"Where is the one who makes us smarter than the animals and wiser than the birds of the sky?" (Job 35:11, NLT).
"Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory..." (Isaiah 43:7, NKJV).
"The purpose of man is like the purpose of the pollywog--to wiggle along as far as he can without dying; or, to hang to life until death takes him."--Clarence Darrow, the Scopes monkey trial of 1925
"There is something about the way God is that is like the way we are."--J. P. Moreland and Scott B. Rae, Body and Soul
IF YOU WONDER WHO YOU ARE, READ!
What makes us human? Is man a cosmic accident that came from blue-green pond scum (algae) or is he the result of purposed design? Are we mere grown-up germs? A fluke of nature? Are we from nothing, with no meaning, going nowhere? Our Declaration of Independence declares we have "certain unalienable rights," "endowed" by our "Creator." If the State granted us rights, the State can take them away! Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes didn't attribute any more significance to man than to a baboon! Even Darwin pondered whether he could "trust the convictions of a monkey."
The reason Secular Humanists are so eager to make us out to be nothing but animals is that they want to live irresponsibly like animals. If you believe you are an animal, you will act like one. Some Greeks of antiquity, namely Protagoras, believed man was "the measure of all things [Homo mensura]." Even at the tower of Babel man sought to make a name for himself (cf. Gen. 11:4).
It is the Christian worldview that gives man dignity, being in the image of God (imago Dei), and a "living soul," (cf. Gen. 2:7), and this dignity is extrinsic (God is the source, not us) since it is because of our relationship with God-man is presently in a fallen state and this image is marred and defaced; nevertheless, it's still there--man alone has an ego issue. History is the story of the "devolution" of man; even though we have increased in technological knowledge and expertise, we have not solved the basic problems that haunt us, namely: hatred, jealousy, lust, greed, pride, and selfishness, et al.
"Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory..." (Isaiah 43:7, NKJV).
"The purpose of man is like the purpose of the pollywog--to wiggle along as far as he can without dying; or, to hang to life until death takes him."--Clarence Darrow, the Scopes monkey trial of 1925
"There is something about the way God is that is like the way we are."--J. P. Moreland and Scott B. Rae, Body and Soul
IF YOU WONDER WHO YOU ARE, READ!
What makes us human? Is man a cosmic accident that came from blue-green pond scum (algae) or is he the result of purposed design? Are we mere grown-up germs? A fluke of nature? Are we from nothing, with no meaning, going nowhere? Our Declaration of Independence declares we have "certain unalienable rights," "endowed" by our "Creator." If the State granted us rights, the State can take them away! Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes didn't attribute any more significance to man than to a baboon! Even Darwin pondered whether he could "trust the convictions of a monkey."
The reason Secular Humanists are so eager to make us out to be nothing but animals is that they want to live irresponsibly like animals. If you believe you are an animal, you will act like one. Some Greeks of antiquity, namely Protagoras, believed man was "the measure of all things [Homo mensura]." Even at the tower of Babel man sought to make a name for himself (cf. Gen. 11:4).
It is the Christian worldview that gives man dignity, being in the image of God (imago Dei), and a "living soul," (cf. Gen. 2:7), and this dignity is extrinsic (God is the source, not us) since it is because of our relationship with God-man is presently in a fallen state and this image is marred and defaced; nevertheless, it's still there--man alone has an ego issue. History is the story of the "devolution" of man; even though we have increased in technological knowledge and expertise, we have not solved the basic problems that haunt us, namely: hatred, jealousy, lust, greed, pride, and selfishness, et al.
Only after we get saved, do we have the capability to overcome our sinful nature and to be renewed in the image of God. We must remember that "all men are created equal," as our Declaration of Independence says, and we have no right to look down on our fellow man, just as the Bible declares that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (cf. Rom. 3:23).
What does it mean to be in God's image? We all have intelligence, self-consciousness, dignity, value, worth, purpose, and meaning, a heart set on eternity, and are designed to bring glory to God. We have many traits in common with God: namely, that we are spiritual; rational; emotional; social; intellectual; creative; communicative; reflective; intuitive; interpretive; noble; moral; and ethical beings. Note that only man can plan, worry, regret, appreciate beauty, enjoy something bigger than himself, appreciate music, and find fulfillment.
We, alone, are made to know God and are the only creatures capable of having fellowship with Him. God has chosen to glorify Himself through man (cf. Isa. 43:7). As John Piper interprets man's purpose from The Westminster Shorter Catechism: "The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever." We are not mere creatures, but His children who will be joint-heirs with Christ. Christians are destined to become like Christ (cf. Col. 1:27) and to share in His glory (cf. 1 Pet. 5:10; Psa. 84:11). Man has a destiny: "You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor" (Psalm 8:5, NIV).
Bildad in Job 18:3, NLT, says: "Do you think we are mere animals? Do you think we are stupid?" Man is the only creature capable of self-analysis, and self-criticism, as well as being a problem solver and able to pass on the information gathered to succeeding generations--he doesn't start afresh each time, but can accumulate a body of knowledge and wisdom--animals know things, but man knows he knows. Man is not solely driven by and captive to instinct, though he does possess the drive to self-preservation, propagation, and nourishment. But our relationships are unique, since we are capable of falling in and out of love and know the ebb and flow of emotional ties, and show signs of the nobility of character such as knowing about fair play, sportsmanship, courage, bravery, honesty, truthfulness, integrity, justice, good faith, altruism, and all fifty-two known virtues.
In other words, we have a desire to be like God and this is only fulfilled through Christ. The logical conclusion of being in God's image is that we have rights bestowed by Him and no government has the right to take them away. But since we are in God's image, and are fallen creatures, we are capable of disobeying God and committing evil in His sight for which we are culpable and responsible. We alone know right from wrong (cf. Rom. 2:14-15). Man alone will be judged and held accountable (cf. Rom. 14:10, 12). Man alone has rights: "denying justice to a man," (Lam. 3:35); "and to deprive the afflicted among my people of justice," (Isa, 10:2); "As God lives, who has deprived me of justice" (Job 27:2)--all vv. from HCSB.
The prevalent worldviews today deify or exalt man and dethrone God and make Him irrelevant or unbelievable; they start with man and explain the universe rather than with God, the Creator, and explain creation. Where you start determines where you'll end up! They rule God out of the equation from the get-go and don't even consider Him in their solution. When you take God out of the reckoning, man becomes his own judge and lives irresponsibly with no concept of right and wrong--for without God "all things are permissible," according to Fyodor Dostoevsky--consequently, man is no mere creature of habit.
The ultimate worth of mankind is that God became a man and thought we were valuable enough to die for and restore a relationship with--God didn't die for animals--they weren't bad enough! This leads us to the uniqueness of man's nature: the desire to know God; for man alone is a religious creature, who builds cathedrals and chapels and has been nicknamed Homo religiosus, or the religious man. Man alone has a conscience that makes him aware of right and wrong and is therefore culpable to God. Wouldn't you be surprised to see a monkey erecting a chapel or praying to God?
The ultimate image of God (and this is not the replica of God--God sees Himself in us and relates to us in a mutual way--but the icon of God), is manifested in his ability to reflect and reason; in his conscience and ability to discern good and evil, having a sense of guilt in wrongdoing; consciousness of morals and values; in his desire to know God and have a relationship with Him and this conviction that he belongs to God and can worship and praise Him. Even in man's scientific name, Homo sapiens is Latin for "the wise man."
t is said that man alone, in contrast to animals, has the will to obey God, the intellect to know Him, and the heart to love Him. In short, we were made to have a relationship with God! Man is the magnum opus of God's creation. And it's because of the imago Dei that we have rights, not the government, and if we're are descended from hominids, when did those hominids acquire rights? Soli Deo Gloria!
What does it mean to be in God's image? We all have intelligence, self-consciousness, dignity, value, worth, purpose, and meaning, a heart set on eternity, and are designed to bring glory to God. We have many traits in common with God: namely, that we are spiritual; rational; emotional; social; intellectual; creative; communicative; reflective; intuitive; interpretive; noble; moral; and ethical beings. Note that only man can plan, worry, regret, appreciate beauty, enjoy something bigger than himself, appreciate music, and find fulfillment.
We, alone, are made to know God and are the only creatures capable of having fellowship with Him. God has chosen to glorify Himself through man (cf. Isa. 43:7). As John Piper interprets man's purpose from The Westminster Shorter Catechism: "The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever." We are not mere creatures, but His children who will be joint-heirs with Christ. Christians are destined to become like Christ (cf. Col. 1:27) and to share in His glory (cf. 1 Pet. 5:10; Psa. 84:11). Man has a destiny: "You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor" (Psalm 8:5, NIV).
Bildad in Job 18:3, NLT, says: "Do you think we are mere animals? Do you think we are stupid?" Man is the only creature capable of self-analysis, and self-criticism, as well as being a problem solver and able to pass on the information gathered to succeeding generations--he doesn't start afresh each time, but can accumulate a body of knowledge and wisdom--animals know things, but man knows he knows. Man is not solely driven by and captive to instinct, though he does possess the drive to self-preservation, propagation, and nourishment. But our relationships are unique, since we are capable of falling in and out of love and know the ebb and flow of emotional ties, and show signs of the nobility of character such as knowing about fair play, sportsmanship, courage, bravery, honesty, truthfulness, integrity, justice, good faith, altruism, and all fifty-two known virtues.
In other words, we have a desire to be like God and this is only fulfilled through Christ. The logical conclusion of being in God's image is that we have rights bestowed by Him and no government has the right to take them away. But since we are in God's image, and are fallen creatures, we are capable of disobeying God and committing evil in His sight for which we are culpable and responsible. We alone know right from wrong (cf. Rom. 2:14-15). Man alone will be judged and held accountable (cf. Rom. 14:10, 12). Man alone has rights: "denying justice to a man," (Lam. 3:35); "and to deprive the afflicted among my people of justice," (Isa, 10:2); "As God lives, who has deprived me of justice" (Job 27:2)--all vv. from HCSB.
The prevalent worldviews today deify or exalt man and dethrone God and make Him irrelevant or unbelievable; they start with man and explain the universe rather than with God, the Creator, and explain creation. Where you start determines where you'll end up! They rule God out of the equation from the get-go and don't even consider Him in their solution. When you take God out of the reckoning, man becomes his own judge and lives irresponsibly with no concept of right and wrong--for without God "all things are permissible," according to Fyodor Dostoevsky--consequently, man is no mere creature of habit.
The ultimate worth of mankind is that God became a man and thought we were valuable enough to die for and restore a relationship with--God didn't die for animals--they weren't bad enough! This leads us to the uniqueness of man's nature: the desire to know God; for man alone is a religious creature, who builds cathedrals and chapels and has been nicknamed Homo religiosus, or the religious man. Man alone has a conscience that makes him aware of right and wrong and is therefore culpable to God. Wouldn't you be surprised to see a monkey erecting a chapel or praying to God?
The ultimate image of God (and this is not the replica of God--God sees Himself in us and relates to us in a mutual way--but the icon of God), is manifested in his ability to reflect and reason; in his conscience and ability to discern good and evil, having a sense of guilt in wrongdoing; consciousness of morals and values; in his desire to know God and have a relationship with Him and this conviction that he belongs to God and can worship and praise Him. Even in man's scientific name, Homo sapiens is Latin for "the wise man."
t is said that man alone, in contrast to animals, has the will to obey God, the intellect to know Him, and the heart to love Him. In short, we were made to have a relationship with God! Man is the magnum opus of God's creation. And it's because of the imago Dei that we have rights, not the government, and if we're are descended from hominids, when did those hominids acquire rights? Soli Deo Gloria!