By Faith We Claim The Promises To Noah

We're looking at the Hebrews letter's list of men and women of faith. The purpose is to teach us that it is only by faith, that person to person trust, that we are able to please God. Today we come to Noah. 

By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith.—Hebrews 11:7 NRSV

"Warned by God about events as yet unseen . . ." What do you make of that phrase? The phrase reminds us that history is His story and that He is intimately involved in all that happens to us and to our world. When Paul was invited to address the Greek philosophers of Athens he emphasized the point that God made the world and continues to direct all that goes on within it.

“Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.  The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands,  nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things.  From one ancestor[i] he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God[j] and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us.  For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ Acts 17:23-28—NRSV

Paul teaches us that we are like fish swimming in the ocean. For them saltwater is their natural habitat. In turn, on a much higher level, the Lord of heaven and earth continually gives all of us life and breath and all things. He is our natural habitat. Moreover He guides the destiny of nations, allotting each its period in history and the boundaries of the land in which they live. In Him we live. In Him we move. In Him we have our being.

But the Lord did not merely make the world and all in it for Himself. He longs to share it with us and to bring peace, joy and happiness to us who are created in His image (Gen. 1:26-30). He wants us to thank and praise Him in return. This is why He put us in charge of all that He has made. This blessing brings great joy to us both.

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. —Gen. 1:28-30 NRSV

But what had happened in Noah's day? The whole world had gone after other gods. They worshipped themselves and the things that God had made instead of Him. They no longer walked in faith. This was the reason for the judgment of the flood.

The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have created—people together with animals and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord. —Gen. 6:5-8 NRSV

Only Noah and his family found favor, because they walked in faith. In that faith Noah built the ark and waited patiently for the Lord's plans. What a significant encouragement for us all. Give yourself to the task assigned to you. In due time God's judgment will come upon the wicked unbelievers. We know not the day and hour. Nor did Noah. But for a hundred years he labored on. He did all that God commanded him. In the end he and his family were preserved. The promises given to them are ours to claim as well.

The Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done.

As long as the earth endures,

seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,

summer and winter, day and night,

shall not cease.” —Gen. 8:21-22 NRSV

The Import Of Image

Last Monday the world watched as Barack Obama was inaugurated into office for his second term as president of the United States. You can be sure that great care was taken behind the scenes to project a certain image of power and wisdom through all the proceedings. Armstrong Williams writes in his Townhall.com column these words about the importance of image for modern day politicians. 

Today, most voters grow up learning from television images, rather than words. The successful politician, therefore, must be more adept than ever at using images to solicit knee-jerk reactions from voters.

In the Gospels we find a most important story about how Jesus teaches his disciples to relate to earthly rulers. Throughout his public ministry Jesus was opposed by several important political parties. Three are mentioned in the Gospels: the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Herodians. We know precious little about the latter group. It may be that they were friendly to the continued dynasty of Herod the Great and his family. Political family dynasties are well known also in American politics. I need only mention the Kennedy and the Bush families as examples. In any event, as these parties saw Jesus' influence grow they became alarmed, fearing that he and his followers would threaten their power. So they tried to entangle him in a paradox. They asked him about paying taxes, a subject at the very center of current American politics. The Gospel of Matthew records the story,  found also in Mark 12 and Luke 20. 

Roman Imperatorial Coin of Julius Cesar

Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"
But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." - Mat 22:15-21 ESV

Newsweek available

The Jews had an extreme problem with the Roman Caesars' penchant to proclaim themselves as one of the gods. Consequently they would not accept Roman coins as offerings in their temple and they had a deep hatred for those Jews who sold themselves out as tax collectors. On the other hand they could not avoid paying taxes to their Roman rulers. Either way they felt that had Jesus in a noose. Were he to say it was lawful to pay Roman taxes they could nail him as a traitor to their nation. On the other hand, were he to say it was unlawful, they could report him to the Romans as one stirring up insurrection. It was a perfect plan. Jesus' answer is most intriguing. 

The challenge for us Christians remains. Our "caesars" would still like to think of themselves as gods. Note the controversial front page of the current edition of Newsweek. The image quite obviously alludes to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and suggests that we are or will be tempted to deify the current president. This in any event is an extremely dangerous thought. Together with the Jews of Jesus' day we must resist with all our hearts and lives any such ideas. 

The response of Jesus to the Jews does indeed remind us who are citizens of the United States that we are to pay our taxes to the established government. I'll not get into the current controversy about who should pay them and how much. Instead I would emphasize that we owe allegiance to our president and our nation. Our president has been rightfully and properly elected. We may agree or disagree strongly with his politics, but we will pay our taxes one way or the other. 

In addition to that consider again the second part of Jesus' teaching: "Therefore render . . . to God the things that are God's." Our God and Creator has indeed established His image in our midst. I quote again the Apostle Paul's words about Jesus Christ.

He (Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. - Col 1:15-17 ESV

 In Jesus we find everything we need to know about the invisible God. He has made Him known. To Him, King of all kings and Lord of all lords belongs all power and glory forever and ever. 

Jesus Alone Restores The Image Of God

I write this on the day that Barack Obama was inaugurated into his second term of office as the 44th president of the United States. During the ceremonies the name of Jesus was sung and invoked several times. In the closing benediction The Rev. Luis León referred to the fact that we are all made in the Image of God. In my posts last week I wrote about that Image to point out that
Jesus Christ is THE Image of the eternal God, as the Apostle wrote,

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. - Col 1:15-17 ESV

We humans are made in that Image. We are not the Image Himself, but we are made to reflect the Image in all we do and say, in our thinking, acting and living. We were made to worship and commune with the Triune God, our Maker and honor Him in all we do. We alone of all God's creatures are made to rule over this earth. We are made to reflect the love and mercy of God to others and to all of God's creation. Our intellect, our morals, our relationships, our choices are all
meant to be reflections of God and the likeness of God that is ours. Sadly, tragically that is not what happens. The Image of God is darkened, muddied and covered over by our idolatry, greed and lack of true faith. It must be restored.

In order to understand in depth how that is happening I invite us to listen in detail to the ancient church father Athanasius of Alexandria (c.289-272) and to what he said in his little book On The Incarnation of the Word. I will not simply repeat everything he says. I urge you to read his words yourself. Here I lift up a few of his teachings for our consideration.

After showing us that Jesus is THE Image of God, Athanasius emphasizes that He is the only one who can renew and restore the Image within us. Only the Image of the Father can recreate the likeness of the Image in us men. How is He doing that? Athanasius points out that when an artist's portrait has been wiped out by stains on a panel, the artist asks the subject of the portrait to come and sit for it again so he may repaint the likeness on the same material. Even so Jesus, THE Image of the Father, came to dwell among us in order to renew all men in Him. 

He did this first of all by living, teaching and acting as a man who is made in the Image. Many Gospel stories illustrate this. For instance, consider how Jesus related to Zacchaeus, a Jew of Jericho, a public official who collected taxes for the Romans. His countrymen considered him a traitor to his country and a blasphemer of God. Nevertheless Jesus accepted his invitation to dinner. When Jesus did so the Jericho Jews denounced Jesus for having anything to do with such an unforgivable sinner. To them Jesus said,

"Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." - Luk 19:9-10 ESV

Here we see one major reason why Jesus took on human flesh. He came to demonstrate the love and mercy of God for all mankind by His teaching, healing and relationships. Mercy flowed from Him in everything He did. That mercy transformed Zacchaeus. God's Image began to be restored within him when he met Jesus. In humble joy he offered his penance as a sign of his renewed thinking and renewed faith in God as he confessed,

"Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." - Luke 19:8 ESV

Jesus began His work of restoring God's Image in Zacchaeus, the publican. Only Jesus can do that. Our sciences, our psychologies and our philosophies are all helpless to make it happen. We cannot put straight what is warped within us. Only Jesus, the Word of God and the Image of God, can do it. In showing mercy to Zacchaeus and to thousands of others Jesus demonstrates the mercy of God for all mankind. And so the process begins. The Shepherd has come to gather his sheep (John 10:14-18).

Beyond all that, however, a debt had to be paid. God must be God. He cannot go back on His Word. The soul that sins must surely die (Ezekiel 18:20-32). Yet God in His mercy does not find pleasure in the death of anyone. He longs in the depths of His Being for us to be one with Him for all eternity. There was but one way to reconcile that tension. That was for the Word to become flesh and dwell among us. In so doing He could stand as the Man before the judgment seat of God for us all and so die upon the cross for us all. This He did it so that the power of death might vanish. The devil can no longer accuse us. We are free from condemnation (Rom. 8:1).

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. - Hbr 2:14-15 ESV

As I've said often on this Blog and at the many Christian funerals over which I presided, that is why we no longer fear death. We are no longer condemned. In God's good time we will all be freed from our mortal bodies that belong to this present age so that we may obtain a better resurrection. Like seeds planted in the spring in our gardens, we do not perish and dissolve to nothing. Like seeds, we will rise again. Mortal must put on immortality.

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. - 1Cr 15:19-22 ESV

And then a bit further, the Apostle writes,

Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." - 1Cr 15:49-54 ESV

In my next post I will draw again upon our venerable father Athanasius to reflect further upon the presence and power of the living Christ who is at work renewing and restoring His Image within us.

Man Is Made In The Image Of God

Using the ancient church father Athanasius of Alexandria, we continue our study of Christ's coming among us in human flesh and blood. We continue to ask, Why did the eternal Word of God, by whom and for whom all things were and are made become a man?

As noted above, we children of Adam and Eve are not merely highly developed animals. We are made in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26; Eph. 4:24). It was His original intention that through this gift of God-likeness in ourselves we might be able to perceive Him who is the very Image of God in all its fullness, namely the Lord Christ. This is what Paul writes as he speaks of Christ.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. - Col 1:15-17 ESV

To know Christ is to know our Maker and Creator. And through knowing and believing in Christ we come to know His Father, for to see Christ is to see, to know and rejoice in the Father. And to be in fellowship with the Father is what a happy and blessed life is all about. So Jesus taught His disciples that He came to reveal the Father.

. . . not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. - John 6:46 ESV 

Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. - Jhn 14:8-11 ESV

But what do we foolish men do? We invent other gods to worship. We worship the creature rather than the Creator (Rom. 1:25). Primitive men worship objects of wood and stone to this very day. Sophisticated, scientifically oriented men worship objects they themselves have made, like powerful cars, airplanes, computers and ultimately themselves. They kneel before great athletes, pop stars, physicians, wise men, scientists and—yes—even politicians to offer their children and their wealth. These idols are the guides and source of wisdom. And when they fail men turn to astrology, palm readings and tarot cards to unlock the future and to learn how to live.

Seattle Indians Offer Psychic Readings

Yet while all this goes on the very heavens above us declare by day and by night the glory and wonder the God who spoke His Word and called all this into existence, as the King David said.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. - Psa 19:1-4 ESV

However, as is the rule rather than the exception, men study the sky, the weather, the stars and the immensity of the universe, but do not worship and honor the Creator. Surely such study should lead them to recognize the eternal Creator who brought it into being and continues to rule over it (Rom. 1:20), but it does not. Instead, many who ponder it's wonder, merely celebrate its complexity and refuse to give thanks to the Creator of it all. They reject even the idea that there is a Creator. As one atheist puts it, "The truth is that an atheistic worldview is at least as compatible with the human sense of spirituality as any religious worldview is." What the author means by spirituality is unclear.

Beyond that the Creator has given us His Law, written first on human hearts. Our philosophers and law makers speak about natural law. They claim that there is a rule of right and wrong written in our hearts and natures, a law that accuses and excuses our actions. Many wise men, dating back to the days of the ancient Greeks, have written about it. Much can be learned from their writings. Thousands of laws are wisely based upon these writings. But do these laws lead men to the true God? Does natural law cause men to ask who put it into human hearts and lead men to humble worship and obedience? Obviously not, because our world bulges with law breakers.

To make His will even more clear God revealed His Law through His prophets. The Jews were entrusted with such oracles (Rom. 3:1-2; Gen. 17:4-5) They were not to keep them to themselves, but to spread them throughout the world. They were commissioned to lead men to worship the one true God and Father of all.

Three ways are thus open to all men to obtain the knowledge of God.

1. The harmony and wonder of creation should lead men to know the Creator, the Word of the heavenly Father who rules over and guides all things. To know Him is to know the Father. 
2. Wise men know about natural law. It is written in men's hearts. Surely men should acknowledge that a Creator has put His Law within us.  
3. Finally God has revealed His holy Law through Israel's prophets. They offer us all a sacred school of the knowledge of God and how to live a spiritual life. 

In spite of all this the Word of God is not acknowledged and honored. The worship of idols, the pursuit of pleasure and power and the love of the creatures continues to this very moment. And yet every man, woman and child on this earth is made in the Image of God, created to reflect the Word of God in all they say and do. Granted, the Image is clouded and the knowledge of God is hidden, but the fact remains. Men are not mere animals. They are made in God's Image. How then should God free His children from this slavery to the lies of all the multitude of idols and the deception of evil spirits led by the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4)? Men cannot, for they are only made after the Image. They are not the Image Himself. Angels cannot do it, for they are not made in the Image of God. So who is left? Only He who is the very Image of the heavenly Father (Col. 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-4). Only He can recreate man after the Image.

I will take up the process of re-creation in my next post.  


  

The Singularity And The Day Of Judgment

From a human viewpoint, I am alive because of the advances in medical knowledge and technology. In the past four years I have been operated upon twice by surgeons. The first was to bypass the blocked arteries feeding my heart with a procedure is called CABG or coronary artery bypass graft and pronounced "cabbage". A couple years after that operation another group of surgeons replaced my heart's aortic valve with a procedure known as TAVR, trans-aortic valve replacement. Without these surgeries I would very likely be dead. I have heart disease!

Advances in other medical technologies are proceeding at a rapid pace. Today, in some instances, surgeons don’t need to even be in the room to conduct a surgical operation. Recent innovations in robotics have produced machines like the Da Vinci surgical system and the Kymerax, which offer precise, mechanical tools that a surgeon operates remotely. These machines also feature helpful options like 3-D imaging and on-the-fly magnification of the surgical area—though they still require a living, breathing person to operate them.

As I pointed out in my previous blog there are those who believe that since these and similar advancements are proceeding at an exponential rate, with our intelligence and knowledge doubling every few years, scientists will eventually complete the reverse-engineering of the human brain. This will mark the Singularity. The Singularity is the technological creation of smarter-than-human intelligence. It also describes the moment when our civilization will change so much that its rules and technologies will be incomprehensible to all previous generations. That's why we are at a loss to adequately describe it. At that point men will be able to download all their information into a computer network capable of reproducing themselves. The singularitarians will no longer need biological bodies. They will become "post-biological" humans, capable of constantly upgrading their software and their hardware. They will be immortal! 

We Christians who believe in God's judgment upon rebellious mankind and Christ's redemption upon the cross of Calvary, have barely begun to address this challenge to our faith. My own search of the Internet reveals a marked paucity of entries by Christians ready to address these issues. This is why I appeal to any Christian reading these words to step forward. Speak up! And, if you find it appropriate, contact me as well. 

I humbly suggest several approaches: 

• We are created beings, not the product of mindless evolution. The theory of evolution is a gross deception. 
• We humans are unique, made in the Image of God. We are not mere biological animals with superior intelligence. 
• We who bear God's image have God's command to subdue and rule over His creation. 
• Consequently we do not resist advances in science and technology, but welcome them as gifts to be used properly to bless mankind and care for God's creation. 
• However, we are by nature rebellious and disobedient to our Creator and so readily fall into the temptation to use our technologies for self-centered ends.  
• There are other super-intelligent, spiritual beings encouraging us to use our technology and science to join their rebellion against the Creator and to destroy one another.   
• Christ, God's Son, came into this world as a human to take our place under God's judgment and to rescue us from God's judgment upon this rebellion.
• Given new birth by the working of the Holy Spirit, we put our trust in Christ and seek to honor Him in all we say and do—also in the use of our technologies. 
• We also await Christ's imminent return when all will be called before God's judgment seat to give an accounting of how we have used all that He placed in our hands. 
• The hubris of the Singularity is a sign that Christ's return is indeed imminent.

In future postings I will spell out these responses in more detail. I welcome and encourage other Christians to join me. The Singularity may be approaching, but so is the Day of Judgment.

The Mystery Of Jesus' Body And Blood

We continue our study of John 6, especially these words of Jesus:

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever." - Jhn 6:51-58 ESV

The longing for immortality continues. It always will. This longing also serves as a strong entertainment theme. Last year the movie The Immortals was a big hit. Once again Hollywood drew upon Greek mythology to portray a mortal man, Theseus, chosen by Zeus to lead the fight against the ruthless King Hyperion, who is on a rampage across Greece to obtain a weapon that can destroy humanity. 

We who follow Jesus know the true name of the king on a rampage across the planet. He indeed has a weapon that not only can, but is destroying humanity. Satan's weapon is sin. He tempts us all to rebel against our true King. He began to wield his weapon as the first man and first woman appeared in the Garden (Gen. 3:1-27). As a result all of us are denied access to Eden and the tree of life. Our Creator's curse is upon us (Gen. 2:16-17). We all die since we all are descended from Adam and Eve. The Apostle puts it this way,

For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. - 1 Cor 15:21-22 ESV

 As in Adam all die . . . What does Paul mean when he says we are all in Adam? Is he saying that we are all descended from this one man? At this point I won't get into any discussion about evolution, etc. I've done that earlier. Indeed, Paul's point is that all men can trace their lineage back to Adam and his wife Eve. In that sense, Christ Jesus is the Second Adam. In speaking about how we will be filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit in the resurrection, Paul continues,

Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"(Gen 2:7); the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. - 1 Cor 15:45-49 ESV

We know much about DNA and genetics in our day. Consequently, it is no longer difficult to conceive of a man or woman passing on to his or her descendants various physical characteristics, as well as tendencies to develop various diseases. In that sense, I bear the image of my father. I look very much like him. I also have developed heart disease, just as he and as my maternal grandfather did. So it goes on the physical level. 

Paul writes about another level of human existence, namely the inner life of a man, his soul if you will. We are by nature sinful, inwardly filled with the desire to disobey the commands of God to love only Him and to love others as ourselves (Ps. 51:5; 58:3; Eph 2:1-3). This is the course and direction of the entire world of man. In that sense we all are children of Adam and the curse of death rests upon us as it did upon our father Adam. We bear his image.

By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." - Gen 3:19 ESV

Jesus came to change all of this. He is the Bread from heaven and whoever feeds on him will live forever. As he said,

Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.

What does it possibly mean to eat his flesh and drink his blood? Is this figurative or literal language? My answer is Yes! It is both, for we are dealing with a paradox, a mystery as profound and wondrous as the fact that Jesus is both God and Man! Were he but a man, his sacrificial death would never suffice as payment for the sins of the entire world. Yet Jesus himself said he came to offer his life as the ransom for all men's sins (Matt. 20:28). And Paul concludes

. . . that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. - 2 Cor 5:14-15 ESV

For this to be possible, he must also be God, very God of very God, of one substance with the Father, as the Father himself said: this is my beloved Son (Matt. 3:17; 17:5. See the Nicene creed ). He bears the image of his Father (Col. 1:15). Thus he is the Bread that came down from heaven and whoever believes on him will be saved (1 Tim. 4:10). In that sense to believe in him is to eat his flesh and drink his blood.

But there is more to this mystery. Jesus took the bread of the Passover, broke it and give it to his disciples and said,

"Take, eat; this is my body." And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." - Matt 26:26-28 ESV

Is this also a figure of speech? More on this profound mystery next time.

Christian Ethical Issues with Cloning

We're discussing cloning. The word clone comes from a Greek word meaning twig. My primary concern is with embryonic cloning procedures, especially the ethics of human cloning. To review, there are basically three types of cloning procedures.

Cloning Laboratory Procedures (from The Ethics of Human Cloning)

• Molecular cloning - DNA fragments containing genes are copied and amplified in a host cell, usually a bacterium. This has led to the production of many important medicines. 
• Cellular cloning - a cell line identical to the original is grown in a culture. Useful in testing and sometimes the production of medicines, such as insulin and tPA. 
• Embryo cloning - three categories
• blastomere division - able to produce a new individual organism. Used in livestock breeding
• blastocyst division (twining) - a sexually formed embryo is split into two identical halves. 
• nuclear transplantation—from each blastomere or embryo into the cytoplasm of an egg whose genetic material has been removed (enucleated). This process is used both for the therapeutic cloning of pluripotent stem cells and the potential cloning of human beings. 

There are many legal and political issues surrounding cloning. I do not intend to discuss them. For instance, Federal Law states that any clinic using assisted reproduction techniques must be monitored. And there are regulations on the number of manipulations that may be made to eggs or embryos. My focus is upon the religious issues, specifically the ethical issues that arise from Biblical teachings. These considerations apply specifically to Christians and will be used by them as they make decisions in their callings as parents, teachers, citizens, lawyers, political leaders, medical practitioners and scientists.

Christian Ethical Issues

1. Obtaining pluripotent stem cells from human embryos - remains the biggest problem for us Christians who believe that human life begins with conception (see Human Life Begins With Conception). We recognize human life to be human life (Gen. 9:6; Psalm 139:15-16), regardless of the stage of development. This is why we strenuously object to any attempts to manipulate and destroy such life. 
2. Induced pluripotent stem cells research is an exciting new development. iPSCs, as they are called, are derived from adult somatic cells that, through genetic manipulation, have been reprogrammed to resemble embryonic pluripotent stem cells. Pluripotent stem cells have the unique property of unlimited proliferation in the undifferentiated state while retaining the ability to differentiate into terminal cell types, including neurons, when cultured appropriately. iPSCs hold enormous potential for studying human development and disease, creating new systems to identify promising drugs, and generating customized replacement cells that can be used as therapies directly. And they circumvent the ethical issues arising from embryonic sources of pluripotent stem cells
3. We humans were designed by our Creator to be in a family (Gen. 2:18-25; 4:1; Eph. 3:14-21). We are not merely highly evolved animals to be manipulated and manufactured. We are created to be the result of the union of a loving father and mother, joined and blessed by our Creator. We were never created merely to be the union of a sperm and an egg or a nucleus implanted into an enucleated egg. We are created to be a part of a family. And our Creator intends for that family to be the protective and stable milieu into which children are born and in which they are nurtured, taught and brought to maturity.  
4. Some may in fact clone a human one day. As stated in my previous blog, the science is available. Should that happen, how will we deal with that life—that person? It is not a question of whether he/she has a soul, as the Schwarzenegger character asks in The 6th Day movie. Man does not have a soul. He is a soul. What distinguishes man from the other creatures that have life is the image and breath (neshamah -Hebrew) of God (Genesis 1:27; 2:7; 5:1; 9:6). He is the highest of God's creatures, created to be in fellowship with God and made to rule over all the rest of the living creatures. We can only assume that even under the inhumane practices of manipulating God's creation to our own ends and ignoring His plan for human life, He may bring forth human life. And so we must treat that human with the same dignity and love as any other human. He/she is not simply another Dolly the sheep! 

We who live together on this earth are called by our Creator to be fruitful and multiply. It is in our DNA. But as we do so, we must be very careful to join our LORD and Savior to pray, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

A Warning About Imagination

In our small group Bible study we recently took a look at the Apostle encouraging young Pastor Timothy to lead his congregation in prayer (1 Timothy 2:1-7). That opened a lively conversation among us about for what and how we should be praying. It is the how that concerns me in this post. We're accustomed to praying by thinking and speaking words, but what about what these days is called visualization? Jon Trott (Visualization And Imaging) writes,

. . . imaging and visualization are increasingly appearing as Christian meditation, "mind-stretchers," or a consciousness awakening experience in Christian workshops, and you'd better believe that visualization as a cultivated exercise comes with all sorts of metaphysical and spiritual baggage in tow."

What exactly are we talking about here?  Here's how Sandra M. Levy (Imagination and the Journey of Faith) describes the human capacity to imagine:

By imagination I do not mean what is commonly assumed by the term - that is, mere products of fancy without any status in reality (i.e., "It's only in your imagination, dear!"). Nor am I using the term in the limited sense of images, dreams, or "pictures" held in the mind. What I mean by imagination here is the inherent human power to transcend the concrete, to create new images or ideas that can open up new possibility and promise - the not yet of a future we can envision, the re-valuing of a remembered past. Ultimately what I mean by imagination is that human capacity to receive and respond to God's revelation in our everyday lives. I believe that it is this human capacity which plays a key role in faith development.

 Before we get too deeply involved in what various authors are saying about this kind of prayer, both pro and con, it is important that we take a good look at what God says in His Word.

Way back, before the great Flood, we read that the LORD God was deeply troubled by man's use of this capacity.

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. - Gen 6:5 KJV

. . . every imagination of the thoughts of his heart —that's the way several versions translate the Hebrew word yetser. The basic meaning of the root verb is "to form, frame or fashion." In a number of passages it is parallel to bara (create) and asa (make).

Sometimes the verb describes what a man does.

Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? - Isa 29:16 KJV

Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image [that] is profitable for nothing? - Isa 44:10 KJV 

What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols? - Hab 2:18 KJV

At other times the verb points to God's activity. He frames and devises things in His mind. He plans what He does. For example, He fashions and forms us for His purposes from the moment of our conception in our mothers' wombs.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance (golem); in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. - Psa 139:16 ESV

Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: 'Thus says the LORD, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.' - Jer 18:11 ESV

Back to Sandra Levy's definition of imagination:

"the inherent human power to transcend the concrete, to create new images or ideas that can open up new possibility and promise - the not yet of a future we can envision, the re-valuing of a remembered past."

New images, ideas, plans, possibilities, promises, not-yet futures, re-valued pasts, moving beyond, re-framing, re-envisioning . . . Exciting. Motivating. Energizing.

But!

This inherent human power, this image of God within us, this imago Dei, this way of thinking forward into the future, this capacity that humans alone have, this ability that God has given to us, this wondrous power—its corrupted! It stinks! It is decayed!

After the great Flood only Noah and his family remained. Everyone else was gone, destroyed by the waters. Yet the seed of this corruption remained even in faithful Noah and his sons. After the beasts, birds and creeping things left the ark, Noah built an altar and sacrificed clean beasts and birds on it.

And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination (yetser) of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. - Gen 8:21 KJV

Noah and his family passed on this corrupted yetser. We still have it in one form or another, leader and laborer, artist and artisan, powerful or poor—all of us. But whatever the shape or form of this capacity within us, it remains corrupted, malignant, wicked and evil from childhood. Out of this power come the idols, the false gods, those images, ideas and ideologies we worship rather than the LORD God. This is why David prayed, using the bara verb, the one parallel to yetser, in his prayer. He had been carried away by his imagination as he gazed upon the beautiful, attractive and seductive Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11-12). His imagination led him to adultery, murder and lies. Looking back he saw what had happened in his heart, his evil heart. And he prayed, as must we all—daily.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. - Psa 51:10 KJV

Only the LORD God can answer this prayer. Only as we are renewed in spirit and heart, will we be able to turn loose this wondrous capacity, this inherent human power to transcend the concrete and create new images and ideas in our hearts, only then may we confidently dream and plan for the future. Only then will we know how to pray.

God grant it for Jesus' sake.

Genetic Science: Blessings and Dangers

In earlier posts we began to examine some of the amazing developments in genetic science and technology. In general the inductive methods of modern scientists are relatively new. See The Intelligibility of Nature: How Science Makes Sense of the World by Peter Dear. Even the word scientist was unknown until coined by William Whewell in the middle of the 19th century. Prior to his time scientists were known as natural philosophers. For more details of this history check into The Philosophical Breakfast Club by Laura J. Snyder.

By definition science is the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world. This is done through systematic observation and experiment. The emphasis is upon systematic study. Modern scientists use a carefully devised system of inductive reasoning. They call it the scientific method. By using this method they move step by step into an ever deeper understanding of the natural world. Basically these steps are:

• Ask a question
• Do the necessary background research and observation
• Construct a hypothesis or theory as a starting point
• Test the hypothesis by experiment, trial and observation
• Analyze the data and draw conclusions
• Share your results with others working in the same field for critical review

Given that definition of the scientific method, there is no inherent or essential conflict with what God has revealed to us in His Word both about Himself and the world He created. As noted earlier, we are commanded by our Creator to "fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Genesis 1:28). Problems arise when we must decide how to use the knowledge gained by our study of the natural world in which we live. After all, we are responsible, first to our Creator and to His plans for His creation. Then we are responsible to one another. This is but another way of saying that we are to "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5) and "love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). We must make ethical and moral decisions based upon what our Creator has revealed about how we are to fulfill these duties to love Him and our neighbors. 


For the purposes of this blog I focus particularly upon 

• Molecular medicine, including practices involving stem cell research and genetic therapy for humans and animals, personal genomics and the mapping of single nucleotide polymorphisms, and efforts to extend the longevity of human life to as much as three times today’s average. 

• Procreative activities, including prenatal testing and screening, assisted reproductive technologies, preimplantation genetic diagnoses, and the artificial creation of new life forms (synthetic biology). 

• And the social impact of the research and activities in the above fields, including discrimination based on genetic profiling, the practice of eugenics, and beliefs in genetic determinism

I will not discuss the commercial and legal applications of DNA testing and the patenting of genetic material and research processes. Nor do I plan to say anything about the military use of biological weapons and DNA identification of battlefield casualties. Others are better equipped to deal with these issues than am I.

As you can see from this brief list, developments in genetic science present us with some astounding possibilities. Already we are seeing the blessed fruits of this research in dealing, for instance, with various types of cancer. Yet genetic science research carries the potential for some terrifying personal and social evils. Michael Crichton illustrated this again and again in his fiction and non-fiction works (e.g. Jurrasic Park, The Andromeda Strain, Westworld, The Terminal Man, State of Fear, Prey, Next, etc.).

Since we humans bear the Image of God and are commanded to reflect our faith and trust in Him in all we say and do, we dare not make decisions about genetic science based solely upon our interests. Our decisions must be made with respect to the larger human community and to promote the abundance of our planet. Sadly, however, as Crichton and others demonstrate, self-interest and outright rebellion against the Creator persist in every area of human activity, also in the use of genetic science. We'll start looking at specific examples of this sad phenomenon next time.

Genetics And Human Responsibility

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America adopted a statement at its August, 2011 Assembly: Genetics, Faith and Responsibility- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The following is from the Prologue:

Genetic science includes a range of disciplines that deal with biologically based characteristics and their inheritance. The developments stemming from genetic science and its applications illustrate the abundant gifts of God's creation. Breakthrough discoveries and cutting-edge technologies evoke a sense of awe and provide insights into the human place within the web of creation. They unlock unprecedented power to diagnose and cure diseases and to address agricultural and environmental problems. 

These developments also exemplify how contemporary human knowledge and technology are creating a different relationship between human power and life on this planet. Genetic science extends human powers over the fundamental processes of life in unprecedented and qualitatively different ways. It enables human beings to shape directly and rapidly the characteristics of living beings, including human beings 

The collective effects of these new powers mean human beings increasingly bear the moral burden for the shape of nature and the very existence of future generations. The cumulative force of such unparalleled power and choice promise great benefit but also present qualitatively new levels of danger and ambiguity.

In this and future posts I will share my views about these powers and dangers. I encourage you to read the entire ELCA statement. I especially like these comments further into the prologue:

• Genetic knowledge and its applications are not morally neutral. They require diligent and sustained attention in order both to direct their potential good and to limit potential harm.

• Individual and collective decisions must take into account the long-term impact of genetic science and technology as well as the character of the world today as a global village.

What we Christians especially bring to this dialogue is an understanding of what God in His Word tells us about how we are to use these powers. The Word also warns us about the dangers we face, especially since we are by nature sinful and rebellious. Let's start with a brief review of how we stand in relation to our Creator. Luther's Small Catechism teaches us in a simple, but profound manner how all creation depends upon God.

I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my limbs, my reason, and all my senses, and still preserves them; in addition thereto, clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and homestead, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He provides me richly and daily with all that I need to support this body and life, protects me from all danger, and guards me and preserves me from all evil; and all this out of pure, fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me; for all which I owe it to Him to thank, praise, serve, and obey Him.

Notice that this statement affirms that God continues to provide us with all that we need to support our lives. He protects, guards and preserves us from those things that might harm us. For instance, when Sylvia and I huddled in the hallway of our home back in 2008 as Hurricane Ike came storming in from the Gulf of Mexico, we could only pray that our Father in heaven would spare us, because neither we nor anyone else had the power to control or divert the storm in its fury. And spare us He did, out of "pure, fatherly, divine goodness and mercy." We were without electrical power for weeks, but beyond that we were OK. For all this we give Him thanks and praise. In this we join the Apostle as he says, "In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). God's providence and protection is evident all around us. This is further affirmed by the Apostle in his letter to the Colossians,

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. - Col 1:16-17 ESV

The all things means just that and includes hurricanes, squirrels, dolphins, fleas and we humans, alongside everything else. All these things were created, says the text. The verb were created is passive; these things did not—and do not—create themselves. In that sense our Father continues to create. He is continually creating, causing them to exist. They are utterly and completely dependent upon Him for their existence. As Luther's Catechism says "God has made me and all creatures."

Take me as an example. I am unique, am I not? Certainly. There has never been another quite like me. True, I look quite a bit like my father—and a bit like my mother, but I am not merely a clone of either of them. Nor will I, the unique person that I am, ever cease to exist now that I received a "new self, created after the likeness of God" when I was taken with Christ into death and raised with Him to new life (Romans 6:3-4; 1 Corinthians 12:13). He who first caused me to come into existence through the union of my parents has continued throughout these years to preserve my life. And beyond that, when I was baptized, He re-created me, giving me a new self, remade in His image and likeness. And His creative activity continues within me.

This continuous creating activity of God is everywhere, in trees, streams, the air we breathe, and the universe that surrounds us. "In him all things hold together." He upholds all things by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3).

The fact that we creatures exist only and always by His Word of power does not mean that we are in any sense the same as God. The creatures do not equal the Creator. This teaching does not in any sense suggest pantheism, the idea that the sum of all that exists is God. He remains the Other, the Holy One, above, beyond and outside His creation. Yet within His creation, this natural world, there is an incredibly complex interplay and extensive sublime order. Tides rise and fall, water satisfies our thirst and planet earth continues to revolve around the sun. Modern science in all its varied disciplines reflects an ongoing discovery of this amazing order. We even dare to say that this order reaches out into the universe, the UNI-verse, not the MULTI-verse. All created things are UNIFIED, everything interplays with everything else. We affirm this because we believe there is but ONE God by whom and for whom all things exist. "In Him all things hold together."

Since we humans are interdependent with this amazing creation and given the vocation to oversee it, our task is to respect God's creation and to assist it to flourish. This is certainly part of what the Bible means when it teaches that we are created "in the image of God" (Gen.1:26-28).

Thus we must ask what this stewardship, this management responsibility implies in the amazing discoveries our scientists are making about genetics. We'll look further into that next time.

God's Image Renewed

This week and last I am inviting you to examine the Old and New Testament teachings about human life. So far we've looked at the Hebrew and Greek words translated into English as soul, spirit, mind, life, etc. I emphasize that we humans are a mind/body/soul/spirit unity, completely dependent upon our Creator. He alone is immortal and eternal. Our existence is completely dependent upon the life given by the Spirit of God. So in the very first book of the Bible we read,

Gen 1:26-28 ESV - [26] Then God said, "Let us make man in our image (tselem), after our likeness (demuwth). And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. [28] And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 

 Then in the next chapter,

then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath (neshamah) of life, and the man became a living creature (nephesh). - Gen 2:7 ESV

Again in the book of the generations,

This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. - Gen 5:1-2 ESV

As you can see from these quotes, man was made from what God had created, the dirt of the earth, but made with special care. This creature bears God's image. This is critical in any understanding of the nature of human existence, including all races and both sexes. After the flood was over God said to Noah, "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image." - Gen 9:6 ESV.

In all these quotes there is no detailed definition of what God's image actually is. This has been a puzzle across the ages and many have offered their opinions. For an extended and detailed examination of the Bible's teaching about the image of God, go to "Man as Male and Female: Created in the Image of God" by Nathan Jastram.

Because all humans, both male and female, bear this image they have responsibility before and are answerable to God for how they carry out their dominion over creation, how they relate to one another and above all how they honor and worship their Creator. We are created to worship, love and serve God with our whole being, body, mind, heart, imagination and will. The first and great commandment says,

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." - (Deu 6:4-5 ESV)

Because of our rebellion against our Creator this image that we all bear has been damaged and blurred. Not only do we bear the image of God, we also bear the image of sinful and disobedient man. As David acknowledged, "Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." This damage reaches into the very depths of our being, our hearts, minds and spirits.

The wonderful message of the New Testament is that in Christ the fullness of this image is being restored. Our destiny in Christ is to be conformed, transformed and reshaped into the image of God's Son, the one Man who fully reflects God's image in all He is and does (Romans 8:29). This process begins with our rebirth (John 3:1-18) and continues throughout our lives as we are reshaped and transformed by Christ working in and through His Word (2 Cor. 3:17-18; 5:1-5 ). The process will finally be complete when we are taken to be with Jesus in the new creation in which we will be completely transformed again into the pure and unadulterated image of God (Philippians 3:20-21). 

For all this it is our joyful duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him who has loved and loves us still. 

Made in The Image of God And Yet Corrupted

My dear friend Rick writes to me again with his reflections about the Image of God. This time he tells us that "the image of God is lost". That seems strange. Does that not seem then that we are nothing more than animals, as the proponents of evolution by chance proclaim? Here you begin to sense that there are tensions among theologians about what the Scriptures teach about the Image of God and what there is about us that makes us unique and like God, even in our fallen state.

I agree with Rick, but we need to do some further sorting. Here's Rick's comment:

"Man is the highest of God's creatures, ordained by God with the original creation of man to bear the image of God.  However, by sin  humankind  has lost the moral and righteous inclination of the heart and has an inborn tendency toward sin: "Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander" (Mt. 15:19).  Consequently man does not exercise his authority over nature and creatures to "tend and care for them."  Rather humankind is inclined to use and abuse God's good creation for selfish ends. The image of God is "broken".  Man does not reflect the holiness and righteousness of God.  In fact, "the image of God is lost" with the loss of  holy love, reverence and trust in God. Because of the Fall all human beings  are inclined to selfishness, evil desires, lack of fear, love and trust in God, and an indifference to the things of God.  Christians reborn by the Spirit of God have taken off their "old self with its practices and have put on the new self which is being renewed in the knowledge in the image of its Creator" (Col 3:10).  Once again the Christian reflects the image of God although imperfectly."

 In my previous Blog I quoted the following passages to suggest that mankind retains something of God's image, even though we also bear the sinful image of Adam:

This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth (Genesis 5:1-3). 

"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image" (Gen 9:6).

To these we may add:

"You have given him (man) dominion over the works of your hands . . . "(Psalm 8:1-9). 

 In that sense, David speaks of mankind as still having the authority of Genesis 1:26 to rule over God's creation:

"Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

Add also the rather difficult passage from 1 Corinthians 11:1-12 where we read,

"For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man."

I will not get involved at this time in the interpretation of Paul's meaning here. I quote the passage only to point out that he speaks generically of a man being the "image and glory of God."

James also writes about the restless evil of the human tongue as he says,

"With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God" (James 3:9). 

So we are forced to conclude that we have both lost the image of God and yet are made in the likeness of God. How can it be both? To answer that I turn to the Lutheran Confessions in their discussion of original sin for assistance.

"Original sin is a complete absence or "lack of the original righteousness acquired in Paradise" [Apology II,15] or of the image of God, according to which the human being was originally created in truth, holiness, and righteousness. At the same time it is the absence of any ability or competence in anything that relates to God, or, as the Latin text says, 'The description of original sin deprives the un-renewed human nature of the gifts, powers, and all capacity to initiate and effect anything in spiritual matters." —Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration I,10. 

"God's Word teaches that corrupted human nature in and of itself cannot accomplish any good thing in spiritual, divine matters, not even the slightest thing (such as producing a good thought). Not only that, in and of itself it can do nothing else but sin in God's sight" —Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration I,25.

"The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen 6:5).

"And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done" (Genesis  8:21).

"Because of this corruption the law accuses and condemns the entire corrupted human nature, unless sin is forgiven for the sake of Christ. The law does not bring charges against our nature and condemn it because we have been created by God but rather because we are sinful and evil, just as it does not condemn us because and insofar as our nature and essence remain a work, creature and product of God even after the fall, but rather because and insofar as they are contaminated and corrupted by sin. . . . 

"The corrupted nature or essence of the corrupted human being—the body and soul, or the human being itself as God created it . . . —and original sin, which has taken up residence in this nature or essence and corrupted it, are not one and the same thing. As with physical leprosy, the body that is leprous and the leprosy on or in the body are not one and the same thing. To describe the matter accurately: the distinction must be maintained between our nature, as it was created and preserved by God and in which sin resides, and original sin, which resides in our nature. According to Holy Scripture, both propositions must and can be considered, taught, and believed as distinct from each other." FC:SD I:32,33

The Confessions go on in great detail to distinguish between our human nature, our essence that God creates and the original sin that is the work of the devil:

"Therefore, in order to distinguish God's creation and work in the human being from the devil's work, we say that it is God's creation that the human being has a body and soul and can think, speak, act, and accomplish anything, for "in him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). That this nature is corrupted and that our thoughts, words, and deeds are evil is in its origin a handiwork of Satan. Through sin Satan corrupted God's work in Adam, which was then bequeathed to us." FC:SD I,42. 

All italics above are inserted by me. So I come to the second bottom line: 

We humans think and reason. We unravel the mysteries of genetics and quantum mechanics. We invent and use human language and with them create sonnets, novels, studies of history, medicine and Shakespearian dramas. We create and play music with its multitudinous forms. We develop great works of art and architecture. We build machines that traverse the earth, go to the depths of the oceans and fly to the moon. In all this we reflect the image of God in which our nature and essence is created. 

And yet we are corrupted by sin at the core of our being. Sin resides in us, in our nature, our essence so that in any matter related to God, in spiritual matters we cannot and do not think, speak or act in any way that is good in God's eyes. All of our speaking, creating, learning and acting has been and continues to be corrupted by the sin that resides in each of us. We lie about our accomplishments, boast about our deeds, use language to murder, build weapons to destroy thousands, etc. Thus we all are judged and condemned worthy of eternal damnation and death. Our one and only hope resides in the mercy and forgiveness won for us by the obedient life and the sacrifice of God's Son for us all upon the cross. 

Mankind Is Unique—We Are Not Animals

During Lent we Christians urge one another to take a long, hard look at ourselves in the light of God's revealed Word. That Word, of course, is divided into the Law of God that serves primarily to reveal our sins and the Gospel, the gracious Word of forgiveness won for us by the life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. The recent edition of The Lutheran Witness has a fine article on "Natural Law, Lutheranism and the Public Good," only partly reproduced by this link.

My friend and fellow-pastor, Rick, writes me again, this time about the above article:

What do you think of the article in Lutheran Witness concerning the Natural Law?  He has a point, but I think he goes too far with the very last statement "whom our Lord has created in His own image." The fact is the natural law in conscience in our culture has been "seared as with a hot iron." I Tim 4:2. and the "image of God" has been broken in the human heart and can only be restored in Christ "to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."  Eph. 4:24.. Question for you, "Is the moral law and conscience part of the "broken image of God" in natural man?"

 I gather that Rick wants to discuss the original image of God as it was in Adam and the image being restored in the hearts of those of us called to faith in the Second Adam, Jesus Christ. Beyond that, it seems from the referenced article that the answer to Rick's question is at least alluded to by the comment, ". . . appeals to natural law may be perceived as elevations of pagan philosophy over Christian theology, reason over revelation and Law over Gospel."

Best place to start is to review again what the image of God is—or was. Our source is Genesis 1:27:

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

This image persists even after Adam's fall into disobedience and sin:

"This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God." - Gen 5:1 ESV

"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image." - Gen 9:6 ESV

The Hebrew word for likeness in Genesis 5 is demuwth. The prophet Isaiah says you cannot create a likeness of God. He is incomparable, unique, one of a kind. There is nothing in all creation like Him. He is the Creator and Ruler over all things created. No idol of stone or metal can be made like Him. He is above and beyond all creation. "To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One" (Isaiah 40:25). How then can Adam and the sinful children of Adam be considered to be "made in God's own image"? Hold that question in your mind.

The other Hebrew word is tselem which we translate as image (Genesis 1:27; 9:6). The pagans made images of Baal (2 Kings 11:18). Images of men were portrayed on walls (Ezekiel 23:14). The forms and people we see in our dreams are called tselem (Psalm 73:20). When we awake we realize these are not real. They are but dreams (chalowm). 

And yet Adam's son Seth was brought forth in Adam's image (Genesis 5:3). Did that mean he looked like Adam? I suppose he did, but is that all Moses wants to say? Obviously not, because he starts the chapter by saying that man was originally created (Hebrew bara) in God's likeness (demuwth), both male and female.  Then he goes on the tell us that Seth was brought forth in Adam's likeness (demuwth), after his image (tselem).

Confused? Let's review where we are.

1. Adam and Eve were originally created in the image and likeness of God. No other creature was created in God's image and likeness. In that sense, mankind is unique. We are not animals. 
2. God cannot be portrayed by any creation of man, i.e. image, likeness, idol, painting, etc. 
3. Even after the fall into sin the image and likeness of God remains in mankind. 
4. This image and likeness of God is God's continued creation in the hearts and lives of mankind. This, above all else, is what distinguishes us from all other creatures. Like God, we are unique.
5. Yet, Adam's son Seth—and all of us children of Adam—are brought forth in Adam's image and likeness.
6. Conclusion: we children of Adam and Eve bear both the image or likeness of God and the image or likeness of Adam. 

How can this be? What does this mean? Let's look at the process of birth through which Seth inherited the image or likeness of Adam. Here is what the Spirit reveals. 

"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me."           —Psalm 51:5

"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one." —Psalm 53:1-3 

"The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies."—Psalm 58:3

"Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned?" — Romans 5:12

From this we gather that the likeness or image of Adam is sin and that we children of Adam and Eve are sinful and estranged from God from the moment of conception. This is why our Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. . . unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:3-7).

From this brief study we can conclude that Pastor Rick refers to the image of Adam when he speaks about the "broken image of God". We humans still retain the image of God in certain matters. We are able to reason and to have dominion over the creatures of land and sea. We still multiply and are about the task of subduing the earth and using the plants for food (Genesis 1:26-30). And in the hearts of men there is still some of the image of God that we call the natural law and conscience. But we are in rebellion. We are sinners who bear also the image of Adam. Our only hope is that we might be born again by the work of the Spirit in the Word and remade into the image of the Second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45-57). This process begins already in our baptism into Christ. It will be completed on the Day of the Great Resurrection.

These are weighty matters, well worth meditating upon during these 40 days of Lent.