Who is a human being?

If we start from these two sources – reason and revelation –
we can distinguish four basic characteristics of human nature. These give us a clear picture of who we are in the heart of our being. We are: 1. creatures, 2. creatures in the image and form God (we are rational and free), 3. composed of body and soul, 4. with nature wounded by inherited sin. So, first, we are creatures. Creation is what is created. You and I did not always exist; similarly, there were no human beings as a species. There are, of course, many debates about the way we are created or created. But the way the first human beings were created is less important than the fact that God actually created them.
The fact that we were created has several interesting consequences. I will mention at least some: for example; if we are sincere, we cannot deny that we are substantially dependent, internally dependent on God, our creator. We, modern men and women, like to think that we are completely autonomous and take care of it about ourselves. This is, of course, true, but only for the sure border. In the very origin of our being is the fact that we are created. We depend on God to lead us to existence and to maintain us in that existence. This is what we have in common with other creatures: stones, minerals, plants, animals, fish, comets, and angels. We don’t come from ourselves, but
from God.

Second, we are reasonable and free. There is something unique about our creation: we are created in the image and likeness of God. We are a reflection, a reflection of God in a way that none do another creature. God created us in His own image, “man and woman he created us, “we read in the Book of Genesis (Gen 1:27). As Chesterton wrote,” Man is not evolution, but rather a revolution. ” Human beings are revolutions because they are radically different from the rest of creation; they are the only creatures God created for himself. It is possible that we do not always act sensibly, but by our nature, we have the ability to think and know. We are reasonable Man – the basis of values’ 35 beings. In truth, this quality makes us most like God and separates us from the whole world of other living creatures. It also gives us the dignity of people. We are not things but people. I am not “something,” but “someone.” To the extent that we have a reason, to the extent that we are free. This quality opens up a world of possibilities and gives us dignity; unreasonable creatures are derived from our nature’s spiritual dimension. We think we dig, we consider and act. We plan and program the future. Freedom is not only a value in itself; it is also necessary a condition that allows us to shape our values. If we were pre-programmed and obliged to follow our instincts, as animals do, “freedom” would be pointless for us in the world. However, we can recognize values, and we are free to follow them.

Third, we are persons with body and soul. These are not two separate parts that are artificially connected, but two essential dimensions of our one nature. We are unity. We are not ghosts trapped or buried in the body, as he was convinced, of Plato. Nor are we a combination of two different essences – one material and the other intangible – as Descartes reasoned. You and I do not have a body and a soul; we are body and soul. Because of this duality present in our nature, we are connected to the material and spiritual worlds. Some things we have in common with plants and animals and other things resemble us to angels. This concept is crucial because it helps us understand that we are more than just organic matter, and therefore our values ​​will go beyond what is good only for our body or what satisfies only our senses. Finally, our nature is wounded, distorted by inherited sin. Our personal experience confirms a certain division that exists within us. This explains why it is often hard to do what is right, even when we know it’s really right. Our body often tells us one thing, and our mind advises us to do the opposite. Doing what is right is not easy, and sometimes we have to work hard to overcome and manage our inclinations. “God and the devil are fighting in us, and our hearts are a battlefield, “says Dostoevsky in the Karamazov Brothers.

This inner rift at the center of our being is another key aspect of our nature and sheds light on the cause of many of our difficulties. However, by being able to grasp this fact, we will discover that one of our most important values ​​as humans 3 b BUILD ON A FIXED FOUNDATION beings are to gain the harmony of their being. We have to manage ourselves and organize their abilities according to a suitable ranking. These four human nature characteristics give us the key to understanding what is good for us as created persons to God’s image and likeness with reason and free will, body and soul, and nature wounded by sin. However, we still have to look at another dimension of our being: our goal and destiny (determination),