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Man, Sin and
Angels
We believe man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is
therefore spiritually dead, and only through the regeneration of the Holy
Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.
Man is unique in all creation in that he seeks to understand himself and his
world. However we have many limitations. Yes, we are making small steps
toward knowing more about what we see. But it would be arrogant to believe
that we are much further along in our understanding of an infinite universe
than we were 100 or 1000 years ago. Each generation feels sure that is has
achieved the essential grasp of the universe, while at the same time laughing
at some of the ideas of those who have gone before.
What we would like to do in this chapter is to look at the universe from a
different starting point. Our starting point will be the revealed truth of
God found in the Bible.
The study of, or science of man is called anthropology. There are two ways to
approach the subject of anthropology. One way is though the study of human
philosophy and learning. It limits itself to the products of our own reason
and discovery abilities. The other is based on Biblical revelation in
conjunction with human experience.
First let us recognize that everybody starts with some assumptions when
discussing these subjects. We as Christians do not have to be ashamed to
listen to the testimony of the Bible and our hearts. It is not in any way
less real to trust a God who has worked personally in our lives, than it is
to accept the testimony of experts in the fields of the natural sciences. It
is important to realize however that the same data can lead to two entirely
different conclusions depending on the frame of mind of those interpreting
the data.
Essentially there are two ways of looking at the "problem" of the
beginning of the physical universe, and subsequent appearance of mankind. The
Christian perspective is that there is an eternal God. This God is
fundamentally different than all other entities in that He does not exist in
time. He created the universe, and us, from nothing.
The "secular" science dealing with the origin and organization of
the universe is Cosmology, which is a branch of astronomy. It is a field
undergoing rapid changes in its accepted theories. The current theory
presented by students of the subject of Cosmology is the "Big Bang"
theory. It states that about 12 to 25 billion years ago all matter existed
for an instant in one physical point at the same time. From this "event"
proceeded the universe as we know it. All rules or laws of physics are
presumed to be inherent in matter and energy. The belief is presented that
only time, chance, and natural law were needed to get from there to the
present world and universe.
Note that there is no explanation given for the origin of the matter in the
first place. Although some argue for an open universe, seeing the present one
collapsing upon itself to restart. They are now looking for enough
"missing matter" to create a strong enough gravitational attraction
to pull the universe back together again to start another cycle.
Moving on to the origin of life, no explanation is given for the lack of
success in "creating life" (although this is a separate field). The
intent here is not to look down on science or hold scientists up to ridicule.
However, they make assumptions as we do, and have many unanswered questions,
as we do. It is only the ignorant that tell us that science has all the
answers, not the true scientist. It is logical to predict that scientific
opinions will change as much in the next 100 years as they have in the
previous 100 years. Why substitute devotion to changing opinions of human
worth for a personal relationship with a God who loves you?
Let's look at Biblical revelation as it contrasts to Cosmology. Note that we
referred to contrasting not opposing. True science describes God's handiwork,
but is subject to our relative lack of understanding of it. Just as
scientists should not over state their understanding, so we also should not
overstate ours.
At this point a crucial question arises, whether the Bible purports to teach
the sciences as such. In spite of the fact that some earnest men have felt
that extended psychology can be constructed on the text of the Bible, the
more conservative teachers are convinced that on truth concerning God---His
creation, and man in His relation to God--the Bible speaks with completeness
and finality, but that on related themes it is accurate so far as it may have
occasion to go.
Why belabor these points? The assumptions we make have a fundamental and
direct impact on how we view our relationship with God. We must, as a
practicing Christians treat what God has to say with respect and give it a
place of importance in our lives. We cannot be running around, frightened to
stand up for what we believe. This will rob our Christian experience of
vitality.
So what does God say? Gen. 1 tells us that God created the heavens and the
earth (Gen. 1:1). He filled His creation with lower creatures, and then made
us in His image (Gen. 1:26), we were created without sin and holy. Clearly we
do not "look like" God so what does this mean? In chapter 2 we
learn some things about God. We learned that God is a Person, that He
reasons, plans, feels love and joy, as well as grief. God is just, and is a
moral being, that He is consistent.
We, as His creation, have these same characteristics. They are the things
that separate us from the rest of creation. The Biblical account of creation
clearly shows our commonalty with animal life. It also shows that we are, as
physical beings, an organized assembly of chemicals from the earth.
How long has man been on the earth? According to Bishop Usher, on the grounds
of the Hebrew Scriptures, since BC 4004. According to Hales, based on the
Septuagint Version, since BC 5411. These men used primarily the tables of
genealogy to mark the passage of years. We should remember however that the
purpose of the genealogical table is to show decent and not the passage of
time.
For example in Gen. 46:18 Zilpa's grandsons and great grandsons are listed as
sons. In Gen. 10:18 Canaan is listed as the father of Sidon his firstborn,
and of 10 nations or races! In Matt 1:11 Josiah is listed as the father of
Jeconiah, his grandson. There are other examples, but it is clear that the
Bible's purpose in these tables is to trace decent and not time. We are told
in Genesis that man is the last of all creatures to be created.
What is a man? While we are alive here on earth we experience a unity of body
(the material self) and the soul (the immaterial). These two elements can
only be separated by death. We are so made that while alive we are in no way
conscious of any separation between body and soul.
Secular psychology also agrees that man is composed of more than one part.
However it views them as being permanently inseparable. When we die, and our
body is seen to obviously decay, they maintain that the inseparable
"other part" must also cease to exist.
The Bible however teaches us that we are separated from our bodies for a
time. And that at a time appointed by God all men will be resurrected to face
judgment. This will happen to everyone whether justified in Christ or not. In
either case the soul of a person is always eternally existent.
Let's look at the facts surrounding the non-physical characteristics of man.
According to the Bible man's nature extends beyond psychology and philosophy.
To truly understand the whole man we must rely on the statements of Scripture
and the counsel of the Holy Spirit.
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