“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.” – Genesis 1:27
Origin matters. Design matters. Purpose matters. “Time plus matter plus chance,” this is the atheists’ and evolutionists’ view point on the origin of mankind. The answer to the question “Who is man?” has huge ramifications to the further questions of meaning, significance, value, hope, and ethics. To say that man just evolved out of cosmic soup or is the result of random particles colliding together is to say man is meaningless. Rocks, water, and oil have then as much meaning as man does. In fact the argument could be made that oil, for example, is much more meaningful than man because oil has a purpose (many purposes, actually) that gives it some meaning, namely that we use a refined version of it to fuel our cars. But this rushes too far ahead because if life is meaningless then getting anywhere would also be meaningless. It would not matter if we arrived or not. If we are here purely by random chance then we have no meaning, no purpose to life. More than that, if we are here completely by accident, then what we do (or don’t do) should also have no meaning. The problem is no one can live without meaning for very long before despair sets in. Not to have meaning is to despair of life itself. To have no consequences to our actions, that is to believe what we do does not have meaning, ethically allows us to do anything with no need to concern ourselves with right or wrong behaviors. If life has no meaning then our actions do not add to or subtract from this meaning and there are no rules to govern behavior between people. It is merely survival of the fittest or the quickest or the most devious. If there are no rules then murder is okay, rape is okay, stealing is okay, lying is okay. More than that, these things are not just okay but to be considered normal. You can see this quickly breaks down into an unlivable scenario.
Does mankind have any value? Are we significant? If mankind is here as the result of “time plus matter plus chance,” then there is no reason to believe they are significant or have any more value than anything else that is here as the result of “time plus matter plus chance” like, for example, a rock or water or plant or insect. If this is true, then we should be as concerned about the mosquito we kill as the person who is murdered. To go a step further, we should really be concerned about destroying the state of anything because all things are here by the same chance as we are. So we could not build a fire for the wood is as important as we are. We could not eat because what we eat is as important as we are. We could not breathe for in doing so we are changing the nature of oxygen into carbon dioxide and that is as important as we are. Again this turns into an unlivable situation.
Finally, what about hope? What gives us hope if we are meaningless, insignificant, have no intrinsic value, and no sense of right or wrong? I can find none. The logical conclusion is we have no hope, nothing to live for and should expect despair to be imminent. Does this line up with reality? Do people really live this way?
If on the other hand, we were created by God in his image as the Bible tells us in Genesis 1:27, then our lives do have meaning and purpose. God has blown into mankind His breath of life. We are to rule over the earth and subdue it (Gen 1:28). God has elevated us above the rest of things we find in the world by breathing His life into us. He does not do this with the plants or animals, but He makes a point of doing it with the crown of His creation – mankind. He has given us meaning and a purpose. The Westminster Catechism proclaims the “chief end of mankind is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever”.1 The Bible bears this out (Ps 86; Isa 60:21; Rom 11:36; 1 Cor 6:20, 31; Rev 4:11; Ps 16:5-11; Ps 144:15; Isa 12:2; Luke 2:10; Phil 4:4; Rev 21:3-4)2 So we do have a meaning and a purpose. We are made in His image and this makes life sacred. We carry with us His image in us all the time. Then why is it we see so much evil in the world. Christianity actually offers us the cause of, and answer to, this question.3
The fall of man through sin corrupted his nature (Rom 5:12; Gen 6:5).4 However man can be redeemed by being born-again of the Spirit of God (John 3:3, 5-6, 14-18; 6:28-29). So now mankind, once redeemed has these two natures at war within himself (Rom 12:1-2; 7:21-25, 8:3-13; Eph 4:6-8, 22-24; Col 2:6-17, 3:1-2, 5, 8-10, 12-16; 2 Cor 3:18, 10:4-5; 1 Cor 2:16). And we must by the Spirit put to death the misdeeds of the flesh (Rom 8:12-13). God’s character and His purpose for mankind give us a basis for meaning, for significance, and for ethics. He designed us, so we can look to Him for what our proper function is and how we should live. God places high value on human life. He sent His Son to die to redeem mankind. This was the most precious thing, the most costly thing, He could offer as a sacrifice for our sin. Here is the only one with the ability and right to judge us for our sin laying down His life to restore us to Himself. Oh what a great love is this! “What shall we say then in response to this? If God is for us who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also along with him, graciously give us all things?” – Romans 8:31-32.
So God has given us meaning, significance, value and a basis for ethics. Lastly He gives us hope. His hope is one we can trust for beyond the grave. “All major religions believe in an afterlife of one sort or another, but none except Christianity has provided the historical substantiation of it. The Christian faith, although it is a whole system, can be completely decimated in principle if one can fully establish that Jesus did not rise from the dead.”5 Because Jesus rose from the dead, we have hope He can raise us from the dead. “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.’” – John 11:25.
Because He rose again, we know that death is conquered. We have the proof that the sacrifice for our sin is accepted. And we have the promise of eternal life (Rom 6:8-9; 1 Cor 15:3-4). Because He rose again, we know faith (belief in) the resurrection is a condition of salvation (Rom 10:9-10). Because He rose again, the Sinner’s justification is confirmed by the resurrection (Rom 4:25). Because He rose again, we are dead to sin (we have died to the law through Christ) and are alive in the Spirit and our sinful passions produced fruit for death. Because He rose again, He sent the Holy Spirit to renew us and produces fruit of Spirit (love) (Rom 7:4-6). Because He rose again the Spirit makes our bodies alive—gives us the power to put to death the activities of the body (Rom 8:9-14). Because He rose again, we can put to death the sinful nature and live by the Spiritual Nature. The sinful nature being crucified with Him, we know it is rendered powerless and we are freed from slavery to the sinful nature (Rom 6:3-11).
Who is man? He is sinful without Christ. He is capable of wicked things. Yet He knows intrinsically there is right and wrong, good and evil. He is of great value and has significance. He is redeemed in Christ and through Him is highly valued. He is hopeful in Christ.
Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for creating us in Your Image! You have given us great treasure in fashioning us after Your likeness! We thank You for redeeming us with Your death on the cross! We thank you for rising again from the dead! We have proof incontrovertible of Your power and mastery over all things! We thank you for giving us meaning, value and hope! To You be all the glory! Solo Deo Gloria! Amen!
Footnotes
1 "Westminster Shorter Catechism." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 28 Sep 2009, 07:43 UTC. 16 Oct 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Westminster_Shorter_Catechism&oldid=316641347>.
2 “Westminster Shorter Catechism with proof texts.” CRTA Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics. 14 October 2009 <http://www.reformed.org/documents/WSC_fn.html#fn2>.
3 Zacharias, Ravi. Can Man Live Without God (Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 1994), 49.
4 Tackett, Dell. The Truth Project (Colorado Springs, CO: Focus on the Family) Lesson 3: Anthropology: Who is man?, 1 DVD.
5 Zacharias. 113.
References
All Scriptures not specified are quoted from the NIV. New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003.
