Live towards death, Die towards life

Human Dignity is a Christian Thing

Bryan Wolfmueller

Dec 13, 2023

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1/ No Condemnation in the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1-2)

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2/ We No Longer Die as Men Condemned

From Athanasius On the Incarnation. Here’s the quotation (chapter 10):

By man death has gained its power over men; by the Word made Man death has been destroyed and life raised up anew. That is what Paul says, that true servant of Christ: "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. Just as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive," and so forth. Now, therefore, when we die we no longer do so as men condemned to death, but as those who are even now in process of rising we await the general resurrection of all, "which in its own times He shall show," even God Who wrought it and bestowed it on us.

Which made me think:

Athanasius really leans into this idea in paragraphs 28-29, and the surrounding passages. He puts forth the Christian’s readiness to die as a proof of Jesus’ resurrection:

Is this a slender proof of the impotence of death, do you think? Or is it a slight indication of the Savior's victory over it, when boys and young girls who are in Christ look beyond this present life and train themselves to die? Every one is by nature afraid of death and of bodily dissolution; the marvel of marvels is that he who is enfolded in the faith of the cross despises this natural fear and for the sake of the cross is no longer cowardly in face of it.
Even so, if anyone still doubts the conquest of death, after so many proofs and so many martyrdoms in Christ and such daily scorn of death by His truest servants, he certainly does well to marvel at so great a thing, but he must not be obstinate in unbelief and disregard of plain facts.

You can find the entire text online here: https://ccel.org/ccel/athanasius/incarnation/incarnation.

2.2/ A King in a House Honors the Entire City

One more from Athanasius. He gives this illustration of the Incarnation. Imagine a king comes to visit a city. He is staying in one house, but the entire city becomes a royal residence. So with the Incarnation. The Word of God abode in one body, but all humanity was honored and exalted.

3/ Human Rights & Christianity

There is a profound connection to the Biblical doctrine of creation (especially the unique creation of Adam and Eve in the image and likeness of God) and our understanding of the dignity of humanity. Our modern understanding of human rights rests on the foundation of Scriptural revelation.

If you take away special creation, you take away human rights.

I’m collecting passages where this truth is asserted (or admitted). First, an essay by Christian Smith, “Does Naturalism Warrant a Moral Belief in Universal Benevolence and Human Rights?” (Chapter 15 in Believing Primate: Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Reflections on the Origin of Religion.)

The short answer: No.

In short, the widespread beliefs of modern people, whether religious of not-in universal benevolence and human rights can be traced to deep cultural roots in specific religious traditions which for millennia have nurtured a particular vision of universal human dignity, responsibility, and accountability. (297)

That tradition? Moses.

Luc Ferry has this to say in A Brief History of Thought:

In direct contradiction, Christianity was to introduce the notion that humanity was fundamentally identical, that men were equal in dignity - an unprecedented idea at the time, and one to which our world owes its entire democratic inheritance.' (p72)

(Read more about this book, with a great summary and pull quotes, here: The Most Important Thing This French Atheist Taught Me About Christianity.)

Tom Holland, Dominion:

Great stuff.

But remembering the Athanasius quotation about the king in the city, our human dignity is more than creation. We are lifted even higher by the Incarnation, then by the Cross, and soon by the Resurrection.

We DIE like men who will LIVE FOREVER.

4/ One Sentence from the Book of Concord that Explodes with Wisdom

I started this conversation on Twitter today.

If you are on Twitter, add your favorite Book of Concord sentence here.

5/ British Isles Theological Adventure Tour

If you are interested, let us know. www.wolfmueller.co/England2024

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Christ is Risen! Pastor Wolfmueller

Psalm 27:4

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