I love the section at the top of Google’s page that’s called AI Overview. Whatever you have just googled it give a nice little summary answer. Behind the scenes Google has looked through the whole internets catalogue of information and put together what it believes is the best answer to your question. You don’t have to click through web pages, check sources and publish dates and read articles in a desperate hunt for your answer. I don’t like hunting for answers to my questions. Some people love to research everything, I don’t have that kind of time. I like to let Google do the work. Google does all the research for you and neatly packages it at the top of the page – done.
This Sunday we are starting a new sermon series called Who Am I: A Study of the Doctrine of Man. That is a big topic to tackle so I thought I would see if Google’s AI could break it down for me. While the question “who am I” pulled up a movie I’ve never heard of on IMDB and the lyrics of an old Casting Crowns song what I used to know word for word; it did give a nice summary of the Doctrine of Man.
AI Overview
The “Doctrine of Man” in a theological context, particularly within Christianity, explores the nature, origin, and destiny of humanity in relationship to God. It examines man’s creation, fall, and eventual restoration or redemption through God’s plan. In summary, the Doctrine of Man provides a framework for understanding who humans are, where they came from, how they are related to God, and where they are ultimately headed.
And every summary ends with a nice caveat that says “generative AI is experimental” at the bottom. Guess you still can’t trust everything you read on the internet.
The AI summary is on the right track though, some of the questions we will be studying over the next few week are:
- Why did God create us?
- What does it mean to be made in the image of God?
- What is the nature of man?
- What is sin? Where did it come from? What is its impact?
- How can sinful men be in a relationship with God?
Only time spent studying God’s Word will get us truthful and trusted answers to these questions. God’s relationship with man starts in Genesis 2 with the creation of man.
Genesis 2:7
Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. (ESV)
You can click below to continue reading Genesis 2.
And if you continue into Genesis 3 you’ll see the creation of woman. Honestly you could just keep going because the whole Bible is about God’s relationship with us.
See you Sunday for the beginning of a fascinating new study. (Technically I’ll be watching online from Renton.)
-Abby