Genesis 1-2 - What does it mean to be human

A reading from Psalms 8, page 546.

What is mankind that you are mindful of them?

Human beings that you care for them.

You have made them a little lower than the angels

and crowned them with glory and honor.

You made them rulers over the works of your hands.

You put everything under their feet,

all flocks and herds and the animals of the wild,

the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea,

all that swim the paths of the seas.

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name

in all the earth.

Amen.

That's great.

Thank you for reading for us, Elle.

Do turn in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 1,

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

which we're going to refer to Psalm 8 briefly,

but do turn to Genesis 1.

It's right at the beginning of your Bibles.

Like I said with the children,

we've been looking over these summer weeks

at the doctrine of creation.

So not so much working through Genesis 1 to 3,

verse by verse,

but looking at the themes of creation,

what does it mean that God made the world?

So we looked at the God who made the world

and we thought about that together.

What is God like?

We then looked at the world that God made.

What kind of world did God make?

We realized that he made the world to be with us.

And this week we're thinking about humanity,

the people that God made.

And next week we're going to be looking at the fall,

what went wrong in the world that God made.

So let me pray and ask for the Lord's help

as we come to his word.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father,

it would be very easy for us

just to think of this as a human exercise

for me trying to pass information from my brains

into the brains of those people in front of me.

But Lord, that's not what's going on here.

These are your words.

And we, all of us,

me and everyone else,

are sitting to listen to you.

We long, Lord,

not just to learn new ideas,

but to hear your voice.

We long to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus.

We long to live lives of purpose and meaning

and significance for his praise and his glory.

So be with us and help us, we ask in Jesus' name.

Amen. Amen.

Now, I think probably one of the most important

Christian books of the last 10 years

was a book called Love Thy Body.

Nancy Peercy, who's the author,

points out in the book that

most people in the West

now think very differently

to their grandparents

or certainly their great-grandparents

about issues such as abortion

or euthanasia

or marriage

or gender

or sex and sexuality.

Now, that's not that surprising,

isn't it?

We all know that.

In fact,

if the most important Christian book

of the last 10 years

just told you that,

then any of us in this room

could have written it,

couldn't we?

But we didn't.

And Nancy Peercy is brighter than all of us.

Probably most of us all put together as well.

But actually,

the thing that comes through from that book,

which is really fascinating,

is that the reason behind those changes,

the reason that you and I think differently

or most people around us

will think differently

to their grandparents on these issues,

is because of one single change

that's behind them all,

a fundamental shift in our thinking.

In other words,

new ideas about marriage,

gender, sex, abortion,

and euthanasia are,

she says,

symptoms of a deeper change,

a deeper shift in thinking.

And Peercy argues

that it's a shift

in what we think it means

to be human.

Now, forgive me

for just going into the detail

of this this morning,

but it is important for us.

We, all of us,

whether you call yourself

a Christian or not this morning,

all of us have lived

and are living

through a period

of massive cultural change.

And it is largely driven

by this shift in thinking

about what it means

to be human.

It means for most people now,

being human is understood

by splitting apart

two things

which have traditionally

been held together,

are certainly held together

in Christian theology.

The West today tells us

that our physical bodies

and our minds

are separate from one another

and that actually

our minds

and our feelings

and our perceptions

are primary

and our bodies

are secondary.

And that mind first,

body later shift

means that

if you want to know

what your life is for,

what is the purpose

of your existence,

you look not at your body

but you look to your mind.

What are your feelings?

How do you think?

Think about it like this with me

and this is Piercy's illustration,

not mine,

so if you don't like it

you can pick it up with her.

But imagine a car and a driver.

The car is the means

of getting from A to B

but the rule and the decision

and the purpose

come from the driver of the car.

And in modern thinking now,

your body is just a car

that your mind is driving.

The body is sort of a container

for the real you.

It is not the real you.

And sometimes,

in contemporary thought at least,

the car is an unreliable one.

It needs a few modifications

to make it suit

the driver's preferences.

Now think about how that works.

If your mind is you

and your body is just the container,

then it means, doesn't it,

that if somebody has

a mind that is damaged

but a body that is functional,

maybe because of age

or dementia or disability

or perhaps because

they're an unborn child

who is not yet capable

of articulating thoughts

and feelings,

in contemporary speak

you are less

than someone who is

of sound mind.

And so what can you do?

Well, you are able,

under certain circumstances,

to dispose of those

with bodies

without functioning minds,

which of course is abortion

and euthanasia.

Nancy Pearcey gives other examples.

She gives the example

of sexuality.

She says,

you know,

think about when

the sexual desires

of your mind

don't match up

with the sexual makeup

of your body.

Which one wins?

Your body

or your mind?

Now for centuries

it's been our bodies

but now of course

it's our minds

and that's why marriage

has been redefined.

Or what about

if you find yourself

drawn to the particular

cultural stereotypes

that go along with a gender

that doesn't match your body?

Do you follow your mind

or do you follow your body?

Well, the shift in thinking

says the mind should win.

The mind is more important

than the body.

Your mind is telling the truth,

your body is lying

and needs to be corrected

or rejected

or just ignored.

Now I realise

the danger of starting here

is that this is all

very theoretical, isn't it?

This is all in the ideas

of sort of philosophy

and worldview.

But we're not really

in that realm, are we?

This shift in how we think

about what it means

to be human

has lots of deeply

personal effects on us.

I don't think there's

anybody in this room

who remains unaffected

by this shift in thinking.

It's impacted

not only people

that we love

but it's also become

confusing for ourselves.

You know,

what are we supposed

to say to children

when they come home

from school telling us

that they feel like

they're in the wrong body?

That's how they've been told

to understand themselves.

Or what do we do

when family members

start putting in place

plans for assisted suicide

in the face of sickness?

What do we do

when feelings and desires

that we have personally,

that our grandparents

would have told us

to resist,

we're now told

that we must act on them

for our own good?

It's a confusing

and painful world

to live in.

And so as we come

to Genesis 1 and 2

this morning

and we're going

to think about

what it means

to be human

in God's definition,

we are in the kind

of world of ideas

and theories

but we are also

boots on the ground

in real life.

I want to show you

from Genesis 1 to 3

that the definition

of being human

from here

gives you the possibility

of a richer,

deeper,

more fulfilling life

than anything

the world has to offer.

In fact,

I think I'd go

as far as to say

that it is impossible

for any of us

in this room

to flourish as people

without understanding

God's definition

of what it means

to be human

from Genesis 1 and 2.

So let's get into this.

Let me start off

with a definition

of being human

from Genesis 1 and 2

and then I'm going

to break it down

for you.

This I think

is a fair summary

of what we will find

in these chapters

that a human being

is both body

and spirit,

either male

or female

and always made

in the image

of God.

We're going to just

look at those

three main parts

and then I'm going

to think about

some applications

for us.

The first one

is body and spirit.

A human being

is both body

and spirit.

Now you'll know

if you were with us

last week

that Genesis 1

and Genesis 2

both contain

the creation account

with different

camera angles on it

and we are told

in chapter 2

verse 7

that the Lord God

formed a man

from the dust

of the ground

and breathed

into his nostrils

the breath of life

and the man

became a living

being.

Here we see

the two interwoven

components

of a person.

Flesh

from the dust

and life

from the breath

of God.

Body

and spirit.

And it's the

combination

of those things

together

which make us

a living being.

It's worth noting

that the word

for living beings

is the same

as the word

for living creature

in chapter 1

verse 20

and 21

and 24

is the word

translated

the breath of life

in chapter 1

verse 30.

So in the first sense

the idea here

is that to be human

is to possess

a living

animated

thinking

sensing

perceiving

flesh

like an animal.

But there is also

a unique dignity

that means that

human beings

are distinct

from the other

living beings.

The breath of God

is breathed in

personally

in verse 7

through the nose.

It seems to be

an indication

of the proximity

of God.

His breath

was focused.

It's not a

gust of wind

that just happens

to pass by.

And then again

in the creation

of woman

from the side

of man

God

fashions her

from the rib

and brings her

to the man.

An idea

which gets

expanded on

of humanity

being made

in the image

of God

which we're

going to consider

in a moment.

But for now

just see that

God didn't

just make minds

and then

put them

into bodies

but God

made us

bodies and minds

living beings

people of both

body and spirit.

The body

is the person.

It's not so much

a car

and a driver.

I was trying to think

of what's an alternative

illustration to a car

and a driver.

I couldn't really think

of one but here you go.

It's more like a

flying carpet

where body and spirit

are the interwoven

fabric of the carpet.

Right?

They are

they are intimately

involved with one

another.

A mind cannot be

trapped in the wrong

body because the

body and the mind

are so close together

that it's not possible.

Of course it's true

isn't it?

In a post-fall world

and we'll think about

this next week

that it is possible

for our spirits

to be separated

from our bodies

our souls

to live separate

from our bodies

in the glories

of heaven

as we wait

for the return

of Christ.

But the Christian hope

is not a bodiless

existence floating

around in the sky

the Christian hope

is the hope

of the resurrection

of the body

the physical return

of Jesus Christ

to this earth

in his resurrection

body

to raise our bodies

that they may be

reunited

with our souls

to live with him

in a physical universe.

But it's worth

pondering this

isn't it?

The Bible

is unashamed

of your body

not because the Bible

is immodest

God covers the

nakedness of his people

in Genesis 3

we'll find next week

but all the same

God does not think

that your body

is embarrassing

or dirty

or to be ignored.

Genesis 1 and 2

contradicts the idea

that how you are made

has nothing to say

about what your life

is for.

God has designed

your body

and has given it

to you

to teach you

what your life

is for.

You are mind

and body

body and soul

and when God

comes to save

he comes

in the person

of the son

who clothes himself

in flesh

like ours

not just

so that he can die

although of course

that is central

to his mission

dying for sin

and for salvation

that he might

forgive us

for our sins

but also

for the purpose

of resurrection

too

a physical presence

that God

might be with us

in body.

So we are made

body and spirit

secondly

we are male

and female

look back at chapter 1

verse 27

so God created

mankind in his own

image

in the image of God

he created them

male and female

he created them

again this is linked

to what it means

to be made

in the image of God

and we are coming

to that in a moment

but let's notice

this distinction

between men and women

that is woven

into creation

from the beginning

here in chapter 1

as humanity

is made in the same time

in chapter 1

and then in chapter 2

made independently

with the woman

being fashioned

by God

from the rib

of man

Matthew Henry

the commentator

famously pointed out

300 years ago

that woman

was made not

from the foot

of man

to be downtrodden

nor from the head

to rule over him

but from the side

to walk alongside him

whether that's the meaning

of the rib

is debatable

but the point is

that the distinction

between the sexes

is not to do

with cultural stereotypes

there are no

cultural stereotypes

in Genesis 1 and 2

right

no one's written

a piece of music

yet

no one has built

a building

no one has done

any art

yet there is no

cultural stereotypes

football was not

invented yet

ballet had not

been done yet

okay so there's no

cultural stereotypes

with which God

makes man and woman

rather he makes

them male and female

the distinction

is a distinction

given by God

so that man and woman

are by definitions

given to them

by him

sorry that was a

completely confusing

sentence

the definition

of man and woman

was given to them

by God

which are biologically

present in every cell

of their bodies

you know so that

despite the huge

similarity between us

as men and women

the difference is

literally watermarked

in us

all the way through us

again this is really

precious the more

you think about it

you know the shift

that we've experienced

in contemporary culture

this splitting apart

of the body and the mind

that we were thinking

about

means that the world

asks our children

don't they

are you a boy or a girl

how do you feel

what do you think

what are you more

drawn to

and then they're

medicated to make

their bodies conform

to the decision

that their immature

mind has made

and we call that

freedom

but it's actually

oppression

and the bible

comes along with

true freedom

doesn't it

and says listen

God made you

he made you

and he loves you

he's made you

body and spirit

male or female

now go and explore

how you can bring

glory to him

and that is

wonderfully liberating

it's wonderfully

precious

as we're made

with that kind

of dignity

so humanity

is made

body and spirit

we're made

male or female

next we are made

in the image

of God

now we could

spend ages on this

because really

if you want a headline

for what the bible

says about it

means what it means

to be human

you could just say

it means we are

made in the image

of God

a human being

is the image

of God

so look back

at chapter 1

verse 26

then God said

let us make

mankind

in our image

in our likeness

so that they may

rule over the fish

of the sea

and the birds

in the sky

over the livestock

and over all

the wild animals

and over all

the creatures

that move along

the ground

so God created

mankind

in his own

image

in the image

of God

he created them

male and female

he created them

God blessed them

and said to them

be fruitful

and increase in number

fill the earth

and subdue it

rule over the fish

in the sea

and the birds

in the sky

and over every

living creature

that moves

in the ground

now notice here

that being in the image

of God

is a unique dignity

afforded to humanity

alone

so that all creation

reflects the glory

of the one who made it

but humanity

is uniquely

made in the image

of God

this is really important

it is not so much

that humanity

carry the image

of God

people sometimes

use the word

that we are image

bearers

but it's more than that

we are ourselves

the image of God

think about it like this

it's not like

someone says to you

what does God look like

you pull out a picture

in your pocket

and say you know

this is what God

looks like

you wouldn't do that

with God

because you can't

take a picture

of God

maybe your father

what does your father

look like

and you pull a picture

out your pocket

it's not that

you're not carrying

an image of God

you are the image

of God

what does your father

look like

he looks like me

you can see him

in me

and that's what's

going on here

uniquely humanity

carry in themselves

the image of God

it seems doesn't it

in the context

that this image

is related to the purpose

that humanity

are given

according to verse 26

it's so that they might

rule they are made

to be ambassadors

in God's world

stewarding and caring

for what he has made

they're to continue

this gardening work

that was started

by God in chapter 2

verses 5 and 6

this is what

El read for us

in Psalm 6

Psalm 8

isn't it

verse 6

you made them

rulers over the work

of your hands

this is how God

has made us

you put everything

under their feet

all flocks

and herds

and the animals

of the wild

the birds in the sky

and the fish in the sea

all that swim

the paths

of the seas

God hands responsibility

to humanity

uniquely responsible

for the world

that God has made

and they are accountable

to God

for stewarding his creation

again we're going to see

more of this next week

but they are given rules

by which to do it

in other words

being God's image

means doing his work

in righteous ways

doing it in conformity

to the commands

that he has given them

naming the creatures

forming and filling

the garden

in a way

that all the other

living creatures

are incapable of

it also seems

that this image

though is something

that is done

by the complementarity

of male and female

it seems that

it is impossible

on their own

for a man

or a woman

to reflect the image

of God

in quite the same way

as that they're able

to together

it is the diversity

in men and women

that is made

to reflect the diversity

of father son

and spirit

it is man

and woman

who are the image

of God

as the writer

of Genesis

Moses

points out

in chapter 2

verses 24 and 25

if you glance over

to that

he's there got

a little editorial

note about what

marriage is

he says the two

become one flesh

not just for their

own pleasure

but as they serve

this greater good

of reflecting God

to creation

Adam and Eve

come together

and bear children

and work the garden

as father son

and spirit

united together

have created

the universe

so Adam

can't do

what God

has given

him to do

without a woman

which means

not only that

man and woman

are equal

image bearers

but that it is

their unity

which brings

the image of God

even more apparent

now we could spend

longer on that

I've whistled through

those three

things

we are made

body and spirit

male or female

and we're made

in the image of God

now those things

stand in stark contrast

to how the world

defines what it means

to be human

but let me pull out

three specific

applications for us

I want to talk

about dignity

I want to talk

about authority

and I want to talk

about community

so let's start

with dignity

I want to suggest

to you that

actually everybody

loves the idea

of dignity

don't they

we all want

to be treated

personally

we want to be

treated with

dignity

even the famous

euthanasia clinic

is called

dignitas

it's this idea

of dignity

but really

I want to tell you

that it's only

Genesis 1 and 2

that gives you

an account

of the dignity

that we have

as humans

I don't know

whether you know

but what your body

is made up of

right

60% of our bodies

is made up

of just water

right

16% of us

is protein

16%

give or take

a little bit

is fat

and 6%

is minerals

and then a few

other bits

alongside it

now according

to the internet

which is a source

of absolute

reliability

the price

of those

constituent parts

is 78 pounds

66 pence

if you wanted

to buy

the elements

that make up

a human being

it would cost you

78 pounds

66 pence

that is if you're

using a particularly

expensive form

of hydrogen

as well

if you were prepared

to just use

water from the tap

it would cost you

about 35 quid

which is a bargain

right

in other words

because the value

of our bodies

has very little

to do with our

constituent parts

right

that the value

of humanity

is a value

that is assigned

to it

from outside

of itself

not something

that springs

from itself

because of what

it's made of

now that might

be a bit complicated

it's really important

so let me give you

an example

imagine for a moment

you collect autographs

that's not a thing

anyone does anymore

is it

you collect selfies

now

but right

okay

imagine that you

collected autographs

and so you came to me

in a moment of weakness

because you're really

struggling

right

you came to me

and said

will you sign my autograph

so I sign your autograph

yeah I'll sign that

you know

and you take my autograph

right

and then you walk out

church

and you see

Stormzy walking down

the street

and you go

I know him

he got an honorary

! PhD from Cambridge

this week

did you know that

or was it Oxford

one of the two

anyway

and you go

I know him

I'm going to get

his autograph as well

so he signs your book

right

now

those two pages

in your book

are worth

exactly the same amount

right

Steve

Stormzy

similar length

right

so there's a similar

amount of ink

on the page

the constituent elements

of those two pieces

of paper

are worth

exactly the same

but which is more

important to you

which is more precious

of course it's Stormzy's

isn't it

because of who he is

he has signed it

it carries

his signature

there is an assigned

value to that page

which is higher

than the value

of the page

that I signed

because of who

wrote it

and that's the same

here isn't it

God has assigned

a value to humanity

which is greater

than the 35 pounds

that it would cost

to make us

because we have

his signature

on us

we are signed

by the one

who made us

and that is where

our dignity

comes from

we are from the dust

aren't we

without the animating

work of God

that is all we are

but in Genesis 1 and 2

humanity is given

a dignity beyond

the value

of its elements

as a reflection

of the glory of God

God had his fingerprints

all over us

and we are called

good

very good

by the God

who made us

in his image

now importantly

that dignity

belongs to us

regardless of who we are

right

regardless of what

we've done

regardless of

where we are from

an unborn child

carries that same

dignity

as you or I do

that the person

who is lost

in dementia

has that same

dignity

that you or I do

because it is

assigned to them

by God

it's not because

of what they are

capable of

it is because

of whose image

they were made in

so it's not

just wrong

to kill the

unborn child

because it is

a real baby

it is wrong

to kill the child

because they are

created in the image

of God

and they carry

the divine dignity

euthanasia is

wrong

because even

when you are

lost in dementia

or you are facing

the end of your life

through a terminal

illness

you still carry

the dignity

of God

assigned to us

made in his image

there are loads

more implications

of that aren't there

let me just pull out

one to you

which I think

is particularly

important for us

think about racism

we live in a world

blighted by racial

discrimination

don't we

where people's

experience of life

has often been

dictated to them

by the colour

of their skin

or the cultural

heritage that they're

from

the story of

humanity

has tragic

chapters

of enslavement

and colonisation

now I would imagine

that if you spoke

to almost anybody

in London

if you spoke

to someone

on the bus

which you're not

really supposed to do

but you can do it

if you want to

speak to someone

on the bus

and you said to them

what do you think

about racism

I think 99%

of people would

tell you that they

they are bored

they think it's a

terrible thing

they think it's wrong

if you then say

to them

why

they're going

to be stumped

why is it wrong

why is it wrong

to treat people

differently based

on the colour

of their skin

if we are not

made by God

in the image

of God

if we are just

here by chance

and really it is

selfish self-interest

which defines

what the human life

is for

the mind

ruling

trying to get

its own way

and making

everyone else

conform to what

my mind says

if that's the story

and there is no

assigned dignity

to people

then racism

can't be wrong

but if the truth

is that

we were created

by God

assigned dignity

by the one

who made us

who loves

the difference

and the distinction

in the world

that he's made

in fact

is especially

glorified

by that distinction

then of course

racism is wrong

not only because

it's an offence

to the person

who's receiving it

but because it's

an offence

to the God

who made them

we're precious

you know

our church

should be the

safest place

in the world

to be

and to be

who you are

because we know

that everyone

in this room

is precious

because we are

signed

by the God

of glory

who made us

with dignity

secondly

authority

authority

notice here

that God

made humanity

with a purpose

of ruling

over creation

they're given

this subordinate

authority

over what he's

made

and actually

those two things

go together

don't they

it is

it is

as Adam

and Eve

submit

to God

and his rule

that they gain

authority

over what he

has made

we're going to

think about that

some more

what went wrong

next week

but it means

doesn't it

that life

has a purpose

right

life has been

given to you

to me

that we might

continue

what God

has started

in creation

that we might

fail

subdue

and rule

over creation

now obviously

you don't need me

to tell you

that idea

has been

massively abused

is it

we don't have

the sort of

privilege of

pillaging creation

for whatever we

desire

there's a sense

of stewardship

and responsibility

that's given here

but still God

has given us

work to do

not as a punishment

but as a blessing

creation does not

need to be left

to go to wild

it needs humanity

to garden it

it's a blessing

to creation

and it's part

of following him

you know the garden

in the bible

becomes

you know we get

excluded from it

but then as you go

on in the story

it becomes

you know a camp

a settlement

a town

a city

a nation

a global economy

as humanity

in a very broken

way

are carrying on

with this work

of filling

and subduing

the earth

we have this

collective

responsibility

not as ultimate

authority

but as subordinate

with what is called

the cultural mandate

now that means

loads of different

things doesn't it

but amongst other

things

I don't know

where you're going

to find yourself

tomorrow

what is it you're

going to be doing

tomorrow

maybe you're going

to work

maybe you don't

like your job

very much

maybe you're going

to be at home

and you know

that you've got

chores to do

you've got washing

to fold

tomorrow

you've got

meals to cook

for people

it means doesn't it

that actually

God is interested

in even those

things

and those things

are an opportunity

for us to live out

the lives that he's

given us

by doing a good job

by organising

our little corner

of creation

by folding the washing

tidying the flat

serving those around us

that is our opportunity

to bring God glory

it's fascinating

isn't it

if in the world's eyes

this idea of splitting

your mind and your body

means that what

the purpose of your life

is to think really hard

about what it is

that you want

and there you will

find your purpose

if Genesis 1 and 2

are true

then what you find

is actually

your job is to

reflect who

God is

in the way

that he's made you

and use that

as an opportunity

to serve those

around you

and there you

will find purpose

and it's a much

more satisfying

way to live

finally

community

we don't have loads

of time left

to go into this

but let's try

and discover it quickly

notice humanity

are not only made

for relationship

with God

we saw that last week

don't we

are made to be

with him

but we are also

made for relationship

with one another

look down at

chapter 2

verse 18

the Lord God

said

it is not good

for the man

to be alone

I will make

a helper

suitable

for him

now that I think

is an easily

misunderstood verse

what is not good

I don't think

it's loneliness

it's not just

that he looks

at man and says

it is sad

that he's on his own

when in verse 20

it says that

no suitable

helper is found

it's not about

companionship

so much as it is

about service

it's really here

about being able

to do

and to be

what God

has called

Adam to be

and to do

Adam on his own

is unable

to fill

and subdue

creation

he needs

a suitable

helper

he needs

a woman

so that together

they can work

not just on the

garden

but also on the

procreation

that will be

needed to fill

the earth

now we don't

have time

to uncover

all of the

Bible's teaching

on sex

marriage

and singleness

and it's more

nuanced than

what's just

in Genesis 1

and 2

it's changed

by the fall

it's changed

and transformed

actually by

the need for

people to hear

of Jesus

which actually

is even more

important isn't it

and again we're

going to consider

that more in a

moment

but the main

point here is

that we cannot

be truly human

on our own

we need one

another

not just in

marriage

but we need

friendships

we need

co-workers

filling the earth

and subduing the

earth is not

something we can

do on our own

not just because

of procreation

but also because

of the need

for community

and fellowship

and friendship

and working

alongside one

another

in fact it

seems that

living the good

life is for

the benefit

of others

this is what

we're made

for

communities

of mutual

benefit

where we put

the needs

of one another

ahead of our

own

not the survival

of the fittest

but support

for the weakest

body and spirit

man or woman

in the image

of God

dignity

authority

and community

now just as we

finish

return to this

massive cultural

shift that we

have lived

through

a shift

that's risen

from this

redefinition

of what it

means to be

human

I want you

to see

that the

basic

difference

between

what the

world says

it means

to be

human

and what

the Bible

says it

is to be

human

is the

presence

of God

right

what the

world has

effectively

done

is it's

pushed God

out of the

definition

of what

it means

to be

human

and what

we think

we've done

is we've

lost God

and gained

ourselves

what we've

really done

is we've

lost God

and we lost

ourselves

with him

and so

really in

order to be

truly human

you need

not only to

understand

how God

made you

and what

God made

you for

you also

need to

know

God

that's

what Genesis

1 and 2

are saying

you know

without God

without his

image in us

you will not

really be able

to understand

dignity

authority

or community

you'll have

scraps of them

because you've

got leftovers

of them

glimmers of

them

but you won't

have the real

thing

and that means

doesn't it

that the need

of our world

your need

this morning

whether you'd

call yourself

a Christian

or not

your need

my need

this morning

is I need

God in my

life

I need to

know the

Lord

to know

myself

I need

to know

the one

who made

me

and of

course

as I

think about

that

I think

that's

really

difficult

how can

how can

I know

God

I know

that I've

lived my

life for

myself

I know

that I've

lived as if

I could

live perfectly

well without

God

and I've

lost myself

as a result

how can

I possibly

invite

God

back into

my life

well the

good news

of the

gospel

is that

God

hasn't

waited

for you

to come

and meet

with him

he knew

he'd never

do that

he has

come to

meet

with us

God

the son

took on

human

flesh

he was

born

into

this

world

coming

to

meet

us

and

forgive

us

liberating

us