You’re Only Human

I recently read You’re Only Human:  How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News, by Kelly Kapic (Brazos 2022).  Great book—thought-provoking, honest, biblical, hopeful.

“Finitude is an unavoidable aspect of our creaturely existence” (p. 6).  But we tend not to be comfortable with our limitations, often feeling a sense of guilt:  have I done enough, should I do more?

In fact, “being dependent creatures is a constructive gift, not a deficiency” (p. 10).  It’s good to live with our human limitations—that’s how God intended us to walk through life.  Our very limited knowledge and strength and experience help us turn to each other for support, and most of all they prompt us to depend on God for saving grace and sustaining care.

Human physicality is not second best:  it’s just the way God intended us to live; it’s his good design for our flourishing.   And remember, the limitations that come with embodied life were fully embraced by the Son of God in his incarnation (p. 45).

“Part of the intrinsic good of our bodies is that they are an ever-present reminder of our creaturely needs:  to be human is to be dependent on the Creator Lord, dependent on other human creatures… and dependent on the earth…” (p. 71).

And so, we should be humble.  “Humility consists in a recognition of (and a rejoicing in) the good limitations God has given us… Even if there had never been a fall into sin, humility would still have the essential character of gratitude for our dependence on God and for his faithful supply of our need” (p. 103).

Being human is not our problem, sin is (p. 84).  What’s more, God is at work to bring us more and more into conformity with his Son (Romans 8:29)—but it’s a slow process:  efficiency isn’t the Lord’s priority as he progressively does his good soul-work in us.  There is no sudden sanctification.  Can you trust God, and rest?