The Truth About Mankind  (Click here to see the entire  Anthropology Table of Contents )

A Systematic Theology for the 21st Century
Part 06 Anthropology
Table of Contents Table of Contents
Part 06 Anthropology    1 www.truthaboutthechrist.com/thetruthabouthumanity/index.html
Cambron's Chapter IV Anthropology -The Doctrine of Man     3
www.truthaboutthechrist.com/thetruthabouthumanity/doctrineofman.html
    I. Man In His State of Integrity    4 
    II. Man In His State of Sin    9 
    III. Man In His State of Grace    13 
Critique of Chafer's Anthropology    17 www.truthaboutthechrist.com/thetruthabouthumanity/critchafer1.html
    Critique of Chafers Material/Immaterial Part of Man     20 
    Critique of Chaper's State of Innocence and Fall    21 
Conclusion www.truthaboutthechrist.com/thetruthabouthumanity/conclusionanthropology.html
Bibliography for Anthropology    23 www.truthaboutthechrist.com/thetruthabouthumanity/anthrobibliography.html

About The Author  

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:26-271


And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Genesis 2:7-8


Having thoroughly considered the nature of God, we now consider the nature of man. Anthropology is the doctrine of man, or a discourse on human nature2, specifically taken from the Greek “Anthropos,” for man “ology” for a discourse of/on. (It has been well stated previous that “ology” is so much bigger than study, discourse, or doctrine of, that it might need its own consideration whenever it is used.) In a Biblical systematic theology the discourse will focus on everything God has revealed to us about man in his inerrant, infallible, verbally inspired holy Scriptures. By definition that is adequate coverage of all that needs to be considered about man. The Father of Systematic Theologies, Charles Hodge (1797-1878) develops an idea that God's thorough coverage of anthropology is the complete truth as follows:


All that the Scriptures teach concerning the external world accords with the facts of experience. They do not teach that the earth is a plane; that it is stationary in space; that the sun revolves around it. On the other hand, they do teach that God made all plants and animals, each after its own kind; and, accordingly, all experience shows that species are immutable. All the anthropological doctrines of the Bible agree with what we know of man from consciousness and observation. The Bible teaches that God made of one blood all nations which dwell on the face of the earth. We accordingly find that all the varieties of our race have the same anatomical structure; the same physical nature; the same rational and moral faculties. The Bible teaches that man is a free, accountable agent; that all men are sinners; that all need redemption, and that no man can redeem himself or find a ransom for his brother. With these teachings the consciousness of all men agrees. All that the Scriptures reveal concerning the nature and attributes of God corresponds with our religious nature, satisfying, elevating, and sanctifying all our powers and meeting all our necessities. If the contents of the Bible did not correspond with the truths which God has revealed in his external works and the constitution of our nature, it could not be received as coming from Him, for God cannot contradict himself. Nothing, therefore, can be more derogatory to the Bible than the assertion that its doctrines are contrary to reason.3


Charles Hodge was a genius with great depth but in his anthropology section he fails to stand by his own assertion here that God's Word can be our sole authority for what we understand about man. Instead he spends all his effort defying what we do not believe and then even defending the Roman philosophical teachings of dualism against the Bible's endorsement of man's trichotomy, i.e. body, soul and spirit. Certainly there are many things about humans that can be explored and studied outside of the Bible, just as there are things to be learned about earth's orbit around the sun in a galaxy called the Milky Way. But in a truly systematic theology our focus in an anthropology section need only be what God has revealed about man in his inerrant, infallible word. The very best basis of anthropology then comes first from consideration of the very best Biblical Doctrines book.
There is no truer, or more thorough, published, Baptist, and Biblical doctrine than that of Dr. Mark G. Cambron.4 His teachings on Bible Doctrine at Tennessee Temple Bible School thoroughly lay the foundation for this present work of systematic theology. His book, Bible Doctrines5 will, with the permission of the Cambron Institute6, be given in block quotes throughout this effort. The book is readily available through http://www.thecambroninstitute.org, and it forms the foundation for this systematic theology.7
Believing in the verbal inspiration of the Holy Scriptures and believing that every single word is directly chosen by God, it is prudent here to preserve and defend the doctrines extracted from Scripture and presented by Dr. Cambron. Below, in a block quote of his book, is his extensive analysis of Anthropology: [block quote of Dr. Cambron's Bible Doctrines page 116-134 (Zondervan 155-174)]

1The Holy Bible.

2Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary of American English, s.v. “Anthroplolgy.”

3Charles Hodge, “Systematic Theology Volume III” pg 92 of 916.

4Dr. Mark G. Cambron, B.A., M.A., Th.B., Th.M., Th.D., D.D., L.L.D., Litt.D., was one of the foremost theologians of our times. Born in Fayetteville, Tennessee on July 31, 1911. He was born-again in 1919. It was during a Billy Sunday campaign in Chattanooga that he trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. He served for many years at Tennessee Temple College (1948-59) with Dr. Lee Roberson and served as Dean of the College. From http://www.thecambroninstitute.org accessed 10/16/2013

5Mark G. Cambron, Bible Doctrines, 1954, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Zondervan Publishing House, 60-69

6The Cambron Institute, 35890 Maplegrove Road, Willoughby, Oh 44094

7It is noted and reproved in the Bibliology section of this work that Dr. Cambron's Bible Doctrines book does recommend using the R.V., instead of the Holy Bible, 41 times for 54 Bile verses. This work trusts only the King James Bible for English accuracy and acknowledgment of the inerrant, infallible, verbally inspired Holy Scriptures.

To Continue in this series click the link below:
  The Doctrine of Man  
www.truthaboutthechrist.com/thetruthabouthumanity/index.html

   Anthropology Table of Contents