Anthropology is the study of man. In a mainstream academic study, this is studying of mankind and his history. But in theology, it goes much deeper. The doctrines of anthropology begin in Genesis when God makes man in His image. We are meant to be a physical reflection, a picture, an image of what God is like and how He operates. However, when Adam sinned against God, that image was marred by the corruption that sin does to anything it touches. Man is well aware that he does not function as he ought, and that this world is not functioning as it ought. That is why he is always trying to fix things and do things better. There is always a seeking of something higher and better, like something was lost that is not there – a utopia that is known but cannot be grasped. Anthropology is the Biblical study of who man is and why he is here.
One of the huge debate points about origins is on the nature of man. This is why origins cannot be a scientific study because science cannot define man. That is a worldview issue that far supersedes science. It answers one of the most fundamental questions of all time: Who am I?
What is man? Is man a special creation that bears the image of God, the only physical moral agent in existence, and the subject the epic story that is history which we are playing a role in? Or is man the descendant of an ape-like creature, a mere product of evolutionary mutations? There really aren’t any other options. Several of the old earth models say that God selected “Adam and Eve” out of a population of animal-like “homo sapiens” and breathed in them the “breath of life” and became “homo sapiens divinus.” But this is the same as the pure evolutionary story just with God decorated over it cosmetically.
Note that no scientific study will ever or can ever answer this question of man’s identity. Any scientific study that could be done will already have the answer decided before it starts. If the scientist believes in a special creation, he will not seek a connection between apes and humans other than the common designs of the Creator. But if the scientist is an evolutionist, he’ll already presume that apes and humans had a common ancestor, look for connections, and make them even if they’re not there. Darwin didn’t come up with universal common ancestry. He was already well versed in the “Great Chain of Being” which is the “tree of life” that had been taught by the pagan cultures for centuries. He just gave it scientific jargon.
This is not small debate point. So much rides on man’s identity and position and yet because the church has been so focused on just the cross that they have lost the battle over truth and the authority of Scripture. (Note that Paul made the cross his central point, not his only point, and every point pointed to and revealed the cross.) So many who have compromised on Genesis will say, “It doesn’t matter about Genesis, just worry about Jesus.” But if we have a wrong view of man in regard to Genesis, then we’ll have a wrong or at least an inconsistent view of what Jesus was able to do on that cross.
This ties into the study of Christology. Jesus came and lived on this earth as a man, not as a highly evolved animal. Only man is redeemable. The angels who sinned against God were never given a chance for redemption, only man was. And man’s origin says a lot about that. The Evolutionist may be able to make their arguments for how man and apes split genetically, but they never could explain the non-material distinctions such as language and morality. Apes have no moral code or standard. They grunt but do not have a language like we do. But if we had a common ancestor with apes, then how is man responsible for sin? The doctrines of sin also play a role here, and I’ll emphasize that more as this series progresses.
While God has used animals for His work, it is man that is the center of all attention. Man’s life is extremely brief and yet extremely valuable. We come and go like the wind, a vapor, a blade of grass, and yet the same God who keeps watch over the sparrows treats us far more valuable than any other part of His creation. The psalmist was right to ask, “Who is man that You would consider him?” This is the wisdom of God. We are the epitome of God’s creation, but we aren’t the biggest, fastest, or strongest creatures. If animal kind were to truly turn on us, they’d crush us rather quickly. Many sci-fi movies and books contemplate that scenario. Yet God gave man dominion over the animals, and after the Flood, He gave animals fear of man. Why? Because now animals would be available for food. Prior to the flood, the animals would never be skittish of men. This is all related.
The secular community knows that man has dominion over the creation. But unlike the Christian, they believe man has “evolved” into the “God-position.” While we are the epitome, the crown of God’s creation, sinful man has taken that notion and make himself like God, just as the serpent suggested we do. But man also sinned and brought all the corruption to the world that is here today. Sinful man acknowledges this in his corrupt way. Just watch your standard sci-fi disaster movie. Man is the problem, and man is the solution. Yet the Bible teaches us that man is the problem and Jesus Christ is the solution. Man is so hopelessly lost in his sin that he needs a savior.
I hope you get a picture of how critical this issue is. If we are to understand man correctly, we have to understand how God defines man, not how man defines himself. Man may be made in the image of God originally, but sin has greatly marred that image, and Satan is doing whatever he can to disfigure and make a mockery of that image. Please hear this: all this transgender and gender fluidity ideology is a satanic attack on the identify of man. The sexual identity issues are all attempts, and good ones now, to destroy how God has defined man and the relationships man is supposed to have with each other and with the rest of creation. Why has the world been so successful in attacking in this area? Because the church quit fighting over origins and let the world take over that battlefield. Yet all the identity battles we fight today – the marriage issues, the family structure issues, all of it – can be answered by having a right view of origins and how God defines man.
Next week, I’ll address hamartiology, the doctrine of sin.
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