In this lecture, you'll learn about anthropology--the bible's view of humanity.  In particular, we'll focus on the two ends of the spectrum: creation and death.  We'll see how the biblical view of humanity is rather exalted since we are made in God's image.  We'll examine what the bible teaches about death and resurrection and how the intermediate state is regularly labeled sleep. 

—— Notes ——
Why start here?  it’s where the bible starts (creation)
anthropology: your understanding of humanity
where do humans come from?

two typical answers

unguided natural processes based on huge amounts of time and inconceivably unlikely chance events (evolution)
God made the first people (imago dei)


Genesis account

Gen 2.7: God personally creates humans

with heavenly bodies God says, “let there be”
with plants God says, “let there be”
with animals (air, land, or sea) God says, “let there be”
with humankind God stoops down

he forms us; he shapes us from dust, like clay


he breaths into our nostrils the breath of life

sounds like mouth to mouth


animals have the breath of life, but not such a tender description

consider God’s human design

22 square feet of skin
206 bones
25 feet of intestines
45 miles of nerves
100,000 miles of blood vessels
can live from hottest equatorial climates to the frigid polar caps
skin provides

waterproof barrier
temperature regulation
sensory input


fingers are both finely tuned (painting) and strong (boxers)
wrists enjoy 160 degrees of motion

throw frisbee
ride a motorcycle


ball and socket shoulder joint allows

360 degrees of motion
lift an object from the ground over our heads in one fluid motion


hearts pump 2,000 gallons of blood each day

never rest


stomachs produce hydrochloric acid powerful enough to digest solid metal
biped design allows for ridiculous range of activities

climb trees
run marathons
ballet


ears pick up incredible range of sounds

soft sounds
rock concerts


voices can whisper, speak, yell, sing
eyes allow for nearly 180 degrees of horizontal vision

three dimensions


brains process everything effortlessly

and assemble a realistic perception of the external world
capable of thinking abstractly (what’s better courage or integrity?)
can imagine future possibilities
mental simulator to run through plans
art, science, relationships, sports, etc.


people are capable of incredible creations

Shakespeare
your favorite song
Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai (more than a half mile high)
Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge in China (more than 100 miles)
bicycles, performance cars, submarines, airplanes, and spaceships


we are discoverers

charted a billion stars
catalogued over a million animals species


we are producers

130 million books
over 28 million songs
more than 2 million movies


we peer into space far away and examine the minute DNA within the microscopic world
you gotta admit, that God did a pretty amazing job making us!

God’s creation was good (7x)

significant b/c it means God made the universe and people the way he wanted

it wasn’t some accident (Gnostics)


was God’s origin

Ver todos los episodios