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ANTHROPOLOGY
THE DOCTRINE OF MAN
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The mental faculty can be considered
as the most important of all the
faculties in man. It is important
because of the following.
1. Its function of being able to
REASON,
2. Its function of being able to
gather and STORE KNOWLEDGE
3. Its function of being able to
control the other organs
This faculty is also, perhaps, the
most vital determinant of success
or failure of Man as he journeys
through this, seemingly, simple but,
mysterious world.
A man's knowledge may be classified
into two main categories, namely.
[A] Knowledge of the PHYSICAL world.
[B] Knowledge of the SPIRITUAL world.
[1.0.A] Knowledge of the PHYSICAL
world.
Knowledge of the PHYSICAL world
may further be subdivided into other
components.
A few examples are:
[i] Academic knowledge.
[ii] Scientific knowledge.
[iii] Technological and industrial
knowledge
[iv] Space knowledge.
[v] Commerce and Business
knowledge.
[v] Financial knowledge.
[vi] Fashion knowledge
[vii] Historical knowledge.
[viii] Environmental knowledge
etc.
[1.0.B] Knowledge of the SPIRITUAL
World.
There are two categories of spiritual
knowledge. They are:
[1] Knowledge of the TRUE GOD.
[2] Knowledge of the DARK WORLD,
This may even include Religion and
knowledge of other gods.
An accurate knowledge of the
SPIRITUAL WORLD is EXTREMELY
VITAL.
It is the sole determinant of a man's
FINAL DESTINATION, as he or she
proceeds to the next WORLD, that is,
the worlds beyond. Every man or
woman will finally end up, either to live
with the TRUE GOD - forever, or live
without the TRUE GOD - forever. The
latter, also, means eternal DOOM, in
HELL FIRE.
It is, also, crucial to know that NOT
every mention of the name 'God' refers
to the TRUE GOD. Hence, Jesus Christ,
found it necessary to make the
following statement, and as found
John 17: 3.
“And this is LIFE ETERNAL that they
might know thee the ONLY TRUE GOD,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast
sent.” John 17: 3
CRUCIAL:
One of the most important knowledge
areas that guides a man unto the
correct spiritual path, thereby enabling
him or her to be identified with the
TRUE GOD, is ANTHROPOLOGY -
The doctrine of man.
This doctrine deals with the study
of man. The more accurate knowledge,
a person has, about himself or herself,
the faster he or she runs to hide
and remain in the TRUE GOD.
ANTHROPOLOGY is broad and
encompasses the entire study of man.
But the area of focus for this study
is ‘SELF’ knowledge, or personal
knowledge.
2.0 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT
MAN:
One of the most vital, but often
ignored type of knowledge is
‘SELF’ - knowledge.
General knowledge about
man largely helps man to better
understand how to go through this
present LIFE in safety.
Lack of knowledge, certainly, is a
liability and not an asset. Hence,
an accurate knowledge of a man is,
perhaps, the most crucial of all the
knowledge: lest a man journey along
this world is in a state of delusion.
Man, ought to be always conscious of
one important fact, that is, that every
man or woman is a TRAVELER,
journeying through a planet called
planet EARTH.
Hence, man ought to position him or
herself to answer the following:
[a] where is man coming from ?
[b] Where man is now,
in his journey through the earth?
[c] Where is man going?
A man's level of relation with the
TRUE God and his fellow man depend
largely on the accurate knowledge a
man has about himself or herself.
The study of Anthropology is,
therefore, very important. For instance,
if a man believes that his great, great,
great grand - parents were Apes, or
that he is a descendant of Monkeys,
you can easily predict his type of
concept of whom God is, and
ultimately, his relationship with God, if
at all he believes that He exists.
Certainly, the type of vertical
relationship a man has, determines
the type of horizontal relationships a
man exhibits to his fellow men.
3.0. KEY QUESTIONS, CONCERNING
MAN.
Hence, some of the key points or
highlights this study seeks to address
are fundamental questions, such as.
[1] What is man?
[2] Why is man here on earth?
[3] What was the original state of man?
[4] What is the current state of man?
[5] How can the defective state of
man be restored?
[6] What will be the final state
of man, hereafter?
3.0.1 FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS
[1] What is man?
Man is a spirit, and has a soul,
and lives in a body. In effect man is
three- in - one being. He is Spirit, Soul,
and body.
[1. 1] Function of the Spirit of Man:
Man communes or interacts with the
spiritual world with his Spirit. God
communes with man through the Spirit
of man.
[1. 2] Function of the Soul of Man:
The Soul harbors the faculties that
enable man to reason, have affection,
make decisions etc.
Hence the Soul is the seat of a man's
personality, namely.
[a] Intellect of man :
The seat of reasoning.
[b] Emotion: The seat of affection.
[c] Will of Man: The seat of decision
making.
[1.3] Function of the Body of Man:
The physical body of man enables him
to interact with, and enjoy, the
material, or physical world.
Man interacts with the material world,
with his five senses, namely.
a. Sight: a function of the brain and
eyes.
b. Smell: a function of the brain and
nose
c. Touch: a function of the brain and
body.
d. Hearing: a function of the brain and
ears.
e. Taste: a function of the brain and
tongue.
3.1 Why is man here on earth?
a. To glorify his maker
b. To be given a chance to decide
where to be in eternity - whether to be
in Heaven or Hell
3.1.1 ORIGIN OF MAN
Man was well thought of before he was
created.
In terms of design and functionality,
Man is an 'architectural' masterpiece,
created and positioned on planet
earth.
Like every other thing in the universe,
man was also created, but in a very
unique manner. Hence man originates
from God.
The following points must therefore
be well noted.
[a] Man did not happen accidentally.
[b] Man did not evolve from any lower
or higher creatures.
[c] Man is original, special and
unique being.
3.1.2 THE CREATION OF MAN IN
GOD'S IMAGE
“And God said, Let us make man in
our image, after our likeness: and let
them have dominion over the fish of
the sea, and over the fowl of the air,
and over the cattle, and over all the
earth, and over every creeping thing
that creepeth upon the earth.” Genesis
1: 26
“Through faith we understand that the
worlds were framed by the word of
God, so that things which are seen
were not made of things which do
appear.” Hebrews 11: 3
3.1.3 CREATION OF MAN FOR GOD'S
GLORY
“Even every one that is called by my
name: for I have created him for my
glory, I have formed him; yea, I have
made him.” Isaiah 43: 7
“ For by him were all things created,
that are in heaven, and that are in
earth, visible and invisible, whether
they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things
were created by him, and for him:”
Colossians 1 : 16
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive
glory and honor and power: for thou
hast created all things, and for thy
pleasure they are and were created.”
Revelation 4: 11
In effect, originally, Man was created
so that.
[a] God will show His Glory.
[b] God will receive Glory.
[c] To be God’s friend and companion
[d] etc
3.1.4 What was the original state of
man?
Perfect! At the beginning, God created
all things and said "...it is good ".
God then created man in His image,
and without SIN. IMPORTANT:
The absence of Sin made man to have
God as a friend and enjoyed His
visitations.
Man had peace, and enjoyed God's
presence, continually. In a nutshell,
man in his original state had the
following state
3.1.5 ORIGINAL STATE OF MAN
Man:
[a] Had no SIN
[b] Had no need to be Saved from Sin
and penalty of Sin, which is death.
[c] Had Peace with God, his neighbors
and other animals.
[d] Had God as a friend, and no need
to be afraid of His presence.
[e] Enjoyed God's presence
[f] Had no Sickness or disease
[g] Had no fear of death
[h] Had no fear of Satan
[i] Had no satanic bondage
[j] Had no curse
[k] Had no satanic covenant
[l] Had dominion over all creatures
and beast of the field
[m] A spiritually, alive to the things of
God.
[n] Had wealth and lived in plenty.
[o] Man had GLORY, DOMINION.
[p] Had had his Spirit surrounded
by God's Glory.
[q] Had the opportunity to live forever
3.1.6 GOD’S ONLY CONDITION FOR
THE MAINTANCE OF ORIGINAL STATE
OF MAN
[3.3.a.] Although man enjoyed so
many benefits from his creator, he was
asked to do ONLY ONE thing. This one
thing was the fulcrum on which the
continual enjoyment of the many
benefits hinged .
The CONDITION was simple:
OBEDIENCE, that is, that man will
OBEY his CREATOR, forever.
" And the LORD God planted a garden
eastward in Eden; and there he put
the man whom he had formed. 2:9
And out of the ground made the LORD
God to grow every tree that is pleasant
to the sight, and good for food; the
tree of life also during the garden, and
the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2 : 8"
" And the LORD God took the man, and
put him into the garden of Eden to
dress it and to keep it. 2:16
And the LORD God commanded the
man, saying, of every tree of the
garden thou mayest freely eat: 2:17
But of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it:
for in the day that thou eatest thereof
thou shalt surely die. “Genesis 2: 15
3.1.7 FAILURE OF MAN
a. Man, with his free will, preferred to
enter into a dialogue with Satan.
b. This dialogue gave Satan a foothold
in the life of a man.
c. Satan successfully turned the foot
hold into a stronghold.
d. Satan, successfully, convinced man
to DISOBEY HIS CREATOR.
3.1.8 SIN: THE ACT OFDISOBEDIENCE
OFMAN AND FALL OF MAN.
[3. 3. c. 1] Man chose to dialogue with
Satan.
[3. 3. c. 2] Man chose to obey Satan,
rather than God.
[3. 3. c. 3] Man chose to disobey God.
[3. 3. c. 4] Man, consequently, SINNED
against God.
3.1.9 ADAMIC SIN: THE DIALOGE AND
THE FALL OF MAN. Now the serpent
was more subtill than" any beast of the
field which the LORD
God had made. And he said unto the
woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall
not eat of every tree of the garden? 3:2
And the woman said unto the serpent,
We may eat of the fruit of the trees
of the garden: 3:3 But of the fruit
of the tree which is in the midst of
the garden, God hath said,
Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall
ye touch it, lest ye die. 3:4
And the serpent said unto the woman,
Ye shall not surely die: 3:5 For God
doth know that in the day ye eat
thereof, then your eyes shall be
opened, and ye shall be as gods,
knowing good and evil. 3:6 And when
the woman saw that the tree was good
for food, and that it was pleasant to
the eyes, and a tree to be desired to
make one wise, she took of the fruit
thereof, and did eat, and gave also
unto her husband with her; and he did
eat. 3:7 And the eyes of them both
were opened, and they knew that they
were naked; and they sewed fig leaves
together, and made themselves
aprons. 3:8 And they heard the voice 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 amongst the trees of
the garden.
3:9
And the LORD God called unto Adam,
and said unto him, Where art thou?
3:10
And he said, I heard thy voice in the
garden, and I was afraid, because I
was naked; and I hid myself. 3:11 And
he said, Who told thee that thou wast
naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree,
whereof I commanded thee that thou
shouldest not eat?
3:12 And the man said, The woman
whom thou gavest to be with me, she
gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 3:13
And the LORD God said unto the
woman, What is this that thou hast
done? And the woman said, The
serpent beguiled me, and I did eat."
Genesis 3 : 1 - 13
[4] What is the current state
of man?
Due to disobedience, man now has
the following current state.
[4. A] FALLEN STATE OF MAN
[a] Man, now: [a] Has SIN,
in prison and only awaiting death.
[b] Has the need to be saved from
Sin, prison, and penalty of Sin, which
is death.
[c] Has no Peace with God and his
neighbors
[d] Has God as his enemy, and afraid
of His presence.
[e] Dislikes God's presence
[f] Has Sickness or disease
[g] Under the threat of death,
physically and eternally
[h] Man is hunted by, and fears Satan
[i] Has Satanic bondage
[j] Has divine curses, as well as
Satanic curses.
[k] Has satanic covenant
[l] No longer has full dominion over
all creatures and beast of the field
[m] Dead, spiritually, to the things
of God.
[n] Has his wealth, stolen by Satan
[o] Has his GLORY and DOMINION was
stolen by Satan.
[p] Has LOST the presence of God's
Glory.
[q] Cannot be with God, his CREATOR,
forever, after the physical death
[r] Is heading for his doom in
HELL FIRE, a place, originally,
prepared for Satan and his cohorts
alone.
[4. B] SUMMARY OF THE
CONSEQUENCES
OF THE FALL OF MAN
The fall of man, through
DISOBEDIENCE, had and still has the
following consequences.
[1] Immediate, direct and personal,
penalty for man.
[2] Penalty for the entire lineage
or generation tree of man.
[3] An evil ripple effect,
leading to wider consequences for the
entire world. The turbulence, chaos,
affliction, calamities, and the ever
increasing pain in the world of man is
traceable to the activities of the evil
one - Satan.
The act of disobedience by man, and
for that matter SIN, ushered in evil into
man's world; commissioned and
empowered Satan to afflict man.
[4. C] Breakdown of the evils,
threatening the peace of man, in this
present world, is listed below.
4. C.1 Type of Evils in the present
world of man Selfishness and greed
Man is selfish and greedy in every
Sphere of life, example. Marriage,
politics etc
Corruption
The pervasiveness of Corruption
increases by each passing day
Immorality
Sexual filthiness; like fornication,
adultery homosexuality is evident in
world man
Theft and deception
The thieves, who are not caught
in man's world, are more than those
who get caught.
Betrayals and disloyalties
Betrayal and disloyalty in marriage
etc has become normal lifestyle for
man Iniquities and lawlessness
All types of iniquities and
lawlessness abounds in every sphere
of life. Murder
Man does not value the life
God gives to his fellow man
Boastful Man confidence and boasts,
is in his possessions and
achievements rather than in his God.
Pride and arrogance
A man's pride & arrogance makes
him unwilling to accept his faults and
submit to God
Foolishness
Man, in his state of depravity,
sees good as evil, and sees evil as
good due to his foolishness
Glutton ness and alcoholism
Today, man is more interested
in serving his belly, rather than serving
God. Wars Confusion, anarchy and chaos,
due wickedness of man, is evident
everywhere.
[5.0]. How can the defective state of
man be remedied?
For this question to be answered, a
thorough diagnosis of the man ought
‘Sickness’ to be carried out, as already
done above.
[5. 1] DIAGNOSIS OF MAN'S REAL
'SICKNESS'
The outcome of DIAGNOSIS is SIN.
All the other problems that Man has,
or confronts man, are just symptoms
of this root cause. Once steps are
taken to deal with this 'sickness', the
symptoms have no choice, but to
loose their grip on man.
[5. 2] PRESCRIPTION! BY WHO?
The only person who has the capability
to give the correct prescription for the
'sickness' in man, called SIN, is the
creator, God, himself. Once man is
willing to accept God's prescription, he
or she, is immediately restored to the
ACCEPTABLE state - a state of PEACE
with the TRUE GOD.
This is called REDEMPTION. God's
prescription for man is found below:
[5. 3] GOD'S PRESCRIPTION FOR SIN
[REDEMPTION OF MAN]
[5. 3.1] PACIFICATION FOR SIN
" For God so loved the world, that
he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting
life. 3:17 For God sent not his Son
into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through him might
be saved. John 3 : 16"
[5. 4] REASON FOR PACIFICATION FOR
SIN.
"And almost all things are by the law
purged with blood; and without
shedding of blood is no remission”
Hebrew 9: 22
[6.0] WHAT WILL BE THE
FINAL STATE OF MAN?
[6. 1] THE TWO CONDITIONS
REQUIRED FOR REDEMPTION
The final state of man depends on
man, himself. It is important to
recognize that before the fall of man in
the Garden of Eden, God's only
condition for man, to be guaranteed of
ETERNAL LIFE was Man's OBEDIENCE
to his God. However, man in his
current state of SIN has an additional
condition to fulfill. The TWO conditions
to be fulfilled, before Man can be
guaranteed of ETERNAL.
LIFE is
[6. 1.1] WILLINGNESS:
Man must be willing to accept God's
offer of Peace.
[6. 1.2] OBEDIENCE:
Man must be willing to obey the
requirements, settled by God, for
his restoration. Hence, Prophet Isaiah,
declared, in Isaiah 1: 18 - 19
“If ye be WILLING and OBEDIENT,
ye shall eat the good of the land”
Isaiah 1: 19
[6. 2] FINAL STATE OF
MAN GROUP 1:
those willing to accept
god's prescription for sin, and obey
him. - on the way to heaven.
GROUP 2: those unwilling to accept god's
prescription for sin, and disobey him
- on the way to hell GROUP 1:
According to God's word, the Bible,
the following applies to those in
group 1:
FROM DEATH TO LIFE:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that heareth my word, and
believeth on him that sent me, hath
everlasting life, and shall not come
into condemnation; but is passed from
death unto life. John 5 : 24"
For those in group 1:
1. They are CLEANSED by the BLOOD
of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
2. They are REGENERATED by the Holy
Spirit, and have received NEW LIFE;
3. They are called BORN AGAIN.
4. They do NOT have the Sinful state of
Adam; and dead to Sin.
5. They have a new nature, which is at
war with the old nature.
6. They are united with the TRUE GOD.
7. They are entitled to enjoy both the
current physical world, as well as the
next world, yet to come.
8. They will NOT pay for the Penalty
of SIN, which is Eternal Death.
9. They will have EVERLASTING LIFE
10. They have hope
11. They have God's favor
12. They are accepted in Heaven,
as God's Children; adopted into God's
family.
“For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3 : 16
“But as many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of
God, even to them that believe on his
name:" John 1 : 12
“He that believeth on him is not
condemned: but he that believeth not
is condemned already, because he
hath not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God.” John 3: 18
“For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
" Roman 6: 23
“And this is the record, that God hath
given to us eternal life, and this life is in
his Son. 5:12 He that hath the Son hath
life; and he that hath not the Son of
God hath not life. “1 John 5: 11 [6. 2. 1]
WHAT IS MEANT BY 'BORN AGAIN'?
A person is said to be 'BORN AGAIN',
when he or she is BORN TWICE.
[6.2.1.a] FIRST BIRTH - PHYSICAL
BIRTH: Man is born physically into
the physical or material world,
that is, born of water, or born of man.
This is an act of man. This first
act enables a person to come into
the physical world; to see the
physical world: taste, and enjoy
the physical or material world.
Without being born physically
into the material world, it is
impossible to see, and to enjoy,
the physical or material world.
Please, this understanding is crucial
for you to understand the next
stage.
[6 .2 .1 .b] SECOND BIRTH- SPIRITUAL
BIRTH: In this case,
Man is born into the Spiritual world
that is, born into God's Kingdom;
that is, born of the Spirit.
This act is done by the Holy Spirit
on the SPIRIT of man. This is
possible ONLY when a person.
1. Repents of his or her Sin
2. Invites Jesus Christ, to come and
live his or her heart,
At this stage.
1. The inherited Adamic SIN and his
or her own personal Sin are forgiven
and cleansed by the BLOOD of of the
Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
2. The Holy Spirit comes to
REGENERATE the person, imparting
God's kind of LIFE into the person's
heart NOTE:
Without the second birth, a person
is confined and limited to, ONLY,
Natural and physical LIFE.
This is why Jesus Christ said.
.... Verily, verily, I say unto thee,"
Except a man be BORN OF WATER
AND OF THE SPIRIT, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God."
John 3: 5
“That which is born of the flesh
is flesh; and that which is born
of the Spirit is spirit."
John 3: 6
Please note carefully, the
scriptures, above, paying ATTENTION
to the following phrases
1. 'BORN OF WATER'
2. 'BORN OF SPIRIT'
3. BORN OF THE FLESH IS FLESH'.
4. 'BORN OF THE SPIRIT IS SPIRIT'.
GROUP 2:
According to God's word, the Bible,
the following applies to those in group
2
For those who have NOT accepted
God's GIFT.
They are NOT CLEANSED by the
BLOOD of the Lamb of God, Jesus
Christ.
a. They are NOT REGENERATED; and
have NOT received a NEW LIFE.
b. They are BORN only ONCE, that is,
born physically.
c. They still have the Sinful state
of Adamic SIN.
d. They are separated from the TRUE
GOD, although may even be religious
and 'good' people, according to human
standards.
e. Although they are also God's
creation and may even be religious,
God sees them as Satan's Children
f. They are entitled to enjoy ONLY the
current physical world, but will NOT
the next world, yet to come
g. They must pay for the Penalty of
Adamic and their personal SIN, which
is Eternal Death in HELL FIRE.
h. They do not have hope of seeing the
next world
i. They do not have peace, but rather
the wrath of God abides on them.
j. They do NOT have EVERLASTING
LIFE.
k. They are NOT accepted in Heaven,
as God's Children, and NOT adopted
into God's family.
Please, note the following scriptures
carefully:
“Jesus answered and said unto him,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
EXCEPT A MAN BE BORN AGAIN, he
CANNOT SEE the kingdom of God. "
John 3: 3
NOTE: THIS PAGE WILL BE
CONTINUED, WITH MORE SCRIPTURAL
REFERENCES TO MAN,
SOON APPEAL TO CHRISTIANS,
WORLDWIDE:
Wherever you are located on earth,
please, ensure you evangelize.
One strategy is Just highlight the
address portion (ABOVE) of any of the
web pages, COPY and paste in your
email message, and prayerfully send to
your friends, relations, etc. all over the
world. Once your recipient CLICKS on
the link in the email, the page
automatically opens for him or her to
read. Thanks!
K.N. Arku-Lawson
Evangelist
www.pasgom.org |
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