1. Perspectives & Layout
Chapter Outline:This introduction to the course, Symmorphy VI: Mankind, sets the tone for the important assumptions that will underlie all the lessons and assignments in the course.
The premise of this course is that the humans, individually and together, are the dwelling place and revelation of God, that God reveals Himself to all creation only through His Body, the Church, that humans loving one another is what God looks like.
What is man? - David asked the question, but John made it clear - you have no idea, that is, until you see Jesus, for you are just like Him.
1.1 The Purpose of this Course. The purpose of this course is to explore definitions of the human, what we are in our source and design, our being and construction, our ways and purpose. At the same time, we seek a more complete understanding of what God meant when He created us in His image and after His likeness and gave us all authority over His creation.
1.2 Focus and Layout. The guiding idea of this course is that Jesus alone shows us what a “human” is, that Jesus is the first one of our kind, and that we are designed by God entirely after His pattern. For this reason, when we say, “mankind,” we refer to those who walk, or will walk, in the full knowledge of God through Paul’s gospel and who live, or will live, inside of Christ inside the Holy of Holies. Thus, the guiding idea of this course is that living and walking just as Jesus lives and walks is the only normal human life.
1.3 Connections to Pro-Thesis. Every aspect of the human relates directly to God in some way and to relationships with other humans as well. We are symmorphic; that means that we are designed specifically for the Father to inhabit us inside of Christ Jesus, and that our identity must be drawn out from our acknowledgement of God with us.