Questions About Humanity By cover art

Questions About Humanity

By: Keith Muoki
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  • Summary

  • The term man in the Bible sometimes refers to one male human, but more commonly means “human beings,” both male and female. Mankind, humankind, and humanity are collective designations for all humans—creatures who are made in God’s image, a characteristic that distinguishes men and women from the animals and from the Creator God Himself. Genesis 1—2 describes the formation of the world, including the creation of humanity: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:26–27, ESV). Here the ESV makes it clear that the term translated “man” speaks of “human begins,” both male and female created beings. Other Bible translations use mankind (NIV) and human beings (NLT) in place of man. Mankind did not evolve from other lower forms of life but was created directly by God and in the image of God (Genesis 1:26–31; James 3:9). The Creator made human beings to be His representatives on the earth, and He gave them dominion over creation: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas” (Psalm 8:3–8). The truth that mankind is created in the image of God forms the basis for the sanctity of human life: “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind” (Genesis 9:6). Being made in His image expresses God’s ownership or possession of mankind, like a stamp or imprint (Mark 12:13–17). And since God created men and women in His own image, both sexes share equal standing before God. Likewise, because all humanity is made in God’s image, all human beings are equal before God, regardless of race, ethnicity, and social or economic standing (Proverbs 22:2; Matthew 20:25–28; Galatians 3:28). Perhaps only in the context of every nation, tribe, and people group, including men and women in cooperation, can we lay hold of the truest likeness of the image of God. God created man, that is mankind, with a body and a soul. The body is the material, whereas the soul is immaterial and endures beyond physical death (Genesis 2:7; 2 Corinthians 5:1–8). After the fall of man, humanity continued as body and soul and retained God’s image, but his whole nature and being were deeply impacted by sin (Genesis 4; 6:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Ephesians 4:17–19). Humans became darkened in mind (Ephesians 4:17–19), dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1), and subject to physical death and eternal judgment (Romans 5:12–21; 8:10; 14:12; Hebrews 9:27). God, in His love, grace, and mercy, did not abandon humanity to death and destruction but provided the way of redemption and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:4–8, ESV). Humans were made to worship God and enjoy His presence for all eternity (Isaiah 43:7; Revelation 4:11). But it’s only through Jesus...
    Copyright Keith Muoki
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Episodes
  • What is the human consciousness?

    What is the human consciousness?
    Aug 15 2021
    To be “conscious” is to be “aware.” The general term for a person’s thoughts, emotions, sensations, and general awareness is human consciousness. Scripture does not explicitly define what human consciousness is, though the Bible provides perspectives on it. A biblical view of human consciousness might be summarized as “the soul’s awareness of itself and its surroundings.” However, defining human consciousness is notoriously difficult. Exploring consciousness means probing the deepest questions about what it means to be human. Such discussion typically involves a long list of mysteries and dilemmas. Some concepts are unresolved; others present competing or apparently contradictory truths. The Bible gives us practical ways to understand some such issues. On other details Scripture is silent, and we’re left to untangle questions on our own. Biblical terms related to this subject should be carefully understood, especially according to their immediate context. Ancient terminology did not distinguish between the “mind” and the “heart” to the same extent seen in modern languages. That’s not to say emotions and intellect were never distinguished. Rather, it means words translated as “heart” in Scripture are not necessarily references to “pure feeling.” In some cases, what the Bible refers to as “the heart,” a modern writer might well label as “the mind.” Where it touches on human consciousness, Scripture describes it as follows: • Human consciousness is part of being made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:14). Human beings are composed of distinct-yet-unified members, such as the body, soul, and spirit. There is an intimate and unavoidable connection between those members, yet they are not identical. This is similar to the relationship among the members of the Trinity, and it contrasts both with entirely physical animals and entirely spiritual angels. Another aspect of this “image-bearing” is that man is capable of self-awareness and objective thinking. • Human consciousness is influenced—not initiated—by the body (Romans 7:23; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 6:12). Physical factors influence awareness and thinking. However, the consciousness is not the same thing as the material body. Nor is it an uncontrolled, mindless effect of material processes. Myriad questions about this relationship are often referred to as “the mind-body problem.” • Human consciousness is distinct from the “self” (Colossians 3:2; 1 Peter 1:13; Romans 12:2). Our conscious thoughts are something “other” than our own selves; we are aware of this distinction. Human beings can deliberately influence their own thoughts and perspectives. We retain some level of control over such things, or, at least, we can deliberate seek to change them. • Human consciousness is perceived only by the individual and God (1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Corinthians 2:11; John 7:24). An enormous barrier to scientific study of consciousness is that it cannot be directly measured or observed. It can only be subjectively reported by the consciousness itself. Likewise, no human being can ever know with absolute certainty what another person is feeling or thinking. This is a fundamental reason to be cautious when attempting to judge others (Romans 14:4; John 7:24). • Human consciousness is not the same as the “conscience” (1 Timothy 4:2; 1 Samuel 25:31). The conscience is one narrow part of consciousness. The conscience is a God-given emotional reaction to conflict between our values and our thoughts and actions. • Human consciousness is an integrated part of the whole (Matthew 22:37; Hebrews 4:12; Psalm 103:1). While Scripture implicitly distinguishes between mind, body, soul, spirit, intellect, heart, and so forth, all these are meant to be entirely focused on the will of God. So far as our daily lives are concerned, fine-tuned distinctions between these are irrelevant. All that we are, and that which we can control, should be submitted to God to the best of our ability. The...
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    13 mins
  • Why do babies die?

    Why do babies die?
    Jul 14 2021
    Experiencing the death of a child is one of life’s deepest griefs. There are many ways to lose a child, such as custody battles, waywardness, or miscarriage, but the death of an infant provokes a special kind of sorrow over a life that was never lived. Only parents who have gone through such a loss understand its devastating impact. However, grandparents, siblings, and friends wrestle with grief of their own. Arising from the grief comes the question Why? Coupled with that question is often an underlying anger at God for allowing the child to die. For those struggling to accept a baby’s death, please see our article “How Should Parents Handle the Death of a Child?” Often, the first reaction to unspeakable loss is to ask “why.” However, when we ask “why” in situations that are outside our control, that is often not what we mean. What we truly want to know is whether God is still in control of a universe that would inflict such suffering. Is He punishing us? Is He angry with us? Did we do something worthy of such sorrow? Beneath all the questions, we want to know if this child’s death serves any good purpose. When a baby dies, we see only wasted potential. We imagine birthday parties we’ll never have, graduations we’ll never see, and baby kisses we’ll never feel. The loss seems pointless, and the perception of meaningless suffering can fuel anger, depression, confusion, denial, and other negative reactions. But, when the first waves of grief pass, we may be ready to ask the real question: God, does the death of this child and the accompanying pain serve any good purpose? Psalm 131 is a go-to passage when life slams us with events too heavy to bear, such as a miscarriage or the death of a baby: “My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore. Theologically, we can say that the reason anyone dies—babies included—is that we live in a fallen, broken world that bears the effects of sin: “Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned” (Romans 5:12, NLT). The death of a baby doesn’t sit well with us, and it shouldn’t—it’s not how God originally planned life to be. Birth defects, chromosomal abnormalities, and deformities—all factors in miscarriage and infant death—are results of death’s reign over human life. At times, God may take an infant whose earthly life would be filled with agony. As painful as it is, sometimes the death of a baby is mercy. We can know that, however long the child’s life, he or she fulfilled God’s purpose on earth, so God saw fit to take the child home. We can make general statements about sin and death and deformity, but we can’t ultimately know why babies die because we are not God. We don’t have the ability to see into the past and future as God can. We don’t know the purpose behind many things God does or allows, but we find comfort in running to Him like a little child and resting in His superior wisdom. He tells us that His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:9). And we are glad about that. His insight is not limited by our finite minds. His experience is not confined to a mere 60—70 years on one planet. He is the One who created the planet and the humans who inhabit it, and He knows far more than we do about how life works (Revelation 1:8). He is not indifferent to our sorrows, but He sees the rest of the story. God is a Father, and He invites us to understand Him as we understand a parent-child relationship. A good parent sometimes allows a child to experience painful events for the long-term good of that child. Likewise, God allows painful events in our lives for the long-term good. A child may grieve over moving to a new city, the death of a pet, or rejection by classmates....
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    14 mins
  • Are we all related?

    Are we all related?
    Jul 14 2021
    Black hair, brown hair, no hair. Black skin, red skin, tan skin. Human beings come in an inexhaustible variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and personalities. But we are all part of a single race, the human race. Genesis 1 and 2 describe in detail how human beings came into existence. In the beginning, there was one man and one woman. God did not create any more humans in the way He had created them, and He gave them the command to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28). All other humans came from those first parents, so in that sense, we are all related to each other. Even many evolutionary theories concede that human beings originated from a single set of parents Dorit, R. L., Akashi, H., and Gilbert, W., 1995. “Absence of polymorphism at the ZFY locus on the human Y chromosome.” Science 268:1183—1185). The theories greatly differ in their ideas of where those parents came from and what their nature was, but it is undeniable that all human being are genetically related (see Highfield, Roger, “DNA survey finds all humans are 99.9pc the same,” The Telegraph online, 20 Dec 2002, accessed 5/29/20). The Bible says that those parents were birthed in the heart of a loving and powerful God (Genesis 1:26). They were designed by Him for fellowship and love, and they were set as gardeners in His perfect world (Genesis 2:15, 19). Before the fall, they would have been genetically perfect. Adam lived for nearly a thousand years (Genesis 5:5), and we can assume Eve lived a similarly long time. Theoretically, the two could have had several hundred children, since their bodies did not age at the rate humans now age. Those children grew up and married each other, exponentially multiplying the human race within the first several hundred years of human existence. After several generations, human beings became so wicked that God sent a flood to wipe out every living thing on the earth—except one man and his family (Genesis 6:5–7). Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives were alone saved through the flood, along with enough animals to replenish the earth (Genesis 7:1–4). So not only are we all related to our first parents, Adam and Eve, but we are also all related to Noah and his wife. God started over with one family and told them to “be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1). As time went on, each of Noah’s sons had more sons, and their descendants eventually became various nations (Genesis 10). The dispersion of humanity after the Tower of Babel gave rise to the various language groups we see today, and it’s possible that it also contributed to the formation of the various “races.” Regardless of the ethnic and racial differences we observe today, all human beings are genetically related through Adam and Eve. The fact that we are all related through Adam is spiritually significant. According to the Bible, we are all born with Adam’s sinful nature: we have a predisposition to choose our own paths and be our own gods (Romans 7:14–25). Children do not have to be taught how to sin. It comes naturally because they inherited the same sinful nature that their parents and grandparents inherited. Romans 5:12 says that “sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.” If Adam were not the father of all humankind, we could not have all inherited his nature. But because we’re all Adam’s children, we are all sinners like he was. “Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners” (Romans 5:19, NLT). Adam passed on to us the judgment his sin earned (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Understanding that every one of us is born equally undeserving of God’s mercy keeps us from passing judgment on others (Romans 2:1). And understanding that every person is also a unique individual created in the image of God helps us treat all people with respect (Genesis 1:27). C. S. Lewis explained it this way: “There are no ordinary people. You...
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    14 mins
Ministry & Evangelism Spirituality
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