Anthropology: The Meaning of Man’s Existence
Jason A. Clark
Dr. Daniel L. Segraves
Systematic Theology I
5 October 1998
Why are we here? The question has perplexed mankind for aeons. Philosophers ancient
and modern have wrestled with the existence of mankind. Scholars, writers, and thinkers
throughout the millennia have attempted to explain the meaning of life. Children and
adolescents have looked up at the stars on a clear night and asked, “Who am I? Is there a
purpose to life? What does it all mean?” Without a doubt countless multitudes today are
pondering these very questions. Both young and old, simple and learned throughout history
have been curious to discover the purpose for man’s existence.
Unfortunately, many have formulated their opinions solely on the basis of their own and
others’ observations. They either have neglected to examine the word of God or have rejected
divine revelation. The theories they concoct, then, necessarily exclude the influence of God.
Such an approach leads to humanism, or the belief that man is inherently good and is the center
of his universe. The questions of life will be answered using human-centered presuppositions.
This is partially why the world has embraced such troubling ideologies in modern times. When
one consults the Bible, however, he discovers the true reasons for the existence of man.
One cannot formulate an accurate view of man without considering his origin.
Evolutionary theories present man as the product of natural processes, relegating human beings
to a state of equality with animals. The Bible, however, explains that man was made in the
image and likeness of God Himself:
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male
and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be
fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of
the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the
earth” [Genesis 1:27-28].
Man, then, is unique in that he has been created in the image of God and has been given a
place of preeminence amongst His creation (I Corinthians 11:7; James 3:9). In fact, the Lord is
seen to have become intimately involved with man from his very inception. As Genesis chapter
two and verse seven reveals, “The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
The concern that the Almighty God displayed toward man puzzled the psalmist David, who
pondered:
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars,
which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son
of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the
angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to
have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his
feet [Psalm 8:3-6].
Adam, the first man, was given the distinct honor of giving names to all of the animals, yet
God recognized that he had no companion for his own (Genesis 2:19-20). The Lord stated, “It
is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” (Genesis
2:18). Thus, woman was created with the intention that “a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Therefore, we
discover from the creation account of Adam and Eve that human beings have an inherent need
for companionship that can only be fulfilled by joining together with a mate.
This is confirmed
in Proverbs 18:22, which states that, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor
from the Lord.” Man was never meant to live a life of solitude. It is recognized that he is a
social creature and that he has needs that even extend beyond the marriage relationship to larger
social contexts.
While man’s need of a spouse is evident, his greatest need is for companionship and
intimacy with his God. This is ultimately the reason for which he was created: to love, serve,
and obey his Creator. R. S. Wallace explains:
[Man] has a history and a destiny to fulfil, unique among the rest of creation. He
is made ‘in the image of God’ (Gn. 1:27). While some have suggested that this
image is expressed in man’s dominion over the earth, or in his power of
reasoning, or even in his physical characteristics, it seems better to find it neither
in man’s relationship with the world nor in any static impress on man’s being, but
in his responsibility towards his Creator. ... God approaches man and addresses
him as a ‘thou’ (Gn. 2:7, AV), and man is made to respond to God’s gracious
word in personal love and trust. Only in this response can man be what he truly
is.1
This beautiful fellowship with God, then, is what gives man his purpose in life. When one
contemplates his own creation, he is filled with a sense of awe and wonder at the wisdom and
magnificence of his Creator:
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will
praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works,
and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I
was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth [Psalm
139:13-15].
The realization that one is the handiwork of a Master Architect, then, ought to elicit
proclamations of praise to God. How can it be, then, that the modern scientist has analyzed the
human being down to the cellular and even genetic structure, has observed the wondrous
interworkings of the nervous, respiratory, and circulatory systems, and has probed even deeper
reaches of the psyche, and yet persists in declaring his atheism? What is it that blinds the hearts
of men to the fact that they are “fearfully and wonderfully made?”
The answer is again found at the very beginning of human history. Succumbing to the
wiles of the tempting serpent, Adam and Eve disobeyed the commandment of God (Genesis
3:1-7). The Bible records the result:
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the
day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God
among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to
R. S. Wallace, “Man,” in New Bible Dictionary, 2nd. ed., ed. J. D. Douglas (Wheaton, Illinois:
Tyndale House Publishers, 1982.
1
him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was
afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself” [Genesis 3:8-10].
This passage illustrates God’s intense longing for fellowship with humanity. The Lord had
entered the garden specifically to commune with His noblest and grandest creation.
Presumably, this was not the first time He had done so, for Adam was quick to recognize His
voice (v. 10). God called out for Adam, exhibiting His concern for him in the midst of his sin.
Adam’s reaction is typical of the response of all sinners to the prospect of God: their immediate
reaction is fear, which causes them to hide. The Lord had warned that disobedience would
bring about death, or separation (Genesis 2:17), which is precisely what was being experienced.
The physical aspect of separation, i.e. separation of the spirit from the body, was yet to come
(Genesis 3:19), but Adam and Eve experienced the spiritual aspect as their sin forced them out of
the presence of a holy God: “therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till
the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man” (Genesis 3:23-24a).
This is the condition in which mankind has been for ages. He has been in hiding, as it
were, from his Creator, who is the only source of true fulfillment, and has attempted in vain to
find purpose and meaning to his existence outside of his relationship with God.
In the introduction to his epistle to the Romans, Paul delineated the process of alienation from
God from the standpoint of humanity in a corporate sense: “…because, although they knew
God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and
their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21). Humankind at large possessed the
revelation of God through His creation, but their failure to give Him glory and thanks drove them
still further away. Soon, they lapsed into idolatry and gross immorality:
Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the
incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and
four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to
uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among
themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served
the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. ... And even
as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a
debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting [Romans 1:22-25,28].
The apostle Paul reiterated the sinful state of mankind by declaring that “all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a).
The psalmist also emphasized the sinfulness of man from his conception when he wrote,
“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5).
Scripture teaches that sin is bondage and that the only release from its captivity is by faith in
the sacrifice of Jesus Christ:
Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself
likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the
power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to bondage [Hebrews 2:14-15].
God was manifest in the flesh and offered up as a sacrifice so that sinful humanity might be
reconciled to Him at long last. Paul writes to the Corinthian church:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed
away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has
reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of
reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not
imputing their trespasses to them and has committed to us the word of
reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were
pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him [II Corinthians 5:17-21].
The degree of intimacy and fellowship with God that Adam had lost through sin has been
made available once again through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Whereas Adam had forfeited
the freedom and liberty of Eden (“Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat” [Genesis
2:16]), it may be enjoyed once again by Spirit-filled believers (“where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is liberty” [II Corinthians 3:17b]). Mankind will only find the peace and satisfaction that
he seeks when he consents “to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29).
In the eyes of God, men and women are seen to be infinitely valuable, for they have been
purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ (Matthew 10:30-31; 12:11-12; 18:12-14; Mark 8:36-37;
Luke 15; John 3:16; I Corinthians 6:20; I Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 1:5). The gospel according
to Matthew records this of Jesus: “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with
compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd”
(Matthew 9:36). In this passage we see a glimpse of the affection that the Father has for his
wayward children. As sheep without a shepherd neither will prosper nor be protected, so it is
with man. He was created to be cared for by the Great Shepherd, and, try as he might, it is
impossible for him to find purpose and meaning to life outside of the flock.
Bibliography
Holy Bible. New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982.
Wallace, R. S. “Man.” In New Bible Dictionary, 2nd. ed., ed. J. D. Douglas. Wheaton,
Illinois: 1982.