The question we posed last time was whether or not the Bible has a high view of man. I argued that the Bible does present a high view of man because we are mad in God’s image, because of the incarnation, and because of redemption. There are two other elements in the Bible’s presentation of humanity that reflect a high view of human beings.
Fourth, then, is the fact that the Bible has a high view of sin, therefore it has a high view of man. What does it mean that the Bible presents a high view of sin? The Bible does not present sin highly in the sense of presenting it favorably, but in the sense that sin is always described with the utmost sobriety. Sin is no laughing matter, nor is it to be taken lightly (cf. 1 Sam. 15:32-33). From the very beginning of Scripture to the very end, sin is responsible for the fall of mankind into every sort of debased wickedness—and man is responsible for his sin. Sin is serious enough an issue that God’s greatest creation—man and woman—were cast out of the very presence of God after they had once enjoyed His fellowship!
Even more, God judges sin to be worthy of death because it is rebellion against Him. Sin is so serious an issue in God’s eyes that God sent His own Son to bear the penalty for the redeemed so that they could be saved (see point 3 in the last post). Humans are responsible for sin. We often judge an artist by the greatest work that they accomplish and in the case of humankind, sin is like a twisted masterpiece of hatred and evil. If man is capable of such great evil, he is truly a magnificent creature indeed. Animals, though they demonstrate the effects of the fall, are not capable of such moral evil. Human beings, on the other hand, are responsible for the evil that they perpetrate. This is a high view of man.
Fifth and related to the point above, and maybe most surprisingly, heaven and hell are indicators of the Bible’s high view of humanity. The Bible teaches that all humans will spend an eternity in one of two places, either in heaven where they enjoy the perfect fellowship of God in worship, or in hell where they undergo eternal, conscious punishment. This is not a popular teaching in our day but it is biblical nonetheless. In any case, heaven and hell rely on a high view of man—otherwise both are unjust.
What I mean is that all humans are appointed to an eternal end, one of either infinite bliss or indescribable torment. These ends are the results of the decisions that we have made in this life—what we do is so important that it will determine our state forever. Eternity hinges on the decisions that we make in time. This is not to say that we can save ourselves by our own obedience to God (cf. Rom. 3:19-24). If humans had been left to themselves entirely, no one would ever enter heaven because no one would ever please God (cf. Rom. 8:6-8). Because of the lofty nature that God has given us, we would have been eternally condemned because that is the punishment that is consistent with the enormity of our sin. Man is capable of such great evil that it warrants infinite retribution (in temporal scope).
It is not those who affirm the biblical doctrine of hell, then, that have a low view of man. Rather, it is those who deny hell who in fact have a low view of man. The Bible treats humanity with monumental responsibility because of the extremely high nature with which God has endowed us. That is not something to be taken lightly!
--Dean of Admissions
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