Humanity

The most important thing to remember about being human is that we are God’s creation. We are creatures who are totally dependent on our Creator.

God is the source of all life and of all being. Nothing exists without being in relationship with God. Humanity, indeed all of creation, is like a baby in its mother’s womb. We are distinct from God, like the baby is distinct from its mother. Like the baby, the entire creation depends on God for its sustenance and its being. If we try to cut ourselves off from God, if we sever our umbilical cords (our lifeline), we will cease to exist. THERE IS NO LIFE, NO EXISTENCE WITHOUT GOD!

In our culture today, qualities such as independence and self-sufficiency are admired. We see ourselves as independent of other people. Being “my own person” means I am a complete entity on my own. I can choose whether or not I want to have religion and God as part of my life.

The Christian understanding of being human is quite the opposite. God is the source of our life, and is responsible for our every breath. “The Lord God formed man from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being”. 1 There is no life apart from God.

We are God’s creation. Our choice is not whether or not to have God as part of our lives, but rather whether or not we recognize God in our lives and live in response to God’s presence. We are created for relationship with God, and we are most fully ourselves when we are in communion with God. Communion with God is the goal of human life.

We Are Created in God’s Image and Likeness

Genesis 1:26-27 describes the creation of human beings:

“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ So God created mankind in his image, in the image of God he created them.”

What does it mean to be created in God’s image and likeness?

In ancient times, statues or paintings of the emperor would be created and distributed throughout the empire. It was believed that these forms would make the emperor present to the citizens, reminding everyone that this was his empire.

Likewise, a photograph is an image of some person, place or object. When we keep photos of loved ones in our home, or on our desk at work, or in our wallets, we do so because we want that person to be present with us.

Human beings are created to be God’s image, His presence, for the world. We are like the photograph or the mirror that reflects God’s presence.

To be created in God’s image means that, like God, we have freedom, we are able to think, and we are responsible for taking care of creation. Being made in God’s image also means that we are created to be in a relationship with God. It means that we have the potential to become like God in our actions.

The image of God is a gift from God, His imprint on us. It is something that can never be erased, no matter how far away we stray from God. Every human being is created in God’s image.

The Difference Between Image and Likeness

Children often resemble their parents in looks. They may have the same eye color or facial features. There is even the expression, “He is the spitting image of his father!” This is similar to God’s image in us – we are born with it. We are born with the ability to think and to make choices.

On the other hand, children learn behavior from their parents. They may imitate their parents’ language, mannerisms, and behaviour, becoming more and more like their parents. In the same way, we learn to be like God. We learn to love, to be forgiving and to bring healing to the world. Unlike the free gift of God’s image, being created in God’s likeness is something that requires a conscious effort on our part. The likeness is a potential that we have been given, which we must work towards through God’s grace.

God is infinite. This means that we will always be growing towards His likeness, but we will never fully achieve it. We will never be exactly like God, because God is our Creator and we are creatures. But we can choose to always become more and more like God. We are truly human when we choose to cooperate with God’s grace, which makes us more and more like Him. It is a dynamic, never ending process.

Being truly human, as the Christian understands, means becoming like God. Making choices which do not support the process of becoming divine makes a person “less human”, because to be human is to be in the process of becoming divine.

Synergy

Humans have freedom, but it is wrong to say that we are able to earn our salvation or that we can become like God through our own efforts. When we make the choice to cooperate with God’s grace, God gives us the strength and ability to do so. This relationship between human freedom and God’s grace is known as synergy .

The word synergy comes from the Greek words “syn” meaning “same” and ergos” meaning energy or work.

Salvation, which is participation in the life of God, comes through God’s grace, but it must be accepted by the free choice of human beings.

In the Image of the Trinity

In Genesis 1:26 God says “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.” Humans were created not by a solitary old man in the sky, but by a relationship of divine persons, the Holy Trinity. We are created in the image and likeness of that divine relationship which we call the Trinity. This means that a person is truly him or herself when he or she is in relationship to others.

To truly be a human person means to be in the process of becoming like God. We distinguish between the words “person” and “individual.”

To be an individual means to be a biological being, focused on material and biological needs (food, clothing, possessions, etc.). In other words, an individual is isolated within his or her self.

To be a person means to have love, to be in communion with God and with others. In other words, being a person means that one is in communion with others. There is no “me” without “you.”

We are created for relationships – relationship with God, with other humans, and with the entire creation. When we injure our relationship with others, including God, we make ourselves less than what we were created to be.

Being created in the image of the Trinity also means that our actions affect each other, even across time. This doesn’t necessarily mean that we are to blame (or credit) for another’s actions (although in some cases this may be true). Our actions, whether good or bad, affect others.

What is the Holy Trinity?

Christians believe that God is one, yet God is three persons: God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, known as the Holy Trinity. Please see the section on “The Trinity” for further explanation.

Of Dust and the Spirit

A human being is made up of both a material component, a body, and a spiritual component, a soul or spirit. Our bodies are not a prison for our souls, as some philosophies believe. Rather, our bodies and souls belong together.

The separation of our body and our soul when we die is not natural for us. It was not what God intended for us from the beginning: “For God created us for incorruption, and made us in the image of his own eternity …” 2. However, because of sin, death is inevitable. (See the section on “Sin” for further explanation.)
The separation of the soul from the body at death can be likened to the ripping apart of the body of a bee from its stinger after it has stung someone – this separation is a ripping or tearing apart.
Christians believe that one day, each person’s body will be reunited with his or her soul. This is because to be truly and fully human one must have both a body and a soul. The resurrected body will be a material body, but it will be energized by the spirit.

Until that day of resurrection comes, and until we die, we must work. This is not to overcome or escape our bodies, but to achieve a proper balance, or wholeness of being, so that our souls and bodies work together for God. Wholeness of being means that the material or physical aspects of our lives are balanced and oriented towards the spiritual. To walk the middle ground of a balanced life, of wholeness of being, means that one must let go of excesses and replace these with what is lacking in one’s life.