Chapter 04 · Anthropology
Anthropology
The Doctrine of Humanity
The Big Questions of Anthropology
The doctrine of humanity asks some of the most fundamental questions we can ask: What is humanity? What is humanity's relationship to God? What is humanity's purpose? What is the origin of humanity? How does humanity bear the image of God? What is the trajectory of humanity?
These are not abstract academic puzzles. How you answer them shapes how you see yourself, how you treat others, what you think human life is worth, and what you believe we are heading toward.
Theories of Creation
The origin of humanity is directly tied to theories of creation. Christians hold a range of views on how God created, while agreeing on the foundational conviction: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." We start from there.
Naturalistic Evolution
Life developed entirely through natural processes without divine involvement. Both Grudem and Erickson reject this view as incompatible with Scripture and Christian doctrine.
Theistic Evolution
God initiated life and guided evolution. Genesis is often read as figurative or poetic rather than literal history. Erickson critiques this view for undermining a historical Adam and therefore the doctrine of sin.
Progressive Creationism
God created life in stages over long periods, intervening at key points, especially in the direct creation of humanity. Accepts some scientific evidence for an old earth while insisting on divine acts of creation at crucial moments. Erickson holds a version of this view.
Special (Direct) Creation
God directly created humanity as described in Genesis 1–2, emphasizing the uniqueness of human beings and their immediate creation by God. Both Erickson and Grudem affirm this as the view most faithful to biblical teaching.
The Day-Age Theory
Each "day" in Genesis 1 represents a long period (age) rather than a literal 24-hour day. Grudem critiques this view: the Hebrew word yom (day), when paired with "evening and morning" (as in Genesis 1), most naturally means a 24-hour day. He sees the Day-Age Theory as an attempt to reconcile Scripture with modern science that strains the text. Exodus 20:11 uses the same pattern for the Sabbath week, which further implies literal days.
Note on Disagreement
There is significant space within Christianity for differing views on creation. The essential conviction is that God is the Creator and that humanity is His special creation. The how is a secondary question where Christians may disagree while affirming the same Lord.
A Historical Adam
Regardless of creation theory, both Grudem and Erickson insist on a historical, literal Adam. Genesis presents Adam as a real person. More importantly, Paul's argument in Romans 5:12–21 and 1 Corinthians 15:21–22 depends entirely on Adam being the actual head of the human race. If Adam is only a symbol, Paul's parallel between Adam and Christ, the two federal heads of humanity, collapses. The name Adam in Hebrew means "man," which is the source of some figurative interpretations, but the biblical narrative treats him as a historical individual. (Erickson, 442)
"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth...'"Genesis 1:26 (ESV)
Made in the Image of God (Imago Dei)
The defining truth about humanity is found in Genesis 1:26–28: we are made in the image of God (imago Dei). This is what separates humanity from the rest of creation. Notice also the Trinitarian language: "Let us make man in our image."
Erickson's approach is that the image of God impacts us holistically in three specific ways:
Structurally: what we are. The image of God is a structural feature of human nature: our capacity for reason, morality, relationships, creativity, and spirituality.
Relationally: how we relate to God, to other people, and to the created world. We are fundamentally relational beings because God is relational.
Functionally: what we do. God gave humanity dominion over creation (Genesis 1:28), a responsibility to steward and care for the world as His representatives.
All people are made in the image of God, regardless of their faith, ethnicity, or moral record. The image of God is not something we earn, reject, or lose. It is structural to what we are. This is the foundation for justice, charity, human dignity, and the way we treat every person we encounter.
Erickson's Practical Implications of the Imago Dei
We belong to God. We should pattern ourselves after Jesus, the complete revelation of the image of God. We experience full humanity only when properly related to God. Learning and work are good. The human is valuable. The image is universal in humankind.
As Erickson writes: "Every human being is God's creature made in God's own image. God endowed each of us with the powers of personality that make it possible for us to worship and serve him. When using those powers to those ends, we are most fully what God intended us to be, and then are most completely human." (Erickson, 474)
Why Are We Here? The Purpose of Humanity
Scripture points to several dimensions of human purpose:
To know and be known by God. To fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18–20). To live consistently with how we were created and thereby fulfill our purpose on earth. To bring the Kingdom of God more near on the earth. To become who we were created to be. To live united with God and one another for the good of all creation.
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."Genesis 1:27 (ESV)
Key Vocabulary
Latin for "image of God." The biblical teaching that human beings are uniquely created in God's image (Genesis 1:26–27), giving them dignity, rationality, morality, and the capacity for relationship with God.
The branch of theology dealing with the nature, origin, purpose, and destiny of human beings. From Greek anthropos (human being) + logos (study).
The view that life developed entirely through natural processes without divine involvement. Both Grudem and Erickson reject this view as incompatible with Scripture and Christian doctrine.
The view that God initiated and guided the evolutionary process as the means of creating life and humanity, often reading Genesis as figurative or poetic.
The view that God created life in stages over long periods, intervening at key points, especially in the direct creation of humanity. Accepts some scientific evidence for an old earth while insisting on divine acts of creation at crucial moments. Erickson holds a version of this view.
The view that God directly and immediately created humanity as described in Genesis 1–2, apart from any evolutionary process.
The view that each "day" in Genesis 1 represents a long period (age) rather than a literal 24-hour day. Grudem critiques this view, arguing the Hebrew word yom, when paired with "evening and morning" as in Genesis 1, most naturally means a literal 24-hour day.
The theological concept that Adam represented all of humanity in the Garden, so that when he sinned, his guilt and consequences passed to all his descendants. Foundational to understanding both sin and salvation (Romans 5).
The God-given mandate for humanity to rule over and steward the created world as God's representatives (Genesis 1:28). Also called the "cultural mandate."
Key Scriptures
- Genesis 1:26–28
- Genesis 2:7
- Psalm 8:3–6
- Romans 5:12–21
- 1 Corinthians 15:21–22
- Matthew 28:18–20
- Colossians 1:15
- Psalm 139:13–16
Review Questions
- What are the four main Christian theories of creation? Briefly describe each and note where Grudem and Erickson land.
- Why do both Grudem and Erickson insist on a historical, literal Adam? What is at stake theologically if Adam is only a symbol?
- What does imago Dei mean, and what are the three ways Erickson says it impacts humanity (structural, relational, functional)?
- Why is the image of God described as something we cannot earn, reject, or lose? What are the practical implications of this for how we treat other people?
- Notice the Trinitarian language in Genesis 1:26 — "Let us make man in our image." What does this suggest about the Trinity and about humanity?
- According to Erickson, what does it mean to be "most completely human"? Do you agree with his conclusion? Why or why not?
- In your own words, describe humanity's purpose as Scripture presents it. How does the doctrine of the image of God shape that purpose?