Being Human
Carrying Faith Forward
November 25, 2018
Rev. Gabe Sylvia
In this final week of stewardship we focus on caring for the body as God's creation—insisting that human identity and sexuality are grounded in God’s created order (male and female made in His image and likeness), resisting cultural distortions, acknowledging how the Fall mars that image, and calling for repentance and restoration so we can live out our calling as image-bearers.
Summary
This sermon, delivered in the last week of a stewardship series, urges congregants to steward their bodies by affirming the biblical doctrine of human personhood: humans are directly made by God in His image and likeness, male and female as complementary partners intended for fruitful life and mutual stewardship. It addresses a cultural moment that seeks to blur or destroy what it means to be human and emphasizes the importance of relearning our created nature for the sake of the Gospel. The preacher highlights Genesis’s unique account of the intimate making of humanity, rejects reductions of personhood (such as a purely evolutionary/counterfeit view), notes the reality that the Fall and sin mar our imaging of God, and calls for repentance and growth into Christ’s beauty so we can faithfully reflect God—even when bodies and circumstances limit biological parenthood, because spiritual fatherhood and motherhood remain essential.
Key Points
- Final week of stewardship focuses on stewardship of the body and human personhood
- Contemporary culture is challenging and eroding the biblical understanding of sexuality and what it means to be human
- Following God’s created order matters because it expresses our nature as made in God’s image and likeness
- Genesis portrays the creation of male and female as an intimate, direct act of God—distinct from other fiat acts in creation
- Being made in God’s likeness means we resemble and mirror God, not caricature Him; the exact content of the image has long been debated in the church
- God created two distinct, complementary sexes (male and female) intended for mutual flourishing and procreation, though not everyone will biologically bear children
- Even when biological parenthood isn’t possible, all believers are called to be spiritual fathers and mothers who pass on wisdom and care
- The sermon rejects a reductionist evolutionary account that denies God’s direct creation and warns that devaluing God’s work undermines compassion for others
- The Fall and ongoing sin mar our ability to image God as male, female, or spouse; we must repent and seek restoration to reflect Christ’s beauty
- The Gospel calls us to reclaim and live out our created identity for the sake of faithful witness and compassionate relationships
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