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Vox Institute – Christian Theology – Session 5

Written by

Jay Downes

in

Personal Notes – Led by Central Pastor Shawn Haggerty Vox Church

Doctrine of Man: The Purpose of Life and the Reality of Sin

Understanding the doctrine of man requires knowing who God is. To grasp our identity, purpose, and sin, we must first see ourselves as image-bearers of God—created to glorify Him, yet distorted by sin’s deception and in need of redemption through Christ.

Takeaways

  1. The doctrine of sin is one of the most practically experienced doctrines.
  2. Scripture refuses to let us think small of sin—it is a real and present power.
  3. Christianity, as a worldview, answers four essential questions:
    • Who is God?
    • What is man?
    • What is wrong with the world?
    • What is the solution?
  4. The doctrine of man asks: Who am I? and Why am I here?
  5. The Bible claims the only way to understand yourself is to understand God.
  6. Without God, life’s purpose collapses into self-will and impulse.
  7. Christ restores what was lost—the true identity and purpose of humanity.

The Doctrine of Man and the Purpose of Life

“The Bible makes the audacious claim that the only way you can understand you is if you understand God.”
(See Genesis 1:26–27, Psalm 139:13–14, Acts 17:28)

Christianity is not just a religion—it’s an entire worldview. Every worldview must answer the foundational questions: Who is God? What is man? What went wrong? And what is the solution? Scripture roots the answers in God’s revelation, showing that when humanity loses touch with God, it loses touch with itself.

“We are because He is.”
—Class Lecture

In contrast, secular views often drift toward distraction and shallow definitions of purpose. Many live “lives of quiet desperation” (Thoreau) or avoid the question entirely, content to “get through the day.” But without a transcendent reference point, purpose becomes self-defined—and ultimately, meaningless.

The Identity of John the Baptist: A Model for Human Purpose

John 1:19–27, 30

When questioned about his identity, John the Baptist repeatedly deflected attention from himself to Christ:

“I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
—Isaiah 40:3

John’s life was entirely oriented toward preparing the way for Jesus. His self-understanding flowed from his mission: “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30).
This captures the biblical model of identity—defined not by autonomy, but by relation to God. True self-understanding begins in surrender.

Secular and Atheistic Perspectives on Purpose

The lecture contrasts biblical anthropology with modern secular thought:

  • Charles Darwin argued that without belief in God or an afterlife, a person is left only to follow “their strongest impulses.”
  • Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. claimed no difference in worth between a man, a baboon, or a grain of sand—reducing human value to self-determined utility.
  • Fyodor Dostoevsky warned, “If there is no God, everything is permitted.”
  • Even modern culture, seen through examples like pornography, treats the human body as a mere physical function—an echo of life without transcendence.

Without God, power replaces purpose, and desire replaces design.

The Doctrine of Man: Image-Bearer of God

Genesis 1:26–27 | Genesis 2:7 | Ephesians 4:24

Humanity is created in the image of God—the Imago Dei—reflecting His character in three essential ways:

  • Relationship: We mirror the Triune God (Father, Son, Spirit) and are made for community. Isolation distorts God’s design.
  • Morality: We possess an inner awareness of right and wrong, echoing divine righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24).
  • Rulership: We are called to “have dominion” over the earth (Genesis 1:28), stewarding creation under God’s authority.

To be human, then, is to live as a relational, moral, ruling being—reflecting God’s likeness in every sphere of life.

The Purpose of Man: For the Glory of God

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 | Isaiah 43:7 | Romans 11:36

The ultimate purpose of human life is to glorify God.
Sin deceives us into believing that centering our lives on God diminishes our worth. The truth is the opposite: to belong to God is to find our true identity and purpose.

“You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
—1 Corinthians 6:19–20

Human life, body, and will were meant to honor God. Sin’s great lie is that autonomy equals freedom, but in reality, separation from God leads only to bondage.

The Dominion Mandate

Genesis 1:28 | Psalm 8:4–6

God’s first command was to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Dominion is not domination—it’s stewardship. Power, when exercised in submission to God, produces flourishing. Power disconnected from God corrupts.

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” —Lord John Acton

Yet the solution is not the rejection of power, but its redemption through Christ.

Humanity’s Lost and Restored Rulership in Christ

Psalm 8 | Hebrews 2:5–9 | Romans 8:29

Humanity was created “a little lower than the angels,” crowned with glory and honor. But sin fractured that dominion—“at present we do not see everything subject to him” (Hebrews 2:8).
Jesus, the true Son of Man, was made lower for a time, then exalted, fulfilling humanity’s intended purpose.

“Christ came to do what we couldn’t do so that we might become what we were always meant to be.”

Believers, conformed to His image, share in that restored dominion—not for control, but for redemptive participation in God’s rule.

The Christ-like Exercise of Power

Mark 10:45 | Philippians 2:5–8 | Galatians 5:13

Christ reversed the world’s definition of power. He did not come to be served but to serve.
True power is measured not by domination but by sacrifice. The Spirit empowers believers to use authority for love, restoration, and service.

“He stoops low to make me great.” —Class Lecture

The purpose of every spiritual gift and every ounce of influence is to make others flourish.

Power, Gender, and Headship

1 Corinthians 11:3 | Ephesians 5:22–33

Distinctions between men and women often trigger cultural fears of hierarchy. Yet Scripture’s teaching on headship models mutual deference, not domination.
The Father and the Son are equal in essence but distinct in role—a pattern echoed in marriage. The husband is called to sacrificial love, the wife to trusting submission, both reflecting the unity and humility within the Trinity.

When lived rightly, this becomes not a power struggle but a picture of divine harmony.

The Constitution of Humanity: Body, Soul, and Spirit

Genesis 2:7 | 1 Thessalonians 5:23 | Hebrews 4:12 | John 12:27; 13:21

The lecture examined two theological models:

  • Trichotomy: Body, soul, and spirit (three parts).
  • Dichotomy: Body and soul/spirit (two parts).

The speaker favored the dichotomous view, citing that Scripture often uses “soul” and “spirit” interchangeably (e.g., John 12:27 vs. 13:21). Humanity is a unified whole—material and immaterial—woven together by God’s design.

The State of Believers After Death and Resurrection

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 | 1 Corinthians 15:42–53 | John 5:28–29 | Revelation 21:8

At death, the body returns to dust while the spirit is instantly present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8).
At Christ’s return, body and spirit reunite in imperishable glory. The resurrection is not symbolic—it is bodily and eternal.
Our physical form matters; God intends to redeem it. “The dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”

The Nature and Definition of Sin

Genesis 3 | Romans 3:23 | James 1:14–15 | Psalm 51:5

Sin is not an accident but a deliberate rejection of God’s will—a heart no longer satisfied in Him.

  • Old Testament: Rasha — “guilty, wicked.”
  • New Testament: Hamartia — “to miss the mark.”

John Piper calls sin “what you do or think when your heart is not satisfied with God.”
C.S. Lewis reminds us that our problem isn’t excessive desire but weak desire—settling for mud pies when God offers the sea.

R.C. Sproul called it “cosmic treason” against a holy God.

Original Sin

Romans 5:12–19 | Psalm 51:5 | Ephesians 2:3

Original sin includes two inheritances:

  1. Guilt: The judicial consequence of Adam’s sin, imputed to all.
  2. Corruption: The inherited nature that bends every heart toward disobedience.

Illustration: The speaker’s daughter, though innocent-looking, deliberately “fed” applesauce into a DVD player, grinning in defiance. Even in childhood, the will to rebel emerges—not learned, but innate.

“I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” —Psalm 51:5

The Three Origins of Sin

1 John 2:16 | Romans 7:18 | 1 Peter 5:8

  1. The World: The systemic environment of sin.
  2. The Flesh: The internal inclination toward evil.
  3. The Devil: The personal adversary who exploits both.

Not every trial is personal fault; sometimes it’s the world’s brokenness or the enemy’s schemes. But sin always begins with desire.

The Track of Sin: From Temptation to Death

James 1:13–15

Temptation itself is not sin—God tempts no one. Sin’s progression follows this path:

Desire → Conception → Birth of Sin → Full Growth → Death.

The danger lies in entertaining desire until it takes root and produces death. The call is to cut it off at conception—before desire gives birth.

Reflection and Practice

  • Discuss: Why does our culture struggle so deeply with male and female distinction today?
  • Pray through Psalm 51, asking God to keep your heart tender toward sin.
  • Ask: Where have I sought satisfaction apart from God?
  • Pray that God would frustrate the devil’s agenda in your life and in the lives of those you love.

Closing Thought:

“Christ came to do what we couldn’t do so that we might become what we were always meant to be.”

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