ANTHROPOLOGY WHO WE ARE, WHY WE ARE, AND WHAT NOW?

4 CRITICAL STATEMENTS 1. We were fashioned by God INTENTIONALLY Man was formed by the will of God (Genesis 1:26-27) God did not NEED man but WANTED him. God created man for his own glory. “…everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Isaiah 43:7 “…to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:6; 12; 14

IMPLICATIONS Being made intentionally by the will of God means… Our existence is not random or an accident Our existence is pleasing to God The movement of all history is a march back toward what God intended (perfection and unbroken fellowship) for His glory

4 CRITICAL STATEMTENTS 2. We were created for a God ordained purpose 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.” Gen 1:28 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (guard it) Gen 2:15

IMPLICATIONS Being made by God for a purpose means… God has placed us sovereignly in this world for His purposes Acts 17:22-27 We can please God by living for His pleasure and to fulfill His purposes. 2 Corinthians 5:9-10; Ephesians 2:10; Romans 6:4 God has a purpose for others who do not know Him. God’s purpose and will is not only for Christians but for all mankind. (Evangelism and Missions)

4 CRITICAL STATEMENTS 3. We were created in the image of God Imago Dei Self-consciousness Capacity for intelligent reasoning Moral and spiritual sensibilities

IMPLICATIONS Being made in the image of God means… Every human being has infinite sanctity and God ordained purpose. Abortion is a direct violation of the inherent sanctity of human life.

4 CRITICAL STATEMENTS 4. We were made male and female “Let US make man in OUR image…” “God created MAN in his own image, in the image of God he created HIM; MALE AND FEMALE he created them.” Gen 1:

IMPLICATIONS Being made male and female means… Capacity for interpersonal unity (physical, emotional, intellectual) Both are unique reflections of God’s image and equally valuable While equal in personhood and value, men and women are different in role and authority in marriage. Complementarian vs. Egalitarian

HEADSHIP, WHAT DO YOU THINK? Passages for consideration Genesis 1:26-27 and 3: Corinthians 11:3 Ephesians 5:21-6:9 1 Peter 3:1-7 Galatians 3:27-28 Article Grudem, Wayne. “Does Κεφαλη (Head) Mean ‘Source’ or ‘Authority Over’ in Greek Literature? A Survey of 2,336 Examples.” PDF available at

ORIGIN OF SIN: THE FALL At your table, Read Genesis 3:1-7 and then discuss: 1. What did the serpent (Satan) do/say? 2. How did Eve respond? 3. What do we learn about our own battle with sin?

ORIGIN OF SIN: THE FALL Anatomy of Sin: Gen 3:1-7 The love in God’s law is cast into doubt. v. 1b God’s law is viewed as burdensome. v. 2-3 We believe we have the ability/right to judge for ourselves. v. 4-6 Defying what God has declared good and evil, we choose to decide for ourselves. v.6 The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil Not about evil fruit but about REBELLION

THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE Sin is more than simply breaking a rule “We should not think that the serpent’s temptation is nothing more than an invitation to break a rule, arbitrary or otherwise. That is what a lot of people think that ‘sin’ is: just breaking a rule. What is at stake here is something deeper, bigger, sadder, uglier, more heinous. It is a revolution. It makes me god and thus de-gods God.” -- DA Carson, The God Who Is There

WORLDVIEW Adam and Eve answer these three questions and point to thier shifting worldview How do we know anything? How do we know what is right and wrong? What is man?

SIN Definition “Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature.” – Grudem, Systematic Theology “ any act [or disposition] thought, desire, emotion, word or deed – or its particular absence that displeases God and deserves blame.” -- Plantinga in Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin

TOTAL DEPRAVITY Inherited Guilt and Corruption Every man is guilty because Adam sinned. Rom. 5:12-20 Imputed Guilt Every aspect of our lives is corrupted by Adam’s sin. Rom. 3:23, 5:19, Ps. 51:5 Sinful Nature The Imago Dei is corrupted but not annihilated.

CURRENT REALITY Being made in the image of God requires that man have free will / choice. At creation it was POSSIBLE NOT TO SIN AND DIE After the Fall it was NOT POSSIBLE NOT TO SIN AND DIE In Heaven it is NOT POSSIBLE TO SIN AND DIE WE LIVE HERE Is it possible for us (as followers of Christ) to NOT SIN?

A LOVING GOD SENDS PEOPLE TO HELL? John 3:16-20

HOMEWORK Read Grudem Chapter 26 pages – The Person of Christ Answer Question #1 on 563