The document discusses different perspectives on what it means to be human from both Christian and secular viewpoints. It explores ideas from philosophers and theologians such as Augustine, Jonathan Edwards, Rene Descartes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and William James. The document also examines what the Bible says about humanity's origin and relationship to God as his image-bearers. Specifically, it looks at passages from Genesis describing God creating humans in his image and likeness to have dominion over the earth. Finally, it discusses what reflecting God to the world through one's life looks like according to scripture.

5. What does it
mean to be a
human being?

6. Christian
Point of View

7. “We are individuals
with an inner life and
identified by the sphere
of influence and circle
of relationships
around us.”
- Augustine

8. “We are individuals
with reasonable minds
who can be changed,
transformed, saved,
improved by the
assistance of God’s
grace.”
- Jonathan Edwards

9. Worldly
Point of View

10. “We are not just
individuals, but
individuals with a
rational mind. We can
think and our brain, our
mind, is essentially that
which makes
us human.”
- Rene Descartes

11. “You are an individual
with a mind, but you
don’t really need God
and his grace to help
you. You don’t need to
look outward to God.
You need to look
inward to self.”
- Jean-Jacques
Rousseau

12. “Not only are you a pretty
good person, and not only
are the answers in you
instead of in God, you
don’t really need God at
all. What you need is a
highly-trained specialized
psychiatrist. You need a
therapist. You need a
psychologist.”
- William James

13. “Our greatest need is
not to glorify God, but
to glorify self. Self-
actualization .”
- Abraham Maslow

14. “We made God. God
didn’t make us, we
made God. He’s a
figment of our
imagination.”
- Ludwig Feuerbach

15. “We made God. God
didn’t make us, we
made God. He’s a
figment of our
imagination.”
- Ludwig Feuerbach

16. “Moralistic: you want to
be a good person and
do the best you can.
Therapeutic: God is the
big therapist in the sky.
Deism: he’s far, far
away. God’s not really
there to help you.”
- Christian Smith

17. By 2013, the word "selfie"
had become commonplace
enough to be monitored for
inclusion in the online version
of the Oxford English
Dictionary. In November
2013, the word "selfie" was
announced as being the
"word of the year" by the
Oxford English Dictionary,
which gave the word itself an
Australian origin.

18. What does the Bible
reveal about the origin
of human life?

19. Genesis 1:26
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in
our image, in our likeness, so that they may
rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in
the sky, over the livestock and all the wild
animals, and over all the creatures that move
along the ground.”
Elohim The Father, the Son and
the Spirit

20. Genesis 1:27
27 So God created mankind in his own
image, in the image of God he created
them; male and female he created them.

21. Genesis 5:1-3
This is the written account of Adam’s family
line. When God created mankind, he made
them in the likeness of God. 2 He created
them male and female and blessed them.
And he named them “Mankind” when they
were created. 3 When Adam had lived 130
years, he had a son in his own likeness, in
his own image; and he named him Seth.

22. Genesis 9:6
6 “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans
shall their blood be shed; for in the image of
God has God made mankind.

23. All continue to say that though sinful, we
are still God’s image-bearers. At this
point there is no sin in history or in the
world or in the life of our first parents.
And once they do sin and we, as
sinners, continue to bear the image and
likeness of God. We don’t become less
than human.

24. Genesis 1:27
27 So God created mankind in his own
image, in the image of God he created
them; male and female he created them.
God has no gender.

25. Genesis 1:28
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be
fruitful and increase in number; fill the
earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in
the sea and the birds in the sky and over
every living creature that moves on the
ground.” This is the essence of our
relationship.
Work smart
Be good stewards not owners.
Take care of it.

26. Genesis 2:7
7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the
dust of the ground and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life, and the man
became a living being.
He formed – very personal
involvement in the making of
humanity.
That’s giving us a soul or a spirit.
We’re not just material bodies.
There is also an immaterial soul
that is part of our existence.
That’s God breathing his spirit-
life into us.

27. Genesis 2:18
18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the
man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable
for him.”

28. Genesis 2:20-22
20 But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into
a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he
took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up
the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God
made a woman from the rib he had taken out
of the man, and he brought her to the man.
No discrimination
Not a slave

29. Genesis 2:23-25
23 The man said, “This is now bone of my
bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be
called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of
man.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father
and mother and is united to his wife, and they
become one flesh. 25 Adam and his wife were
both naked, and they felt no shame.

30. What is the place of
human beings in
relation to God and
creation?

31. Psalm 8:5-8
5 You have made them a little lower than the
angels and crowned them with glory and
honor. 6 You made them rulers over the works
of your hands; you put everything under their
feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the animals of
the wild, 8 the birds in the sky, and the fish in
the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
It is under God and
above the rest of creation

32. What does it
mean that we are
God’s image?

33. We can make decisions. We have moral
decision-making ability. We have dominion
over lower creation. We can have great
effect, positive and negative, on the
environment and other animals and plants
and species. We have social ability. We can
write. We can communicate. We can speak.

34. We have emotions. We feel things deeply.
We also have non-moral likenesses, like
intellect and reason. We can think. We can
learn. We’re immortal and spirit, that we
can live forever. Our soul will go on beyond
the physical life. We have creative ability.
We also have the ability to appreciate
beauty and aesthetics and the art.

35. Another way to look at it is to say that God
has certain attributes that belong to him
alone. We’ll call those the unshared or the
incommunicable attributes. I’ll give you an
example. God is omnipresent – he’s
everywhere. We’re not. God is omniscient
– he’s all-knowing. We’re not. God is
omnipotent – he’s all-powerful. We’re not.

36. God is immutable – he doesn’t change,
and we do. God is eternal – he is without a
beginning, and we are not. We came into
existence at a point in time. And God is
sovereign – he rules over everyone and
everything, and we’re not.

37. What are some
common errors
regarding the
image of God?

39. Who is the best
image of God?

40. Colossians 1:15
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation.
Jesus is what a normal human being is supposed to be
like. Jesus is what we would be like without sin. We would
love God. We would obey God. We would serve others. We
would be humble. We would have complete, ongoing trust
in God. We’d have empathy and compassion for others.
We’d be generous with our stuff.

41. We are to image God
means to reflect God
like a mirror. We are to
radiate the glory of
God.
- John Calvin

42. Because of SIN we don’t mirror God well.
Jesus Christ, without sin, he mirrors God
perfectly.

45. What is a life
that images God?

46. 2 Corinthians 3:18
18 And we all, who with unveiled faces
contemplate[a] the Lord’s glory, are being
transformed into his image with ever-
increasing glory, which comes from the Lord,
who is the Spirit.

47. How to reflect God
to the earth?

48. Submit to God and
His authority
(1)

49. Deepen your
worship life to God
(2)

50. Represent God with
truth and justice
(3)

51. Serve God through
advancing His kingdom
(4)

52. Be a living witness
(5)

53. Love people
unconditionally
(6)

54. How is it possible
to reflect God
to the earth?

55. Be in an active and growing
relationship with God
(1)

56. Join/Start a
Faithgroup today.
(2)

57. Sign up and grow in
a local church (FCC).
(3)

58. Conclusion

59. The more you spend time
with God, the more you
become like Him.

60. FAITHWORKS CHRISTIAN CHURCH GLOBAL
Presented By:
Ps. Alvin Gutierrez
FCC Main San Mateo, Rizal, PH
4PM Afternoon Worship Service
April 30, 2017