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What Is Man?

Title: What Is Man? Series: Questions by the Psalmist Text: “What is man?” (Ps. 8:4). Scripture Reading: Psalm 8:1–9 Introduction Centuries ago the psalmist asked, “What is man” (Ps. 8:4). He shows us that while man may be of little significance quantitatively, he is of great significance spiritually. What is man? The question is still relevant today. To answer it, let us apply four tests to understand and evaluate man. I. Man is to be understood, and his worth is to be judged, by his origin. Controversy rages in this arena. The only reliable one—tells us, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Gen. 1:26–27). The Genesis account, then, establishes a number of significant facts: (1) Man is a created being, not a created thing. (2) Man is an end, not a means to an end, and is never to be so used. (3) Man is a spiritual being, and this dimension distinguishes him from the animals. (4) Man is more than a bundler of instincts responding to sense stimuli. Man’s origin is in God by a special act of creation, the crown of all his works. II. Man is to be understood, and his worth is to be judged, by the pattern by which he was cut, the design by which he was created. Man is like that. On the physical side, man is not very different from the other animals. He has, however, a spiritual and rational nature like that of his Maker. “God created man in his own image” (Gen. 1:27). It is this dimension that makes man different from the other animals. III. Man is to be understood, and his worth is to be judged, by the relationships for which he was created. The first chapters of Genesis are not scientific accounts, nor are they entertaining myths. Here in simple form is the most beautiful story of what happened and why. A significant detail of this story is God’s walking in the garden in the cool of the day with the man and his wife. Man was created for fellowship with his Maker, whose image he bears. Another important part of the story is the creation of woman and the reason for it. “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him” (Gen. 2:18). Man was also created for fellowship with others of his own kind. Thus God laid the foundation for the human family. Man was created for these relationships. Man’s ability to fellowship with God and his fellow humans is God’s gift, but we know that man’s ability to pursue evil thoughts is not God’s gift. Evil thoughts and actions, which destroy relationships, have another source altogether. Sin diminishes man’s worth. Not only does he lose the integrity of his relationship, but he also loses fellowship with God. If we acknowledge this, isn’t it reasonable to agree with Nietzsche that man is “vermin on the crust of the earth”? The Christian believes in the infinite worth of every individual because God has not surrendered him to the powers of evil. God loves him. Life’s true dimensions are in this relationship. A man’s life reaches its maximum in its relation to God through Jesus Christ, and after that, to other people. IV. Man is to be understood, and his worth is to be judged, by the destiny God purposed for him when he created him. We ought to see ourselves in Abraham’s experience. It is written of him, “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went” (Heb. 11:8). No road maps, no charted course, no detailed knowledge, but with a sense of mission burning in his soul. Though Abraham did not know where he was going, he knew who controlled his travels. We need to be more like Abraham. As God’s redeemed children, we move toward the destination God has chosen for us. Though man has lost the way, he may find it again through accepting God’s way—Jesus Christ. Conclusion It is now appropriate to flesh out in practical terms the applications of these principles. Any service that improves man is a service to God, because man is a child of God. We serve God as we serve our fellow humans. Any ministry that helps man to fulfill the relationships for which he was created is in line with the will of God. Man is God’s child, God created man as his child, but man is an estranged child who needs to be redeemed. Since man is estranged, he must trust in Christ. When he does this, he is in step with his Creator. Time, tide, and the universe are on the side of the Christian because his “life is hid with Christ in God ” (Col. 3:3).