Monday, March 18, 2024

Duality of Man (1 Corinthians 6:12-20)

"Or do you not know … you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body …" (1 Cor. 6:19–20).

In the previous lesson we learned that even though man has fallen from his original state he is still made in the image of God. Yet something has changed, something dramatic. When sin entered the picture, we lost all righteousness, our ability to think became distorted, our emotions disrupted, and our wills bent by wicked desires. But despite the effects of sin, man is still made in the image of God not only spiritually but, to some extent, physically as well. Like our souls, our physical state has been affected by sin. We get sick, old, and we die, but this does not make the body, in and of itself, evil. In some way, it still bears the dignity of being made in the image of God. This is why it is wrong to murder someone—it is an attack on the image of God in man.

Our souls and our bodies were created to conform to the character of God. Some philosophies and religions consider the physical to be evil and only the soul, or spirit, to be good. This philosophy is called dualism and was prevalent in the ancient world. Christians have always insisted that this philosophy is heretical. Though God is Spirit, and we reflect His character in our spiritual being, our bodies are also involved in doing God’s will. The Bible clearly teaches that God created both the soul and the body, that both have been affected by sin, that both will be redeemed if the person believes in Christ, and both will be resurrected. Therefore, we must not devalue the physical, calling bad what God has called good.

We must also avoid the erroneous doctrine of trichotomy—that man has three components: body, soul, and spirit. Those that hold to this view assume that the spirit must mediate between the irreconcilable body and soul. Defenders of this view build their case from verses that refer to the body, soul, and spirit, even though the Bible uses soul and spirit interchangeably. Since Scripture divides the soul into mind, heart, spirit, according to the trichotomy logic there would be up to six or seven components to humanity. Contrary to this view, man is composed of a body and a soul, both made in God’s image while bearing the scars of sin and disobedience.

Depriving our bodies is not the high road to holiness. In what ways should you take better care of your body? The balance, of course, is not to focus too much on the physical, but this does not mean you should ignore it. Do you make a conscious effort to exercise, eat right, dress in a dignified manner, and maintain cleanliness?

Sunday, March 17, 2024

"Suppressing Truth" by John Calvin

"Though experience testifies that a seed of religion is divinely sown in all, scarcely one in a hundred is found who cherishes it in his heart, and not one in whom it grows to maturity, so far is it from yielding fruit in its season. Moreover, while some lose themselves in superstitious observances, and others, of set purpose, wickedly revolt from God, the result is that, in regard to the true knowledge of Him, all are so degenerate, that in no part of the world can genuine godliness be found.

In saying that some fall away into superstition, I mean not to insinuate that their excessive absurdity frees them from guilt; for the blindness under which they labor is almost invariably accompanied with vain pride and stubbornness. Mingled vanity and pride appear in this, that when miserable men do seek after God, instead of ascending higher than themselves, as they ought to do, they measure Him by their own carnal stupidity, and, neglecting solid inquiry, fly off to indulge their curiosity in vain speculation. Hence, they do not conceive of Him in the character in which He is manifested, but imagine Him to be whatever their own rashness has devised. This abyss standing open, they cannot move one footstep without rushing headlong to destruction. With such an idea of God, nothing which they may attempt to offer in the way of worship or obedience can have any value in His sight, because it is not Him they worship, but, instead of Him, the dream and figment of their own heart.

The expression of David (Ps. 14:1, 53:1), “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God,” is primarily applied to those who stifle the light of nature, and intentionally stupefy themselves. We see many, after they have become hardened in a daring course of sin, madly banishing all remembrance of God, though spontaneously suggested to them from within, by natural sense. To show how detestable this madness is, the Psalmist introduces them as distinctly denying that there is a God, because although they do not disown His essence, they rob Him of His justice and providence, and represent Him as sitting idly in heaven. Nothing being less accordant with the nature of God than to cast off the crimes of men that they may wanton with impunity in evil courses; it follows, that every man who indulges in security, after extinguishing all fear of divine judgment, virtually denies that there is a God. As a just punishment of the wicked, after they have closed their own eyes, God makes their hearts dull and heavy, and hence, seeing, they see not. They rob Him of His glory by denying His power."

Friday, March 15, 2024

Made in God’s Image (Genesis 1:20-31)

"So God created man in His own image" (Gen. 1:27).

Although man is sinful, stripped of his original righteousness, he is still God’s creation, made in His image. “The likeness has been spoiled, but not obliterated completely,” Colin Chapman writes, “However much the writers of the Bible may stress man’s fallen state, they never lose sight of the fact that he is the crown of God’s creative work in the universe.”

Man is a creature made in the image of God. He is not the same as God or one with God as some religions would have us believe. Man is finite, dependent, derived, accountable, and subordinate to God. Yet he is different from the rest of creation because he is made in the image of God. Proponents of evolution, utilitarianism, humanism, and materialism assert that mankind is not made in the image of God, that he is simply a composite of biological machinery, no different in essence or value from the animals. This thinking is prevalent today, and it attacks the dignity of humanity and God Himself.

Contrary to being one with creation as some maintain, creation is our responsibility and our servant. We are to care for the animals, but they are also to serve us as beasts of burden, and they are to be used as food. Modern secular evolutionary theories say that man is made in the image of the animals; man is the animal that thinks, or makes tools, or adapts to new situations. But the Bible says that man is made in the image of God and rules the earth as God’s steward.

To be made in the image of God means that we reflect God’s character. We are rational, emotional, moral, willful, and social creatures. We have been set apart from the rest of creation and given dominion over the earth. God is the ultimate authority, ruling over all things. In like manner, man is in authority over the earth. This aspect of the image of God in man is under attack by today’s environmentalists who elevate the needs of the animals above those of humans. Instead of seeing man as supreme in creation, they consider him an infestation. At the root of all philosophies that deny the supreme value of humanity is a bitter hatred against God Himself. Christians must guard against the many influences in our day that uphold human philosophies instead of the teaching of Scripture.

If you were talking to an environmentalist how would you present the biblical view of stewardship, proper conservation, and care for the animals? First you need to compare their views to Scripture. Read Genesis 1 again and Genesis 9:1–7. How do their views compare with Scripture?

Thursday, March 14, 2024

The Paradox of Man (Psalm 8)

"What is man that You are mindful of him?" (Ps. 8:4).

Paul’s desire for the Corinthian Church was that it be free from the entanglements of sin and be conformed to the holiness of God. As is evident from the apostle’s constant exhortations, he understood the fallen condition of man, the reality of sin that plagues every human being, even those who have been redeemed by the grace of God. To gain a better understanding of man’s fallen condition, we will take a few days to examine the relationship between man as made in God’s image, and sin which has shattered that image.

While man is now plagued with sin, there was a time when he walked upon the earth unhindered by evil desires. When God first made man, He fashioned him with dignity and nobility. God would not have us forget that state in which He first made us. As we think about the state in which Adam first existed, in righteousness and goodness, we should be spurred on to be as our first father was, to be righteous and holy. John Calvin wrote, “we cannot think upon either our first condition or to what purpose we were formed without being prompted to meditate upon immortality, and to yearn for the kingdom of God. That recognition, however, far from encouraging pride in us, discourages us and casts us into humility. For what is that origin? It is that from which we have fallen. What is that end of our creation? It is that from which we have been completely estranged, so that sick of our miserable lot we groan, and in groaning we sigh for that lost worthiness.”

As human beings, we see glimpses of that glory we once bore in the presence of God; but now it is lost, marred by sin. The tension that comes from the shattered fragments of man’s nobility has created a paradox in the study of man. On the one hand, man senses his grand distinctions from the brute beasts that roam the earth. Yet, he cannot deny his wicked impulses. He is perplexed by his conflicting abilities to perform the greatest acts of mercy and, at the same time, commit the most heinous acts of evil. Why this paradox in human nature? Is man noble or wicked? The answer cannot be found in any other context than who we are as the fallen, image-bearers of God.

What are some of the explanations the world gives for why man can act noble sometimes and evil at other times? What are some theories about the cause of man’s evil behavior? How do these theories differ from what the Bible says is the cause, which is man’s sin?

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Get Rid of the Old Yeast (1 Corinthians 5:6-8)

"Therefore, let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast … but with bread without yeast" (1 Cor. 5:8).

Paul tells the Corinthians that they had no reason to boast in their religious state; on the contrary, they had many reasons to be alarmed. They had allowed sin to grow among them. “A little leaven spreads through the whole lump.” The leaven is sin, and a single sin, no matter how secret, once it is indulged diffuses its corrupting influences over the whole body.

We are, then, exhorted by the apostle to purge out the old leaven, the old man, the wickedness, that we might be pure and holy. “When the paschal lamb was slain, the Hebrews were required to purge out all leaven from their houses (Ex. 12:15),” Hodge wrote. “The death of Christ imposes a similar obligation on us to purge out the leaven of sin. Christ is our passover, not because He was slain on the day on which the paschal lamb was offered, but because He does for us what the paschal lamb did for the Hebrews. As the blood of that lamb sprinkled on the doorposts secured exemption from the stroke of the destroying angel, so the blood of Christ secures exemption from the stroke of divine justice. Christ was slain for us, in the same sense that the passover was slain for the Hebrews. It was a vicarious death. As Christ dies to redeem us from all iniquity, it is not only contrary to the design of His death, but a proof that we are not interested in its benefits if we live in sin.

“Let us therefore keep the feast. That is, since our passover Christ is slain, let us keep the feast. This is not an exhortation to keep the Jewish passover—because the whole context is figurative, and because the death of Christ is no reason why the Corinthians should keep the Jewish passover.… A feast was a portion of time consecrated to God. To keep the feast means, ‘Let your whole lives be as a sacred festival, i.e. consecrated to God.’ ” The feast of the passover lasted seven days and was connected to the slaying of the paschal lamb. Likewise, a life of consecration to God should be connected with the death of Christ. This feast should be celebrated not with the old leaven of wickedness but with sincerity and truth, outward conformity as well as inward conformity to the character of God.

What are some practical ways you can get rid of the “old yeast”? Make a list of sins that are most hindering in your life right now. Think of anything that you are doing that in any way encourages these sins. Systematically, and prayerfully, stop doing (or thinking of) those things that lead you to sin.