Anthropology Notes
Kenny Hodges
September 13, 2016

…approve the things that are excellent… Philippians 1:10 Doctrinal Outlines

ANTHROPOLOGY – The Doctrine Of Man

Anthropology comes from the Greek word anthropos meaning ‘man’. Man has always wanted to know who he is, where he came from, and where he is going. Only the Bible gives a complete answer to these questions.

I. Man In His State Of Integrity or Purity

A. His Origin

  1. Negative
    a. Not by spontaneous generation
    b. Not by evolution or natural developments
    (1) It is opposed to Scripture - Genesis 1:24
    (2) It is opposed to the fossil record
    (3) There is a great gulf between man and animals: Intellect, moral qualities, and spiritual concepts.

  2. Positive - Man is a direct creation of God. Genesis 1:27

B. His Nature

  1. The original image of man - God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness….Genesis 1:26

  2. The original innocence of man - Adam was created in innocence. Innocence is sinlessness that has never faced trial. This is different from righteousness. Righteousness is innocence that has been tested and tried and has come out victorious.

C. His Constitution

  1. Body

  2. Soul - The soul is the seat of the emotions and appetites. Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Genesis 2:7 See also Deuteronomy 12:15; I Samuel 2:16; Job 14:22; Isaiah 61:10; Mark 14:34.

  3. Spirit - This is where men differ from all other creatures. Man alone has a spirit. The spirit of man is the seat of his intelligence. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.1 Corinthians 2:11

  4. Heart - When the heart is mentioned in Scripture it is not speaking of the muscle in the body, but rather the seat of conscience. let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:22

D. His Condition (before the fall)

  1. His knowledge - He had immediate knowledge. Adam named all the animals.

  2. His fellowship - He was able to commune with God.

  3. His home - It was located in a garden in Eden.

  4. His companion - God created Eve as an help meet for Adam

  5. His work - And God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28…approve the things that are excellent… Philippians 1:10 Doctrinal Outlines

  6. His food - Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you.” Genesis 1:29 The first man and beasts were vegetarians.

  7. His responsibility - To replenish the earth with a new order (Genesis 1:28); and to abstain from eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil.

E. His Headship - The entire human race comes from one man, Adam, and one woman, Eve.

II. Man In His State Of Sin

A. The fall of man - Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned– Romans 5:12

  1. The source of sin - But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3 See also Rev 20:2.

  2. The nature of sin - The testing was given to see if man would stay true to God. Satan planted the seed of false ambition in Adam and Eve to see if it would bring about their downfall, and it did.
    a. They doubted God’s love - In doubting God’s love, man denied God’s goodness.
    b. They doubted God’s word - In doubting God’s word, man denied God’s truth.
    c. They doubted God’s authority - In doubting God’s authority, man denied God’s deity.

  1. The effects of sin

a. Immediate
(1) Shame - Genesis 3:7
(2) Fear - Genesis 3:10
(3) Separation from God - Man lost his perfect nature and ended his fellowship with God.
Genesis 3:23-24

b. Remote
(1) The spirit of man is darkened - This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; Ephesians 4:17
(2) The soul is corrupt - and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to
sensuality, for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. Ephesians 4:19
(3) The body is subject to disease and death - What man can live and not see death? Can he
deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah. Psalm 89:48

c. On the Serpent - And the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly shall you go, And dust shall you eat All the days of your life; And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:14

d. On woman - To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you shall bring forth children; Yet your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” Genesis 3:16

e. On man - By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:19

f. On creation - Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you shall eat the plants of the field; Genesis 3:17

B. The Fallen State of Adam’s descendants - As descendants of Adam all men inherit a sin nature. Because of this all men are sinful in nature, sinful in practice, spiritually dead, under God’s wrath, and lost in sin. See 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; Romans 5:12-21; Titus 3:3; Luke 19:10; Romans 1:18.

III. Man In His State Of Grace

A. His Standing

  1. In Christ - For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:22
  2. Of Perfection - just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:4, 6

B. His State - By this we mean man’s spiritual condition

  1. A new creation - 2 Corinthians 5:17
  2. Saved - 2 Timothy 1:9
  3. Dead unto sin - Romans 6:11
  4. Child of God - John 1:12; Gal 3:26
  5. Under God’s favor - Ephesians 1:3
  6. Sure of heaven - 2 Timothy 4:18

C. His Two Natures - The unsaved man has but one nature. The child of God has two natures that are at war against each other. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. Galatians 5:17

  1. The description of the Old Nature
    a. The flesh - Romans 7:18
    b. The natural man - 1 Corinthians 2:14
    c. The old man - Romans 6:6
    d. The outward man - 2 Corinthians 4:16
    e. The heart - Mark 7:21-23
    f. The carnal mind - Romans 8:7
    g. Sin - Romans 5:12

  1. The character of the Old Nature - Romans 5 & Romans 8
    a. It is Adam’s nature
    b. It is an inherited nature
    c. It is an evil nature
    d. It is an unchangeable nature
    e. Its end is death

  2. The description of the New Nature
    a. The spirit - John 3:6
    b. Divine nature - 2 Peter 1:4
    c. The new man - Ephesians 4:24
    d. The inward man - 2 Corinthians 4:16
    e. The mind - Romans 7:25

  3. The character of the New Nature
    a. It is a Christly nature
    b. It is an imparted nature
    c. It is an holy nature
    d. It is an unchangeable nature
    e. Its end is resurrection and rapture

  4. The conflict between the two natures
    a. The believer’s experience - Galatians 5:17; Romans 7:15-25

b. The believer’s responsibility

(1) In relation to the Old Nature - Make no provision for it (Romans 13:14); Put it off
(Ephesians 4:22).
(2) In relation to the New Nature - Reckon ourselves to be alive (Romans 6:11); Walk in
newness of life (Ephesians 2:10); Feed and nourish it (1 Peter 2:2); Put on the new man
(Ephesians 4:24); Depend upon the indwelling Spirit for power (Ephesians 4:30,
Zechariah 4:6)