The Doctrine of Man (biblical anthropology) is
the teaching of Scripture concerning the
origin, nature, purpose, fall, and destiny
of human beings.
It affirms that every person is
created by God in His image,
is both body and soul,
is accountable to the Creator,
and is fallen in sin
yet capable of redemption through Christ.
This doctrine shapes how we understand
human dignity, responsibility, sin, salvation,
and the hope of resurrection.
It stands against every view
that reduces people to
mere animals, machines, or autonomous gods.
Scripture begins with the creation of man and woman as the climax of God’s creative work. God formed Adam from the dust, breathed into him the breath of life, and made humanity in His own image and likeness. Male and female He created them, commissioning them to fill the earth, subdue it, and exercise dominion as stewards under His rule. The fall in Genesis 3 introduced sin, death, and corruption into human nature and the world, yet it did not erase the image of God. Throughout the Bible, human beings are portrayed as responsible moral agents who stand before God, capable of both great evil and, by grace, genuine faith and obedience. The doctrine of man reaches its highest point in the incarnation: the Son of God became true man in order to redeem fallen humanity. In Christ the image is restored, and in the resurrection the whole person — body and soul — will be glorified. Biblical anthropology therefore holds together dignity and depravity, responsibility and dependence, present brokenness and future hope.
- Every human being is created by God and bears His image, giving inherent dignity and worth.
- Humanity is composed of both material body and immaterial soul/spirit, forming a unified person.
- All people are fallen in Adam, under sin’s guilt and power, and subject to death.
- The image of God, though marred by the fall, is not destroyed and is the basis for justice and compassion.
- Salvation in Christ restores the image and brings the whole person into new life.
- The final destiny of the redeemed is bodily resurrection and eternal life in the presence of God.
- The doctrine of man guards against both the devaluation of human life and the idolatry of human autonomy.
- Origin – Created by God, not the product of chance or impersonal forces.
- Image of God – The unique dignity of bearing God’s likeness in rationality, morality, relationality, and dominion.
- Constitution – Body and soul/spirit united in one person; both are essential to full humanity.
- Male and Female – Equal in dignity and value, complementary in design and calling.
- Fall and Sin – Original sin and personal guilt; total depravity that affects every part of human nature.
- Responsibility – Accountable to God for thoughts, words, and deeds.
- Redemption and Restoration – Salvation of the whole person through union with Christ; progressive conformity to His image.
- Future Hope – Bodily resurrection, final judgment, and eternal destiny in either glory or condemnation.
- Genesis 1:26-28 – “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion…’ 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. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…’”
- 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 3:1-24 – The fall, the entrance of sin and death, and the promise of a Redeemer.
- Genesis 9:6 – “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”
- Psalm 8:4-6 – “What is man that you are mindful of him… You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet.”
- 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.”
- Ecclesiastes 12:7 – “And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”
- Matthew 10:28 – “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
- Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
- Romans 5:12, 18-19 – “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… as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 45-49 – “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive… The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”
- Ephesians 2:1-3 – “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked… and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
- Ephesians 4:24 – “…and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
- Colossians 3:10 – “…and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
- James 3:9 – “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:23 – “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
- Revelation 21:3-4 – God dwelling with His people; death, mourning, crying, and pain will be no more.
The doctrine of man begins with dignity and ends with hope. Every person is created by God, bears His image, and is therefore of immeasurable worth. Yet every person is also fallen, guilty, and subject to death. Neither the image nor the fall may be denied without distorting the gospel. Christ, the last Adam and true image of God, entered our humanity, bore our sin, and rose again so that the image might be restored and the body raised in glory. To know what man is, we must look first to the Creator, then to the fall, and finally to the Man Christ Jesus. In Him alone human beings find both their true identity and their eternal destiny.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.