Lesson 4: Humanity

(1) The student will be able to explain:

• How we know that the image of God in humanity is not physical likeness.

• Eight characteristics of the image of God in humanity.

• That people are specially designed for relationship with God.

• The sense in which people have free will.

• That people have infinite value beyond their practical value in earthly life.

• A statement of Christian beliefs about humanity.

(2) The student will understand that he cannot be fulfilled as a person without a relationship with God.

► Read Psalm 8 together. What does this passage tell us about humanity?

► What are the things that are alike about every person in the world?

Think about what gives us our identity. What does it really mean to be a human being?

► Read Genesis 1:26-27 together.

There is something about our nature that is like God. We are not God, but there is something that separates us from the animal world and makes us unique. In Psalm 8:5, the writer rejoices that we have been made a little lower than the heavenly beings and have been crowned with glory and honor.

God gave humans special responsibility to manage the earth and the creatures that live on it (Psalm 8:6). People are supposed to manage the earth carefully to avoid the loss of living species, to use resources wisely, and to leave the earth in good condition for future generations.

This high view of humankind is certainly better for our self-respect than is the doctrine of evolution! In evolution there is no special significance in human life, no purpose, no meaning, nothing special about being a human.

According to some ancient myths, people were made by accident, with no purpose, and not loved by any creator. But the Bible teaches that we are a special creation, made in the image of God. What does that mean?

The image of God in humans does not mean physical likeness.

► How do we know that the image of God in humans does not mean physical likeness?

(1) God is a spirit (John 4:24). Solomon realized that all of heaven and earth could not contain God (1 Kings 8:27). God could show himself with whatever appearance he would choose, but there is not one appearance that looks like God. That’s one reason we are not supposed to make images of God to worship.

(2) To make images of God looking like a person is idolatry. (Read Romans 1:23.)

(3) People are physically designed for life on earth, with legs for walking, hands to move things, and sight and hearing for perception. God designed us for life on the earth. But God lives in the whole universe. He can create and move things by his Word. He does not have any of our limitations. There is no reason to think that he has a human physical form.

► What are some of the characteristics of human beings that reflect the image of God?

Theologians have thought much about what it means that man is in the image of God, and most agree about the following qualities.

Creative Instinct

We have a creative instinct that grows out of God’s image in us. Our Creator has made us to be creative! Sometimes animals have been trained to make marks that people called art. But that is very different from art produced by a person who is expressing an idea. Ancient drawings have been found on caves. We don’t know much about the people who drew them, but nobody doubts that they were made by people and not by animals.

Creativity is also revealed in music. Music has a marvelous capacity to express our thoughts and feelings. The ability to communicate ideas through music comes from this image of God within us.

Ability to Think

The ability to think is yet another God-like capacity. Animals also have brains, but from all we can tell, animals’ brain activity does not rise above the level of basic instinct and intuition. Only human beings are capable of analyzing, evaluating, and reflecting, then communicating persuasively.

Not only can we think, we can even think about thinking. We can analyze thought processes. Not only can we think logically, we can think about logic.

Ability to Communicate

Humans have communication ability. It is demonstrated by the use of language, where ideas are put into sounds or symbols that other people understand. Animals such as dogs and birds may communicate through sounds, but nothing even close to the complexity of human language is known among the animals. Animals have ways of threatening others, claiming territory, or sharing food, but they do not have discussions about the meaning of life.

Communication ability depends on the ability to think and reason. Animals cannot say words, but even if they could, they would not have much to say.

Social Nature

Humans have a social nature. We are designed to interact with other people, making commitments to others and depending on others. We begin life completely dependent on others, and it takes many years for a child to become an adult. That is because relationships are important to God.

God has designed human life so that people have to work together and maintain relationships for their daily needs to be met. Even if a person could get things such as food and shelter without anybody’s help, he would have important needs that are only met in relationship with others. The social nature of humanity reflects the nature of God. God is a Trinity and is eternally in relationship.

Human relationships have many problems. Because of the problems, some people think they need to be more independent. They want to live without depending on anyone. To live alone is not the solution and is not the life that God designed for us. Instead, he gave us principles for living in relationship. The problems come when we don’t follow God’s design.

Moral Sense

[1]We have a moral sense that is part of our nature. Something in us tells us that some actions are right and some are wrong. (Read Romans 1:20, Romans 2:15.) It tells us when it is right to follow a desire and when we should not. Adam and Eve were created holy and perfectly able to follow God’s will.

Because humanity has fallen into sin and damaged that basic moral perception, it is not completely accurate, but each of us still has the ability to understand the concepts of right and wrong.

Because we have a moral sense, we have a sense of duty to do right, and are guilty if we commit sin. We are not like animals, who follow their natural instincts without a sense of guilt.

Ability to Make Choices

Free will, or the ability to choose, is characteristic of human beings. In contrast, the choices of animals are on the level of momentary impulse and instinct. Animals do not make careful, thought-out decisions that consider the ethics or practical results of their actions. Human beings have the ability to make meaningful, life-altering choices. (Read Joshua 24:15.)

► Why is free will an important aspect of humanity?

Because we make real choices, we are accountable to God. He will judge sin and reward righteousness (Revelation 20:12-13).

Because we are born with a sinful nature, we do not naturally exercise our free will in a way that honors God. A person is by nature a slave to sin (read Romans 6:16-17, Ephesians 2:1-3), unable to do right, but the grace of God reaches to each person, giving the desire and ability to respond to the gospel. That is why a person can make the choice to repent and believe the gospel. (Read Mark 1:15.)

Immortality

Immortality is an essential quality of the image of God. There was a time when we did not exist, but each person will exist forever from the time he is conceived. We are not only physical beings, but we are also spirits that will live forever, and even our bodies will be resurrected in an eternal form. (Read 1 Corinthians 15:16-22, 52-54.) God created each of us for an eternal purpose. Immortality makes our choices eternally significant because we will live forever in either heaven or hell.

Ability to Love

The ability to love is part of the image of God. Among animals, relationships are very limited, and controlled mostly by instinct.

The other characteristics of humanity are important for this one. Love would not mean much if we did not have the ability to communicate, the ability to choose and make commitments to those that we love, and the ability to respond with understanding when we receive love from others.

Human love is expressed in joy from a relationship, making and keeping promises, sacrificial giving and serving, and forgiveness. All of these are expressions of the love of God.

Capacity to Worship

A very important characteristic is our capacity to worship. Think of your favorite hymns or worship choruses. We sing, “Our God is an awesome God.” “How Great Thou Art” is a timeless hymn of intense worship. The Psalmist exclaimed, “Bless the Lord, O my soul! And all that is within me, bless His holy name!” (Psalm 103:1). These expressions are possible because the image of God in us recognizes and responds to the God in whose image we are made!

It is good to stop and think about why God made us in his image. Why are we so different from the rest of creation? The answer is that we are specially designed to be in relationship with God and to worship him.

The Bible tells us that creation in general brings glory to God. We see the greatness of God in the things he has made. But other creatures glorify God without understanding. They cannot understand what God is like because they do not have a nature that can relate to him.

We can admire the infinite creativity of God because we have some creativity. We can worship his holiness and righteousness because we have a sense of right and wrong. We can be awed by his infinite love because we have the capacity to love.

The better we know God, not just in intellectual knowledge but in relationship, the more we love and worship him. We find joy and fulfillment in a relationship with God because he designed us for this relationship.

(1) All human beings have the image of God (Genesis 1:27). There are people who because of mental limitations cannot reason, express themselves creatively, or exercise free will. The image of God is created in them, but it may not be fulfilled in their earthly lives.

(2) Every human life has eternal and infinite value. Sometimes we notice a person’s practical value, things like his intelligence, education, talents, or strength. But every person has a value that is more important than his practical value, because he is made in the image of God. That’s why every person deserves respect as a human being, even if he lacks the things that give people practical value, and even if he is a wicked person. The image of God is also the reason that every child is valuable to God, and abortion is a terrible sin (Genesis 9:6, Psalm 139:13-14, Isaiah 44:24).

(3) Angels are also unique in creation. They have high intelligence, reasoning ability, communication ability, and capacity for worship. They therefore have some aspects of the image of God and are called the sons of God in scripture (Job 1:6). We are presently inferior to angels in power (Psalm 8:5), yet they serve us (Hebrews 1:14). In eternity, we will be higher in position than angels (read 1 Corinthians 6:3), and will rule with Christ. This implies that humans are made more completely in the image of God than angels.

(4) The world is not in its original form. Imagine a beautiful painting, created by a gifted artist. Imagine that the painting has been thrown on the floor, and people have walked on it with muddy shoes. If you look at the painting, you can still see the great talent that made it, yet the painting is not like it was when the artist first finished it. Creation is like that. It is not exactly like what God intended it to be, but his glory is still seen.

(5) Sin has distorted the “God-like” capacities in people. For example, artistic expression can reveal a wicked heart and can be a tool of Satan, even though the gift itself comes from God. However, because of the intervention of grace, sin has not completely obliterated the image of God within us. By grace the image of God in us can be renewed, developed, and expressed for the glory of our Creator! (Read Colossians 3:10; Ephesians 4:22-24; 2 Corinthians 3:18.)

(6) The image of God in us is the most important thing about us. The image of God in us makes it possible for us to respond to the gospel. Our moral sense makes it possible for grace to awaken our conscience and convict us of sin. Free will restored by grace working in us makes it possible for us to choose whom we will serve. Through our creative instincts we can bring glory and honor to God. Using reason, we can search out hidden truths and understand something of God and his ways. The search to understand God turns into worship as we become increasingly aware of the absolute awesomeness of our Creator who has so graciously crowned us with glory and honor!

Sometimes people think that relationship with God has significance only for life after death. They think that if a person lives a good life on earth, it does not make much difference whether he is a Christian or not. But if we understand that the nature of humanity is designed for relationship with God, we realize that our lives are mostly wasted if we do not know God. We need the Spirit of God within us, guiding us, fulfilling our potential, and giving the eternal perspective on all that we do.

► Read the statement of beliefs together at least two times.

Humans are created in the image of God for the purpose of loving and worshipping God. God designed people with the ability to think, communicate, and love. A person has a moral sense, a personal will, and an immortal spirit. God’s grace gives a person the power to make free decisions. Every human life has eternal and infinite value.

(1) Passage Assignment: Each student will be assigned one of the passages listed below. Before the next class session, you should read the passage and write a paragraph about what it says about the subject of this lesson.

• Genesis 3:1-6

• Joshua 24:14-18

• Romans 6:12-23

• Romans 8:22-26

• Ephesians 2:1-9

• 1 Thessalonians 5:23

• James 1:12-15

(2) Test: You will begin the next class with a test over Lesson 4. Study the test questions carefully in preparation.

(3) Teaching Assignment: Remember to schedule and report your out-of-class teaching times.

(1) According to Genesis 1:26-27, how are people unique from the rest of creation?

(2) Name three reasons we know that the image of God in humanity is not physical likeness.

(3) List seven elements of the image of God in humanity.

(4) For what two reasons are we created in the image of God?

(5) What ability comes from the moral sense?

(6) What is the significance of people having the ability to make real choices?