Anthropology is the doctrinal study
of humanity in light of Scripture.
The term comes from
the Greek words anthropos (“human”)
and logos (“study” or “word”).
Biblical anthropology addresses
the origin, nature, purpose, and destiny
of human beings as created by God.
It stands in contrast to
purely secular views of humanity
by grounding human identity
in the image of God
and the realities of creation, fall, and redemption.
Biblical anthropology asks and answers the fundamental questions: Who are we? Where did we come from? Why are we here? What has gone wrong? And what is our hope? Scripture teaches that human beings are the intentional creation of God, made in His image, distinct from the rest of creation, and designed for relationship with Him and with one another. The doctrine of man also includes the tragic reality of the Fall, the universal effects of sin, and the glorious hope of redemption and restoration through Jesus Christ. Understanding what the Bible says about humanity shapes our view of dignity, morality, purpose, and the gospel itself.
- Human beings are created by God, not the product of impersonal chance.
- Every person is made in the image and likeness of God (imago Dei), giving all human life inherent dignity and worth.
- Humanity was created male and female, equal in value yet distinct in design.
- Adam and Eve were created good and upright, yet they freely disobeyed God, bringing sin and death into the world.
- Because of the Fall, all people are born with a sinful nature and stand in need of salvation.
- Humanity retains the image of God even after the Fall, though that image is now marred by sin.
- The full restoration of human nature is found only in Jesus Christ, the perfect image of God, and will be completed in the resurrection.
- Origin – Humanity is the special creation of God, formed from the dust and given the breath of life.
- Image of God – The unique dignity and capacity for relationship, reason, morality, and dominion that reflect the Creator.
- Constitution – Scripture presents humans as both material (body) and immaterial (soul/spirit), a unified whole.
- Purpose – To glorify God, enjoy fellowship with Him, exercise responsible dominion over creation, and live in loving community.
- Fall – The historical disobedience of Adam and Eve that introduced sin, guilt, corruption, and death to the human race.
- Sinful Nature – The inherited condition of moral corruption and separation from God that affects every person.
- Redemption and Destiny – Salvation through Christ restores relationship with God and leads to the future resurrection and renewal of the whole person.
- Genesis 1:26-27 – “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness’… So God created man in his own image… male and female he created them.”
- Genesis 2:7 – “Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”
- Genesis 3:1-19 – The account of the Fall and its consequences.
- Psalm 8:4-6 – “What is man that you are mindful of him… Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.”
- Psalm 139:13-14 – “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
- Romans 5:12 – “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 45 – “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead… The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”
- Colossians 3:10 – Believers “have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
- Ephesians 4:24 – “Put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
- Imago Dei (Image of God)
- Creation
- Fall of Man
- Original Sin
- Total Depravity
- Sin
- Redemption
- Regeneration
- Resurrection
- Christology (Jesus as the perfect image of God)
- Glory of God
Biblical anthropology gives a clear and coherent account of what it means to be human. We are not cosmic accidents, nor are we divine in ourselves. We are created in the image of God, fallen through sin, and offered redemption and restoration through Jesus Christ. This doctrine guards human dignity, explains the brokenness of the world, and points to the only true hope for the human race — the last Adam, who restores the image of God and brings many sons and daughters to glory.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.