What it Means to be Human

I believe what makes someone uniquely human is first that he or she was made in the image of God. This implies that, deep down, humans are good. I truly believe C.S. Lewis’s point that if we could really see each other for what we are, we would be tempted to worship each other. Unfortunately sin also is a uniquely human trait. Because of original sin, we as humans are living in a muddied world where greed and selfishness, to name a few sins, have hardened our hearts and blinded our eyes to the beauty of each other and the glory of our God. So we as humans are naturally good beings, but unnaturally sinning against our Maker. To believe that humans are good and yet to see evil in this world, one must also consider there is a third party involved. Satan is working against us, a thief in the night. As humans we are not able to battle against the Enemy without our Savior. As Paul states in Romans 7, although we want to do good, evil is there. Only by the power of Jesus Christ can we do what we naturally are inclined to do.

The Two Books of God: The Word and His Works

I do believe that all truth is God’s truth (Entwistle, 2004). Both the book of God’s word and the book of God’s work allow us to see our Creator more clearly. However, Entwistle himself highlighted that the world as we see it has distanced itself further from the truth than the Bible could have been mistranslated. Because of this, I view the Bible as superior to lessons learned in this world. Early on in my walk, I did not believe in Satan. Everything was either of God or of my flesh. I now believe Paul as he wrote in Ephesians 6 that our fight is not against the world that we see, but against the evil in the spiritual world that exists all around us. I now view problems of the natural world, such as sickness or deceit, in a new dimension. These are to be tackled with natural means, such as medicine or intervention, as well as with spiritual warfare, such as prayer or fasting. The two worlds are interwoven, both of God. Both trusting in God’s Word and acknowledging the spiritual world require faith in God. Both produce an overwhelming peace in me that God is in control.

Entwistle, D.N. (2004). Integrative approaches to psychology and Christianity: an introduction to worldview issues, philosophical foundations, and models of integration. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers.