The Truth About Mankind (Click here to see the
entire Anthropology
Table of Contents )
A Systematic Theology for the
21st Century
Part 06 Anthropology
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Part 06 Anthropology 1 www.truthaboutthechrist.com/thetruthabouthumanity/index.html
Cambron's Chapter IV Anthropology -The Doctrine of Man 3 www.truthaboutthechrist.com/thetruthabouthumanity/doctrineofman.html
I. Man In His State of Integrity 4
II. Man In His State of Sin 9
III. Man In His State of Grace 13
Critique of Chafer's Anthropology 17 www.truthaboutthechrist.com/thetruthabouthumanity/critchafer1.html
Critique of Chafers Material/Immaterial Part of Man 20
Critique of Chaper's State of Innocence and Fall 21
Conclusion www.truthaboutthechrist.com/thetruthabouthumanity/conclusionanthropology.html
Bibliography for Anthropology 23 www.truthaboutthechrist.com/thetruthabouthumanity/anthrobibliography.html
About The
Author
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. So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him;
male and female created he them. Genesis 1:26-27
And 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 soul. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and
there he put the man whom he had formed.
Genesis 2:7-8
Having thoroughly
considered the nature of God, we now consider the nature of man.
Anthropology is the doctrine of man, or a discourse on human nature,
specifically taken from the Greek “Anthropos,”
for man “ology”
for a discourse of/on. (It has been well stated previous that “ology”
is so much bigger than study, discourse,
or doctrine of, that
it might need its own consideration whenever it is used.) In a
Biblical systematic theology the discourse will focus on everything
God has revealed to us about man in his inerrant, infallible,
verbally inspired holy Scriptures. By definition that is adequate
coverage of all that needs to be considered about man. The Father of
Systematic Theologies, Charles Hodge (1797-1878) develops an idea
that God's thorough coverage of anthropology is the complete truth as
follows:
All that the
Scriptures teach concerning the external world accords with the facts
of experience. They do not teach that the earth is a plane; that it
is stationary in space; that the sun revolves around it. On the other
hand, they do teach that God made all plants and animals, each after
its own kind; and, accordingly, all experience shows that species are
immutable. All the anthropological doctrines of the Bible agree with
what we know of man from consciousness and observation. The Bible
teaches that God made of one blood all nations which dwell on the
face of the earth. We accordingly find that all the varieties of our
race have the same anatomical structure; the same physical nature;
the same rational and moral faculties. The Bible teaches that man is
a free, accountable agent; that all men are sinners; that all need
redemption, and that no man can redeem himself or find a ransom for
his brother. With these teachings the consciousness of all men
agrees. All that the Scriptures reveal concerning the nature and
attributes of God corresponds with our religious nature, satisfying,
elevating, and sanctifying all our powers and meeting all our
necessities. If the contents of the Bible did not correspond with the
truths which God has revealed in his external works and the
constitution of our nature, it could not be received as coming from
Him, for God cannot contradict himself. Nothing, therefore, can be
more derogatory to the Bible than the assertion that its doctrines
are contrary to reason.
Charles
Hodge was a genius with great depth but in his anthropology section
he fails to stand by his own assertion here that God's Word can be
our sole authority for what we understand about man. Instead he
spends all his effort defying what we do not believe and then even
defending the Roman philosophical teachings of dualism against the
Bible's endorsement of man's trichotomy, i.e. body, soul and spirit.
Certainly there are many things about humans that can be explored and
studied outside of the Bible, just as there are things to be learned
about earth's orbit around the sun in a galaxy called the Milky Way.
But in a truly systematic theology our focus in an anthropology
section need only be what God has revealed about man in his inerrant,
infallible word. The very best basis of anthropology then comes first
from consideration of the very best Biblical Doctrines book.
There
is no truer, or more thorough, published, Baptist, and Biblical
doctrine than that of Dr. Mark G. Cambron.
His teachings on Bible Doctrine at Tennessee Temple Bible School
thoroughly lay the foundation for this present work of systematic
theology. His book, Bible Doctrines
will, with the permission of the Cambron Institute,
be given in block quotes throughout this effort. The book is readily
available through http://www.thecambroninstitute.org,
and it forms the foundation for this systematic theology.
Believing
in the verbal inspiration of the Holy Scriptures and believing that
every single word is directly chosen by God, it is prudent here to
preserve and defend the doctrines extracted from Scripture and
presented by Dr. Cambron. Below, in a block quote of his book, is his
extensive analysis of Anthropology: [block
quote of Dr. Cambron's Bible Doctrines
page 116-134 (Zondervan 155-174)]
The Doctrine of Man
www.truthaboutthechrist.com/thetruthabouthumanity/index.html
Anthropology
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