Humanity

Genesis 1:26-28

“Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Isaiah 43:6-7

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. - Psalm 16:11

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! - Romans 1:25

Life Group Discussion Questions

  1. The Bible teaches that God existed, lacking nothing, in perfect harmony as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, before the creation of the universe. If that is true, why did he create us? Why did he create anything?

  2. According to this passage, in what ways is humanity like the rest of creation? In what ways is humanity unlike the rest of creation? (What unique role(s) does humanity play?)

  3. What is your response to the reality that you, as a human being, are more like God than any other creature in the universe? How does that knowledge make you want to act?

  4. We are made by God and for God. How does this change your attitude toward the rest of creation?

  5. We are made by God and for God. How does this change your attitude toward others? Where/in what relationships is it hardest for you to do this?

Proposed Statement of Faith

We believe humanity, both male and female, is the special creation of God, made in His image for His glory. Mankind was created that we might enjoy and delight in God, and worship Him as a result. Man was created with a material body and an immaterial soul/spirit. Man was created with intelligence and will. Each person exists as a moral creature that is accountable for his/her choices before God. People were created to be relational. They were created to relate to God and to one another, most intimately through marriage, family, and the church. Men and women, as image-bearers of God, demonstrate the dignity and sanctity of all human life. As a result, every person possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. Men and women are equal in the sight of God, and they have clearly defined roles that complement each other and reflect the glory of the Triune God. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman exclusively in covenant commitment for a lifetime. The husband is to be the head of the wife, which entails loving nurture and spiritual leadership. The wife is to respect her husband and to submit to him willingly as unto the Lord. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing from the Lord. They are to obey their parents in the Lord. Parents are to raise their children in the nurture and instruction of the Lord. The Bible opposes all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography.

Main Text: Genesis 1:26-28

Other Key Texts: Colossians 3:9-11; 1 John 3:2

For Further Study: Kelly Kapic, You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News

“The world we live in today puts more value on sea turtle eggs than on the human embryo. We give more dignity to whales than to humanity, which is a reversal of the order of creation. God created mankind alone in his image. In a sense, God created man and woman as His vice-regents, as His deputy rulers over all creation. That is the status of God accorded to humanity. That is what the Scriptures mean when they tell us man and woman were made in the imago Dei, or the image of God.” -R.C. Sproul