Daniel Shin
THEO 202-B08 LUO
10/19/17
Biblical Worldview Paper
There many theories and views on the creation of humanity, from the creation of man
from God to the creation of the world and humans with a big bang. There are two specific
alternative theories on humanity that I like to talk about which are that we are viewed as animals
or as robots. In Introducing Christian Doctrine by Millard J. Erickson, he talks about how
humans perform and respond like robots. He says that for humans, “we perform everyday tasks
for ourselves and for our bosses if we are employed to have the same strengths and energy to
perform better than the average human.” (Erickson, 178) However, the drawback is that for us
acting like robots, we tend to act and do things with accurate precision and try to ignore time for
being sick when this just loses our appeal as human beings. When we as people tend to forget
that the person or “robots” we see every day are people and, yet we treat them as if they are
machines. Erickson talks about how, “we want to keep them healthy not for interest but for
working efficiently”. (178) Erickson also says, “that people tend to treat others as if they are only
of value if they are useful”, (178) which is the total opposite of how we should view each other
as creations of the Lord. Another view that we have for humanity is that people are classified as
members of the animal kingdom. Erickson explains that humans can think and behavior like
those of animals with positive reinforcement which demeans our view as beautiful creations of
the Lord with free will and spirit and given this view that we are the same as animals that God
made.
The Bible states that we are created in God’s image and that He made both male and
female to inhabit the Earth and multiply to spread His word to others. This is considered the
biblical view on humanity for many reasons. One reason is that we sometimes mix the notion
that we are created with the only purpose for being sentient, and having moral values which is
not the case. Each person is born with a different mind and have gifts that define them and us
these gifts to glorify the Lord. This is another drawback that we Christians tend to forget which
is that we all have our own vocation or calling that reminds us that we are truly made from God.
Another reason that helps us understand the biblical view on humanity and how God created us
is with the six biblical truths: “we are created in the image of God, we are created beings, we are
created for community, we are created to work, we are created as male and female, and lastly we
are not today as we were created, we are fallen.” Most people still tend to ask the question what
1
our purpose is and why we are so important to God’s eyes; in reality it is easy to define if you
look back in the book of Genesis with two verses, Genesis 1:26-27. It states, “Then God said,
“Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea
and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that
move along the ground.” So, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he
created them; male and female he created them. (1 Genesis 26:27) The verses sum up the truth
that God made us with a purpose and that we were made specifically from His image and that He
loves us all.
1 Piper, J. (2008, June 10). Quest for Joy: Six Biblical Truths. Retrieved October 20, 2017
The two theories of humanity and the biblical view of humanity have similarities and
differences. For their similarities, the two theories of humanity have their view that with
humanity, we tend to forget who we are and act as other creations that God has made while the
biblical view on humanity explains what and who we are to Him. However, the differences
between the two views and theories of humanity is that we view our earthly perspective on
humanity and that we tend to act as robots or animals, creations of the Lord that do not have a
spirit or a will to love their creator in any way. More so, with the biblical view on humanity, we
are reminded by the amazing act that God has performed in Genesis that we are not just a
creation from Him, but we are his only creation that have an individual spirit, a will to think for
ourselves, and have our gifts that define us and to use for your will. The biblical view on
humanity is very powerful in the sense that we have a purpose and we are not alone to face these
obstacles that Satan puts in our way.
References:
Piper, J. (2008, June 10). Quest for Joy: Six Biblical Truths. Retrieved October 20, 2017,
from http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/quest-for-joy-six-biblical-truths-
11577159.html
“BibleGateway.” , Genesis 1:26-27 - - Bible Gateway www.biblegateway.com/passage/?
search=Genesis%2B1%3A26-27.
Erickson, Millard J., and L. Arnold Hustad. Introducing Christian doctrine. Baker Academic,
2015.
