Topic 7 DQ 1

The Beginning of Wisdom:

An Introduction to Christian Thought and Life

14

Chapter 14: Christ’s Vision for a Human Life

· Introduction

· The Biblical Narrative: Human Beings Created on Purpose, With a Purpose, and For a Purpose

· Human Beings From the Perspective of the Christian Worldview

· Competing Explanations of Human Nature?

· The Image of God, Human Value, and Connection

· How Jesus Fulfills Humanity’s True Purpose and Significance

· Principles for Moral Reasoning and Formation

· Conclusion

· Chapter Review

· References

Chapter 15. Chapter 14: Christ’s Vision for a Human LifeBy Michael Hogan

"For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do not do what I want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out." —Romans 7:15–19 (English Standard Version)

Essential Questions

· Why is one’s identity in Christ a transformational concept?

· Does God create for humanity’s benefit, his benefit, or both?

· How does God’s wisdom confound the wise, and in what sense is Jesus the wisdom of God?

Introduction

Human beings are capable of remarkable things such as poetry, music, art, eliminating diseases, and sending rockets to the moon. For all of this, human beings are also capable of great evil, such as racism, slavery, the Holocaust, war, and the murder of millions in the name of evil government regimes. Humanity is, in some sense, bipolar and operates at two different extremes: great good and horrific evil. How can this be? What is the explanation for this? There are at least two competing explanations that will be examined in this chapter. According to the first, humanity was created for a purpose. Humanity was created to connect and engage with the God of the universe. Since the fall of humanity in Genesis, humanity has been disconnected from God. It is only in Christ that humanity can reconnect with God to find their true purpose and significance. This explanation is called the Christian worldview narrative. According to the second explanation, humanity was not created with a purpose but is the product of mindless forces. There is no personal God or creator of the universe. There is only mindless matter in motion. According to this view, humanity must create their own purpose and significance. This explanation is called  naturalism . In this chapter, the discussion will center on Christ’s vision for humanity according to the Christian worldview and contrasting it with that of naturalism. In the final sections, the discussion will focus on how Christ fulfills humanity’s true purpose according to the Christian worldview.

The previous chapter spoke of one’s identity and union with Christ as the place of Christian formation. In one’s identity and union with Christ, humanity has found its ultimate purpose. That is just the beginning. The end is to live in eternity in fellowship with the God of the universe. It is important to see that God’s ultimate aim and purpose for the created order has been to reconcile humanity back to him. Spiritual formation, then, is about restoring humanity to once again have fellowship and connection with God. In order to see Christ’s vision for humanity, one must also look at God’s vision for the reconciliation of humanity.

The Biblical Narrative: Human Beings Created on Purpose, With a Purpose, and For a Purpose

Why does it matter that human beings were created for a purpose? From God’s perspective, it clearly matters. God is a creative and intelligent being. He would not create without a reason. From the perspective of human beings, it is often difficult to see God’s purposes. Human beings are finite creatures, while God is infinite. In that respect, one must look to divine revelation to see what God has intended for his creation.

In Genesis 1–2, one sees God’s creative activity, bringing forth the heavens and the earth and all that is in the earth. It is here that one sees God create man (used in the generic sense) in God’s own image and likeness (see Chapter 3). No other creature is created in this way. None of the animals bear the image of God. It is only humankind that does.

This marks a significant departure from other major religions and worldviews of ancient civilization, which roughly covers the period between 3,000 B.C. and 500 A.D. In other religions and worldviews, man either tries to become God or a god, such as seen with the Egyptian pharaohs, or transcend the mortal body by leaving it and become one with God in a very literal sense, as in some forms of Hinduism. In fact, Hill and Walton (2009) pointed out that, while the early Genesis narrative shares some similarities with other nonbiblical creation narratives, one major difference is how those early creation ancient narratives treat humanity. According to Hill and Walton (2009):

Genesis insists that all this [creation] was the design and intention of God. This is a stark contrast to the Mesopotamian mythology that understands humanity as an afterthought of the gods. In Atra-Hasis, for instance, people are created to take over the labor that the gods have tired of doing. There is no sense that creation was taken with people in mind. (p. 83)

The attitude of the gods of Mesopotamian mythology is self-serving, and humanity is only valuable in what they can do for the gods; however, in the Christian worldview, humankind is elevated to a prominent place. The God of the Christian worldview sees humanity as valuable in their own right, and their  value  is not based on what they can do for God. In fact, in Genesis 1, a perfectly good God created a universe filled with good things such that Genesis 1:31 reads, “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” Before any duties, laws, or rules, God instills goodness into the world. One sees, before anything else, the good  character  of the transcendent and personal being of the universe.

God desires to bring goodness and value into his creative activities. The kind of value that God seeks is called  intrinsic value . This means something is valuable for its own sake. For example, to love another person is to love him or her in spite of what that person can or cannot give you. Contrast this with  extrinsic value , which states that something is valuable in virtue of what it can get a person. For example, going to the gym to exercise is extrinsically valuable because it can result in being healthy. God is most concerned about intrinsic value. God cares about his creatures not because of what they can do for him but because of who they are. God desires relationship with human beings because human beings are valuable in their own right.

Notice also in Genesis 1–2 as God continues creating different things each day, his creation is not complete until humankind is formed. Humanity, in this sense, is the pinnacle of God’s creation. Once God creates man on the sixth day, God rests on the seventh day after all the creative work. God was done, and it was good.

The important point here is that God is a being who actively works to create and bring about goodness to any situation. It was not necessary that God create man or create at all. The cosmos and everything in it is finite. It has not existed for eternity but came into existence at a point in the past. God, then, had a purpose in creating. God wanted humankind to experience the goodness of his creation and the goodness of the creator. There is purpose to God’s creation. But what kind of purpose? One can see from the text that such purpose is fundamentally relational. God seeks to bring humanity into fellowship with him because of the goodness that such fellowship brings. The next section discusses God’s purposes in creating humanity and what went wrong with humanity.

Human Beings From the Perspective of the Christian Worldview

This section discusses God’s purposes in creating humanity and what humanity’s role is in the creation order. Humanity was created for connection with the God of the universe, but sin entered the world through the fall of Adam and Eve.

Human Beings as the Intentional Creation of the Triune God

In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve sever their connection with God. By disobeying what God had told them, they became aware of their nakedness. Their shame is evident as it says, “And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths” (Genesis 3:7). Prior to that, Adam and Eve were safe and secure in their nakedness because they were safe and secure with their creator.

Adam and Eve, in fact, hear the sound of God “walking in the garden” (Genesis 3:8) and hide from God because of their shame. The implication seems to be that God had communion and fellowship with man before the fall. In effect, Adam and Eve had become disconnected physically and spiritually from God—physically, because they no longer could be in the garden and spiritually because their  hearts  were not in tune with God because of the shame and fear they felt. God is clearly a relational being, and, in connection with God, human beings experience the fullness of what they were created for. Because of the fall, however, Adam and Eve were alienated from God and the fullness that comes from being with God. God’s creation, the fall, and God’s eventual restoration in Christ, are all connected to the relational and personal nature of God.

There is an even earlier indication of the relational nature of God, which is found in Genesis 1, when God says, “Let us make man,” referring to a plural pronoun us. This is often referred to as the first Trinitarian reference in Scripture. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were all active in creation. Recall, the Trinitarian nature of God: one God exists in three persons who are all equally divine. The important point is that, out of mutual fellowship, the world was created. Again, God is a relational being who seeks to bring humanity into communion with him.

In addition to the Old Testament, the New Testament itself references that God and Jesus were both active in creation. In 1 Corinthians 8:6 the Apostle Paul compared the so-called gods with the true God and wrote, “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” The implication is that both the Father and the Son are responsible for everything that exists.

God is, therefore, purposeful and intentional in the creation of humankind. The purpose and the intention have to do with the relational nature of God. Notice that, in Genesis, the narrative presents humans as unique in the kind of relationship that God has with them. Fellowship and communion with God happen only for beings capable of such connection. Neither the material creation nor the animals are capable of such connection. Even within the Trinity, there is mutual fellowship and connection. Each member of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—are all persons capable of connecting with one another. They know each other in a relational way. This is the basis for why God desires humanity to connect with him.

However, because of the fall of humanity, the relational connection God desires for humanity was severed. The only way to reconnect humanity with the God of the universe is in the person of Jesus Christ. This is where God’s desire to reconcile humanity and Christ’s vision for humanity meet. However, one must first turn to competing explanations of  human nature  in order to better see Christ’s vision for humanity.

Connection, Loneliness, and Scientific Research

In their book, Created for Connection, Johnson and Sanderfer (2016) pointed out that human beings were created to ultimately connect through safe and secure emotional attachments. The book is aimed primarily at Christian couples, but the principles are based on years of research on a model of therapy known as emotionally focused therapy (EFT), which has been shown to enable couples to move from distress in their relationship to enduring love and healthy attachment.

Additionally, there is a growing body of evidence that nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia are “facing a loneliness epidemic” (Holdt-Lunstad, 2017, p. 127). People are experiencing more loneliness, alienation, and disconnection. For example, more than one-third of American adults over 45 experience loneliness, which Holdt-Lunstad (2017) noted makes for 42 million adults who experience chronic loneliness. According to the Pew Research Center (2009), many Americans are not involved in any form of social group. Research has also shown that, in the United States, single occupancy homes have increased while the average household size has decreased (United States Census Bureau, 2011).

The evidence this has had an effect on people’s health is dramatic as well. One study shows that loneliness affects individuals at the cellular level, negatively impacting one’s health (Cole et al., 2015). Holdt-Lunstat (2017) also surveyed several independent studies on loneliness and found that the risk for mortality associated with loneliness is greater than that of obesity. The dramatic nature of loneliness cannot be overlooked, and it is inextricably tied to one being disconnected from others. Hence, human beings are, as Johnson and Sanderfer (2016) argued, created for connection.

Competing Explanations of Human Nature?

There are at least two competing explanations of human nature. The first is one according to the Christian worldview in which humanity bears the image of God because humanity has characteristics that only humanity and God share. Christianity sees human nature as defined by  rationality  or human nature as defined by having a body and soul. The second explanation of human nature is naturalistic, which sees human nature as purposeless and lacking anything like a soul. This either sees human beings as the product of mindless evolutionary forces, mechanistic machines, or animal organisms.

Human Nature According to the Christian Worldview

According to the Christian worldview, humanity was created for a purpose. But what is it to have a purpose? This has often been understood as human beings having a human nature. A human nature is unique to those who have it, namely humans. It is what makes a human a human. It is the kind of thing that human beings are. Animals, for example, do not have human natures. They have something else that makes them what they are, perhaps an animal nature.

A helpful way to think about this is that a nature is what makes a thing what it is. This means it has  essential features  to it. Without these features, the thing cannot be what it is. For example, one might think that it is essential for a human being to have the potential for conscious, higher level thinking as opposed to the lower level, instinctual thinking of animals. This is so even for those in comas or embryos because they have the potential for this activity but cannot use that potential.

In contrast to the essential features of what makes a thing what it is, there are contingent features that are nonessential to what a thing is. These are called  accidental features . For example, the height of a human being is contingent because it is not essential that a human body have a particular height. Another example is the place where one is born. If one were born in Phoenix, Arizona, for instance, it is contingent that one is born there. A person does not need to be born there and could have been born somewhere else, like Los Angeles.

One further aspect of having a human nature is that it says how human beings ought to function. For example, if a human being ends up in a coma or with severe brain damage, one’s response is usually that the comatose or brain-damaged person is not functioning the way they ought to. Now consider this in light of morality. If human beings were created with a specific nature, then perhaps that nature ought to function a certain way. When it does so, it is fulfilling its highest function or purpose—the reason for which it was created.

There have been two main ways to understand human nature from the Christian perspective. The first sees humanity as having a rational nature, while the second sees humanity as having a dual nature of body and soul. Both are considered in the next two sections.

Human Beings as Rational Animals

According to Aristotle (ca. 350 B.C./1999), and echoed by many throughout history (e.g., Augustine, Aquinas, Descartes), the quintessential expression of what it means to be human is for one to be rational. That is what sets human beings apart from animals and lower life-forms. It is the ability to be reflective about oneself and one’s reasons for actions. Dogs or cats cannot be reflective in this way; they merely act from instinct and are not interested in logic or mathematics.

Aristotle has had much influence on Western history, and, indeed, his view about human nature explains the difference between humans and other animals. However, a major pitfall in marking humans distinctly by their rationality is that many human beings fail to display rationality or lack it entirely (e.g., infants, mentally ill, mentally handicapped, comatose patients), yet most think such people are still human beings. Consider that one’s rationality might be obliterated by severe brain damage. For such an individual, it seems that the potential for conscious, higher order thinking is gone.

According to the Christian worldview, such people have not lost their value as humans simply because they have lost the potential for rationality or the ability to use rationality. In the Christian worldview, to be human includes rationality, but it is not what defines human beings. As emphasized in this book, being made in the image of God forms the basis for the equality and value of every human being because one does not lose the image of God simply because one may have lost the ability to be rational.

Human Beings as Body and Soul

The second way to understand human nature from the Christian perspective is that human beings have a dual nature of body and soul. According to Christianity, human beings are composed of a physical body and a nonphysical soul that share an intimate relation with each other. For example, in writing to the Philippian believers, the Apostle Paul explained how Christ would be honored in Paul’s life whether Paul were alive or dead. Paul then made a bold statement, saying, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Paul followed this up by saying that it is far better to be with the Lord, but it may be necessary for him to remain in this flesh, referring to his body. The best way to make sense of this is that Paul understood he could survive the death of his body and be with the Lord. This indicates that Paul believed he is not the same thing as his body. This of course does not mean the body is less special or somehow inherently sinful. The body and soul are ultimately tied together, as all believers will be given a new, resurrected body at the final resurrection (Romans 6:5; 1 Corinthians 15); however, it does show that what makes humans uniquely human is that they have a human soul that is not identical to their body.

Though the argument cannot be made here due to space, the body and soul view is most consistent with the Christian worldview. Human beings are not purely material, but they are not purely immaterial. God created the body for a reason, and, though human beings can survive the death of the body, human beings were not meant to live disembodied but embodied. Later in this chapter, the person of Jesus is discussed, at which point it will be made clear that the body is important because Jesus was resurrected in his body.

The body and soul view also demonstrates being made in the image of God. God is a conscious, personal being who, by his very nature, is consciously present everywhere and not bound by physical space; however, while also conscious, personal beings themselves, human beings are bound by physical space. Furthermore, human beings are finite and limited in their capacities. This is why human beings are made in the image of God and have a specific purposeful nature. The conscious and personal aspects of humanity are what liken them to God, while the human nature makes humanity finite and limited. Even when believers are resurrected, their bodies will be glorified, but they could never be something other than what they are.

In contrast to the Christian worldview, another competing view explains humanity’s existence in somewhat nonpurposeful terms. In this view, humanity is the byproduct of long periods of time, natural forces, and random genetic mutation. Combined with the idea that there is no transcendent, purposeful creator, this view sees human beings as just an interesting arrangement of particles with no significant place in the universe.

Human Nature According to Naturalism

Naturalism, as mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, is a thesis about the way reality is. It says that there is no God, only the physical world exists, and human beings have no special place or purpose in the universe. This kind of naturalism is similar to views discussed in other chapters, such as secularism, atheism, and practical atheism.

From the perspective of naturalism, there are three ways to construe human nature. All are interrelated to one another, each emphasizing that there are no souls or demons, or gods or immaterial substances, but only one kind of reality: material reality. Each of the three ways deny anything like the idea that humanity is made in the image and likeness of God. The first is that human beings are accidental by-products of evolutionary forces, the second is that human beings are mere mechanistic machines, and the third is that human beings are mere animal organisms.

Human Beings as Accidental By-Products of the Mindless Universe

A mind implies a conscious, deliberate, and intelligent agent that makes purposeful decisions. An agent acts not because some external cause or force makes it act but because the agent acts from within by responding to reasons and may choose not to act. Contrast this with mindlessness. Nothing is deliberate or intentional, and there are no agents that make purposeful decisions because there are no agents at all in such a world. The atheist Richard Dawkins (1996) echoed this sentiment when he said, “There is at bottom no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pointless indifference” (p. 133), and “We are machines for propagating DNA” (1992). There is no ultimate purpose or final destiny for which human beings were created according to Dawkins (1996, 1992). There is just matter in motion.

In a mindless universe, the only explanation for human beings and what they are is biological evolution and natural selection. Consider how atheist philosopher Michael Ruse (1989) wrote about the origin of moral values in such a universe. Ruse (1989) said:

The position of the modern evolutionist … is that humans have an awareness of morality … because such an awareness is of biological worth. Morality is a  biological adaptation  no less than are hands and feet and teeth … Considered as a rationally justifiable set of claims about an objective something, ethics is illusory. I appreciate that when somebody says, ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself,’ they think they are referring above and beyond themselves … Nevertheless, … such reference is truly without foundation. Morality is just an aid to survival and reproduction, … and any deeper meaning is illusory. (pp. 262–269)

Given both Dawkins's and Ruse’s sentiments, there is nothing special or important about human nature other than one’s survival and reproduction. This is a stark contrast to the Christian worldview that sees unique purpose and intention for human beings.

According to the naturalist’s understanding, morality is merely a function of its survival value to the human species. As Ruse (1989) pointed out, evolutionary biology, from a naturalist perspective, is antithetical to Christian ethics. As such, it is antithetical to the purpose and place of human beings in a God-filled universe.

Consider also that, from a naturalistic evolutionary perspective, morality is adaptive. An adaptive trait is one that has survival value and is passed onto the next generation. On a naturalistic evolutionary ethic, morality is explained by looking out only for the interests of others in order to benefit the future interests of the organism; however, this flies in the face of the Christian ethic. According to the Christian ethic, morality is about looking out for others’ interests regardless of whether it benefits one’s own future interests. For instance, the pinnacle example of Christianity is self-sacrifice in the form of Jesus dying on a cross to restore sinful humanity to relationship with God. That is completely antithetical to the core idea of biological evolution and natural selection through adaptation.

Human Beings as Machines

The second naturalistic view of human nature is close to the first. In this view, human beings are simply mechanistic machines that have no purpose. Think about android characters in science-fiction movies and TV shows that are almost indistinguishable from humans and are, in fact, portrayed by human actors. These android characters look human but, for the most part, have no feelings or emotions. They are programmed to act in specific ways so that they sometimes appear to display human-like behavior. One could now ask, “Does the android have meaning and purpose for its life?” It is hard to resist the answer being a flat no. This is because the android is just a mechanistic machine doing what it was programmed to do. The android cannot reflect on a purpose for its life much less really understand what kind of thing it is; however, sometimes, because of their mechanistic nature, machines seem to point to some kind of purpose or design behind them. In fact, Dawkins and other atheists who write about evolution assign purposes or intentions to the biological mechanisms that are involved in producing human beings. For example, in The Selfish Gene, Dawkins (2006) talks about how one’s biological genes are selfish because, at the individual level, they seek to propagate themselves into the next generation. However, Dawkins’s (2006) talk of purpose and design is mere metaphor. There is no actual designer, such as God or an intelligent mind, that has created human beings or, for that matter, guided evolution. Even Dawkins (2006) admits as much when he calls the attribution of such intelligence or purposes to genes a “personification” (2006, p. x–xii). All that exists is matter in motion. As pointed out above, the Christian worldview is in stark contrast with a mechanistic view of human beings. The Christian worldview sees human beings as capable of making decisions as deliberative agents for specific purposes and reasons.

Human Beings as Animal Organisms

Another view about human beings is that humans are animal organisms. In this view, to be a human person is to be an animal; however, it need not be the case that all persons are animals. We might be able to imagine some other kind of thing that is a person but not an animal. Similarly, in this view, not all animals are persons. Crickets, lizards, and even dogs are animals, but are not persons because they lack the mental capacities that persons have, such as rational, conscious thought.

The important point about viewing human beings as purely animal organisms is that it rules out anything such as an immaterial soul, but it specifies a kind of nature for human beings: an animal nature. In this view, animal organisms are purely biological organisms. As purely animal organisms, when a human being’s biological functioning ceases (i.e. the death or breakdown of the body), the human being and the human person ceases to exist.

This is deeply opposed to the Christian worldview that sees humanity as composed of both body and soul. According to the animal organism view, there is no immaterial soul. The animal organism view says that human persons are nothing more than the result of the biology they have—we are biological machines and nothing more. The Christian worldview denies this. In the Christian worldview, what makes someone a human person is the fact that he or she has a human nature that is made in the image of God, not that he or she has some specific biology.

This ends the discussion on human nature contrasting the Christian and naturalistic perspectives. The Christian perspective sees human nature as created with specific purpose and design. When human beings operate according to their design plan, they flourish, as it is how they ought to function. In contrast, the naturalistic view says that human beings are purposeless and are simply matter in motion that was the result of blind evolutionary forces through natural selection.

The Image of God, Human Value, and Connection

There cannot be true and deep connection among human beings and, ultimately, fellowship with God if there cannot be mutual respect and dignity for one another. Mutual respect and dignity imply that every human ought to be treated in a manner befitting of God's image bearer. Because humans bear the image of God, they are due respect and dignity as an end in themselves and not a means to an end. This means that the value of every human being is intrinsic, such that they have moral worth simply because they are image bearers of God. Human beings do not derive their moral worth from what they can do for God or for others; that would be using human beings as a means to an end, which is the exact opposite of how God values humanity. Recall the intrinsic versus extrinsic distinction in which something is intrinsic if it has value in and of itself (e.g., friendship) or is extrinsic if it has value only in what it can get one (e.g., money). Being intrinsic is the end and being extrinsic is the means to achieve that end.

Because of the fall in Genesis 3, humanity fails to see each other made in the image of God and fails to see the equality between one another. This leads to distrust and feelings of fear and insecurity. If humanity could reestablish trust with each other, then humanity could maintain a level of vulnerability that could reform the bonds of connection. In effect, the relational disconnect of human beings can be traced back to the fall of humanity.

The only way reconnection can happen is if humanity is restored to its true glory as God intended when he first placed man in the garden to have  dominion  over the earth. However, mankind is incapable of putting themselves back in the garden. They are lost in their sin, wandering aimlessly searching for something to fill their heart. For millennia, human beings have strived to satisfy the longings of their heart to no avail. They have tried on their own merits through moral regimens and works-based systems or through New Age spirituality that is spiritual but without the person of God.

To bridge the chasm between God and man, a perfect being that is fully God and fully man is needed. In the person of Jesus Christ, humanity has such a man that can bring restoration to the human heart; however, as one will see, it requires the forgiveness of sin. Christ’s sacrifice and death were the atonement for the sins of humanity to bring reconciliation with God. This is clearly evident when the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers that God, “made him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him [Jesus] we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Therefore, understanding the death of Christ and his atoning work on the cross requires an understanding of who Jesus is.

Jesus Christ: The Image of God

At this point, a clarification must be made: There are three important senses in which the word image is used in Scripture, and sometimes they are mistaken for each other. The image of God in man has already been discussed. The other two senses are the image of God in Jesus and the image of the resurrection in Jesus.

Regarding Jesus, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians that

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:15–20)

Notice how Paul spoke of Jesus. The passage is draped with divine imagery about Jesus. Jesus is the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) and “all things were created through him” (Colossians 1:16). In no way could Paul be using the word image here in the same way that the word is used to refer to humanity being made in the image of God. If it were used in the same way, that would destroy the meaning of the passage.

As for the second sense of image, the Apostle Paul made an interesting distinction that brings out this second sense. Writing to the Corinthian believers Paul said, “Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:49). Paul is comparing humanity’s image in Adam to humanity’s image of Christ after the resurrection. However, the implication is that Paul was talking about Adam before the fall. In earlier passages, Paul was contrasting the natural body with the spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:44) and how the first Adam became a “life giving being” and the new Adam became a “life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45). As Piper (1971) pointed out, “Paul is not contrasting a fallen body with a redeemed body, but a natural body with a spiritual body” (para. 34) The redeemed body is when one becomes a believer, while the spiritual body is when the believer becomes resurrected. So, in this third sense, image refers specifically to the resurrection. Thus, when applied to Jesus, image does not mean the same thing when applied to humanity. There are, then, three senses of image.

Although image has those three distinct senses, all three say something important about who Jesus was and how Jesus fulfills humanity’s true purpose. To see this, one must look at the incarnation of Jesus and all that it entailed. In the incarnation, Jesus took on a human nature and became vulnerable just as humans are vulnerable (Philippians 2:1–11). It is in the incarnation that Jesus fulfills humanity’s true purpose and significance, restoring them to wholeness. It is in the incarnation that Jesus fulfills what humanity could not by atoning for the sins of humanity and being the perfect sacrifice. It is in this vulnerable place of weakness and humility that Jesus demonstrates his vision for humanity, which is counter to the wisdom of the world. It is through such vulnerability that real strength shines through. The important point is that God saw it necessary to restore humanity by becoming human in the person of Jesus.

How Jesus Fulfills Humanity’s True Purpose and Significance

In the person of Jesus, humanity is restored to right relationship with God. In the person of Jesus, one sees humanity’s true purpose and significance. God’s vision aligns with Christ’s vision to restore sinful human beings to a place of wholeness in which one’s heart becomes spiritually transformed. The forgoing sections point out that Jesus reclaims lost humanity by becoming a human, living a perfect and sinless life, and sacrificing himself, bridging the spiritual disconnection between man and God. In each section, the focal point is on how Jesus opens the way for humanity to be reconciled to God. In this way, one sees how Christian transformation takes place in the person of Jesus. The first section discusses Jesus as the new Adam, the second section discusses Jesus as God incarnate, the third section discusses Jesus as the second person of the Trinity, and the fourth section discusses Jesus as modeling the Spirit-led life. In each section, one sees the principles of spiritual formation: the Kingship Principle, the Relationship Principle, and the Kingdom Principle.

Jesus: The New Adam

Jesus is the new Adam. In Adam, humanity was lost to sin. In Jesus, humanity is restored. Paul made this point in Romans 5:

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam who was a type of the one who was to come … For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free git by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many (Romans 5:12–14, 5:16).

In Adam, sin and death came into the world; however, Adam was a “type of the one who is to come,” (Romans 5:14) namely the new Adam, Jesus. As sin abounded in Adam, the free gift of the grace of God abounded in Jesus Christ.

Here, one sees the sin of Adam contrasted with that of the grace of God through Jesus Christ. The spiritual death that came through Adam could have left humanity lost in their sin, but, in God’s grace, one sees the kind of being God is and the kind of person Jesus is to go to great lengths to reconcile humanity. One sees here the loving God who plans and orchestrates salvation for humanity. God is displaying for humanity the Relationship Principle, which is a transformational principle. The principle raises the question “How I should love?” The answer comes in response to God’s bountiful grace to restore humanity. Each believer should recognize the way God loves. God loves by making old things new. For instance, by making the old Adam a new Adam in Christ. It is through God’s love that the believer can see how to love and bring about restoration in other’s lives.

Jesus: The Incarnated Son of God

Jesus is God incarnate. This means Jesus is fully God and fully man; therefore, Jesus does not lack in deity or humanity. In this way, God’s vision for humanity and Jesus living a human life aligns with God’s vision for humanity. God’s vision for humanity is for them to be transformed into the image of his son, Jesus. Jesus’s vision for humanity is for them to be transformed from the inside out. By becoming human, Jesus can help us reengage and connect with our hearts on an individual level. It is ultimately our hearts that Jesus cares about and desires to attend to. This is where transformation begins. As Jesus notes, it is out of the heart that words and evil deeds come (Matthew 12:34, 15:18–19).

The incarnation is the way God brings salvation to humanity. Without it, the crucifixion of Christ and his subsequent death and resurrection could not pave the way for salvation. The incarnation is also the way God brings immediate access to himself and true restoration of the heart. In 2 Peter 1:3–4, the Apostle Peter wrote,

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

As believers, we can actually know God intimately and, by doing so, become transformed. This is only possible in the person of Jesus Christ who, being fully God and fully man, provided this access.

The book of Hebrews also points this out, saying that Jesus is the “mediator of the new covenant” (Hebrews 9:15) as opposed to the Old Covenant in the Old Testament sacrificial system. It also notes that, by his blood, Jesus secured an “eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12). The blood of Christ was not the result of an ordinary sacrifice; it was a once-and-for-all sacrifice that never needs to be paid again. By it, believers can be assured of their access to a good and holy God. A simple man could not do this, and God the father could not do this. It had to be a being who was fully God and fully man. That person is Christ.

This display of sacrifice and humility expresses the Kingship and Kingdom Principles. Jesus displays a model for how one should act by showing obedience as one who lived a perfect and sinless life under the authority of God the father. It also displays the Kingdom Principle as one who walks humbly and became a lowly servant.

Jesus: The Second Person of the Trinity

Jesus is the second person of the Trinity. Jesus is understood as the second member usually because of his role in the Trinity. As previously noted in this chapter, there are three distinct persons, but one God. Several passages imply this. For instance, Romans 3:30 states that there is one God, John 6:27 states that the Father is God, John 20:28 states that Jesus is God, Acts 5:3–5 states that the Holy Spirit is God, and finally John 16:13–17 states that all three are distinct persons. The conclusion is that there are three persons who are all equally divine.

The important point here is that Jesus left the fellowship of the Father and the Spirit to save humanity; however, all three members are instrumental in the mission of salvation. God the Father sent his only Son (1 John 4:9), Jesus also chose to come (Mark 10:25), and the Spirit anointed the mission in Jesus’s baptism (Matthew 3:16). So, it is quite remarkable to think that Jesus left the communal fellowship of grace and love to save humanity. Indeed, in Jesus’s earthly life, he was disconnected and even alienated on the cross from the Father and Spirit so that he could reconnect us to the God of the universe. In this, one sees all three models of formation at work. First, is the Kingship Principle in which Jesus is obedient to being sent by the Father. Second, is the Relationship Principle of loving humanity enough to leave mutual fellowship to bring them back to God. And third, there is the Kingdom Principle of walking humbly as a servant of God.

Jesus: The Model of the Spirit-Led Life

Jesus’s earthly life is the model of living by wisdom and living by the Spirit. Jesus led a sinless and perfect life in harmony and obedience to God’s commands. In Scripture, one sees Jesus’s close connection with the Spirit. In Matthew 4:1, Jesus is “led up by the Spirit into the wilderness.” In Luke 4:14–19, Jesus is empowered and anointed by the Spirit. And Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice through the Spirit (Hebrews 9:14). Jesus’s connection is a model for our connection to the Spirit.

Our identity and union with Jesus, then, is possible because Jesus led the way, modeling the life of wisdom and obedience to God. It is through our identity and union with Jesus that the Christian can have the power to live out God’s moral principles. But it is also through Jesus that the Christian sees that God’s kingdom is not just about living out principles but about using those principles to open our hearts to God. It is about showing the Christian that a life lived purely on principles is missing the true target.

It is the Spirit of God through the person of Jesus Christ that ultimately transforms a person. As Jesus displays the ultimate vulnerability in becoming human, it is in the incarnation and humility of Jesus, that the believer can begin to be open to his or her own vulnerability. In Christ, one sees true wisdom calling one to go into the heart and meet God in those scary and vulnerable places. One may fear that God will not be there; however, the God of the universe sent his only Son to redeem humanity, so it is not a reach to think the same God will show up in those hurt places of the heart and bring everlasting transformation. God’s wisdom meets humanity’s need where it matters most: connecting with the heart and responding to the pain of sin and suffering.

In Jesus’s model of living a Spirit-led life, one sees Jesus’s obedience and temperance. Here, Jesus displays the Kingship and Kingdom Principles. Jesus acts in the right way by being obedient to the Spirit’s leading but also walks in the right way by surrendering his will to the Father and the Spirit.

Principles for Moral Reasoning and Formation

A fundamental aspect of Christ’s vision for humanity is how to live a Christ-like life. Some of the previous sections of this chapter discussed and applied these principles for moral reasoning and formation. These were principles that guide the Christian believer in spiritual formation and practice. The first is the Kingship Principle, which asks, “How I should act?” The second is the Relationship Principle, which asks, “How I should love?” And the third is the Kingdom Principle, which asks, “How I should walk?” Each are principles that enable the believer to live out the characteristics of God’s kingdom and be transformed in order to connect with oneself and others.

Table 14.1

Principles for Moral Reasoning and Formation

Principle	Kingship Principle	Relationship Principle	Kingdom Principle
Question to Ask	How Should I Act?	What Should I Love?	How Should I Walk?
Biblical Foundation (Micah 6:8)	Act Justly	Love Mercy	Walk Humbly
Virtue Cultivated	Faith	Love	Hope

Kingship Principle: How Should I Act?

Jesus was obedient to God and the Spirit’s leading, which indicated a respect for God’s authority and willingness to surrender to God’s purposes. The Christian believer also ought to submit to God’s authority as part of the practice of spiritual formation. One way to think about applying this principle is to ask two different questions.

1. What areas of my life are not under God’s authority or surrendered to God?

2. What areas of life am I trying to control or manipulate?

Jesus always looked to the authority of God, was surrendered to God’s purposes, and did not try to control or manipulate his circumstances. This does not mean that Jesus was passive but, rather, centered and knew his identity as he entrusted himself to the Father’s will.

Relationship Principle: What Should I Love?

In Jesus, we see the self-sacrificial love displayed by him becoming a man and humbling himself on the cross. But Jesus is also the new Adam, displaying love and grace to humanity by offering a free gift of salvation, according to God’s specific plan and purpose. The actions Jesus displayed were selfless and motivated out of love for lost humanity, which also aligned with God’s love to save humanity from the darkness of their hearts. One way to think about the Relationship Principle is to ask, “What do I love, and what am I attached to?” Is it material objects or money? Jesus valued people and relationships over material objects and money.

Kingdom Principle: How Should I Walk?

One of the preceding sections, and one might say the most relevant section, was on the Spirit-led life of Jesus. Jesus was empowered by the Spirit and shared a close connection with the Spirit. Jesus humbly surrendered his will to the Spirit to do the work of God. The Kingdom Principle raises the question, “Am I relying on my own effort as a believer or the effort that comes from a Spirit-led life?” Just as Jesus was emboldened by the power of the Holy Spirit, so too should the Christian believer.

Conclusion

Humanity is searching for meaning and significance. They are trying to fill themselves with things such as sex, money, and drugs. Only God can fill the human heart and bring a person back to restoration. In Jesus, the vision for humanity is to be united with him in his death, burial, and resurrection. Everything was moving toward that from the moment Adam and Eve fell in the garden. God was working out the plan of salvation just as God worked to bring about the goodness of creation. God’s goodness fuels his desire to reconnect with his creation. Yet, that had to come at a cost in the crucifixion of his son, Jesus. But in Christ all things are made new, and God, once again, brings goodness and value into the universe. This time there will be no pain and suffering when those believers are resurrected in a new body and living in the new heavens and new Earth. The loss of one’s identity in the garden is retained and restored in one’s identity in Christ, the God-man, who conquered sin and death to bring harmony and connection to the creation order.

We meet God through our feelings, not around them (C. Williams, personal communication, March, 15, 2012). The feelings are in the heart and connecting with God is connecting with one’s heart. It is not being led by one’s feelings, however, but being led by the Spirit into one’s feelings. As John Coe (n.d.) pointed out, “Feelings are very bad leaders … [but] they’re excellent windows to the soul” (para. 2). However, as Coe (2000) also pointed out, the believer should not measure God’s presence by one’s feelings. Feelings are fickle, yet they are also clear signs that something is off in one’s body and heart.

According to the New Testament, the love, security, and contentment found in Jesus is the remedy to anger, fear, worry, and the like. Human beings are physical and yet also immaterial. They have bodily as well as psychological sensations. These two aspects of human beings are uniquely tied together and will one day be redeemed and resurrected to live in eternal fellowship with the God of the universe. Neither aspect should be ignored.

Chapter Review

Main Ideas

· The connection and restoration of humanity can only come through the person and work of Jesus Christ on the cross who was fully God and fully man.

· Human beings have a specific nature that informs and directs their existence. It is what makes a human being human. It is the kind of thing a human being is.

· Christ’s vision for humanity is that we are connected to the God of the universe. This is true wisdom not the folly or wisdom of men.

· We were created for union and connection with God. God desires to be connected with his creatures. It is in union with Christ that we ultimately meet God.

· A purposeful and intelligent being created to bring goodness and value into existence. Creation became disconnected through the fall, and it is in the person of Jesus Christ that restoration and unity are found.

· Jesus, who is fully God and fully human, humbled himself to become a lowly servant and die on a cross to save the world from their sins. Humanity can be reconnected to the God of the universe through the work of Jesus Christ.

· According to the Christian worldview, humanity is either defined by one’s rational nature or a dual nature of body and soul. The latter is more consistent with Scripture, while the former fails to account for those humans who fail to display rationality, but, nonetheless, still seem human.

· Naturalism states that human nature is either the result of purposeless natural processes, a machine, or an animal organism. Neither is compatible with Scripture, as they rule out an immaterial aspect to the human person.

· The person and work of Jesus Christ was centered on four areas. First was Jesus as the new Adam. Second was Jesus as the incarnate Son of God. Third was Jesus as the second member of the Trinity. And fourth was Jesus modeling a Spirit-led life. Each displayed the theology necessary for reconciliation to God and the principles of spiritual formation necessary for living the Christian life.

Key Terms

· Accidental Features: Contingent features of an object or person. They do not have to exist for the object or person to exist. For example, the property of being tall is a contingent feature of being human; one can still be human but be short or tall.

· Biological Adaptation: Features of biological organisms that survive through natural selection and evolutionary processes. For example, perception is adaptive because it aids in the survival of species; without being able to perceive one’s environment, it is unlikely the species survives and carries that trait into the next generation.

· Character: Specific dispositional traits that could be virtuous or vicious. For example, being loving is virtuous, while being wicked or corrupt is vicious. These are traits that one can develop through moral training or through the power of the Holy Spirit.

· Dominion: The biblical description of humanity’s work and role as image bearers to take charge of the earth and steward it.

· Essential Features: Properties of objects or people that must exist for the object or person to exist. For example, being made in the image of God is an essential property of human beings. One is not human if one is not made in the image of God.

· Extrinsic Value: This usually refers to instrumental value such that it is valuable only to the extent for what it can bring about. For example, money is extrinsically valuable because it is a means to achieve other ends.

· Heart: This is the seat of the will and emotions. Sometimes this could refer to one’s spirit or aspect of one’s soul. It is where the true self resides.

· Human Nature: What defines the kind of being a human is or what it is that makes one human. From the Christian perspective, humans flourish best when they function according to the way God designed them. God designed humans to live in fellowship and connection with him and to live a virtuous and moral life.

· Intrinsic Value: This refers to value that is noninstrumental such that achieving it is not about bringing about a specific end. For example, loving one’s neighbor is intrinsically valuable even if doing so may not achieve specific ends, such as being liked by everyone.

· Rationality: One’s reasoning for specific ends. For example, one is being rational when one tries to aim at the truth and believe more true things than false things.

· Value: This refers to something being good or bad. One values friendship because it is a good. One disvalues being harmed because it is bad. It can also apply to the extrinsic/intrinsic distinction. Some things are extrinsically valuable (e.g., money, working out) while somethings are intrinsically valuable (e.g., happiness, health).

Application of Knowledge

· Identity is essential to Christian formation. Much of our contemporary world is confused about identity, but it is paramount for Christians to find their true identity in Jesus. Think about all the ways people try to find their identity and any consequences that might come of that.

· Value is found in connection with oneself and others. When you connect with yourself and others, you form a healthy relationship or attachment with yourself or others. Reflect on how forming healthy bonds and attachments is evidence that God has created us for a purpose.

Questions for Reflection

· Can psychology inform our understanding of human persons or is it antithetical to Christian theology?

· How does your understanding of human nature impact how you might treat illnesses in human beings? For example, if humans are merely machines, and do not have a soul or spirit, then how would this view treat human disease and illness?

Resources for Further Reading

· Moreland, J. P. (2007). Kingdom triangle. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

· Torchia, J. (2008). Exploring personhood: An introduction to the philosophy of human nature. Lantham, MA: Rowan and Little Field.

· Willard, D. (2002). Renovation of the heart. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.

· Johnson S. M., Burgess Moser, M., Beckes, L., Smith, A., Dalgleish, T., Halchuk, R., … Coan, J. A. (2014). Soothing the threatened brain: Leveraging contact comfort with emotionally focused therapy. PLOS ONE 9(8). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0105489

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Coe, J. (n.d.). Lecture 8: Going on with God in dark nights (part 2). Retrieved from https://www.biblicaltraining.org/library/dark-nights-ii/spiritual-formation/john-coe

Cole, S. W., Capitanio, J. P., Chun, K., Arevalo, J. M. G., Ma, J., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2015). Myeloid differentiation architecture of leukocyte transcriptome dynamics in perceived social isolation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1514249112

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Johnson, S., & Sanderfer, K. (2016). Created for connection. New York, NY: Little, Brown.

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