 |
GIRS syllabus index: Survey Studies in Reformed Theology Theology Proper index: Theology Proper |
|---|
The Creation of Man
by Pastor Bob Burridge ©1997
Westminster Confession of Faith IV:2
Man at creation was not as he is now. The fall changed him in very specific ways. He did not change into a different physical being. He was changed in moral and spiritual ways. Five different states of man can be distinguished in Scripture: his estate at creation, his condition after the fall, his condition when redeemed, his condition after death but before the final resurrection, and his eternal estate after the resurrection.
When someone tries to explain the nature and moral state of man aside from what God has specially revealed about him, a dangerous anthropology and psychology is produced. Some desire to justify the obvious guilt and moral corruption of man by redefining his basic nature. Others modify their view of man in an attempt to soften the bold realities that necessitated the incarnation of God the Son, as the person of Jesus.
Many today have accepted, without much critical examination, the assumptions of modern humanism which build a view of man that makes him little more than a highly evolved animal without absolute moral responsibilities. They often blame the biblical view of man for society's ills. Some attempt to separate individuals from their actions and thoughts in an effort to insulate them from responsibility for what they do and think.
The Manner of the Creation of Man
Some of God's creation was shaped into its intended condition mediately
by secondary means. The language of Genesis one often describes
processes following natural principles which are part of the nature
of the energy-matter continuum. These principles, or physical laws,
are the handiwork of the Creator. They are expressive of his divine nature
which declares God's glory day and night (Psalm 19:1-2, Romans 1:20).
In Genesis 1:11-12 the earth was commanded to bring forth vegetation. It does not say that the earth generated the genetic code for vegetation. It does, however, indicate that the covering of the earth with vegetation was a process that took place after an initial act of special creation. We can't determine from this portion alone if that was a long or very short process. But clearly there is no indication in this chapter, or anywhere in Scripture, that all life has evolved from the single genesis of living matter, or from a relatively small number of initial molecules of proto-life forms. But there is an indication, as we see in the example of man's pesent physical diversities, that the forms God created modified with time to produce forms of life differing outwardly from those originally created. The changes always stayed within the boundaries of the original categories (or "kinds") of living things God immediately created.
But the creation of man was immediate and from previously existing, non-living molecular matter. He was neither formed from already living creatures, nor out of nothing. He was made "of dust from the ground" (aphar min ha-adamah).
Genesis: 2:7 the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
| Hebrew Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| adam | "man, mankind" -- also the name "Adam" |
| adamah | "ground, land, territory, inhabited earth" |
| aphar | "dry loose earth, debris, mortar (dried mud), elements, particles" |
| adom | "to be red, red lentils" probably a later derivation for objects that resembled the color of red soil. There is no reason to presume that Adam was made from red earth, or that he was originally red in color. |
The terms used indicate that man was not made ex nihilo, but from previously created particles. We would assume that those particles were rich in carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and the other elements that are found in living matter today. This leaves no room for theories of macro-evolution that would account for the physical body of man by presuming that it developed from non-human life forms.
Man is presented as the climax of God's creation. He becomes the center of the unfolding of redemptive history and the focal point as the last created entity, made in the image of the Creator, and given the mandate of having dominion over all of the other created things on earth (Genesis 1:26,28).
The Nature of Man at Creation
Man was made to have two essences. This dichotomy of man implies that he
has a physical body (soma) and a spiritual body called the soul
(psuchae). This is how he is described in portions of Scripture
that are about his actual nature.
Romans 8:10 "if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness."1 Corinthians 5:5 "...delivered to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved..."
2 Corinthians 7:1 "...let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit..."
Colossians 2:5 "even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit..."
Some have rejected this view in favor of the idea that man is tripartite (that he has three differing essences: body, soul and spirit). This trichotomy view of man did not originate from Scripture. Plato and the early Gnostics held that since God's essence was spirit, and since he could not sin, therefore the part of man that sins could not be of that same nature. This forced them to presume another essence in man, something neither of body nor of spirit, that did the sinning. The Apollinarians believed that Jesus had no human spirit, but only a human body and soul. They said the (logos) came upon the man Jesus and replaced his human spirit. They therefore denied the true humanity of Jesus. The Semi-Pelagians believed that sin was only to be found in man's body and soul, and that the spirit was free from sin.
More recently the views of Freud and the Neo-Freudians have defended a view of man that divides his immaterial part into three aspects: the id, the ego and the super-ego. Some psychologists who claim to have a christian orientation have adopted this view and replaced Freud's terminology with more biblical sounding expressions. They see the id as our animal instincts (the soul), the super-ego as our conscience (the spirit), and the ego as the self-conscious arbiter (the will). Since this cannot be supported from Scripture without distorting the context of verses used, there is no biblical governing principle to define the terms. Therefore there are many variations of this view among its proponents. This approach often blames the soul for sin and makes the will the referee which determines the course of a person's sanctification. This has become a favorite view of the more humanistic branches of the church.
Consideration of some disputed interpretations:
There are those who claim that Hebrews 4:12 proves that the soul and spirit
are distinct substances since they can be divided.
Hebrews 4:12 "for the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
The word translated "division" is merismou. The root word is used twice in the book of Hebrews; here and in 2:4. There if refers to the "distributions" or "gifts" of the Holy Spirit. In other places it is also used of distribution and division of some unity into parts. In Mark 6:41 where Jesus divided the fish to feed the five thousand this same word is used. It does not show division between two different substances, but the dividing up of a single substance so that it can be distributed. The word used of dividing between two distinct things is diamerizo.
The meaning in Hebrews 4:12 is that God's word is like a sword. It pierces deeply into man to slice the soul, the spirit, the joints, and the marrow. It no more means that the soul and spirit are two distinct essences of man's non-material part, than that the joints and marrow are distinguished as different types of physical states of existence, or that the thoughts and intentions of the heart are completely isolated substances. The forced interpretation of the trichotomists obscures the rest of the text more than it helps to explain the first part.
Some uses 1 Thessalonians 5:23 as if it proves that man is made of three distinct substances.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 "...may your spirit and soul and body be preserved..."
But this passage no more teaches that there are two distinct non-material substances in man, than that Luke 10:27 and Deuteronomy 6:5 teach that man has a three-fold division of his non-material part.
Luke 10:27 "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength and with all your mind..." (Dt. 6:5 has heart, soul and might)
Others use 1 Corinthians 15:44 to support the idea that man's soul and spirit are separate substances.
1 Corinthians 15
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body;
43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
45 So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.
47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven.
Verse 44 uses the expressions "natural body" and "spiritual body." The Greek expressions are "soma psuchikon" and "soma pneumatikon".
But note that no distinction of substance is being made. Just the opposite is the point of the Apostle here! It is the same body being spoken of in each case. The perishable body is buried but it (the same body) is raised imperishable having been glorified. So also the "soulish" or "natural" body is buried but it is raised up as a "spirit" body. But they are one and the same thing as to identity. If not then there is no hope in the resurrection. Another identity altogether would be raised! The quality is changed in the resurrection.
While the words "soul" and "spirit" are often used as exact synonyms and used interchangeably, they also have their own spheres of meaning. But it is impossible to support the theory that they are two completely different essences of man.
Just as the physical body has many functions and members (for example: eyes, ears, hands, feet, body, head), and it may be viewed in different ways (for example: our earthly dwelling, temple of the Holy Spirit), so also the non-physical part of man is able to be spoken of as having multiple functions, members and uses. This is probably the focus of the various portions of Scripture that mention things like: soul, spirit, mind, heart, emotions, will, thought, understanding, and intentions.
In what is commonly called, realistic dualism, there are two distinct essences working in union forming the individual person with a complete human nature. The soul is able to exist and function without a body for a time showing the true distinction of the two as to essence. The soul, or the functions attributed to it, are able to influence the behavior of the person as expressed through his body.
Yet, as we can divide the functions and members of the physical body, so also we should expect to be able to distinguish functions of the soul, the immaterial part of man. Yet as to essence, man's immaterial part is itself of one singular essence.
Some common problems are often addressed concerning how the body and soul relate, and how the functions of the soul work together. Our model must preserve the freedom of man's will to act as a responsible moral agent, while at the same time accounting for the bondage of the will (actually relating to moral inability due to sin) so clearly affirmed in Scripture.
{The model proposed by this author has not been included in this on line edition of the syllabus at this time.}
Man was created in the image of God
The concept if image implies an analogy whereby man, unlike the rest of
creation, has a correspondence with his Creator. If we accept the words
of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, question #4, as a well attested
summation of what God is, then we should expect to find there, areas of
correspondence which constitute the image of God in man.
"God is a spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth." (WSC 4)
We have already seen that man was created to have both a material and a spiritual element in his nature. And we have seen that the qualities of being infinite, eternal and unchangeable are characteristic of none other than God. Yet the characteristics they modify are also attributable to man. We might borrow the words of the catechism to say ...
Man is body and spirit, finite, temporal and changeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.
We may also add that unlike any other creature of God, man was given the duty of exerting dominion over the rest of God's material creation representing the ultimate dominion of the Creator over all things (Genesis 1:28).
The mutability of man in the areas of moral duty raises questions which are best taken up under WCF chapter 9 in connection with the freedom of the will. But at this point the confession clarifies that, in creation, the will of Adam, though created in perfect righteousness and true holiness, was not locked in by fixed moral inclinations. The possibility of transgressing God's moral principles existed.
Questions for Review and Thought
- In what five states does man exist?
- What is the motivation of modern humanism in its view of man?
- Does the Scripture teach that man was created ex nihilo? explain
- What arguments do Tricotomists use to defend the division of the non-physical part of man into two essences?
- What foundation exists in Scripture to support that man is made up only of two essences: physical and spiritual?
- How might we define the "image of God" in man?
- Compare the arguments of Charles Hodge (Systematic Theology Vol. II, chapter 3) with those of W. G. T. Shedd (Dogmatic Theology Vol. II, chapter 1) concerning the issue of Creationism and Traducianism in the origin of the soul.
- Compare man's possibility of transgression and of doing acts of righteousness in each of his five states.