The Bible: A Story That Makes Sense of Life Намуна

Origins and Human Identity – What Does it Mean to be Human?

The birth of my daughter is indelibly etched on my memory. After a complicated delivery came the moment every parent anticipates: a vulnerable little bundle was gently placed into my arms. As I looked down, two beautiful eyes gazed back. I cried. The gaze of a newborn makes you reflect on some deep questions: What is this we have brought into the world? Why do I feel such love for someone I’ve only just met? What does it mean to be human? Today, this question fizzes with new significance as previously unimaginable possibilities emerge for how humans can live in the world. We have a relentless capacity to develop, but despite our intellectual genius and moral goodness, according to chemical composition we are dust. When reduced to mere atoms: ‘dust you are and to dust you will return’ (Genesis 3:19).

So when a baby’s gaze melts your heart, what is it you’re sensing? If they’re just highly evolved matter, why does their life hold such significance? And when a loved one dies, don’t we intuitively feel they were much more than dust?

According to Genesis, every person has divine origins: ‘God created mankind in his own image’ (Genesis 1:27). At conception, a divine status is conferred and a sacred being is formed. And God created us equal: ‘male and female he created them’. There is no essential hierarchy. From the outset, a theological foundation is laid upon which a flourishing society can be built. In order to safeguard the values we cherish, we should root our understanding of humans in theology, not just biology. 

Recently, I witnessed a well-dressed businessman in a London park urgently calling 999 regarding a seemingly lifeless body slumped on a bench. The concern of the man for his fellow human being may seem obvious. But if we are only highly evolved dust, there is little rationale for the strong to help the weak. That man was embodying the values of Genesis: whether rich or poor, black or white, drunk or sober, every human is sacred. When we grasp this vision, we treat other people differently, regardless of their social standing or current behaviour. To help remind us, here’s a piece of poetry that captures the wonder of being human:

For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Psalm 139:13−14

REFLECT: Try saying Psalm 139:13−14 to yourself in the mirror. How does it change the way you see yourself? How can you see other people through this lens too?