When I studied Tudor Arghezi’s work at secondary school, I was deeply impressed by the bold conclusion of the poem “He Who Thinks Independently,” which brings the 1955 volume Song to Man to a close: “It is time, old servant and slave of the evil one, / You, man and brother, to be your own master.” Long before that, in 1871, the British poet Algernon Charles Swinburne had written “Hymn to Man,” which also concludes triumphantly: “Glory to man in the highest! For man is the master of things.”
However, between these two masterful affirmations of human dignity, humanity revealed its darkest side through two world wars, the rise of Nazism and communism, and the horrors of extermination camps and gulags. These events shook our faith in humanity.
Despite being deeply disillusioned, eminent thinkers, visionary artists, and trusted political leaders have consistently provided us with explanations, optimism, and plans that give us hope for a brighter future, which always seems to slip through our fingers.
“The Bible is primarily not man’s vision of God, but God’s vision of man.”
We live in a time when humanity’s age-old tragedies are intertwined with new dangers and threats. In addition to the conflicts and disasters that have always been part of human history, we are now also grappling with environmental deterioration caused by our own actions. Some even say that the planet could only be saved if humanity were to disappear. In 1995, Stephen Hawking, one of the century’s brightest minds, described the human race as nothing more than “chemical scum,”[1] while in 2003, the philosopher John Gray referred to another pessimistic view of humanity’s value: “Human life has no more meaning than the life of slime mould.”[2]
These perspectives confront us with a fundamental question: has our entire struggle for autonomy and dignity been in vain?
The millennia-old Bible also acknowledges the dark side of human existence. In Ecclesiastes, for example, the word “vanity” is repeated 34 times. The Apostle Paul, whose writings dominate New Testament theology, wrote that “there is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God” (Romans 3:10–11). However, alongside these harsh judgements, the Bible also emphasises the unique dignity of humankind. This is not the result of human attempts to explain existence but the message of the Creator. As Abraham Heschel writes in his book Man Is Not Alone: “The Bible is primarily not man’s vision of God, but God’s vision of man. The Bible is not man’s theology, but God’s anthropology.”[3]
Below are four aspects of the biblical vision of humankind, that is, God’s vision:
Creation
The creation story in Genesis contrasts sharply with both the neo-Darwinian model and the creation myths of ancient peoples surrounding Israel.
Genesis describes a calm and deliberate preparation of the environment for humankind, setting out a divine plan: “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created mankind in His own image” (Genesis 1:26–27).
The process of creating human life conveys the Creator’s direct and intimate involvement and confers exceptional value upon Adam.
Human beings were to be the Creator’s partners in the stewardship of the planet, and, in view of this noble role, they were endowed with qualities and powers similar to God’s. In contrast, Sumerian-Akkadian myths uniformly depict the creation of humankind as an afterthought, conceived to free the gods from hard labour and provide them with food and drink.[4] Meanwhile, Egyptian myths are entirely devoid of any descriptions of the origin of humankind.
The process of creating human life conveys the Creator’s direct and intimate involvement, which gives Adam exceptional value. “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). This act of bringing to life is followed by a blessing that encompasses the mission to represent the Creator, as well as the vital resources made available for this purpose (Genesis 1:28–29). The result is assessed by the Creator in absolute terms: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). Furthermore, the institution of the Sabbath (Genesis 2:1–3) and the subsequent mention of God “walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8) show that God did not isolate Himself from the beings He had just created, but rather conceived of a permanent, positive relationship valued by both parties.
The idea that humankind is imbued with the utmost dignity runs throughout the Bible. The psalmist exclaims: “You… crowned them with glory and honour. You made them rulers over the works of your hands” (Psalm 8:5–6). The genealogy of the Messiah also reaffirms the divine lineage of the first man and, by implication, all his descendants: “…the son of Adam, the son of God” (Luke 3:38). Human beings’ unique and inalienable dignity is enshrined in their origin and mission.
The divine plan for humanity’s restoration
Despite this exceptional divine investment, the first humans chose to turn their backs on the Creator in the very place He had designated as a symbol of loyalty and trust.
However, God’s response to this betrayal did not follow a predictable pattern. In a revealing parable, the prophet Jeremiah witnessed a scene in a potter’s workshop. There, a failed clay vessel was reshaped into something new and pleasing to the potter. God uses this image to ask, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” (Jeremiah 18:4–6). God did not abandon humankind, but chose to begin a process of salvation and restoration. This decision is all the more significant when we consider that “God formed a man from the dust of the ground”, the same basic material as the potter’s clay. God’s dedication and sacrifice in restoring His creation, which far exceed the original value of humankind, highlight just how precious we are in His eyes.
From an economic or proportionality point of view, the salvation of humankind seems the ultimate waste. Only love, transcending calculation and disregarding profitability, could inspire God’s decision to save His creations, even after they compromised their own destiny. This divine decision underlines the unique and inalienable dignity of humankind: God chose to save humanity, even after humanity had chosen to turn its back on Him.
God’s entry into humanity
God has had a deep and personal relationship with humanity ever since its creation. This bond foreshadowed the fact that He was prepared to go to any lengths for humanity. He made an incredible gesture in religion, where purity rejects sin, and a scandalous one in philosophy, where the spirit is seen as incompatible with matter. He became incarnate, accepting not only humanity’s limitations, but also its subsequent degradation.
Humans, described by ancient sages as “vanity” and by modern scholars as “chemical scum” or “a slime mould,” are raised to a level of union with God that not even the angels have experienced. The Bible says, “For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way” (Hebrews 2:16–17). This extraordinary union demonstrates that, in God’s eyes, humanity possesses unparalleled value and dignity.
The Incarnation inevitably led to the ultimate sacrifice. We shall never cease to be amazed at how much we mean to God. As the Bible says, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18–19).
In human terms, dignity may be associated with noble birth, a prominent social role, or exceptional achievements, “a superior form of functionality, a rigorous suitability to a given purpose”.[5] However, in the divine order, humanity’s unique and inalienable dignity derives from God’s incarnation and His sacrifice for us.
The restoration of God’s image in humanity
God’s original decision to create people “in His own image, in His own likeness” will be realised. In the final pages of Scripture, which mirror that original decision, we read: “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God… They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads” (Revelation 21:3; 22:4). In an even bolder statement, Paul speaks of a day when the Lord “comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed” (2 Thessalonians 1:10). What incredible assurance! The fact that anyone could have looked upon Adam and Eve and recognised them as the image of God was an exceptional moment and a cause for joy throughout the universe. But what will it be like when the image of Christ is “marveled at” in each of the saved?
Understanding the noble origin of humankind is about more than a philosophical inquiry. The idea that God will restore His image in humankind is more than just a hope that is disconnected from our reality. Commenting on Paul’s expression “an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17), C.S. Lewis reminds us that behind every human face lies immortal potential, transforming every interaction into an opportunity to encounter not just a mortal, but a being who harbours the possibility of eternal glory within themselves. This realisation compels us to treat every person with deep respect and love and to recognise the inherent dignity and worth of each individual. In a transient world where cultures and civilisations rise and fall, our relationships with others become sacred, a playing field for a cosmic game. Lewis urges us to view every interaction as an encounter with eternity, with beings whose destinies transcend the limits of time and space, not as a mere coincidence.[6]
Let us direct our gaze towards a glorious perspective on human dignity as determined by the future and the purpose that Jesus Christ has for us. The Bible provides a unique foundation for human dignity, offering a steadfast source of contentment, hope, courage, and joy, a life lived to the fullest.
Adrian Bocăneanu argues that, taken as a whole, Bible-based Christianity provides an objective foundation for human dignity. This is rooted in the creation of humankind in the image of God, restored through Jesus Christ, and projected into a glorious future, which has far-reaching implications for self-understanding and interpersonal relationships.
[1] Quoted in Raymond Tallis, “You chemical scum, you”, Philosophy Now, no. 89, March or April 2012, available at https://philosophynow.org/issues/89/You_Chemical_Scum_You.
[2] John Gray, Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals, Granta Books, London, 2003, p. 33.
[3] Abraham Joshua Heschel, Man Is Not Alone. A Philosophy of Religion, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1976, p. 129.
[4] Michael Hasel and Gerhard Hasel, “The Unique Cosmology of Genesis 1 Against Ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian Parallels,” in Gerald Klingbeil (ed.), The Genesis Creation Account and Its Reverberations in the Old Testament, Andrews University Press, 2015, p. 18.
[5] Andrei Pleșu, Despre frumuseţea uitată a vieţii (On the Forgotten Beauty of Life), Humanitas, Bucharest, 2014, p. 47.
[6] C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, HarperOne, New York, 2000, pp. 45–46.
