This post is part of a series walking through the second volume of Abraham Kuyper’s Common Grace
The meaning of human existence and history must be tied to our teleological end of “judgment and the revelation of the kingdom of glory.” (710) Everything that is not for that kingdom is like a cornstalk: temporarily useful but ultimately bound for the fire. And yet, we want to be sure to do justice to this process of development–and certainly not end up only concerned with “the salvation of spirits.” (710)
Specifically, we must ask: why do we have such a complex human history? Wouldn’t simplicity have worked better to the end of the kingdom? Doesn’t our modern complexity actually contribute to sin? Aren’t the worst sinners the most civilized and the most holy the simplest folk? We haven’t hit an answer yet as to why there is so much complexity, misery in that complex history, slowness of development, and so forth. This is all tied into a core question about “direction” in life. We need to see an “independent… inherent goal… to the development of the human race.” (711)
This goal (of the human race) isn’t disconnected from our telos in the kingdom. For that matter there can be two goals to something. So yes it is about the salvation of the elect, but also “to bring to light all that was hidden in our race in terms of potential to the glory and praise of God’s name. Only in that perspective does our worldview find its grounding.” (712)
The image of God does not just apply to each individual, it applies to the human race as a whole. Scripture is clear that there is a social element both to salvation and to existence. God is on display in mankind, not just in man. This is not to deny the imago Dei in individuals! Every aspect of us as human beings and as humanity as a whole is defined by this truth. But when we look at the individual, our eyes are drawn to the imago in the whole race–and vice-versa. This diversity is necessary for a full display of God’s glory.
“…the majestic image of God, reflected in and through human beings, is not limited to one possibility or one model that replicates itself endlessly; rather, it realizes an endless diversity in possibilities. It may be reflected–and indeed is reflected–differently in the man than in the woman, differently in a child than in a young man, differently in the young man than in the adult man, and again differently in the old man. It is reflected differently in the sanguine than in the phlegmatic temperament, differently in the person with limited gifts than in the gifted individual. And amid all this variety it posits endless possibilities and combinations of character traits that repeatedly bring into existence a different human being, and in each of these persons it brings to manifestation the one type in a constantly different manner. We don’t know the number of possibilities, because we simply lack the power to analyze the image of God; yet, we sense how these possibilities are determined, and we sense the fact that the exceedingly great number of people born throughout history mirrors in the fullest way the image of God in all its diversity and wealthy of variations.” (714-716)
This social image does not save us–but it has a value in itself as a way that humanity advances and increasingly shows God’s glory. We enjoy this growth, but it is ultimately for God’s sake. This it will not survive does not lessen its value, even when it is replaced with true harmony it will be remembered as God’s good work.
Common grace makes all of this happen-painfully and stutteringly–after the Fall, and gives meaning and significance to human history.
Dr. Coyle Neal is co-host of the City of Man Podcast an Amazon Associate (which is linked in this blog), and an Associate Professor of Political Science at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, MO
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