As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“What follows is not a review of The Third Option but rather a meditation on its central thesis, that our attitudes and behavior toward our fellow human beings must take full account of the fact that they were created in God’s image.
“Although Paul does not directly allude to the image of God in this text, the fact that God made man in His own image, enduing him with rationality, morality, and volition, would seem to be implied by this capacity for seeing God in his environment. By any account, having such a capacity is good.” - Dave Saxon
“I also intend to advance an overarching vision of humanity that is consistent with ancient and biblically driven views of the human and that, at the same time, is commensurate with and informed by contemporary reflections from the sciences. In other words, don’t let the word ‘introduction’ throw you.” - Ref21
“You are not going to want to miss Craig Carter on the philosophical underpinnings of transgenderism, Brad Littlejohn on natural theology and the sexes, Nathan Tarr on abortion and the early church, or Wayne Grudem on why he changed his mind over the grounds for divorce” Eikon is available free in PDF form. - CBMW
The questions I’ve raised above are not ivory tower speculations. I believe these questions are important to answer if we are to understand fully the implications Christ’s temptation as well as his victory over temptation for you and me. Consider the following three points of practical application:
The greatest battle ever waged on earth’s soil took place two thousand years ago in the desert of Palestine. There met the champions of evil and righteousness. Satan, the most intelligent and powerful creature ever made and who’d become the archenemy of God, stood toe-to-toe with the Promised Descendant of Eve, Jesus of Nazareth, the long-awaited Messiah and the Son of God. It was a conflict of cosmic proportions. And the final outcome of his battle determined the destiny of men.
“Christlikeness looks different in different domains. Just consider: Christ offers particular commands to women and others to men; some to masters and others to bondservants; some to fathers and others to children; some to young men, others to old men, and still others to older women; some to pastors and others to church members.
“ ‘You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body’ (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We are to glorify God with our bodies, not glorify our bodies. As Christians, our bodies are sacred, as the Lord has taken up residence in our lives.
“Anthropology is a topic of ecclesiastical concern in my own denomination. Last summer at its General Assembly, the Presbyterian Church in America appointed a study committee to consider questions related to human sexuality, having only two years earlier received a report on women in ministry. Many of the public controversies among Southern Baptists regarding gender roles, sexual abuse, critical race theory, and even church-state relations also touch directly upon anthropological questions.
Discussion