature, a tendency to sin. This sinful nature has been passed on to all his descendants, as is all too evident from the present state of society.
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6. FUNCTION OF MAN
Why did God create man? The main purpose for the God created man so that the God could love man and be loved by man. A creature without free will would have to obey God's commands mechanically. Love is only possible on the part of one who can withhold that love if he wishes to do. The Father seeks men who are willing and desire to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23, 24).
Another reason for man's creation is seen in relation to Satan. Satan led man into sin with the purpose of upsetting God's plans. Satan may well have assumed that man would only hate God for punishing him for his sin. This is all too often true. On the other hand, sin provided still more scope for God to show His love. "Where sin increased, grace super abounded." Because of the Cross of Christ, Satan's accusations will be silenced forever. Christ will have a vast host of the redeemed with Him throughout eternity. They will love Him because He loved them first (1 John 4:19).
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7. RESPONSIBILITY OF MAN
Man is responsible to learn God's will and to do it. Man has inherited a sinful nature from Adam, but in Christ he may have the capability of choosing the right and rejecting the wrong. Living men today have Adam's sinful nature, and a strong inclination to sin. Far from excusing man's sin, the Bible teaches our inability to earn salvation and our utter need of a Saviour.
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8. BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR FURTHER STUDY
R.E. Harlow - Basic Bible Doctrines (Emmaus Bible College).
Henry C. Thiessen - Lectures in Systematic Theology.
Sauer, Erich - The King of the Earth (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing).
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