The City of Man | BCL Monthly
October 2024 Edition
Happy October to our BCL readers!
The city of God versus the city of man: two cities, two loves, two outcomes. Where do we find these cities in the Bible, what do they represent, who are the citizens of each one, and what does this all mean for us today? In this month’s issue, Le Ann considers the first appearance of these two cities in the Bible and how they are represented in different ways from Genesis to Revelation, Dan addresses the importance of keeping our gaze fixed on the city of God amid the temptations of the temporal city of man, and Ayrian goes back to the garden of Eden to locate the origin of the birth of the city of man. To God be the glory!
In Christ,
Le Ann Trees, Managing Editor
Dan Rowlands, Content Editor
Ayrian Yasar, Associate Editor
In his classic work, The City of God, early church theologian and philosopher Augustine of Hippo contrasts two mystical cities (peoples) that appear in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation: the city of God (“the heavenly city”) and the city of man (“the earthly city”):
Accordingly, two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly by the love of self, even to the contempt of God; the heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self. The former, in a word, glories in itself, the latter in the Lord. For the one seeks glory from men; but the greatest glory of the other is God, the witness of conscience. The one lifts up its head in its own glory; the other says to its God, “Thou art my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” (Augustine, The City of God, 14.28)
The city of man first appears in the book of Genesis.
We see the beginnings of the two cities in the book of Genesis with the lineage of Seth (the city of God) and the lineage of Cain (the city of man). According to pastor and theologian Zach Keele in his book The Unfolding Word: The Story of the Bible from Creation to New Creation,
Indeed, the promise of Genesis 3:15 points to the warring of two houses: the woman versus the serpent. It does not take long to see how some of Adam and Eve’s offspring swear allegiance to the adversary of God’s people. Therefore, within each generational frame, a fissure forms that cracks apart the faithful line of those who call upon the name of the Lord from the wicked, unbelieving heirs. This separation unfolds the twofold theme of the promise: animosity between the two lineages, and God’s faithfulness to preserve Eve’s promised progeny. Enmity and fidelity wrestle throughout the halls of history. (p. 25)
For example, it is through Isaac that the nations will be blessed, not Ishmael. Jacob belongs to the faithful line; Esau does not.
Citizens of the city of man are those who trust in themselves, in human reasoning and accomplishment, in the rulers of this world. Citizens of the city of God are those who trust in Christ alone through faith alone by God’s grace alone. While the Old Testament saints did not see as clearly as we see today on this side of the cross, they too were members of the city of God through faith in God, believing that he would fulfill his promises to send a Savior (Gen. 3:15) and bless the nations (Gen. 12:3; 15:5-6).
Citizens of the city of man are “children of Hagar,” condemned under the law.
These two cities are connected to different covenants: the city of man is under the covenant of works, being in slavery to the demands of God’s law, and the city of God is under the covenant of grace, being freed by the promised redemptive work of Christ on behalf of all its citizens. The apostle Paul writes in Galatians 4:
Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children….Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. (Gal. 4:24-25; 28-29)
Every human being who has ever lived or ever will live is either a free person through faith in Christ, “born according to the Spirit,” or a person under slavery to sin, “born according to the flesh.” The Pharisees placed their hopes in their earthly lineage, being descended from Abraham; yet, this was a misplaced hope according to Jesus:
But when [Jesus] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” (Matt. 3:7-9)
Just as God’s righteousness was counted to Abraham through faith in God’s promise to him, so also people are true children of Abraham by having Christ’s perfect righteousness and perfect sacrifice counted to them by faith in Christ alone.
Everyone in the city of man bears the mark of the beast.
While many Christians have been taught that the “mark of the beast” in Revelation 13:16-18 is a physical, visible marking of some kind, possibly a tattoo, imbedded chip, etc., this is not the meaning of the mark. According to theologian Dennis E. Johnson,
The beast's mark, like the seal of God applied to the church (Rev. 7:1-3), is no outward tattoo or insignia on the body but rather a symbol of the beast's ownership and control of his followers' thoughts (forehead) and deeds (right hands).” (Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation, Kindle Loc. 2159-2160)
Everyone who places their faith not in Christ but instead in humanity, what has been created instead of the Creator, has this mark. These people are still dead in their sins, under the dominion of Satan and without hope.
Believers are sealed by God for the day of redemption and have the Holy Spirit as their guarantee.
Citizens of the city of God, however, have the seal of the Holy Spirit:
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Eph. 1:13-14)
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Eph. 4:30)
And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (2 Cor. 1:21-22)
May we always be filled with praise and thanksgiving for all God has done for us in Christ, making us citizens of the city of God with all rights and privileges thereof, sealing us by the Holy Spirit as his own, and saving us from the wrath that is coming for all who remain in the city of man. And may we share our faith as God gives us opportunity, knowing that Christ will return one day to judge the nations and consummate his kingdom.
The city of man is the world outside of Christ. Unlike the eternal everlasting kingdom of heaven (or, as it is also called, the kingdom of God), the city of man is temporal. It doesn’t last, so be careful not to set your mind and heart on it. While Christians live among those belonging to the city of man in this world, they are set apart by God in Christ as eternal citizens of the city of God.
The so-called treasures of the city of man may tempt us, but they do not last.
For example, Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount uses the metaphor of treasures to contrast the world, the temporal city of man, with heaven, the eternal city of God:
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matt. 6:19-21)
This world has no trouble grabbing our attention and trying to convince us it is full of treasures—this lure is all around us and constantly before our eyes. One problem though is that the things—the so-called treasures—of this world do not last. Moth and rust destroy them. Thieves steal them. We die and another inherits our possessions and wealth, and we have no idea if they will use it wisely or not (Eccl. 2:18-19).
Even by our own experience we know this is true. Our favorite things wear out. Our cherished memories fade away, and when we go back and visit the places that helped form them, nothing is the same. Though we long for things that last, such as friends who are there forever and a legacy with permanent benefits for others—it is all temporary. The city of man doesn’t last:
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:17)
As citizens of the city of God, believers are to live by the will of God in this world.
In contrast, we learn from Scripture how we are to live in the here and now among those belonging to the city of man—by the will of God:
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Col. 3:1-3)
We are to set our minds on things above—heavenly things. These things, God himself, his will, and the glories of heaven for all those whose lives are hidden in Christ Jesus through faith forever should occupy the mind and heart of the believer. We are to seek to do God’s will—loving him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving each other as ourselves (Matt. 22:36-40).
Laying up treasures in heaven means setting aside our sinful desires for earthly treasures—the things of this life that do not last. We are to set aside what is earthly in us: “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5), and “anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from our mouths” (Col. 3:8). The Lord wants us to be clothed with “compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Col. 3:12). We are to be forgiving just as God has forgiven us in Christ Jesus: “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col. 3:14).
How we spend our time is a reflection of the city upon which our gaze is fixed.
But none of this is easy. The world, which is under the influence of Satan, and our own desires assault us every moment. It is easy to succumb to the temptations of the temporal city of man. How we spend our time is telling—we have choices to make. Is our time spent on what is temporary or what is eternal—materialism or the Word of God? Consumption for ourselves or helping another person in need? Feeding our eyes with the lusts of this world (e.g., 1 John 2:18) or closing our devices for a time of prayer? Do we look to our own strength to raise our heart and mind to things above, or do we look to God and trust him to graciously give us the strength?
It is the Word of God, Holy Scripture, that is the means God the Holy Spirit uses to raise our hearts and minds to heaven, to God himself. It is the power of the Spirit of God working through his Word that brings us to the eternal and everlasting truth of who God is and how he saves his children from this sinful and temporary home and brings us to our eternal home in heaven. Just as Abraham looked to the heavenly city whose designer and builder is God (Heb. 11:10), we also look away from the city of man and fix our gaze on the city of God.
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:17)
When sin entered the beautiful and good world that God had created, the distinction was made between those who would follow in the rebellion of the devil, who did not submit to God, and those who by God’s grace would be saved to be friends with the Holy Triune God. The spiritual reality of those who are under the influence of the evil one, citizens of the city of man, is different—in fact, in complete antithesis—to those who are citizens of the kingdom of God, a kingdom of joy, peace, love, holiness, righteousness, and humility.
Those belonging to the city of man follow their own rules and judgments that fit their sinful desires.
Rather than submit to the Creator, those who either knowingly or unwittingly follow in the rebellion of Satan are “following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2). They are functioning according to a different principle—the principle of pride which results in disobedience to the Lord.
When Satan deceived Eve in the garden of Eden, he was able to persuade her to trust her own understanding, and thereby make herself the judge of what was good and evil. She thought more highly of herself and her knowledge than of her Creator, who had made her and all other good things she had experienced. So, we see that pride is a principle of the city of man. Man does not want to listen to the precepts of God’s Word; rather, he wants to make his own rules that fit his own desires.
The city of man is a city filled with misery, faction, hate, unholiness and wickedness.
The prophet Isaiah had this to say about those who made their own rules in opposition to the Lord:
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight! (Isa. 5:20-21)
What will happen when such atrocious reversals happen, when God’s goodness and light are scorned and replaced with the precepts of man’s sinful heart? Well, we see it every day around us. The city of man, the spiritual city that functions in rebellion against God’s precepts, is a city filled with misery, faction, hate, unholiness and wickedness. This city is a spiritual reality that has physical implications.
The city of man is first a spiritual reality to which all peoples belong if they are not citizens of the kingdom of God. It is the spiritual kingdom of darkness, for such people have turned away from the light of Jesus and therefore dwell in spiritual darkness. Yet, it also has visible manifestations as the evil that comes out of the hearts of men takes shape in hateful and sinful words and deeds.
Every unbeliever is a member of this spiritual kingdom of the city of man. Unbelievers do not experience the peace that comes from knowing their sins are forgiven. They do not know the love of a merciful and yet just God. They do not know the joy of a permanent and lasting eternal blessedness in the presence of their heavenly Father. Rather, the citizens of the city of man are like those in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress who live in the City of Destruction: they labor endlessly under the hard toil of a decaying reality, a city that has no future other than death, a spiritual state of bondage to sin, ushered in by pride and rebellion against God.
We must both rejoice in the mercy of God toward us and devote ourselves to praying for unbelievers.
What then should we do as we interact with unbelievers whom we know and love? We understand they are in spiritual darkness—they are members of the city of man that in pride has raised itself up in defiance of God like the builders of the Tower of Babel. First, we must rejoice in the mercy of God toward us, undeserving sinners who also at one time were members of this doomed city of man, but as the apostle Paul reminds us of our changed status:
You are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. (1 Thess. 5:5)
And secondly, we must devote ourselves to praying for unbelievers. We must plead with our heavenly Father to extend his grace and mercy to them, and that the light of his Word by the power of the Holy Spirit would transform more citizens of the city of man into citizens of the kingdom of God.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Eph. 6:12)
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