Iron Works Foundations

Who Is Man?

WLC 17 "After God had made all other creatures, he created man male and female; formed the body of the man of the dust of the ground, and the woman of the rib of the man, endued them with living, reasonable (rational), and immortal souls; made them after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness; having the law of God written in their hearts, and power to fulfill it, and dominion over the creatures; yet subject to fall. "

WSC 1 "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever."

Gen 1:26-27; 2:7 – "Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion..." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." … then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Col 3:10 – “and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator."

Eph 4:24 – “…put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

I. The image defined:

A. Wayne Grudem: "Man is like God and represents God."

B. J.I. Packer "…humans are like God as no other earthly creatures are…the special dignity of being human is that, as humans, we may reflect and reproduce at our own creaturely level the holy ways of God, and thus act as his direct representative on earth…"

C. Aspects of the image:

1. A physical/spiritual being: man is a body/soul duality (Dichotomy).

a. Rational/immortal soul – unlike animals, man reflects upon/worships God. Soul/Spirit synonymous terms (John 12:27/13:21; Lk 1:46-47). Discuss

b. Body: animated by soul.

1) Male/female: equal as God’s image-bearers; distinction in role/function.

2) Physical bodies: indirect image of God through which we exercise God-like activities that make embodiment necessary in material creation.

a) This implicit truth made explicit by "the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus Christ: as the true image of God in his humanity as well as in his divinity. The glorified Lord Jesus is embodied to all eternity, just as Christians will be." – J.I. Packer

b) The "goal" of Christianity: not deliverance from the body, but redemption of the body—raised with glorified bodies in which we will live for eternity. (Romans 8:20-24; 1 Cor 15:45-58)

Pre-Fall ManAble to sinAble not to sin

Post-Fall ManAble to sinUnable to not sin

Reborn ManAble to sinAble not to sin

Glorified ManAble to not sinUnable to sin

a. Knowledge: man had correct knowledge of God, himself, and the world.

b. Righteousness: man loved/obeyed God's law.

c. Holiness: man's internal nature pure.

d. Dominion: prophets, priests, kings (vice regents): represent King/extend His Kingdom.

2. A moral being: God's law written on hearts/power to fulfill

Key point:

Man was created as God's image bearer…

And…

Man had the ability, prior to the fall, to reflect God’s character in thought, word and deed, and was to be God's representative on earth…

BUT…

Something went wrong....

I. Man sinned against God (Gen 3). WSC 13 - Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God.

A. What is sin?

1. WSC 14: Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of the law of God.

2. Sin is “…the rejection of God–a repudiation of God’s rule, God’s care, God’s authority, and God’s right to command...It is the rebellion of the creature against his Creator.” – Greg Gilbert

B. The result of sin:

1. Original Sin: WSC 16 – Adam our covenant head/we fell with him in his first transgression. WSC 18, we:

a. Inherit the guilt of Adam’s sin

b. want of original righteousness

b. Corrupt sinful nature/Total depravity

2. From this corrupted nature comes all of our actual sins.

C. The consequences of sin: WSC 19 – "All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever."

1. Death/dominion of sin (Gen. 2:17; Jn. 8:34)

2. Guilt before God (Rom. 3:19)

3. In the grip of Satan (Eph. 2:1-3)

D. What happened to the image of God in man?

1. Defaced, not erased. We retain the image in that we are still human beings who are spiritual, exercise dominion, and have a moral sense.

2. However, as slaves of sin, we have lost the ability to properly image or "mirror" God's character (in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness) in our thoughts, words, and deeds.

Illustration:

A shattered mirror can no longer do what is was created for: to properly reflect my image. The same is true of human beings who were created to be mirrors of God's image. After the fall, we're like shattered mirrorswho cannot properly reflect the image of God. We still reflect images, but they are distorted.

Sinclair Ferguson: "What if, instead of reflecting his glory, man begins to reflect the very antithesis of God? …This, essentially, is the affront which fallen man is to God. He takes all that God has lavished upon him toenable to live in a free and joyful obedience, and he transforms it into a weapon by which he can oppose His maker."

Summing it up:

1. Prior to the fall man had the ability to perfectly obey God and reflect His image, to mirror His character in the world.

2. After the fall man lost the ability to obey God and reflect His image. It is that part of the image of God in man that has been lost.

3. Is there any hope of getting this back? Yes! This is a key component of what the Gospel is all about: Restoring the Image God!