Christ offers us a real view of humanity
What makes humanity human?
Our purpose.
Our purpose is unique to only us. Humans have a unique purpose in comparison to any other creature on the earth. When God was looking for a partner for Adam, “no helper was found corresponding to him” (Gen. 2:20). Likewise, God created Adam, and all mankind, to have dominion over animals and creation, not to be on the same playing field as animals and creation. Our unique purpose means that humans are not of the same worth as animals.
So, what is humanity’s purpose?
To honor and glorify the one true God who created us by bearing His image.
In this way, our purpose is not able to be defined by other people, our status, our feelings, or our abilities. Rather, it is only capable of being found in God and what He says about us. First, let’s see what He says about us in the Bible.
Ultimately, our humanity leaves us doomed to destruction because through Adam’s sin, all men sinned and are accountable (Rom. 5:12). Because Adam represented all of humanity with his decision to sin, all of humanity is cursed before God and unable to reconcile its relationship with Him. We are cursed before God and unable to reach Him because of His holiness.
How does that purpose give us any worth and value?
Because God became that curse for us by becoming flesh (a.k.a. human, like us) so that we are able to be reconciled to Him.
Our sin is so terrible that it involves death. Death of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who became flesh. He came down from His perfect spotless palace in heaven to our home, Earth, a sinful broken place with sinful broken people because He loves us.
He did not leave us hopeless in our sin. If He did, He is too holy for us to ever be good enough to earn our salvation! So He made a way for us to be reconciled to Him, and it is not our own efforts, “so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:9). Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
When God created humanity, He said “let us make man in our image, according to our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). Moreover, we are God’s temple and the Spirit of God lives in us (1 Cor. 3:16), a highest honor because the temple was the most holy place in the Old Testament; it was where God dwelt. But He chooses no longer to dwell in the most holy building, but rather to dwell within believers who accept His salvation.
Humans are given much worth through God’s decision to become a human, which is able to reconcile us back to Him.
So, what is that real view of humanity that Christ offers us?
Eternal life in Him.
From that life, comes the real worth of humanity. Recognizing that our Creator Himself defines us, has given us His image, and chooses to dwell within us gives us the ability to go forth in confidence that our relationship with God is restored because Christ became like us, a human.
2 Corinthians 5:21
“He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.“
Hello everyone! How are you doing?!
