The Purpose of People | Doctrinal Statements

Have you ever wondered how or why people exist? We as people—humanity—are God's greatest creation and serve a great purpose! We believe that God has created all men and women in His own image, in a barpite unity, as the crowning work of His creation, for the purpose of fellowship and for His own glory.

God created man, male and female, immediately and recently in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-28).  God created Adam of the dust of the ground and breathed into him life (Gen. 2:7; Ecc. 12:6-7).  The first woman was created from the rib of the man to be a complementary helper to the man. They are equal in essence, partners in marriage, with distinct roles in marriage and church (Gen. 2:20-24; Eph. 5:22-33; 1 Cor. 11:3-16). Humans, as image of God, are like God in personhood and have the responsibility to make the characteristics of God's visible. The image characterizes both the person as a whole and as corporate group (Gen. 1:26-28; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10).  Each human is (a) an organic unity, a single person, (b) dichotomous in essence, being comprised of a material aspect, the body, and an immaterial aspect, the spirit, which are in indissoluble relation in life (Matt. 10:28; 2 Cor. 4:16; Jas. 2:26) (c) with a complexity of facets, roles and relationships (Mark 12:30; Rom. 8:10; 1 Cor. 7:37; 1 Thess. 5:23).  The image, though marred by sin, remains in all persons (Gen. 9:6; 1 Cor. 11:7; Jas. 3:9), and is being renewed in Christians (Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:17-18; Col. 3:10). All humans comprise a single race, descended from Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:20; Acts 17:26; 1 Cor. 15:22). Every person is procreated as a unitary being at conception by natural generation. (Gen 5:3; Heb. 7:9-10).

The Creation of Man
God created man directly and without natural processes (Gen. 1:26-27; 2:15-25), that Adam and Eve were the literal and historic first humans (1 Chr. 1:1; 1 Cor. 15:45), and that the creation of man took place relatively recently (Gen. 5:1-32).  Man was created to glorify God, carry out his will on the earth, and enjoy an intimate love relationship with him forever (Isa. 43:6-7; Col. 3:17; John 17:22-26).

The Nature of Man
God created man as a holistic duality - one person composed of two substances, material and immaterial, which mutually interact (Gen. 2:7; Matt. 26:41; 1 Cor. 9:2).  Though man is a part of the created order he is unique in creation in that he alone is made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27) and therefore serves to mirror and represent God on the earth (Dan. 3:1-18).  All humans, male and female, without exception are made in God’s image (Gen. 9:7) and all of man’s being (material and immaterial) serves as a part of that image (Gen. 1:26).  Man therefore images God through his physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual attributes as well as his relationships with God, creation, and other humans (Gen. 1:26-2:25).  Since the Fall, the image of God stands in need of restoration through Jesus Christ (Col. 3:10) but should be seen as effaced (Gen. 3:1-24) rather than eradicated by sin (Jas. 3:9).  This restoration which progresses throughout a Christian’s life will not be completed until the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:49).

The Unity of Man
Since all humanity is descended from Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:20; Acts 17:26) and since all humans are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27), all humans, male and female, without exception, are united through their common ancestry, attributes, and purpose.  All humans therefore should be valued and treated with respect as those created in God’s image (Gen. 9:7) and as people loved by God (John 3:16).

On the sixth day of creation God created man directly, immediately, and with use of natural processes (Gen. 1:26-27). God created man from the dust of the ground and then breathed into him the breath of life, forming a unified, living being of both material and immaterial parts (Gen. 2:7; Jas. 2:26). The immaterial aspect of man, present in all humanity from conception, is often referred to in scripture as the soul (Matt. 10:28; John 12:27) or as the spirit (John 13:21; 1 Cor. 5:3-5).
Men and women are the crowning work of God's creation (Psa. 8:3-8) and were created for the purpose of bringing glory to God (Isa 43:7), enjoying God's fellowship and fulfilling God's will on earth (Gen. 1:26-28).
Though man is part of the created order, he is also distinct from all other creation having been created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:27; Jas. 3:9) that makes each person priceless in value (Gen. 9:6; Matt. 10:29-31). The Bible does not explicitly identify what this image is, but it most certainly includes qualities of rationality, morality, dominion, creative capacity, and relationship (Gen. 1:26-28). When sin entered into the human race this image remained in all people (Gen. 9:6; Jas. 3:9) but was severely defaced. The progressive restoration of this distorted image is a description of the work of sanctification in the life of a regenerate person (Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18; Col. 3:9-10) that will be perfected in our state of glorification at the final resurrection (1 Cor. 15:49; 1 John 3:2).
Man and women together bear the image of God (Gen. 1:27) underscoring their basic equality. Men and women are equal in personhood and nature (Gen. 5:1-2; 1 Cor. 11:11-12). Men and women are equal in their spiritual standing before God as believers (Gal. 3:27-28; 1 Pet. 3:7). Men and women are equal in their gifting from the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:4-7; 1 Pet. 4:10). Because of God's creation order He has ordained distinctions of roles and functions within the home and within the church (Eph. 5:22-33; 1 Tim. 2:11-14) but this does not undermine the essential equality of personhood between men and women.