What is Theological Anthropology?
What does it mean to be human?
This is the question that continues to surface with each generation.
This question has led to a multitude of answers, opinions, studies, and disagreements throughout history.
While that question is debated widely, its answer is simple, according to the Scriptures.
To be a human is to be made in love, in God’s image, for relationship with Him and others.
As Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Colossae:
For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:17 NIV)
All things were made by God the Son and for Him.
To understand what it means to be human, we have to understand how and why we were created.
And this is where the issues begin when determining what it means to be human.
Anthropology is the study of what it means to be human. That study will inevitably leave questions unanswered if it is done apart from our theology.
Without a proper theology, any attempt to answer the question of what it means to be a human will fall short of its goal.
Any attempt to study the created without studying the Creator will leave many of our questions unanswered.
For this reason, a theological anthropology is the best option for answering the question of what it means to be human.
What is a Theological Anthropology?
A theological anthropology is an attempt to think through the meaning of the human story as it is lived out before, with, and by God.1
To answer the question of what it means to be human, it’s important to first determine the lens in which the question is viewed through.
For followers of Jesus, the lens we view our humanity through is theological.
To understand what it means to be human, we must first position ourselves before God as made by Him, for Him, and through Him.
Our study of what it means to be a human must start where the story of Scripture begins.
The man was more than the first image bearer; he was the head of the human race. Given this headship, his responsibility carried with it the potential for profoundly devastating consequences. If Adam was sent out of Eden, we were sent out in him too. When Adam acted, he acted in our place. The impact of his decision, therefore, was far-reaching and ongoing. When Adam took and ate, we were in him taking and eating. His problem became our problem; his fall, our fall.1
Before there was a human, there was God.
Before any questions are asked, we must first acknowledge that God has always been. Because when we acknowledge His supremacy and eternal nature, we approach our anthropology with humility.
This is what it means to have a theological anthropology.
To study what it means to be human considering God’s eternal existence and plan for His creation.
And from this place, we can begin to ask the question:
What does it mean to be human?
The Imago Dei
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27 NIV)
We were made by God to bear His image.
This is foundational to our study of what it means to be a human.
Because we were made by God, in love, to bear His image, we have inherent worth and value at a soul-deep level.
Every person, regardless of their circumstances, has infinite value because they were created by God to bear His image.
This truth informs our anthropology and provides the foundation for answering the question of what it means to be human.
To be human is to be made in God’s image.
And the implications of this truth are far-reaching.
Whether male or female, rich or poor, healthy or sick, every human was made by God to bear His image.
David wrote in Psalm 139:
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139:14 NIV)
To be human is to be fearfully and wonderfully made. To be fashioned by God’s hands and formed in His image, through the power of His love.
And if this is the story of humanity, then our study of humanity transforms into wonder and awe.
What Does This Mean for Us Today?
While the study of what it means to be human is not something everyone participates in, it should be something we all ponder.
Because to be a human made in God’s image affects every part of our lives.
It affects how we relate to the God who made us, as well as how we relate to the world around us.
Dr. Richard Phillips writes:
God made man face-to-face for a covenantal relationship of fellowship, communion, and love.1
We were designed to live in a face-to-face relationship with the God who created us. And that relationship with our Creator influences how we live in communion with the rest of humanity.
If we are to understand what it means to be human, we have to understand what it means to be created by a God who loves us, sees us, and knows us better than we know ourselves.
This is why a theological anthropology is vital to understanding what it means to a human in the world today.
As A.W. Tozer once said:
The yearning to know what cannot be known, to comprehend the incomprehensible, to touch and taste the unapproachable, arises from the image of God in the nature of man. Deep calleth unto deep, and though polluted and landlocked by the mighty disaster theologians call the Fall, the soul senses its origin and longs to return to its source.
Take Your Study of Theological Anthropology Deeper
To answer the question of what it means to be human in light of God’s revelation in the Scriptures, we’ve created a new online course at AWKNG School of Theology called Theological Anthropology.
In this course, Dr. Joshua R. Farris walks you through:
- A Big Picture of the Scriptural Narrative of Human Identity
- The biblical, philosophical, and theological foundations for a theology of human nature
- The role constitution has for other categories in theological anthropology
- The organizing role ‘creaturely, ‘divine’, ‘hearing’, and ‘seeing’ has in the Scriptural portrait of the human
If you’re interested in learning more about this upcoming course, check it out HERE
To learn more about AWKNG and how we’re making high-quality Biblical education accessible to all, click here.