On Being Fully Human

What does it mean to be fully human? I came across the phrase recently and only then did it really stick out to me, that I'd been hearing that phrase a lot lately, in video clips, sermons, books and online articles. So many sources referencing the gospel of Jesus Christ, alluding to the fact that part of the essence of the gospel, salvation or God's redemptive plan is to restore fallen humanity to the good state that God created it in.

As with most things that sound "too good to be true", it makes me want to look into it more. I have the tendency to be initially skeptical of novel or non-traditional things that might feel comforting in general. So that makes me curious about two things.

1. Is the concept Biblical in nature? Does the Bible use the phrase "fully human"? If not, is that simply semantics or interpretation, and does the Bible describe what it means to be "fully human" as we would explain that in our time? Or is that just a new phraseology to describe humanity-as-God-designed-it-to-be? I assume, based on the character and context of what people seem to mean when they use the phrase, that being fully human is, in some measure, part of what God's redemptive plan includes. I'd still like to flesh that out more. Is being "fully human" a similar phrase to Jesus' statement of His purpose, to bring us "abundant life" or life to the full? Etc...

2. To what extent can we become fully human in this life? What are the means to grow in that direction? Discipleship... Devotion... Obedience... What is God's role in the process? If it is a process, what can we legitimately expect to experience along the way?

I've been reading in Devotional Classics, and one of the classical authors referenced being fully human, which sparked this post. In my experience, we typically talk about being a good Christian versus a good human. It seems we think of Christian morality as a subset, a higher plateau, of regular morality. I don't think we equate being a good Christian with being a good human being. Like a square is a rectangle, but a rectangle is not necessarily a square, I think we think that someone might be a "good person" in a general sense, but we wouldn't call them a "good Christian" unless certain other things were true of them. Does that make sense? But from that, it seems that we have forgotten, on some level, what it means to be human, which is why the phrase "being fully human" stood out to me. Almost by implication that being human is a bad thing, stained with sin, etc. So, that's why, the news that the gospel might mean that God's plan is to redeem humanity, to restore us to His intended design for humanity, sounds like such good news.

What does it really mean to be fully human? What did God intend for us? What does God desire for us now, post-Fall and post-Christ's Incarnation? In light of the eternal salvation we believe we've received through God's grace and mercy, by faith in Jesus, how should we then live? What is the essence of what our time left here on the Earth was intended look like?

In Light of the Incarnation

As Christmas approaches, which feels crazy to acknowledge, I've been thinking about Advent. Thinking about what makes Christmas special. As my thoughts naturally turn towards Jesus' Incarnation, taking on human flesh to execute God's redemptive plan, I used the phrase "worth rescuing" in my mind and I've been stuck on that for a couple of days now.

Were we worth rescuing? Or is Jesus' Incarnation just an altruistic deed that makes Him look really selfless, though somewhat naive? Was there anything in it for Him, in that, does it just make Him look gracious and merciful or did being restored to us mean something more to Him because of who we are to Him?

Seems like an innocent enough question, but I know the theological implications run deep and in two fairly opposite directions.

One could say, no, we aren't worth rescuing, but that's what grace is. Our unworthiness, that we don't deserve to be rescued nor do we possess anything intrinsically worth rescuing, only proves to heighten and magnify God's mercy and kindness towards us. There's some truth in there...

And there's the other side of it, somewhat reactionary to the idea above, that we must have some intrinsic worth that God deemed worth rescuing. Otherwise, we should have a very low view of all humanity. Not that we can live perfectly and put God in our debt, or that God even needs us somehow. But if God chose to redeem us, to rescue us, that must say something about who we are. Doesn't it?

I'm not sure where I am on this yet. The Baptist upbringing I had leaves plenty of fodder for the "total depravity" of humanity track. Lots of Bible verses speak of an underlying fallen-ness. But something in that feels very depressing. It makes God's love seem kind of stupid. Like marrying a rapist. Or adopting a 17-year old pedophile. There might, somehow, be something noble and selfless about it, but it clashes with some deep sense of reality. The deep "unworthiness" of the rapist or pedophile receiving that love in that imaginary situation prevents any real intimacy, and selfless love doesn't change who they are... I guess on some level, this is all about unconditional love...

Do we love someone based on what they do?
That seems silly and not very much like love...

Do we love them based on who we know they truly are, an image-bearer of God?
This seems to give a reason to love, because of a deeper reality of their intrinsic worth...

Or do we love them because it's the loving thing to do, despite the fact they have no worth at all?
Which is how God's love seems when "total depravity" is pushed to its limit and our sinfulness is touted as the deepest, truest thing about us.

I don't want to push the point, because I know there's some potential for pride and self-glorification that is inherent in humanity, apparently. Part of the message of Jesus seems to be choosing others before ourselves, not fighting for our own exultation. So, I do want to be careful. But the flip-side, when our unworthiness is magnified to make much of the Cross of Jesus, it makes the implication that there's nothing about me that God values—He just is a really nice God who wants to be loving.

Yes, "God so loved the world", but the question whispers, "Yeah... but does God love ME?" Because if God views you and I just as a face in a sea of people and loves us all the same, in some group mercy project way, can we really tell people that God loves them personally? And can you really have a "relationship with God" if you don't have any worth at all? If you are a disease-carrying sewer rat, what does it change if a little girl wants you for a pet? Total depravity, when pushed too far, seems like it would turn evangelism, which is supposed to be good news, into:

"Hey man, you do realize that you're like a disease-ridden sewer rat to God, right? Or like a used tampon? You're filthy to Him. But He 'loves' you, you know?"

Something about that doesn't feel right... That, as love, doesn't make sense... Can you imagine a marriage proposal, from bended knee, "You're horribly ugly, annoying and cruel. You're an awful human being, and I'd like to spend the rest of my life with you. Not because there's some deep hidden beauty in you, nor am I psychotic, I just really want to do something selfless, because that's the kind of person I am... I don't really want to marry YOU, I just want to marry anyone that doesn't deserve to be married to me. Will you marry me?"

Should that girl think of his proposal as good news? And what if she really WAS that kind of a woman?

What are your thoughts, readers? How do you see our depravity and what do you make of Jesus' Incarnation and what it means for who you are to Him?