Van Til's Integral View of Human Life
Cornelius Van Til's integral view of human life emphasizes that all aspects of human existence are interconnected and ultimately derive their meaning from God. This perspective stands in contrast to approaches that compartmentalize life into sacred and secular spheres.
Van Til's framework suggests that human life, in its entirety, is lived before God and is therefore subject to His sovereignty. The biblical understanding of life itself originates with God; "In him was life" [3]. This life is not merely physical existence but encompasses the spiritual and moral dimensions. However, human beings, apart from God, are described as having their "understanding darkened" [1] and being "alienated from the life of God" [6]. This spiritual deadness affects all areas of life, leading to a distorted perception of reality.
The brevity and vanity of human life are recurring themes in scripture, highlighting the need for a divine perspective. The psalmist notes that days are "as an handbreadth" [4], and Ecclesiastes describes life as "vain" [2]. Without God, life can be hated due to its perceived meaninglessness and the apparent inequities observed, such as good people suffering while the wicked prosper [8, 2].
Van Til's integral view implies that there is no neutral ground in human experience. Every thought, action, and endeavor is either in submission to God or in rebellion against Him. Even the breath of all mankind and the soul of every living thing are in God's hand [7]. Therefore, all inhabitants of the earth are "reputed as nothing" in comparison to the Most High God [5], underscoring humanity's complete dependence on Him. This holistic understanding means that faith is not confined to religious practices but permeates every facet of human endeavor, from intellectual pursuits to daily routines.
Sources
- Ephesians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ephesians 4:18: Having the understanding darkened,.... Not that the natural faculty of the understanding is lost in men, nor the understanding in things natural and civil, and which is quick enough, especially in things that are evil; but in things spiritual it is very dark and ignorant, as about the nature and perfections of God, his holiness and righteousness; about sin and the consequences of it; about Christ, his person, office, and work, and salvation by him; about the Spirit, and his work of grace upon the soul; and about the Scripture, and the doctrines contained in it; and”
- Ecclesiastes (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ecclesiastes 7:15: All things have I seen in the days of my vanity,.... Or, "all these things" (u). What goes before and follows after, the various changes men are subject unto, both good and bad; these he had made his observations upon, throughout the course of his life, which had been a vain one, as every man's is, full of evil and trouble; see Ecc 6:12; perhaps the wise man may have some respect to the times of his apostasy; and which might, among other things, be brought on by this; observing good men afflicted, and the wicked prosper, which has often been a stumbling to good ”
- John (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on John 1:4: In him was life,.... The Persic version reads in the plural number, "lives". There was life in the word with respect to himself; a divine life, the same with the life of the Father and of the Spirit; and is in him, not by gift, nor by derivation or communication; but originally, and independently, and from all eternity: indeed he lived before his incarnation as Mediator, and Redeemer. Job knew him in his time, as his living Redeemer; but this regards him as the word and living God, and distinguishes him from the written word, and shows that he is not a mere idea in the d”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 39:5: Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth,.... These words, with the following clause, are the psalmist's answer to his own inquiries; or rather a correction of his inquiry and impatience, showing how needless it was to ask such questions, and be impatient to die, when it was so clear and certain a case that life was so short; not a yard or ell (forty five inches), but an handbreadth, the breadth of four fingers; or at most a span of time was allowed to man, whose days are few, like the shadow that declineth, and the grass that withers; by which figurative expr”
- Daniel (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Daniel 4:32: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing,.... That is, by the most high God, in comparison of him; and that not only the common people, but magistrates, princes, and kings, and even so great a monarch as Nebuchadnezzar; they are like mere nonentities, nothing as to existence, substance, greatness, glory, and duration, when compared with him: for this is to be understood not absolutely as in themselves; for as such they are something; their bodies are something in their original, and especially in their make, form, and constitution, and even in their”
- 1 Timothy (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Timothy 5:6: But she that liveth in pleasure,.... Voluptuously, and deliciously; lives a wanton, loose, and licentious life, serving divers lusts and pleasures:, is dead while she liveth; is dead in trespasses and sins, while she lives in them; is dead morally or spiritually, while she lives a natural or corporeal life. There is a likeness between a moral and a corporeal death. In a corporeal death, the soul is separated from the body; and in a moral death, souls are separated from God, and are alienated from the life of God; and are without Christ, who is the author and giver”
- Job (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Job 12:9: In whose hand is the soul of every living thing,.... Of every animal, of every brute creature, as distinct from man, in the next clause: the life of everyone of them is from him, and it is continued by him as long as he pleases, nor can it be taken away without his leave; two sparrows, which are not worth more than a farthing, not one of them falls to the ground, or dies without the knowledge and will of God, Mat 10:29; of the soul or spirit of beasts, see Ecc 3:21; and the breath of all mankind; the breath of man is originally from God, he at first breathed into man t”
- Ecclesiastes (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ecclesiastes 2:17: Therefore I hated life,.... Not strictly and simply understood, since life is the gift of God; and a great blessing it is, more than raiment, and so dear to a man, that he will give all he has for it: but comparatively, in comparison of the lovingkindness of God, which is better than life; or in comparison of eternal life, which a good man desires to depart from this world, for the sake of enjoying it. The sense seems to be this, that since the case of wise men and fools was equal, he had the less love for life, the less regard to it, the less desire to continue”