I find it strange that I've been thinking so much about this question: "What does it mean to be human?" I am a human, and have been so for over 27 years (That's me on the left shortly after I first started in my present position). If I were a carpenter, or a fisherman with 27 years of experience I might be considered an expert with little left to learn of my trade. Yet there is much to learn for all of us no matter our years of human experience. I think most honest people would say that the older they get the more they learn that there's more to learn than they thought. So...I don't pretend to be the most credible source on the mysteries of human nature. I won't presume to try to tell you all (actually it's more like "both of you" who read my blog) how to live your life. I do, however, want to stir your thoughts about some fundamental ways in which our nature as human beings, in the image of God, sets us apart as incredibly unique and extraordinary creatures.
I want to start by briefly commenting on the following well known cliche: "I'm only human". We say that phrase when we mess up. We use it to excuse ourselves, because in our minds all humans are flawed and fall short on a consistent basis. Well, of course, in our experience this is true. The apostle John told us that if we claim to be without sin we're liars. But do we really sin because we're human? Is it our humanity that causes us to fall so short? Or is it more true that we sin because we're not even human? And somewhere along the line we lost our humanity so that we're living at a level far less human than we were created to be.
I think the message of Jesus isn't that our humanity isn't good enough and we need to somehow find a way to grow beyond it; he came to show us that by his power our humanity was once again within reach. It's no wonder that he went around healing people's bodies, showing us his power to restore our humanity physically and spiritually.
I won't call what I am "only human." What I am is a new creation in Christ, and by his grace I am pursuing the full humanity that Christ died and rose again to offer me. C.S. Lewis once said "To enter heaven is to become more human that you ever succeeded in being on earth. To enter Hell, is to be banished from humanity forever." I want to be human again.
