IF WE WANT to know the truth about man, we must turn to the Bible. “Truth is what God says about a thing”. The Bible tells us about man’s creation, nature, relation to other beings, his fall and destiny.
I MAN’S ORIGIN
It is only natural that man should be curious about his origin. He always has been. Various theories have been put forward at different times by philosophers. The most modern is the theory of evolution, which asserts that man’s ancestors are the lower animals.
But the Bible tells us: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… God created man. Gen. 1:1, 27.
God says concerning his creature man, “I have created him for my glory, I have formed him: yea, I have made him” (Isaiah 43:7). So the old question, “What is the chief end of man?” is properly answered, “The chief end of man is to glorify God”.
II MAN’S NATURE
Anyone who has witnessed a deathbed understands vividly that man has a physical body and also a soul or spirit. At one moment the person is alive… the next he is gone. Yet his body is still there. But the life principle has departed; a dead body remains. Man is not merely a body, but also is or has a soul and spirit.
The Bible teaches us that man exists as a threefold being: body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). While it is hard for us to distinguish between soul and spirit, since both are in contrast with the physical body, the Bible shows that there is a difference. Animals have a body and soul, but no spirit. A man has body, soul and spirit.
The soul distinguishes a living being from a dead one, but the spirit distinguishes a man from an animal. The spirit of man makes it possible for him to have communion or fellowship with God. The soul is the seat of the emotions and passions, while the term spirit includes our ability to know and reason. Man is responsible to God and it is his greatest duty to find out what God wants him to do, then do it.
III MAN’S FREE WILL
There are other beings in the universe which God has created. These are angels or spirits. They do not have human body or soul. They are mightier than we are. They were also created to serve God, but since they have a free will, some of them fell into the sin of disobedience.
God could have made a number of machines to do His will mechanically. Instead He chose to create beings who could, if they wished, serve him voluntarily and love Him freely. We can quite understand why He would desire to have it so. A man could get protection for his house by means of a burglar alarm system. But there is something about a dog which draws out our affections in a way no machine ever could.
IV MAN’S SIN
When God created free beings, able to do His will or refuse to do so, He must have known that some would choose the wrong way. And so it turned out. A great angel called Lucifer, now known as Satan, decided to set his will in opposition to God’s. He was immediately cast out of heaven, and many other angels were cast out with him. From that time on, Satan has sought to hinder the plans of God in every possible way. When man was created with a free will, Satan immediately planned to tempt him from the path of obedience. God had warned man, but Satan succeeded only too well in drawing him into sin as well. The well-known story is found in Genesis 3.
Now God, as the moral Governor of the universe, cannot tolerate in His presence any being who deliberately disobeys His commands. This is why Satan was cast out of heaven when he defied God’s will. The same treatment was necessary for man, and so Adam was driven from the presence of God.
Adam’s nature has been passed on to every member of the human race. We are all born with a tendency to sin. This nature responds to temptation from without and so we yield and grievously sin.
V MAN’S FUTURE
Just as the Bible tells us of man’s origin, as coming from the hand of God; and of man’s shameful fall and the consequent separation from God; so it faithfully tells us that every man, woman and child will someday stand before God as his Judge. The fact of death is so common that everyone understands the inevitable end of every man. But the Bible adds, “After this the judgment”. God has created man and revealed to him His will. God will absolutely hold every person responsible for everything he has done. This life is primarily a preparation for the next one. Man does not die like the animal. His spirit must go to God, his Creator and Judge.
What Christians Believe
Chapter 3: Man
Copyright, 1949, 1951, by Emmaus Bible School
Chicago, Illinois
I MAN’S ORIGINIt is only natural that man should be curious about his origin. He always has been. Various theories have been put forward at different times by philosophers. The most modern is the theory of evolution, which asserts that man’s ancestors are the lower animals.
But the Bible tells us: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… God created man. Gen. 1:1, 27.
God says concerning his creature man, “I have created him for my glory, I have formed him: yea, I have made him” (Isaiah 43:7). So the old question, “What is the chief end of man?” is properly answered, “The chief end of man is to glorify God”.
II MAN’S NATURE
Anyone who has witnessed a deathbed understands vividly that man has a physical body and also a soul or spirit. At one moment the person is alive… the next he is gone. Yet his body is still there. But the life principle has departed; a dead body remains. Man is not merely a body, but also is or has a soul and spirit.
The Bible teaches us that man exists as a threefold being: body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). While it is hard for us to distinguish between soul and spirit, since both are in contrast with the physical body, the Bible shows that there is a difference. Animals have a body and soul, but no spirit. A man has body, soul and spirit.
The soul distinguishes a living being from a dead one, but the spirit distinguishes a man from an animal. The spirit of man makes it possible for him to have communion or fellowship with God. The soul is the seat of the emotions and passions, while the term spirit includes our ability to know and reason. Man is responsible to God and it is his greatest duty to find out what God wants him to do, then do it.
III MAN’S FREE WILL
There are other beings in the universe which God has created. These are angels or spirits. They do not have human body or soul. They are mightier than we are. They were also created to serve God, but since they have a free will, some of them fell into the sin of disobedience.
God could have made a number of machines to do His will mechanically. Instead He chose to create beings who could, if they wished, serve him voluntarily and love Him freely. We can quite understand why He would desire to have it so. A man could get protection for his house by means of a burglar alarm system. But there is something about a dog which draws out our affections in a way no machine ever could.
IV MAN’S SIN
When God created free beings, able to do His will or refuse to do so, He must have known that some would choose the wrong way. And so it turned out. A great angel called Lucifer, now known as Satan, decided to set his will in opposition to God’s. He was immediately cast out of heaven, and many other angels were cast out with him. From that time on, Satan has sought to hinder the plans of God in every possible way. When man was created with a free will, Satan immediately planned to tempt him from the path of obedience. God had warned man, but Satan succeeded only too well in drawing him into sin as well. The well-known story is found in Genesis 3.
Now God, as the moral Governor of the universe, cannot tolerate in His presence any being who deliberately disobeys His commands. This is why Satan was cast out of heaven when he defied God’s will. The same treatment was necessary for man, and so Adam was driven from the presence of God.
Adam’s nature has been passed on to every member of the human race. We are all born with a tendency to sin. This nature responds to temptation from without and so we yield and grievously sin.
V MAN’S FUTURE
Just as the Bible tells us of man’s origin, as coming from the hand of God; and of man’s shameful fall and the consequent separation from God; so it faithfully tells us that every man, woman and child will someday stand before God as his Judge. The fact of death is so common that everyone understands the inevitable end of every man. But the Bible adds, “After this the judgment”. God has created man and revealed to him His will. God will absolutely hold every person responsible for everything he has done. This life is primarily a preparation for the next one. Man does not die like the animal. His spirit must go to God, his Creator and Judge.
What Christians Believe
Chapter 3: Man
Copyright, 1949, 1951, by Emmaus Bible School
Chicago, Illinois
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