What is Man? How the Bible Defines Humanity

Broadly speaking, the doctrine of “Anthropology” is the biblical understanding of mankind. More specifically, biblical anthropology is the study of what Scripture teaches about humanity—our origin, nature, purpose, responsibilities, fall, and eternal future. This study is crucial because man does not have the authority to define his own existence, or even the ability to discover his true identity apart from the revelation of God.

Much of the cultural and moral confusion of our age can be traced to an unbiblical anthropology. The modern view of humanity is characterized by an elevated view of mankind in general, but more specifically, it places the individual at the center of its worldview. Personal feelings are elevated above God’s law as the ultimate authority for human behavior. Psychological wellness, defined apart from Scripture, is prioritized over holiness as humanity’s greatest good. Personal fulfillment replaces God’s glory as the ultimate purpose of life.

In other words, in the modern man-centered worldview, how you feel, especially about yourself, is the most important reality in the world. Thus, authentically expressing every inner desire is increasingly viewed as the best way to navigate life because internal feelings are treated as authoritative and their expression as the path to psychological wellness and personal fulfillment. Additionally, inhibiting someone else’s impulses—no matter how absurd they might seem—is the greatest evil you can perpetrate because it prevents others from attaining these modern ideals.

All of this is, of course, a not-so-subtle distortion of the Bible, which teaches that God’s moral law is the ultimate authority over mankind, and God’s glory is the highest good for man to pursue. The difference between these two ways of viewing the world—a modern, man-centered and a biblical worldview—explains, in part,

• the abandonment of biblical sexual ethics;

• the confusion surrounding gender and human sexuality;

• the misuse of empathy to affirm beliefs and behaviors contrary to Scripture.

There is an entirely new way of defining right and wrong in the modern world that is rooted in an entirely new way of thinking about humanity. Thus, part of the explanation for what is going on in our culture can be traced back to bad anthropology.

If for no other reason than to avoid the destructive consequences of our culture’s confusion, we need to cultivate a thoroughly biblical understanding of humanity. The fact of the matter is that we are not self-created or self-defining beings (Ps. 100:3; Isa. 45:9–12). We are creatures made by God, in God’s image, for God’s glory (Gen. 1:26–27; Isa. 43:7). Although every person possesses genuine dignity as an image-bearer, every person has also been corrupted by sin (Gen. 9:6; Rom. 3:10–23). Consequently, our desires are not inherently trustworthy (Jer. 17:9; Eph. 4:22), and our highest good is not self-expression but joyful conformity to the will of our Creator (Ps. 40:8; Rom. 12:1–2; Col. 1:9–10).

The Bible answers our deepest questions about who we are and why we were created, giving us a more accurate understanding of ourselves than would otherwise be possible apart from God’s revelation. For instance, the Bible teaches us that we are creatures made by God and therefore dependent upon Him, yet we also possess unique dignity because we were created in His image (Gen. 1:26–27; Acts 17:24–28). It explains that God created humanity as male and female, gave us the responsibility to exercise dominion over creation, and designed us to live in fellowship with Him and one another (Gen. 1:27–28; 2:18–25). Scripture also reveals that sin has corrupted every aspect of our nature, so our thoughts, feelings, and desires cannot serve as infallible guides (Gen. 6:5; Jer. 17:9; Mark 7:21–23; Rom. 3:10–18). Ultimately, the Bible teaches that we do not belong to ourselves and were not created to pursue self-realization, but to know God, obey His Word, and glorify Him in every area of life (Isa. 43:7; John 17:3; 1 Cor. 6:19–20; 10:31).

MacArthur: “But all false views of man are refuted by a biblical anthropology that reveals man to be a direct creation of a personal God who designed man with dignity and purpose to serve God. To know what to do, we must know who we are. This is the benefit of a Scripture-based doctrine of man.” (John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue, eds., Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 401.)