by Garrett Glende

We’ve now reached part three in Grudem’s Systematic Theology, dealing with the doctrine of man. Calvin writes that “no man can survey himself without forthwith turning his thoughts towards the God in whom he lives and moves.” Grudem has done so here, establishing first the doctrine of God so that we are more clearly able to perceive our own nature through the proper lens. As mentioned, part three of the book focuses on us. We will learn about how we were made, the differences between us and God, distinctions among men, and what characterizes our essential natures.

First, it must be said of man that he is created. There are few realities in Scripture that have greater impact on our daily lives than this and it is a truth that is violently opposed today. We would do well to study exactly the way in which God created us and how this should be fleshed out practically.

Second, it needs to be said that God did not need to create us. He is self-sufficient in that there is nothing outside of Himself that He relies upon for sustenance or pleasure. He did not need to make mankind in order to fulfill some emptiness in Himself or complete a missing part. God is glorious in Himself and there is perfect fellowship among the persons of the trinity, so why are we even here? The Westminster Confession of Faith states correctly that “the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” This is why we are here. Everything exists to bring glory to God, but human beings have been created uniquely in order to fulfill this mandate. Scripture declares that all things have been brought about so that God would be glorified (Col 1:16, Psalm 19:1, Isa 43:7), but what makes us so special?

Ultimately, humans stand as the centerpiece of all of God’s creation primarily because we have been made in God’s image. The account of our creation is found in Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” The Hebrew word for “image” simply means similar or like, but not identical. Grudem goes on to explain exactly how man is like God in four different ways.

1. Our inner morality attests to the fact that we are made in God’s image. We are able to discern between right and wrong and have a sense that we are held accountable to these standards.
2. We also share spiritual elements with God that the rest of creation does not. We live not only for the here and now, but for things that are not of this world. As Grudem puts it, “No animal will ever spend an hour in intercessory prayer for the salvation of a relative or friend!”
3. We have mental capacities that far exceed the likes of animals, simply because we have been made in the image of God. We reflect to some degree His creativity, wisdom, and complexity of emotion.
4. We also share with God relational attributes, such as the ability to have deep fellowship within the body of believers or the intimacy shared between a husband and wife. There are no other created beings that share this privilege. Among men and women, there is no distinction – we all bear the image of God in the same way.

It goes without saying that this doctrine should change the way we look at one another. It essentially destroys all grounds for racism, sexism, or any other kind of discrimination. As humans, we all share the exact same nature and all have a degree of dignity associated with us. To degrade another person is essentially to deny that they have been made in the image of God. Although we have tarnished this image through sin, our original state still stands. This means that the pastor is no greater than his flock, the husband is no greater than his wife, and the elderly are no greater than the youth. There is simply no room for boasting.

Stretching out this idea of equality of men in the image of God, how does this shape our view of missions? In studying this and being challenged by JR, I realized that I don’t always have a fully global view of missions. The doctrine of the creation of man in God’s image means that all men can worship God no matter what their background or ethnicity is. This means that there is not one place on earth where missions should not exist! It’s tempting to pick and choose the comfortable countries to go and do missions in, neglecting the areas that we feel aren’t worth it. I think a decent amount of people who want to go on missions would go to Europe or Asia, probably even most parts of South America, but will they go to the jungles? Will they…will I…go to a place where they can’t even read and write? Part of me wants to think any attempt to do so would be futile. “How could these indigenous people understand the gospel if they can even read?” is the thought that crosses my mind. But we all must be reminded that these people are made in God’s image in the same way we are. They have the exact same capacity to understand the things of God because He has made them to worship Him. Would God fail in His creation? Of course not! As a church, and as Christians, I hope that we all continue to grow in our love for all the people of the world, for there is not one soul lacking the image of our God.