Who am I? So, God created man in His own image. Gen 1:27.
Study of the scriptures will tell you not only who God is but who you are. The world and its philosophers are on a quest for identity. They ask the nagging question that lingers in the backs of our minds. "Who am I?" As the world searches for the answer in Darwinian theories and even in myths as outrageous as aliens playing a major role in man's formation and development, the Bible gives us the true and trustworthy answer to the question of man's identity.
God proclaimed in Genesis 1, "Let us make man in our image." We are not simply biological machines or products of alien influence, nor are we supreme beings dictating the beginning and the end of our existence; neither are we a kind of dualistic composition that much of the New Age movement claims, which says that our bodies are evil and our spirits are pure. No, we are creatures made in the image of our Creator.
Secular philosophies miss the truth about man because their understanding about God is in error. Our doctrine of God determines our doctrine of man. The Bible tells us that God is an all-powerful, omniscient, eternal being being who created the universe out of nothing. Therefore we are created, finite, and subject to His government. God is holy and righteous. He has established laws to govern His creation and has written His holy law on the tablets of our stony hearts. But mankind has rebelled, and instead of living righteous and holy lives, we live in bondage to sin. Contrary to the teaching of worldly philosophy, man is not autonomous. We function under God's rule and His direction. We are not islands unto ourselves, devising our own rules. When we deviate from God's way of doing things, we have committed treason against our Creator.
Despite the Darwinian legacy that infests our society, the bible teaches us that man is not a cosmic accident that evolved from the slime. He is a noble creature, fashioned in the image of God, but fallen because of sin. We are rational, emotional, and religious beings with a body and a soul. Because all men are created in the image of God, we are to treat one another with dignity and respect, not as simple biological curiosities that have no value, no meaning, and no ultimate purpose.
Where does man get his dignity, identity, standards, and sense of purpose in following the scenarios of man's existence:
1) evolution?
2) creation by some outside force other than God (although this might seem ridiculous, many people believe mankind descended from aliens)?
3) creation by the God of scripture?
Numbers 9-10
Mark 5:21-43
for further study:
Genesis 5:1-9 . 1 Cor 11:1-12 . James 3:1-12
R. C. Sproul
Study of the scriptures will tell you not only who God is but who you are. The world and its philosophers are on a quest for identity. They ask the nagging question that lingers in the backs of our minds. "Who am I?" As the world searches for the answer in Darwinian theories and even in myths as outrageous as aliens playing a major role in man's formation and development, the Bible gives us the true and trustworthy answer to the question of man's identity.
God proclaimed in Genesis 1, "Let us make man in our image." We are not simply biological machines or products of alien influence, nor are we supreme beings dictating the beginning and the end of our existence; neither are we a kind of dualistic composition that much of the New Age movement claims, which says that our bodies are evil and our spirits are pure. No, we are creatures made in the image of our Creator.
Secular philosophies miss the truth about man because their understanding about God is in error. Our doctrine of God determines our doctrine of man. The Bible tells us that God is an all-powerful, omniscient, eternal being being who created the universe out of nothing. Therefore we are created, finite, and subject to His government. God is holy and righteous. He has established laws to govern His creation and has written His holy law on the tablets of our stony hearts. But mankind has rebelled, and instead of living righteous and holy lives, we live in bondage to sin. Contrary to the teaching of worldly philosophy, man is not autonomous. We function under God's rule and His direction. We are not islands unto ourselves, devising our own rules. When we deviate from God's way of doing things, we have committed treason against our Creator.
Despite the Darwinian legacy that infests our society, the bible teaches us that man is not a cosmic accident that evolved from the slime. He is a noble creature, fashioned in the image of God, but fallen because of sin. We are rational, emotional, and religious beings with a body and a soul. Because all men are created in the image of God, we are to treat one another with dignity and respect, not as simple biological curiosities that have no value, no meaning, and no ultimate purpose.
Where does man get his dignity, identity, standards, and sense of purpose in following the scenarios of man's existence:
1) evolution?
2) creation by some outside force other than God (although this might seem ridiculous, many people believe mankind descended from aliens)?
3) creation by the God of scripture?
Numbers 9-10
Mark 5:21-43
for further study:
Genesis 5:1-9 . 1 Cor 11:1-12 . James 3:1-12
R. C. Sproul
