Humanity
In the first section of his Confessions, Augustine speaks directly to God, declaring, “You have made us for yourself, and we are restless until we find our rest in you.” Here we have a reference to both the beginning and the end of being human. The beginning is creation. The first matter in the doctrine of humanity is creation—human beings are created in the image of God. The end of being human is union and fellowship with the triune God. God made us to be his. The first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism famously puts it this way:
Q: What is the chief end of man?
A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
We were made by and for God. The doctrine of humanity both begins and ends with God.
Augustine’s statement also points to the middle of being human. It points to the conflict of being human. Friedrich Nietzsche quipped that we are “human, all too human.” He was speaking of what has euphemistically come to be called the human condition. Theologically, we refer to this as the fall. The fall has caused our restlessness, our gnawing sense that something is wrong, that we are deeply broken. The middle of being human also includes the remedy to this conflict. The remedy is redemption, found only in the God-man, Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 2:5). Paul refers to Adam as the first man, the proto-man, if you will (1 Cor. 15:45–49). Paul also refers to Christ as the last man, the eschatological man. That is to say not that Christ is chronologically the last man but that he in his human nature is, ultimately, the true human. And as the blessed promise woven throughout the pages of Scripture assures us, someday we will be fully like him in his glorified humanity (2 Cor. 3:12–19; 4:16–18; 5:17; 1 John 3:1–3).
These are the building blocks for the doctrine of humanity. In order to grasp the doctrine of humanity, we see humanity first as created in the image of God, second as fallen in Adam, third as redeemed in Christ, and fourth as destined either for eternal life in Christ or eternal death.
Created in the Image of God
In only three verses, Genesis 1:26–28, we learn that humanity is created in the image of God, created to work, created as male and female, and created to have dominion over creation. All of these define being human. Like other creatures, we are created beings. Unlike other creatures, humanity alone is created in the image of God. David reflects on this in Psalm 8. Against the backdrop of the grandeur and glory of God, as well as the vastness and even overwhelming majesty of creation (Ps. 8:1–3), God is mindful of and cares for human beings (Ps. 8:4).
We see this mindfulness of God toward humanity in that God created perfect conditions for humanity. Everything in his created world was not only good, but very good (Gen. 1:31). And as Adam and Eve cultivated the garden, they enjoyed their work and fellowship with God. They were doing what they were created to do.
Views on the image of God include the substantive view (the image has to do with who we are), the functional view (the image has to do with what we do), and the relational view (the image has to do with our capacity to relate to each other and to God). These are not necessarily mutually exclusive. We can gain insight into God’s original intent for humanity by looking at all three.
In terms of the substantive view, even though we may be creatures, there is some analogy between us and God. As God possesses intelligence and morality, so we too are intelligent and moral creatures. In terms of the functional view, the image of God refers to what we do in our vocation. Some ancient Near Eastern cultures considered the king to be “in the image of God,” meaning the king ruled in the place of the gods of that culture. The king was considered a vicegerent, one who ruled in the place of the gods. In the creation account, all of humanity is declared to be in God’s image. Consequently, we can understand the image of God to refer to human beings as vicegerents, ruling in God’s place and cultivating and exercising dominion over his creation. As Adam and Eve were called to cultivate the garden, so we are to cultivate, bring order to, and even create things of beauty in this world. The relational view of the image means we have the capacity to relate to God, again a capacity unique to human beings compared to the rest of God’s creatures. Image-bearing was the task of Adam and Eve, and they originally did what they were created to do.
Fallen in Adam
Then came the conflict. The Serpent, revealed to be Satan as the Bible unfolds, tempts Eve, Eve succumbs and tempts Adam, and Adam falls (Gen. 3:1–13). The fellowship with God is broken, and the harmony and peace Adam and Eve enjoyed with each other is fractured. As the story unfolds, things go from bad to worse. Eve turned on Adam, but Cain would next slay Abel (Gen. 4:1–16). Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it well when he said this is not a fallen world, it is a fallen-falling world.
Part of the curse entailed the new reality of death (Gen. 2:17). Humanity is spiritually dead, alienated and separated from God (Eph. 2:1; Col. 1:21). Humanity is also frail and finite. Isaac Watts poetically expressed it this way: “Time, like an ever rolling stream, bears all its sons away” (cf. Ps. 90:3–10).
The fall also means we are now bound to sin. We refer to this as total depravity. Collective humanity is fallen, and all of us—in the entirety of our beings—are fallen (Rom. 5:12–21). Human beings, however, remain in the image of God (James 3:9). This is a delicate balancing act, but a crucial one. In order to have an accurate understanding of human nature, we must see human beings as both in the image of God and fallen, both possessing dignity and also depraved.
Redeemed in Christ
Adam, however, does not have the final word. Christ ultimately defines what it means to be human. The doctrine of the incarnation declares that Christ, who is fully God, became flesh, fully human (Luke 2:11–12; Gal. 4:4–7; Col. 2:9). The author of Hebrews stresses that Christ is like us in every respect, except without sin; Christ is our High Priest, touched with our infirmities (Heb. 2:14–18; 4:14–15). It is important to remember that, while we are redeemed, we are still touched by the human condition. Paul reminds us that God manifests his power and grace in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9–10; cf. Isa. 40:27–31). Christ himself experienced all dimensions of the human condition: hardship, betrayal, limitation, frailty, suffering, and ultimately death.
From 2 Corinthians 3:12 to 5:21, Paul stresses, among other things, our identity in Christ, the God-man. Unlike Adam, who is in the image of God, Christ is the image of God (2 Cor. 4:4). In redeeming us, Christ brings us from life to death (4:11), prepares us for an eternal glory far outweighing all afflictions of this life (4:16–18), takes us from being alienated from God to being reconciled to God (5:18–19), and takes our sin and gives us his righteousness (5:21). In Christ, we go beyond Adam and Eve in their originally created state. In Christ, we go beyond Eden to the new heavens and earth, worshiping and reigning with the triune God (Rev. 22:1–5).
Eternal Life, Eternal Death
Our relationship to God defines who we are as human beings. We are all, as human beings, created in his image. Our sin separates us from a holy God. We are fallen in Adam. The God-man, Christ, came to undo the sin of Adam. He also did what Adam could not—keep the law perfectly (Rom. 5:19). Christ succeeded where Adam failed. All those who believe in Christ are no longer in Adam but in Christ, heirs of eternal life (Heb. 9:24–28). We are redeemed in Christ. Those who deny Christ remain in Adam and will die not only physically but also eternally, separated and cut off from God forever (Matt. 13:41–43).
Augustine was right. God made us for himself, and he made us ultimately to enjoy and glorify him forever.