Lesson 11 - Works of God (Sin and Humanity)

Question 1

What does Psalm 8 provide in understanding human beings?

Answer 1

What is man? Not the first question in regards to divine revelation

David: Know thyself within the wider and more interesting context of knowing God and the works of God

1. ) Once again, the importance of order in theological method: theocentric anthropology
2. ) Such a perspective helps us appreciate the wonder of human beings: made by God, human beings exist in a state of humility and dignity before God.
3. ) David doesn’t start with man, but with God. You can’t understand yourself until you understand God.

Summary: Theology is about God and everything in relation with God. We only appreciate human beings if we see them in relation to God.

Question 2

What does it mean that human beings are embodied, living souls?

Answer 2

1. ) Embodied: man is not self-sufficient, but contingent creatures. We have physical bodies and are confined to a a place and a nature.
2. ) Living Souls (Gen. 2:7) = man is a living soul; he has movement (rational = made to know and love God)

The soul expresses itself through the Body (Rom. 12:1-2)

Question 3

What is the purpose of humankind?

Answer 3

1.) Purpose= friendship/communion with God

a. ) Creation
- - Entering into God’s rest: Gen 2:1-3 with Heb 3-4; Rev 14:13; 22:1-5
- - Eternal life: Gen 2:9; 3:22
- - Creation was only a beginning, not humanity’s ultimate destiny and highest end: see 1 Cor 15:46; along with NT teaching about marriage (Mark 12:25), etc. (“cultural mandate”)

b. ) Covenant of Works
- - In the beginning, the triune king of creation engaged his personal creatures Adam and Eve in covenant. Within the context of this covenant, human nature and vocation would flourish (Deut 8:3; Psalm 24), and humanity’s destiny would be realized (Gen 2:9).

Question 4

How is the Christian to understand the consequences of Adam’s sin?

Answer 4

The Bible teaches that sin is a historical problem (a moral problem introduced by persons in history) that calls for a historical solution (a moral solution introduced by a person in history) that preserves and fulfills our basic metaphysical goodness.

Consequences of Adam’s Sin:

1. ) Image of God is distorted and damaged (irreparable)
2. ) Vocation - Kingly vocation is subjected to vanity and we are now ruled by the serpent; Priestly Vocation - we are exiled from God’s presence
3. ) Destiny - Guilt and Death; biblical images for sin (stained, burdened, debt, enslaved)

Question 5

How does the work of Christ restore human nature?

Answer 5

1. ) Grace restores and perfects nature
2. ) The covenant of works and the work of Christ

a. ) Recall the “elements” of the covenant of works above
- - Christ fulfills both the precept/requirement of obedience (Rom 5:18-21; Gal 4:5) and the penalty (death) of the covenant of works on our behalf (Gal 3:10-13).
- - In so doing, his obedient death removes the consequences of Adam’s sin and ours: Christ’s blood cleanses us of our sin (Heb 9:14), carries away the burden of our sin (John 1:29), and pays the debt of our sin (1 Pet 1:18-19); Christ’s obedient death also secures our release from bondage to the devil and to death (Romans 6; 1 Cor 15; Hebrews 2; Rev 12).
- - Moreover, having fulfilled the precept and penalty of the covenant of works, Christ wins for us the promise of the covenant of works (= eternal life, rest in God’s presence), which we may receive as a free gift (apart from works) through faith: Romans 5:21; Eph 2:8-10.
- - Thus, in and through Jesus Christ and his obedient death, human nature and vocation is restored (2 Cor 3-4; Heb 10:19-22; Eph 4-5) and human destiny is realized and perfected (1 John 3:1-3; Rev 22:1-5): through his obedient death, the grace of Christ restores and perfects the human nature distorted and damned in Adam, so that we might behold God’s glory and walk in his presence.