Human Nature and the Purpose of Existence
By Rod Dreher
Rawlings School of Divinity
CLED 800: Biblical & Theological Foundations of Education
Genevieve Hamer
July 3, 2022
Christianity teaches that the universe was created through love by an intelligent power,
namely the God of the Bible. Creation was purposeful, not arbitrary, and therefore the universe
is not morally neutral, but fundamentally good. In this purposeful creation, everything and
everyone is intrinsically valuable. God's design or purpose for creation reflects God's intention
that all creatures enjoy perfect love and justice. God works in human history to fulfill that
purpose. God created human beings in the divine image, enabling humans to have some
understanding of God and of God's vast and complex design. The purpose of life is to love and
serve God in order to help bring about God's glorious plan for creation.
Reason is a unique gift bestowed by God on humans and enables them to reflect on their
own nature and conscience, and from that derive knowledge of God's will for creation. But a
complete understanding is beyond human reach. To fulfill the goal of wholeness in an existence
perfected by both justice and love, something more is needed. Humans are not expected to
accomplish the divine plan alone. The fulfillment of God's purpose depends on God's grace. For
Christians, grace is God's freely-given favor and love.
Reason is a good gift, sometimes misused for selfish, willful, or prideful purposes. The
substitution of selfish ambition for God's will is a condition that Christians call sin, meaning
separation or alienation from God.
The Christian concept of sin originates in the story of Adam and Eve found in chapters 2-3
of the Book of Genesis, a story that has central importance for Christians. The story relates the
creation by God of the first humans, a man and woman. God placed them in a beautiful garden
called Eden, which provided for all their physical needs, as well as companionship with each
other and fellowship with God. For these first humans, God had but one rule. In the garden
stood "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," whose fruit Adam and Eve should not eat.
When Adam and Eve later broke the rule and ate the fruit, God banished them from the
garden, condemning them and their descendants to a life of hard work, pain, disease, and
eventual death, and submitting the earth itself to "bondage." Christians call this humanity's
"fall" from innocence.
Some Christians believe that these events actually took place, while others understand this
story to be symbolic of the human condition. But all Christians tend to view the story as
essentially meaningful for all of humanity–that God is in a personal relationship with humans
who must decide how to respond to God. They can obey God's will, working together with God
to take care of each other and creation, or they can follow their own desires, rebelling against
God's will and design.
The story illustrates the Christian belief in the inevitability and universality of sin.
Throughout their lives, people will pursue their personal interests instead of seeking to serve
God and follow God's will. Some believe in the doctrine of original sin, following Augustine,
Bishop of Hippo in North Africa, who theorized that the rebellion of the first human parents is
physically passed on to all human beings from one generation to the next. Others believe that
sin originates with Satan, who first tempted Eve and now preys on humankind, seeking souls to
devour. Many contemporary Christians seek ways of understanding sin separately from the
story of Adam and Eve, believing that we must take responsibility for our tendency to sin and
the harm it does to our loving fellowship with both God and each other.
Christianity teaches that everyone is equally prone to sin and so it focuses not only on
human behavior, but also on human nature. In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote that "there
is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:22-23). Even
though there can be a considerable scale of wrongdoing in sinful human activity, a person's sin
does not make him or her less valued by God; everyone is equally a candidate for redemption.
