How did God create man?

Posted on October 31, 2016 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

Question 10 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “How did God create man?”

The answer is, “God created man, male and female, in His own image and in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, to rule over the other creatures.”

What really jumps out at me when I read this answer is the second phrase, “in his own image.”

Thankfully, our Western culture is built around the foundational idea of the dignity of man. This thought informs our laws and our practice. We think that murder is wrong. We think that individuals have rights that should not be violated. We think that each person should be able to do or become whatever he wishes to be.

The Bible informs us that man’s dignity is a result from his being created in the image of God. The dignity that we have has been conferred on us by our creator.

I see in my country that there is no longer a consensus regarding the source of man’s dignity or even if there is anything special about man at all. This is not surprising when one starts from a naturalistic presupposition. If life is the result of a chance combination of a few proteins which developed through some chance mutations, then it is hard to see man in a different category from the rest of the universe.

But I have yet to meet anyone who held this position who actually lived consistently with it. While we may deny that man is special, we continue to live as though he is. As a society, we strive to eliminate poverty. We provide help to those who have been made homeless by floods, hurricanes and tornados. We create beauty through the arts. We live as though our lives have purpose.

This question in the catechism reminds me that all of our striving for meaning is a result of our being made in the image of God. Jesus affirmed this when he said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

Weary of the pressure to be “Woke”

I get weary of the call to be we because in the end, it doesn’t matter how we we are. It doesn’t matter whether we are liked and accepted by the social warriors of the day. It only matters if we fulfill our mission to make disciples.

America’s Colosseum Spectacle

Someone once jingly said of TV news, “if it bleeds, it leads.” In other words, the most shocking story is the one that gets the most attention. We, as fallen human beings, seem to gravitate toward shocking.

Book Review: The Sky Is Not Falling by Charles Colson

Review I must say that I’ve had a difficult time writing a review for this bo. Not because I didn’t like it (I did like it), not because it isn’t worth reading (it is), but because there are many facets to the critique of 21st Century American and how the Church responds to it. Mr. […]

Entitlement and Thanksgiving

If I feel entitled, I complain about my job. If I am thankful, I am grateful to have a job. If feel entitled, I complain about the meal I’m eating. If I am thankful, I am grateful to have food on the table. If I feel entitled, I complain that the government does not do […]

Deuteronomy 13 – Don’t Rely on Pragmatism

Deuteronomy 13:1–3 (ESV) “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ […]

Keller on prayer and Scripture

In his bo on prayer, Tim Keller writes this about the importance of having Scripture as the foundation of our prayer life: “Without immersion in God’s words, our prayers may not be merely limited and shallow but also untethered from reality. We may be responding not to the real God but to what we wish […]