In my initial summary of my understanding of Christian doctrine, I allotted a great deal of attention to the doctrines that, in my mind, define what it means to be a Christian--such as love, community, and evangelism--yet I neglected the fact that all Christians are, at their core, human beings. Therefore my attention is now turned to the doctrine of human beings. Guthrie 's analysis of the doctrine of human beings can perhaps best be summarized by 1 John 1:7, which reads, "but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." By dissecting this single verse, one can reach an understanding of all the aspects of human life, as defined by the Christian
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In fact, most individuals, even non-Christians, are familiar with this teaching of scripture, but Guthrie introduces a necessary depth to this truth. God created humans "male and female" (Genesis 1:27), which is still nothing new, but I had never before considered the implications of this specification. Unorthodox views have attributed this distinction to the possibility of God being male, female or characteristic of both, but according to orthodox belief (as defined by Guthrie), this is a demonstration of the relational nature of God and, by extension, of human beings. God created women as a companion to men, not wanting man to live in solitude, just as God did not live in …show more content…
Humans are sinful, though not necessarily by God 's design. As Guthrie puts it, "theirs [Adam and Eve 's] is the story of people who, form the very beginning, with the very first act we hear about, refused to be what God created them to be. They are the prime example for all time of what human life in the image of God does not look like." Sin as defined by the phrase "cor incurratum in se" means "the heart curled up in itself", detailing the selfish nature of sin (and thus the selfish nature of human beings). As a relational God, who created humans in all His likeness, God did not make us as sinners, for sin combats our relationship (once again) with God and with others by succumbing to self-interest.
What then is God 's model for human life? We are made in the image of God, therefore the best model of human life would be that of God, in the form of "Jesus, his Son" (1 John 1:7). In summary, Jesus, as the Son of God, stayed true to His form as the likeness of God, and was in relation with God and with others and with Himself; He did not sin, and therefore did not (as Adam and all since Adam) rebel against God 's design of human beings. Jesus even reminded us in Matthew 22:37-39 that it was the way God had intended for human beings to
In fact, most individuals, even non-Christians, are familiar with this teaching of scripture, but Guthrie introduces a necessary depth to this truth. God created humans "male and female" (Genesis 1:27), which is still nothing new, but I had never before considered the implications of this specification. Unorthodox views have attributed this distinction to the possibility of God being male, female or characteristic of both, but according to orthodox belief (as defined by Guthrie), this is a demonstration of the relational nature of God and, by extension, of human beings. God created women as a companion to men, not wanting man to live in solitude, just as God did not live in …show more content…
Humans are sinful, though not necessarily by God 's design. As Guthrie puts it, "theirs [Adam and Eve 's] is the story of people who, form the very beginning, with the very first act we hear about, refused to be what God created them to be. They are the prime example for all time of what human life in the image of God does not look like." Sin as defined by the phrase "cor incurratum in se" means "the heart curled up in itself", detailing the selfish nature of sin (and thus the selfish nature of human beings). As a relational God, who created humans in all His likeness, God did not make us as sinners, for sin combats our relationship (once again) with God and with others by succumbing to self-interest.
What then is God 's model for human life? We are made in the image of God, therefore the best model of human life would be that of God, in the form of "Jesus, his Son" (1 John 1:7). In summary, Jesus, as the Son of God, stayed true to His form as the likeness of God, and was in relation with God and with others and with Himself; He did not sin, and therefore did not (as Adam and all since Adam) rebel against God 's design of human beings. Jesus even reminded us in Matthew 22:37-39 that it was the way God had intended for human beings to