CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO THE
DOCTRINE OF HUMANITY
Anthropology Hamartiology Soteriology
 Pertinent Questions

How does the doctrine of humanity relate to the person

of Jesus Christ?

What is humanity’s crisis in self-understanding?

What are seven contemporary images of humanity?

What are the similarities and differences between the

secular images of humanity and the Christian images of
humanity?

What does it mean to be created in the image of God?

 Importance of Every Doctrine

Illustration: Professor in Seminary homiletics class on the

most important part of introduction, main body, and the
conclusion of the Sermon.

In a sense, every doctrine is the most important doctrine

(Doctrine of Scripture, Doctrine of God, Doctrine of Christ,
Doctrine of Salvation, Doctrine of the Church, and
Doctrine of Eschatology).
 Five Reasons why the
Doctrine of Humanity is Important

Reason 1

Its Relationship to other Christian doctrines

God’s highest concern for humanity (created in His image)

leads to a study of God’s work and God Himself.

Sheds light on the understanding of the person of Christ

due to His incarnation in human form.

“If God had not created humans, there would

presumably have been no incarnation, no atonement, no
need for regeneration and justification. There would have
been no church.”
 Reason 2

Doctrine of Humanity is a Point where the

biblical revelation and human concerns meet.

The Error of beginning a conversation with non-

believers with the biblical teaching of humanity.

Begin with Common Aspect of human experience.

 Reason 3

Present Crisis in Human Self-understanding

Young People ask “Who are we?” “What is life”?

Traditional Sources of values (the church, the university, the

state) have become suspect.

Loss of Historical Roots: History, a lost field of knowledge,

considered impractical or irrelevant. The need for going
back to history & tradition.

Traumatic Experiences in National Life: “What is our

country or our world, doing?”

Great accomplishments but unable to control ourselves.

“Since the 1960s a series of political assassinations and

assassination attempts, terrorism, and wars cause us to
wonder where we are going and whether the human race
as a whole has gone mad.”
 Reason 4

Our Understanding of the

Doctrine of Humanity affects our Ministry

If humans are primarily physical beings, the most

important goal is the satisfaction of physical drives.

If humans are primarily rational beings, our ministry

becomes primarily intellectual.

If humans are primarily emotional beings, our ministry will

focus on emotional satisfaction.

If humans are primarily sexual beings, our ministry will

focus on their sexual satisfaction.

Bottomline: Ones’ understanding of the doctrine of

humanity will propel ones’ ministry.
 Images of Humanity
(Prevalent current conceptions of Humanity)

Man as a Machine

Focus: Capability of humans to do certain tasks

Illustration: Employer’s interests lies in the human’s

strength and energy, skills or capabilities; rents the
employee for a certain number of hours a day.

Chief concern: To satisfy the needs of the person

(machine) in order to keep it functioning effectively.

Health of the worker is of interest not because of

personal distress but in terms of working efficiency.

Desire to replace humans with robots as work is the

primary goal; robots do not demand pay increases or
vacation and requires less attention.
In the Church

Persons may be valued according to what they can do

Churches may reflect this view in their choice of pastors,

wanting someone who can perform a given ministerial task
effectively and efficiently.

Potential converts may be viewed primarily as giving units

One pastor: Visitation of the elderly and shut-in members of

his congregation as “junk calls”

So, people are valued for what they can do, rather than
what can be done for them.

Persons are valued as things, as means to ends.

They are valued as long as they are useful.

 Man as an Animal

No qualitative difference between humans and

animals.

The only difference is one of degree: different but not

necessarily superior physical structure, a larger cranial
capacity, and a more highly trained stimulus-response
mechanism.

Human & animal behavior can be affected in similar

ways: Pavlov’s dog learned to salivate when a bell was
rung; human beings can be conditioned through
positive reinforcement (rewards) and negative
reinforcement (punishment).
 Man as a Sexual Being

Sigmund Freud: Sexuality, the key to human nature.

Human beings are primarily sexual beings & sex is

the most significant experience.

Such view is widely held in our society.

The World of Entertainment & Advertisements.

 Man as an Economic Being

Focuses on the material dimension of life and its needs:

Food, clothing, and shelter.

Communism: The ideology that has most completely and

most consistently developed this understanding of man.

This ideology sees economic forces as moving history

through progressive stages: First, Slavery; Second,
Feudalism; Third, Capitalism; Fourth, Communism,
Classless Society.

The concept that human is motivated primarily by

economic forces seems to be the philosophy of a large
percentage of American politicians (US Elections).
 Man as a Pawn of the Universe

Humans are at the mercy of forces in the world that control

their destiny but have no real concern for them.

Humans have no control over these forces (political powers).

Jean-Paul Sartre: “The Wall”

Story of a captured member of a revolutionary group.
To be executed if he refuses to disclose the hiding place of
Gris, the leader of the group.
Gris is hiding in a cellar.
Does not care whether he lives or dies.
Joke: Gris is hiding in the cemetery.
Gris is captured in the cemetery & Captive is freed.
Captive spared because of an ironical twist of fate.
Albert Camus: Classical Myth of Sisyphus

Sisyphus dead & gone to the nether world; Sent back.

Refused to return to the nether world when called:

Pleasures of life.

Forced to return & punished: To push a large rock to the

top of a hill (endlessly).

“All those who hold that a human being is basically a pawn

at the mercy of the universe are gripped by a similar sense
of helplessness and resignation.”
 Man as a Social Being

Human being is fundamentally a member of society.

Someone who does not interact with other social

beings is less than fully human.

The essence of humanness is in the relationships and

network of connections one has with others.
 The Christian View of Humanity

Humans are creatures of God, made in the image of God.

Humanity originated not through evolution but through a

conscious, purposeful act of God.

Image of God is intrinsic & indispensable to humanity: Only

humans are capable of having a conscious personal
relationship with the Creator and of responding to Him, can
know God & understand what He desire of them, can love,
worship, & obey their Maker.

Humans have an eternal dimension: Created by an eternal

God, who gave humans an eternal future.

Humans & Animals have the same physical needs.

Humans are unified beings: Pain or hunger affect our
ability to focus on the spiritual life. Adventist Philosophy-
Wholeness of human being.

Humans are Social Beings placed within society to function

in relationships.

“We cannot discover our real meaning by regarding

ourselves and our own happiness as the highest of all
values, nor find happiness, fulfillment, or satisfaction by
seeking it directly. Our value has been conferred on us by a
higher source, and we are fulfilled only when serving and
loving that higher being. It is then that satisfaction comes,
as a by-product of commitment to God.”