Who is right about what it means to be human?

The Greeks envisioned an ideal humanity. Their ethereal sculptures depict a transcendent, spiritual model. But today many scientists view human beings as mere machines. And some believe we will be able to make machines with human-like intelligence in the near future.

CHRISTIAN VIEW:
The biblical view of humanity is different from both of these. For the writers of Scripture, to be human is to be in the image of God. As the pursuit of true spirituality takes us away from sinfulness, it moves us closer to what God intended us to be. When we are truly spiritual, we are fully human.

Christ is the second person of the Trinity, the Son. He lived forever with the Father and the Spirit and then at a point in time, in history, was born in Bethlehem. As both man and God, he lived a perfect life. Unlike every other human being there was no moral blemish in his life. He lived in obedience to the Father, and his calling in his life was to reflect God's character. He expressed God's love to us, and had a perfect relationship with the Father.

Though as a man he was finite-just as we are-he found this no problem. He was contented to be in only one place at one time, to speak to only one person at a time. Yet when we examine Christ's life we see him neither using nor advocating any spiritual techniques. When he prayed, he spoke to the Father in ordinary human language. His spirituality was expressed in his whole life, not in one little part.

Does "being human" mean to make God present - to "practice the presence of God?" No. Is it to seek spiritual experiences to assure us of his love and power in our lives? No. Is it to pray, to go to church, to study the Bible, to evangelize? No, though it involves these things. To be truly human is to serve him with our whole life, to love him, to enjoy him, to reflect his character. Every area of our life is to express spirituality, not some special parts of it. Every area of our life in every day is to express the relationship we have with God.

If being human is to reflect the character of God to others, what are the implications for our lives? How should we live and treat our fellow man?