Making Sense of Man: Using Biblical Perspectives to Develop a Theology of Humanity

“Among in-depth treatments of biblical anthropology, this volume makes a fresh and impressive contribution by utilizing a lex Christi framework–the Ten Commandments with their implications, positive as well as negative, taken as providing a comprehensive grid of perspectives for exploring the truth of Scripture on a given topic. One need not be fully conversant with this framework to benefit from the fruitful way in which Dr. Poythress considers multiple issues such as the image of God, body and soul, the intermediate state, sexuality, and total inability, to mention just several. While the approach of the book as a whole is novel, it is knowledgeable about, interacts with, and often builds on past treatments. In its deepest concern to be true to the teaching of Scripture, it is consciously and appreciatively tethered throughout to the Westminster Standards' relevance for today. All told, readers will find that the book's contents make good on the promise implicit in its title.”

“I have had the privilege of knowing Dr. Poythress for many years and can attest that any personal sense of being daunted by his intellect is both well matched and relieved by the sense of his personal humility, his love for his Lord, and his devotion to his students. His goal in writing extensively is not to daunt but to lead and to feed. He is, in essence, a shepherd-theologian. Thus, new readers, even those who are unaccustomed to large works of theology, may well be surprised at how understandable a theologian can be! Making Sense of Man will enable pastors and teachers to equip the coming generation of Christians to shine as lights in a dark place. And it will help equip our churches to become cities set on a hill, shining the light of life renewed as it was meant to be—the light of the new creation and the restoration of the image of God in Christ, a light that cannot be hidden.”

“I find this the most stimulating and incisive contribution that Poythress has made. Even where I might disagree with him, there is much that informs and challenges. Poythress’s expertise in science and mathematics, combined with his vast knowledge, theological acumen, and linguistic and exegetical skill, makes this a book that cannot be missed.”

“Vern Poythress is one of the most important theological voices of our time, and in this book, Dr. Poythress confronts one of the great intellectual and apologetic challenges of our age—the development of a faithful theology of humanity. The apocalyptic warnings of the twentieth century have turned into the very real threats to human dignity that we face in our own times. Christians need the conviction and scholarship that Dr. Poythress brings to this book. One of the most important aspects of this volume is the author’s willingness to take on so many of the most vexing questions of our age, and to respond very clearly with biblical truth.”

“The biblical and Christian theology of humanity has become a focal point of controversy in the academy and the public square in recent decades. Questions of human identity, sexuality, and purpose are often disputed, but biblical understanding and wisdom regarding them are increasingly rare. Within this setting, Poythress’s latest book is a timely and welcome contribution. Poyth-ress provides a comprehensive, provocative exposition of a rich diversity of biblical themes concerning the nature and destiny of humanity within the triune God’s purposes in creation and redemption. Throughout the book, Poythress exhibits a rare combination of careful exegesis, methodological transparency, philosophical acumen, and pastoral sensitivity. His treatment of two important topics, the image of God and human freedom, offer especially constructive contributions to long-standing debates.”

“Building on a remarkable pyramid of his own publications, Dr. Poythress brings to the reader the wisdom of decades of studies across a wide range of issues related to Christian anthropology. Few deny that the great questions for most people today are ‘Who am I?’ and ‘What does it mean to be human?’ Poythress makes no apologies for placing the Bible and the triune God as central and essential in this full-sweeping panorama of Making Sense of Man. Sometimes accessible and stimulatingly simple, Dr. Poythress’s book at other times takes us deep, weighing complex issues and challenging us with concepts such as lex Christi. With its related theologies of theology proper, hamartiology, and soteriology, the work stands as a majestic, in-depth exposition of the Christian doctrine of humanity—this for Reformed and non-Reformed alike.”

“If an edifying, helpful overview on the human person in biblical perspective could be written in our day with both vigor and charity, with both courage and circumspection, Vern Poythress would be the one to write it. And so he has. Man does require a ‘making sense of ’ today, and Poythress has led us back to the inscripturated revelation of man’s Maker, where true sense-making must begin. In doing so, Poythress has not pretended to say the last word on anything (and others should be read alongside and after reading this work). But he has reminded us of the first words that must be said, to the end that a properly Christian theological vision of humanity would arise and blossom from the good soil of what God has said concerning us.”