Sermon Tone Analysis

Man’s Status

(aka Centrality and Uniqueness of Man)

(theology in relation to heliocentric theory, anthropic principle, and extraterrestrials)

(Weeks 2 & 3 of SBTS 28960)

 

A.

Biblically, humans

1.        have little about which to boast – either in attributes or physical makeup:

a.

In many respects, humans are not different from animals.

Humans

A)      are made of dust (Gen.

2:7; 3:19; Psa.

103:14; Job 4:19), just as are animals (Gen.

1:20, 24).

B)      are alive (/e.g./ Gen. 2:7), just as are animals (/e.g./ Gen. 1:20, 24).

C)      have a soul (/e.g./ Gen. 2:7), just as do animals (/e.g./ Gen. 1:20, 24; Job 12:10) – /e.g./ each individual is unique; they have emotions (and more emotion than is necessary for survival).

b.

Even when they are not compared to animals (/i.e./ in an absolute sense), humans

A)      are as worms (Job.

25:6; Isa.

41:14), or as grasshoppers (Isa.

40:22).

B)      are as fragile as leaves (Isa.

64:6), flowers (Job 14:2; Psa.

103:15-16; Isa.

40:6-7; Jam.

1:10; I Pet.

1:24), or grass (Pas.

90:5-6; 102:11; 103:15; Isa.

37:27; 40:6-7; 51:12; I Pet.

1:24) – certainly in comparison with eternity.

C)      have no power over their own height (Mat.

6:27) or even the color of their hair (Mat.

5:36).

D)      are mortal (at least after Adam’s sin):

1)       Humans have no power over their own death (Eccl.

8:8)

2)       Humans die, just like animals (Psa.

49:12; Eccl.

3:19-20).

3)       Humans are always on the brink of death (Psa.

14:17)

4)       Human life is brief (Job 14:1; Psa.

89:47; 90:10), passing quickly (Job 7:6; 9:25), being merely a handbreadth (Psa.

39:5), a shadow (I Chr.

29:15; Job 8:9; 14:2; Psa.

102:11; Eccl.

6:12), a gust of wind (Job 7:7), or a vapor (Jam.

4:14)

E)       are spiritually bankrupt

1)       human righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Isa.

64:6)

2)       human activity is vanity (Ecclesiastes)

3)       all humans sin (/e.g./ Rom.

3:23) (whereas not all angels sin)

F)       are dependent upon God and angels for survival.

c.

For even the traits possessed by no other known physical beings (spirit) or in greater measure than all other known physical beings (/e.g./ aesthetic appreciation, creativity, reason, language) angels may possess the same traits in larger measure.

d.       Man is insignificant in every way compared to God.  God alone is eternal, creator of all things, infinite, and all-powerful.

All other beings (including humans) came to being at some point in time, are created by God, finite, and have limited power.

2.        are accorded special status by God

a.        God created humans

A)      last of the entire creation (Gen. 1)

B)      as image of God (Gen.

1:26-28; 5:1) – and the Bible mentions nothing else with this status

C)      as likeness of God (Gen.

1:26-28; 9:6; I Cor.

11:7) – and the Bible mentions nothing else with this status

D)      with /both/ body (like animals; unlike angels) and spirit (like angels; unlike animals) – and the Bible mentions nothing else with this status

E)       devoting more biblical text to the creation of humans than to the creation of anything else

b.

God assigns unique authority to humans,

A)      considering humans better than animals (Mat.

12:11-12; Luke 12:24, 27-28)

B)      even though humans are a little lower than the angels (Psa.

8:4-5; Heb.

2:6-7), God created the angels to minister to humans (Heb.

1:14) and humans will judge the angels (I Cor.

6:3)

C)      assigning humans dominion over His creation (Gen.

1:26-28; 9:2; Psa.

8:6; Heb.

2:7-8) – and the Bible mentions nothing else with this status

c.        God has intentions for humans

A)      God designs each human (/e.g./ Psa.

139:13-16; Eccl.

11:5; Isa.

44:2, 24; 49:1, 5).

B)      God has plans for each human (/e.g./ Jer.

1:5; Rom.

8:29-30)

C)      God’s kingdom appears to be solely for humans (/e.g./ John 14:2-3).

d.       Satan focuses his efforts on humans (/e.g./

I Pet.

5:8; Rev. 12:10)

e.        God interferes in the creation for the sake of humans

A)      God cursed the entire creation because of human sin (Gen.

3:14-19; Rom.

8:18-22) and /not/ because of angelic sin (given that Satan had fallen /before/ man’s sin and God didn’t curse the rest of creation for angelic sin)

B)      God destroyed the earth and living things on the earth by a global Flood because of the sin of humans (Gen.

6-9).

C)      God will release the entire creation from the curse at the glorification of humans (Rom.

8:18-22)

f.         God’s intra-Godhead relationships are shared also with (and only with?) humans:

A)      God takes notice of man (/e.g./ Psa.

8:4f; 115:12; Heb.

2:6)

B)      God communes with humans (/e.g./ implied for Adam & Eve w~/God in Gen. 3:8)

C)      God loves humans (/e.g./ John 3:16; I Cor.

6:20; I Pet.

1:18-19; Rev. 1:5)

g.        God directly interacts with humans

A)      God became man (rather than another organism) (John 1:1-3, 14; Rom.

8:3; Philippians 2:7; James 3:9)