Human Nature? — Sermon by Rev. Bryan Biba

let us

pray Lord may my speech and my message

be not plausible words of human wisdom

but a demonstration of the spirit and a

power so our faith may not rest in the

wisdom of men but in the power of the

Living God we ask this in the name of

the father and the son and the holy

spirit amen you may be seated

in our epistle reading from 1

1 Corinthians 2 · chapter mention

Corinthians chapter 2 St Paul says

something incredible in verse

16 for who has understood the mind of

the Lord so as to instruct him but we

have the mind of

Christ the very mind that created and

formed all things the Eternal wisdom of

God from before all ages that mind has

been given to you and

I this mind of Christ we're told in

verse 10 is given by the holy spirit

it's a revelation from God and we

Christians must humbly receive it as a

gift yet in order for us to receive the

revelation of of God to receive the

gifts of the Spirit it must be

proclaimed friends that is the purpose

of all catechesis of instruction of

Christian preaching and teaching not

eloquent proclamation of human wisdom

but rather the revelation of the Living

God we Proclaim what God has done what

he's revealed himself in Jesus Christ we

receive his spirit and his spirit gives

us the mind of Christ renewing our

minds when God's faithful people are

instructed in the gospel the Holy Spirit

conforms our minds to the mind of Christ

no longer do we think In the Flesh do we

think like the world we think with the

mind of Christ it's not simply knowledge

for knowledge sake it is a transforming

knowledge the Holy Spirit desires to

form from each one of us into the people

who can discern rightly who can make

judgments not just right from wrong but

also truth from

falsehood goodness from

Evil Beauty from

ugliness this work of formation being

formed in the mind of Christ is a

lifelong work it never stops and it

never ends because the mind of Christ

and the wisdom of God are Eternal we can

never exhaust the depths of God's truth

his goodness his

Beauty this is important for us because

we live in a world that is constantly

deforming us the media we consume the

books that we read the political

ideologies you believe all of these

things are deforming us they're counter

forming us they're opposing the

formation that comes by the spirit in

the mind of

Christ the idols of this world are

always

threatening to deform us into their

image the best way that we Christians

can resist these forces of deformation

is to pursue spiritual formation to seek

God the Holy Spirit to seek after the

mind of Christ to spend time meditating

on the revelation of God in

Christ when we receive faithful

preaching and teaching true instruction

our minds are renewed and we are

conformed to the image of Christ that's

why catechesis is one of the pillars of

our vision here at CCA we want to be a

church that in our preaching in our

teaching in our formation is

always conforming us to the mind of

Christ submitting ourselves to the work

of the spirit so that we will be formed

in a way that's very different from our

world that inquires each one of us to be

involved in our own hearts and our own

lives it requires each one of us to be

involved in the formation of others the

formation of our

children it also requires discernment to

guard our

hearts to pay attention to the things we

gravitate towards the things we spend

our time

doing in our particular historical

cultural moment there is perhaps no

better example of our Collective

deformation than theological

anthropology that's the fancy word for

what does it mean to be human it's the

question of the

psalmist what is man that you are

mindful of him the son of man that you

visit

him in this confusing age Christians

need clarity about what it means to be

human

uniquely I think we are facing uh

serious questions about that coming from

all kinds of sources and we Christians

have an answer we have truth to Proclaim

we have things that have been revealed

to us and the mind of Christ is going to

help us make

judgments but that requires someone to

teach it's not an addendum to the gospel

it's not secondary it goes to the very

heart of the Gospel to the heart of

Jesus's teaching which we heard today

today in the gospels so rather than

talking about catechesis this morning

I'm going to do a little catechesis I

want to do some teaching on what humans

are what we Christians believe about

Humanity what scripture tells us about

The Human Condition now I'm going to do

so with four points Four Points this

morning all of them coming from our

reading from Genesis chapter 1

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

if you have a Bible open it up and turn

with me to that

chapter we'll be looking at both Genesis

1 and 2 today and then jumping around to

the gospel

text what are humans what are we what

are we

for the first thing we learn in Holy

scripture is that humans are

creatures in Genesis chapter 1 the

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

Creator God speaks all of reality into

existence by the power of his

word and our existence as

creatures has a few important

implications that we often Overlook what

does it mean to be a

creature it means that we are

gift that we are

vulnerable and that we are

dependent everything we have everything

we are our life itself is a gift none of

us here is is self-made despite what our

culture says you came from someone else

you came into existence through the

power of God's word you came into

existence by the work of your

parents and our life is sustained by

God's Sovereign will this is very

different than God God is his own source

of life right he is Abundant Life in

himself and he gives us our life as gift

out of his

abundance but that's not all not only is

our life a gift but we are

vulnerable we all learned this firsthand

this past week we may think we are

strong that we are great that we are

able and then a storm comes and

devastates all that we know changes

everything I spent the week uh part of

the week in Western North

Carolina evacuating my mother-in-law it

was quite treacherous God was very

gracious but I was reminded

again how we are all vulnerable to

forces as much bigger than

ourselves we're so easily endangered no

matter how much power we have no matter

how many things we accumulate we are

subject to forces that can destroy our

lives in an

instant that's what it means to be a

creature to be vulnerable it was that

way before sin and death death we were

not made to

last and that leads to the

third truth about being a creature that

we are dependent from the moment we are

born we need others think of the newborn

child dependent on its mother for life

for food for shelter for

care we are all radically dependent on

others for our existence from the very

beginning of our life unless we think we

are somehow independent when we grow up

all of us will become again radically

dependent at the end of our Lives Many

of us are experiencing this now as we

care for our parents who once cared for

us we are

creatures our life is a gift we are

vulnerable and we are

dependent this past week we celebrated

the Feast of St Francis of AI the great

Deacon and frier this was so important

to him that we humans remember that we

are creatures just like our dogs and our

cats and our plants they

too are gifts who are

vulnerable independent in a way we're

not that different than they are and yet

there is one important way that we are

what is man that you are mindful of

him look with me Genesis 1:

26 then God said let us make man in our

image after our likeness this is the

second point for this morning humans are

made in the image of God unlike our dogs

and our cats and other plants we

uniquely are made in the image of God

and note that it's not the image of a

generic God verse 26 says let us make

man in our image after our likeness the

plural there gestures to the existence

of God the Holy Trinity Father Son and

Holy Spirit not a singular solitary God

but a community of persons United in

mutual love father Son and Holy Spirit

the image here of a image comes in the

ancient near East the idea of a signant

ring if a king was to make an or order

or a proclamation they would take their

ring and seal the document with wax and

then people would know that the uh order

or command truly came from the

King we are the seal that the King has

put his image

on WE bear his authority his message in

this

world just as the Triune persons are

distinct from one another

so are we distinct from each other but

the triun persons are not divided by

their diversity they're United together

in love for the good of

others so the fact that we human

creatures are made in the image of a

Triune God means that we were made for

communion for communion with God for

communion with one another we heard it

in Genesis 2 it is not good that man

should be at alone that's true for all

of us

without relationships humans cannot

Thrive we cannot become the people who

God made us to be we cannot fulfill our

creaturely

ends so we human creatures are creatures

made in the image of God but then third

we have been given

Dominion look again verse

26 let us make man in our image and

after our likeness let them have

dominion over the fish of the sea over

the birds of the heavens over the

livestock over all the Earth and every

creeping thing that creeps on the

earth we heard this again in our Psalm

you've made him to have dominion over

the works of your hands you've put all

things in subjection under your

feet the Hebrew word here is the word

rad which means to govern to rule we

human creatures have been made in the

image of God so that we can rule other

creatures rule over creation but of

course we are not the soul rulers the

psalm is very clear oh Lord our governor

how excellent is your name in all the

Earth we are subject to the

Creator in everything that we

do thus human Dominion in reality is a

kind of secondary Dominion it's a subd

Dominion we rule on behalf of the Lord

God who rules over

all this is often manifest as

stewardship and Care a steward doesn't

use something as if they own it as if it

belongs to them no no they are

caretakers of something on another's

behalf and that's friends the human

vocation we are

stewards caretakers of this creation we

are part of this creation and yet we

Steward it and care for it in the name

of God in the image of

God and now is where things get

practical because each one of

us has responsibility over some small

part of

creation the house you live in the land

you live on the family you've been given

your neighbors your friends this church

Community our

city all of us are called to Steward and

to care for the things and the places

God has put

us we cannot do with creation whatever

we want because it does not belong to us

if we fail to adequately care and

Steward we will be judged as Unfaithful

stewards so by God's grace we humans

occupy this very unique place

in one sense we're a creature like any

other creature gift vulnerable dependent

but in another sense we are glorious we

are made in God's image we are given his

rule his Dominion to Steward and to care

for other creatures we occupy this

middle place as mediators indeed the

psalm

says what is man that you are mindful of

him the son of man that you visit him

you made him a little lower than the

angels to crown him with Glory and Honor

you put all things under his feet all

sheep and oxen Birds

beasts whatever is in the path of the

sea that's the human vocation and all of

us do it in our own way in the work that

we do we've been praying for our work

all year all of us exercise our Dominion

as we Steward and care for those

entrusted to us

us and since we're made in the image of

God and since God is a trinity of love

it means that we are called to exercise

our care and

stewardship patterned after the

character of God and what is God's

character love goodness Beauty and

truth you know I've heard from people

over the past few weeks people have

asked me you Father Brian why are we

doing an art show

every month at church is that something

a church should be

doing this is

why God has placed CCA in this

neighborhood in Thomas Square in

Starland and all around us are creatives

artists scad galleries right if we were

to care for and Steward this place this

neighborhood that's part of our mission

right it means we need to invest and to

Steward and to care for the artists

Among Us and in our midst

and the beautiful thing about art is

that all artists whether or not they're

Believers have a unique way of seeing in

stewarding creation artists can help us

be better humans people who care about

what is true what is good and what is

beautiful we need others to help us see

and we're called to care and for

stewarding this neighborhood so if you

haven't seen the gallery for this month

please after the service check it out

we'll be doing these every month it's

not just a way to get Dad students to

come visit us it's more than that it's

about proclaiming the image of God and

the Dominion we've been given to share

in at the same time though we also have

good news to share with the unbelievers

around us with the artists who come into

our

spaces look with me Genesis

Genesis 1:27

1:27 so God created man in his own image

in the image of God he created him male

and female he created them and God

blessed

them that's my fourth and final point

for this

morning not only are we creatures made

in the image of God made to Steward and

care but we are made male and female

God's creation and call of us humans is

bound up in our essential gender

difference as men and women and this

friends is good news it is good news

that we are male and female God blesses

us not as generic humans but

specifically as men and women men and

women are called to have dominion

together to be fruitful and multiply

together to Steward and care for God's

creation

together men and women do this in

different ways we offer our own unique

gifts for the common good and this

difference between men and women

reflects the diversity of the Triune God

in which we were made I mean God is

three distinct persons and yet God is

Not divided God's diversity is not an

enemy it doesn't get in the way of his

work indeed the three persons that the

the Trinity work together for love and

for good and so are men and women we are

called to be together and to work for

creation

together Jesus quotes Genesis to In Our

Gospel reading affirming the goodness of

our male and female

creation in Mark chapter

Mark 10 · chapter mention

10 let me read it for yall

but from the beginning of creation God

made them male and female therefore a

man shall leave his father and mother

and hold fast to his wife and the two

shall become one flesh so there are no

longer two but one

flesh what therefore God has joined

together let no one

separate as Paul says in Ephesians 5

this Union of man and woman in the

sacrament of holy matrimony it mirrors

is the union of the Triune God the union

that takes place between Christ and his

church the very bodies of men and women

are oriented towards one another so that

they might reflect the mutual

self-giving love of God in their common

life and this explains

why Satan's first point of attack in the

Book of Genesis is the relationship

between man and woman that's where he

goes when he wants to disrupt God's

creation

he splits men and women apart he divides

them he causes

enity and that's how sin and death are

perpetuated in this

world the good news friends is that

Christ has come not just to destroy sin

and death but also to heal our male and

female

Humanity I mean none of us really know

what it means to be a true man or a true

woman because our maleness and

femaleness is marred by sin there is a

true woman and a true man A maleness and

A femaleness that Christ is restoring

that he will restore and that we will

see and it's here in the church friends

we are the place where men and women can

live together in harmony and not enity

for the sake of God and his kingdom

amen that's what the church is called to

be but all too often we don't reflect

that reality all all too often we

perpetuate the enmity between men and

women here in our

body we are called to love God and

neighbor to be a community where men and

women live together and work together in

love and peace so they can fulfill their

common vocation this indeed is good

news yet there are many in our day who

question this good news there are many

in our day who are confused by it who

don't believe it who want to think about

human life in a different way so how

should we Christians

respond let me conclude by proposing two

responses for us

today the first thing we must do is

proclaim the truth Proclaim what's

revealed in scripture proclaim the mind

of Christ given to us by the spirit that

we humans are creatures we are

vulnerable dependent

our life is a

gift that we are made in the image of

God to Steward and care for creation and

that this image is a male and a female

image that that is a good

gift we cannot avoid these truths we

cannot change these truths these have

been revealed to

us and The Church Must faithfully and

boldly Proclaim them and when we do the

holy spirit will work to conform our

minds to the mind of Christ because

there's lots of ways in which all of us

here have been deformed by our world by

the stories we tell

ourselves and I'm not just talking to

young people you know the sexual

Revolution happened a long time ago

y'all we need the Holy Spirit to give us

new minds so we can make right judgments

Discerning what is good and what is

true what is beauty and what is ugly and

yet at the same time as we Proclaim

truth we must also Act with

compassion look with me at 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 2:2

2:2 Paul says something here I think

that's really important for us to

hear now we have received not the spirit

of this world but the spirit who is from

God that we might understand the things

freely given us by God and we impart

this in words not taught by human wisdom

but taught by the spirit interpreting

spiritual truths to those who are

spiritual the natural person does not

accept the things of God for they are

Folly to him and he is not able to

understand them because they are

spiritually

discerned I think too often Christians

make the mistake of judging those who

don't believe what we

believe you know you don't believe that

humans are made in male and female well

you must be wrong you must be a terrible

person

but Paul is very clear this Revelation

comes from God it comes from the

Scripture it comes by the spirit we

can't hold non-christians to the

standard of Christian belief that's

always going to be a

mistake what we can do is love them to

show them compassion to Proclaim The

Words of Christ come to me all who labor

and heavy laden and then share with them

the truth that is only revealed by

God as Paul writes in Romans chapter 1

Romans 1 · chapter mention

people who are not in the spirit are in

darkness they are blinded they can't see

and people who are blind don't need a

judge they need someone to hold their

hand and to help them out of the

darkness we Christians are called to

respond to those with whom we disagree

with compassion and

Truth those who are subject to the chaos

of this age they need someone to come

alongside them and to speak truth to

them

what lost people need most are kind and

patient Christians who are willing to be

present with them amidst their doubts

and their

questions Christians who are willing to

die to their themselves to crucify their

need to be right I mean how could we

ever convince someone we disagree with

if we're not willing to be with them to

Bear their burdens with them I think

Christians have gotten in this cultural

mode where we assume people agree with

us and if they don't well they are an

athma more and more as our culture

changes we need a different approach we

need to be present with we need to help

people belong before they

believe friends the way of new creation

is the way of the Cross that's what

Christ came to do he came to restore our

creatureliness to restore our image to

restore our vocation and restore our

male and femaleness and more than that

all of us have a promise of eternal life

that none of us could have ever known

about that's a gift from

God so my prayer is that we would be a

church that catechized that boldly

teaches and proclaims the truth of our

Humanity but that we be a church who

does that with

compassion after all friends that is the

image of the Creator God God in which we

were all

made in the name of the father and the

son and the holy spirit amen