Who are You?
“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12
It seems an odd question to answer—what does it means to be human? Yet it is imperative in this culture of confusion that we have the correct answer to this vital question. And it all rests on one’s worldview, which is the lens that we use to view reality. Is our lens clear?
Depending on one’s worldview, answering what it means to be human can vary widely. For this purpose, I am going to focus on the worldview that I hold which is a Christian one. I believe the “Christian lens” is the clearest explanation for reality. Reality shows us that there is something wrong with the world – humans keep messing things up. Why? It’s because we’ve rebelled against God. So, Jesus came to restore humanity back to its Creator.
When properly lived, Christianity is the most human way to live. Not only did Jesus come to offer us salvation, He showed us what it means to be human. His life was morally exceptional, and we would all do better if we studied His life and tried our best to emulate it.
From the belief system of Christianity, to be human is to be created in the Imago Dei, a Latin term for the “image of God.” This image is special – no other creature on Earth has it. It is reserved specifically for humans, which sets us apart from all other created things. We are created especially for God for His glory. What is God’s glory, anyway? Being clear on the meaning of words is import, and this is one of those words that Christians sometimes use without thinking of the deeper meaning and purpose behind the word.
Glory, in a Biblical context, has been described by some as “God’s holiness made manifest” (to make clear or obvious to the eye). So, people are created in God’s image to make His holiness obvious to the eye… Wow! Now that is an interesting concept, if you dwell on it a bit.
Your Glorious Body
You were created to make God obvious. What? Yeah. That is one aspect of being human. Your body is quite “glorious” when you stop to consider how wonderfully made the human body is. Take, for instance, the discovery of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid). This is a thread-like chain of nucleotides carrying the genetic instructions that tell your body what you’re going to look like, from the color of your eyes to how tall you’re going to be. It’s your body’s “blueprint,” so to speak.
DNA is somewhat like a computer program on a floppy disk. It stores and transfers encoded information and instructions. It is said that human DNA stores enough ‘information code’ to fill 1,000 books, each with 500 pages of very small, closely-printed type.[1] This is amazing!
What are the odds of that? Well, two well-known scientists calculated the odds of life forming by natural processes. They estimated that there is less than 1 chance in 10 to the 40,000 power that life could have originated by random trials. 10 to the 40,000 power is a 1 with 40,000 zeros after it![2]
This is a good argument against what proponents of an atheistic worldview believe — that life developed as a pure, undirected chemical process. Being human does not mean we are a product of a lucky roll of the dice over, and over, and over again! We are not a mere product of undirected processes. There is a “Divine Director” behind it all, or as some have termed it, an “Intelligent Design.”
Your DNA points to God – your ‘body’ makes God obvious! That brings Him glory.
Your Purpose
Being human means that we have purpose, and from a Christian worldview, that purpose is to be loved by God and love Him in return. This then helps us to “love our neighbors as ourselves” (Mark 12:31). We can love because it comes from the knowledge of knowing that we are loved first by God — that we are lovable! If we don’t know this, it’s hard to love others well. We must know that we are loved, and then we can love ourselves enough to love others well.
This is why being human is special. There is no other creature created exactly like people. Matter of fact, we are “God’s masterpiece.” (Eph. 2:10, NLT.) After understanding a bit about DNA, I can see how DNA is truly a work of ‘God art.’ Only God could create such an intricate system of coding. And remember, every code must have a “coder,” just sayin’.
Your Hope
So, as you begin this New Year (2019), remember that being human is a special thing, one that brings God glory if we allow Him to form us into “children of God.” This means we are adopted into His family by the precious love of Jesus Christ, a love that paid the penalty for crimes (sin) committed against God.
Jesus loves us that much – to become a man, to die to pay the price of our crimes (a.k.a. rebellion) against God, and to rise again, giving all people who believe in Him hope that when our bodies fail, it is not the end. Upon death, our spirits leave to be in heaven with Christ, and someday, we will all be resurrected into new bodies that never see decay (2 Cor. 5:1). This is the glorious hope of being a ‘redeemed’ human being!
Being human means that you are created in God’s image which sets you apart from all other living things. As a ‘believing’ human, you are also God’s ambassadoron Earth to help others see how special they are, too. Spread this good news in 2019 – plant the seeds of truth, trusting it is God that makes those seeds grow.
[1]Alan MacDougall, www.scienceforums.net, accessed Jan. 2, 2019.
[2]Fred Hoyle & N. Chandra Wickramasinghe, Evolution from Space[Aldine House, 33 Welbeck St., London W1M 8LX: J.M. Dent & Sons, 1981), p. 148, 24,150,30,31).
Being created in His image is amazing. What a beautiful blessing!
It is indeed. Thanks for stopping by!
Loved this! A reminder of how special we are as humans. Made in the image of God to make His glory visible. That is something amazing to ponder. God bless you, your family and your ministry in the coming year!
Thanks, Melissa! God bless you and your family, too.
Lisa, what a great reminder that God created us with such love to have bodies that are so intricately formed. All in his image! What an amazing God we serve!
He is amazing, to be sure. Thanks for stopping by!
We are created in God’s image to make His glory visible to the world, really great way to think about it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the subject and God bless
Thanks, Yvonne!
I love this: “When properly lived, Christianity is the most human way to live.”
Our critics are usually pointing at someone who is not properly living the Christian walk. But when we live properly, we shine light and show that life is full of meaning and purpose.
Thanks, Nancy, for commenting. Yes, you’re absolutely right in that critics are quick to point out our faults, but where are they when we get it right?
What a wonderful truth to remind ourselves about in many aspects of life, including when things don’t go our way. Thank you, Lisa, for highlighting how special we are. I especially like how you ended this post: “As a ‘believing’ human, you are also God’s ambassador on Earth to help others see how special they are, too.”
Thanks, Stephen. Blessings!
I love the definition of glory you used. It’s one to ponder. It is so clear. Being human is truly special. God is special and that he would give us the privilege to represent him is incredible grace! Thank you for this post!
Thanks, Marcie, for you kind words!
What a wonderful post, Lisa! We too often think tackling the basics like explaining humanity and world views is not necessary, but this is spot on. Love the research on DNA, our body and purpose, our hope…all of this! And this…
“…people are created in God’s image to make His holiness obvious to the eye….” Right, that is a wow thought!
Hi Karen! Thanks for your comment. Blessings, Lisa Q
This post is right in line with my reading lately. I’ve been reading books about science and faith. Both books I’m reading lay out the infinitely remote possibility of random chemicals creating life without a Creator. The only evidence it’s possible is us. But that falls into the logical fallacy of generalization.
In any case, I’m with you that a defense of theism can easily be built on the far greater likelihood of an intelligent Creator. Good post!
Thanks, Chip. I am glad you’re reading books on science & faith. Too often people think those two disciplines cannot interact or relate in any way. They’d be wrong, just sayin’. Bless you, Lisa Q