Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Preface:
(1) We all stand before God: in awe of him and in wonder of his creation: we are all learners
together. I am here to learn from you as much as, hopefully, you from me.
(2) Not solely cognitive information transfer: I hope you discover more about God and Christ and,
if you are a believer, to move forward in your faith.
(3) Discussion sought: Not all lecture and note taking thus these set of notes.
(4) Not presume to have answers to all your questions, but I will aim to give biblical parameters. In
the Bible, God does not answer every question only the big ones we really need answered.
Important questions. And a sad comment on life as a student! For the next few weeks, we shall take
the opportunity to discuss questions like these and to think alongside this young student, John
Bylston, about the meaning of education and, more deeply, about life. Questions like: Who am I?
What is life all about? What do you want in life?
I.
I.A.
Introduction
A.1.
Materialistic world-life view
Man as essentially a very advanced form of animal or a very complex machine. Both views, man as
advanced animal or complex machine, deny immortality, and instead: what you have here on earth is
all you get, nothing more exists.
o Examples include: scientific reductionism (man is only a mere bag of chemicals) and
economic reductionism (Marxism: man is unit of production or the inverse, Capitalism: man
is unit of consumption).
o Tends to predominate in modern culture.
A.2.
Idealistic/ Platonic world-life view
Dualism exists between bad/imperfect material world of shadows and appearances, and
good/perfect real spiritual world of ideas, forms, the divine, a kind of Gnostic dualism.
o This view not as predominate in post-modern culture.
o More prevalent in the church, ironically.
John Bylston, age 22, philosophy major Westmont College, Ca, a Christian liberal arts school, quoted in Washington
Times series on USA Christian Higher Education.
1993 and 2012 John F. Brouwer
A.2.
Money, power and position: Corner office & Dream existence
First example: top floor corner office, floor-to-ceiling windows = Power
Second example: helicopter, trophy wife, pool, mansion house = Dream existence and big Forints
Discussion Q: What messages do these pictures communicate?
Do they treat interior or exterior traits?
II.B. Government
The previous 40-45 years of Communism taught two-to-three generations of Hungarians a certain
view of humanity:
1. The individual is nothing. Individuals have little or no inherent worth or value.
2. The state is everything. Only the state or larger body politic has inherent worth and
importance.
Discussion Q: How do you see the legacy of Communism in Hungary? What is the legacy for you?
III.A. Students:
III.B. Teachers and ministers:
III.C. Parents: form and nurture your children.
III.D. Workers: how you view yourself and colleagues, suppliers and customers.
Ultimately: Being human is core of Christian life.
Discussion Qs:
- What other messages or beliefs have you seen or heard?
A.1.
Structure: Who am I?
Humans have structural capacities or abilities, abilities which characterize and differentiate what
kind of creature we are.
1.a.
Creative capacity
We create for our own end and purpose; God creates out of nothing, for others.
Volitional capacity
**To what extent do our parents rules cause us to do the exact opposite?
Important to teach ourselves, fellow students, our children, business associates, church members, to
be conscious of the decisions being made. Make intentional decisions. Not float.
Discussion Q: Are you meant to be like a tree branch in a river, just floating along? Or, can you
make intentional choices in life? Do you make choices?
What kinds of decisions do you make? How do you decide?
1993 and 2012 John F. Brouwer
Rational capacity
God is rational, thinking being; man is in Gods image/likeness, thus man is rational, thinking being.
Capacities work together, in unison. For example: Be creative, as you consciously make rational
decisions.
Question: What did God say about creation after he created?
1.d.
Moral capacity
A conscience by which we can determine right from wrong, good from evil
Simply because we have the ability to determine right from wrong, does not mean that we use it!
In fact, we often act and do not think about the moral rightness or wrongness of our action(s).
Discussion Q: in the Post-Modern world, what is the chief virtue?
Gods moral nature demonstrated by tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Gen. 2:9, 17.
God has a capacity to decide (volitional capacity) on moral rightness or wrongness;
Thus man has the capacity to decide (volitional capacity) on moral rightness or wrongness.
1.e.
Emotional capacity
Spiritual capacity
Relational capacity
A.2.
Knowledge (image)
Question: Can you guess what word might appear in Col. 3.10?
Read Col. 3.9-10: is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator...
Knowledge = Yada` (Hebrew: )(.
Knowledge, as Paul would have perceived the word, is essentially a relational term:
Look at Gen. 4.1 and see what we learn about the word: knowledge.
o Gen. 4.1: Adam yada` (knew) Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain.
1993 and 2012 John F. Brouwer
2.b.
Eph. 4.22-24: put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Interesting: like God. What does this imply?
Returns us to Gen. 1.26: man made in Gods image and likeness!
The new nature for believers is a return to the original image and likeness of God at creation.
Christian character is the restored image of God.
Righteousness
Again, essentially a relational term:
What is righteousness?
o Righteousness is the state of being rightly related first to God; and then, by being rightly
related to God, to self. A persons conscience is clear; guilt from sin is removed; and they
have peace. Then, being rightly related to others and to creation. Righteousness is not just
something (a glob) which is stuck into believers, making them righteous; but also a
way of living life.
o Legal rightness (forensic, per Martin Luther) before God is certainly the major part of this,
but not the only thing.
Righteousness is a sign of Christian maturity.
See Heb. 5.14ff., the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from
evil.
Note combined use of moral capacity and rational capacity (moral reasoning).
Practice and effort required.
Christian maturity is not what the church often portrays it to be:
Not preaching & teaching. Not evangelism. Not speaking in tongues, prophetic words.
Christian maturity is the ability to distinguish good from evil.
Requires practice and experience, not natural:
For example, airplane executive who made $12,000,000 mistake.
Q: what would you boss do if you made a 2,400,000,000 Ft mistake?
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The verb ginsk (to know) carries the sense of knowledge gained through personal, first-hand experience, to
experientially know. Ginosko contrasted with oida.
1993 and 2012 John F. Brouwer
Holiness
Literally, being cut apart from the ordinary or profane, implies connection with and service for God.
Holiness = kadosh (Hebrew).
The supreme characteristic of God: Is. 6.3: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God
Discussion Questions: English superlative formed how? Answer: add -___ to adjective.
How is Hungarian superlative formed? Answer: add ____- as prefix and -__ as suffix.
How does Hebrew rhetoric form superlative? Answer: _________ _______ _______ = superlative
Therefore the characteristic Christians should develop:
1 Pet. 1.16: Be holy because I am holy
- Assumes that .
A.3.
Ultimate Aim: Love
Followers of Christ called to love God supremely and to love neighbor as self
The Greatest Commandment
And one of the scribesasked him, Which commandment is the most important of
all? Jesus answered, The most important is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is
one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your
neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. Mk. 12.28-314
Raises the questions: What is love?
Love devalued by overuse: have you ever said or heard someone say
I love your new purse your new Facebook page/picture ...your dog.
Or, I love to swim in the Balaton to dance go clubbing fill in the blank.
When we love everything, we love nothing
Love has no meaning; it loses value
Discussion Q: What do you love?
(Also: What is love, really? Is there source for love?)
The Greatest Commandment is repeated in Mt. 22: 35-39 and Lk. 10: 25-28
Larry Crabb, School of Spiritual Direction. Essential nature is the inclination or movement that flows out of ones
being. The philosophical/theological term for essential or dispositional nature is ontology.
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Christian character is consequently to Love like the Trinity in all relationships of life.
IV.B. Fall: Corrupted and Distorted Image
Discussion Q: How did the fall affect humans?
See Gen. 2.25; 3.8-10
B.1.
Image and likeness remain after the fall
o Image, Gen. 9.5-6: God institutes the death penalty for murder because of the value God
places on the image of God.
o Likeness, James 3.9: A persons salvation is questioned for cursing men made in the likeness
of Godwhether the person being cursed is a believer or not!
B.2.
Structure/capacities remain but distorted and mis-directed
o Consequences: twisting, distorting and corrupting of true humanity
Love becomes lust
Dominion becomes destruction
Work becomes wealth accumulation.
o Capacities/abilities remain: creativity, will, rationality, emotions, relational.
B.3.
Functions and ultimate aims essentially lost
o Function lost: consequently no purpose because not function correctly as originally intended
For knowledge, righteousness and holiness
Ultimately to love God and to love neighbor.
o Now functions in wrong way: directed to self or sarx (in Greek).
o No longer God and others centered.
B.4.
Fallen humans: a strong commitment to well being of self at any expense to others. (sarx)
Self/ sarx: exact and complete antithesis, inversion of love.
For discussion: Have you experienced either love or sarx, or both? How so?
Which might you prefer? And why?
C.1.
Justification: Regeneration/Born Again
o Means: double accounting transfer of 2 Cor. 5.217
o God restores and renews image and likeness but not completely. Perfection awaits heaven
o Function again as true humans:
- for knowledge, righteousness, holiness
- love God supremely and love neighbor as self
o Followers of Christ again mirror Gods glory. 2 Cor. 3.18
Car: tires inflated, petrol cleaned of most of the sugar, but not all; much dirt removed from oil; some
water added to radiator.
Justification is a completed, one time act by God, not ongoing.
C.2.
Sanctification: Growth in holiness/godliness
o Joint: Believers have a part and God has a part
- Phil 2.12-13: 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as
in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good
pleasure.
o Progressive and ongoing
- Col. 3.10: is being renewed (present active indicative);
- 2 Cor. 3.18: are being transformed (present active indicative).
Present on-going, continuous action
Process not an arrival
o God not hindered, but confident he will complete
- Philippians 1.6: being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will
carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
- See also: Heb. 12. 5-12: Heavenly Father who helps believers with sanctification.
Sanctification is a joint, ongoing, progressive process.
We return to our computer example
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Paragraph is adapted from Klaus Issler, Living into the Life of Jesus, ebook, Downers Grove, 2012, paragraph 2.164.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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V.
Application
In thy meditations upon all these incentives of love [for God], preach them over earnestly to thy heart and plead
with it by way of soliloquy, till thou feel the fire begin to burn.Do not only think on the arguments of love, but
dispute it out with thy conscience, and by earnest reasonings with thy heart, endeavour to affect it. There is much
more moving force in this earnest talking to ourselves, than in bare cogitation, that breaks not out into mental words.
Imitate the most powerful preacher and just as he pleadeth the case with his hearers so do thou in secret with
thyselfIt is a great part of a christians skill and duty, to be a good preacher to himselfTwo or three sermons a
week from others, is a fair proportion; but two or three sermons a day from thyself, is ordinarily too little. Therefore I
have added soliloquies to affect your hearts, and kindle love. Richard Baxter, A Christian Directory I, 155.
1993 and 2012 John F. Brouwer
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As a corollary, in a negative sense we see this conflicts with the devil, world and flesh.
V.C.
C.1.
Being human confused with flesh
o Humanity is good, indeed very good; only flesh is bad
o Flesh = sarx (Greek); sarx is fallen image of man
- Augustine: flesh is the corrupted, twisted, distorted image of God.
- Lovelace: flesh is the whole human personality body, soul, mind, will and emotions
as they function apart from the presence and control of the Holy Spirit.
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Christ: We have talked much about humans, but in Christianity we must always come back to
Christ. He is the focus and center. He alone offers the perfect example of true humanity.
V.D. Perfect Example: Jesus Christ
Christ is perfect image of God Heb. 1.3.
In Christ all the fullness of God dwells Col. 1.15-20.
D.1.
Jesus illustrates true perfect humanity
o Structural capacities (creativity, mind, will, etc.) always perfectly balanced
o Functioned perfectly for knowledge, true righteousness and holiness
o Love for God and for others: true unconditional love illustrated in real life
Observe how he lived life: study and reflect
D.2.
Gospels illustrate true humanity
o Jesus perfectly models true humanity and therefore
o Jn. 2: Water to wine; Jn. 3: Nicodemus; Jn. 4: Woman at well, etc.
Every Gospel vignette (story) of Jesus illustrates perfect, true humanness: all human
capacities working together in perfect harmony for knowledge, righteousness and holiness.
And ultimately for loving God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and loving our
neighbor as ourself.
Discussion Q: How do we see Christ using his divine/human capacities in these vignettes?
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VI.
Conclusion
Christ himself, and his teachings reveal true humanity.
This is Jesus Christ. This is what the Bible teaches followers of Christ are to be and to become.
o For students: Who are you? Who do you want to be? to become?
o For parents: How do you want your children to turn out?
o For teachers: Is this what you want to develop/inculcate in your students?
o For pastors and church leaders: What you are instilling/nurturing in your congregation?
A biblically redefined humanism/humanist lies at the very heart of Christianity.
To be Christian is to be human; and to be human is to be Christian.
Q: Could this be the abundant life promised by Jesus in Jn. 10.10 and 5.40?
o zoe vs. bios
What answers have you developed?
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GOD
BEING HUMAN
Ultimate Aim
Ungodly Function
& pulled by
Capabilities/Faculties
Godly Function
Ultimate Aims
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