By Fransisco Msonge (MD), 2022
Content
- Introduction
- The Origin of Man
- The Breath of life
- Man a Living soul
- A Sinful soul is not immortal
- Relationship on the unity of Man
Introduction
For the first time in the history of mankind, the father of evil, the devil, made a “Great deception.” Satan knew God’s instructions for Adam and Eve. With trickery and lies, he succeeded in deceiving them and establishing the doctrines of “Immortality” and “Being equal with God.” Genesis 3:3-5 KJV “But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”
This was not the end of these satanic teachings; they descended from our first parents. Ancient pagan religions received this spiritual teaching and spread it throughout the world. The Babylonians believed in the existence of the dowry of the dead and the immortality of the souls of the dead; the Egyptians, the Chinese, the Greeks, the Hindus, and the Africans all in paganism believed in the immortal soul.
Even today, people believe in the “immortality of the soul”— in which a key feature is a belief that a soul survives after the death of the physical body and these disembodied spirits are able to communicate with living persons and God. Some calling them Saints or Ghosts have continued to pray and believe in “dead people,” trusting that they can hear them, help them, and protect them. Furthermore, the teachers of the world have continued to teach that human beings are equal to God or that they are gods.
Due to these pagan teachings, today’s world follows and believes in teachings like the afterlife; the rebirth of a soul in another body (reincarnation); and an out-of-body experience (OBE), a spiritual experience or phenomenon in which a soul leaves our body and perceives the world from a location outside our physical body. Also known as “disembodiment” (the location of one’s self outside one’s body).
This is without forgetting two popular practices. One is “Avatar” a common Hinduism and spiritualistic belief and practice based on the immortality of the soul after death, reincarnation, and a false god. Second is a computerized system called “Metaverse”: a technology that allows users to enter the actual virtual world and experience everything. With Metaverse, humans can interact and communicate with each other in a virtual world outside of their physical bodies, this is spiritualism and diabolical.
Humans are mortal for two reasons: first, they were created dependent on their Creator God and do not possess natural immortality; second, they rebelled and chose to live an autonomous life without God. Our life and immortality were not directly inherent in us but a gift from God. Our parents were only required to continue to choose God and be obedient to God, who gave them the gift of eternity. But they failed to be faithful to God and broke the requirements; from then on, we became sinners and lost eternity. (Rom. 6:23)
With a world full of spiritualism and a variety of paganic practices based on the false doctrine of the immortality of the soul, this article is very important to everyone. The article will provide a clear and scriptural definition of a soul; it will emphasize and provide a proper and biblical understanding of the nature of man (a living soul); it will lay out a simple scriptural equation on the origin of man, and it will explain how different faculties of man relate within the indivisible unity of Man.
The Origin of Man
Though today many believe that human beings originated from lower forms of animal life and are the result of natural processes that took billions of years, such an idea cannot be harmonized with the Biblical record.
The origin of the human race is found in a divine council. God said, “Let Us make man” (Gen. 1:26-27). The plural Us refers to the Heavenly Trio—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God formed man from the dust of the ground (Gen. 2:7), using pre-existing matter “but not other forms of life”, such as marine or land animals. Not until He had formed every organ and put it in its place did He introduce the “breath of life” that made man a living person.
God created each of the other animals—fishes, birds, reptiles, insects, mammals, etc.—according to its kind (Gen. 1:21, 24-25). Each species had a typical form of its own and the ability to reproduce its specific kind. Man, however, was created after the divine type, not after a type of the animal kingdom. God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’ (Gen. 1:26). There is a clear discontinuity between human beings and the animal kingdom. Luke’s genealogical entry describing the origin of the human race expresses this difference simply, but profoundly: Adam, the son of God (Luke 3:38).
The creation of man was the climax of all Creation. God put man, created in the image of the sovereign God, in charge of Planet Earth and all animal life. It was his duty and privilege to make all the nature and all created beings that were placed under his rule, subservient to his will and purpose, in order that he and his whole glorious dominion might magnify the almighty Creator and Lord of the universe, (Gen. 1:28; Ps. 8:4-9).
Man and woman were made in the image of God with individuality, power, and freedom to think and to do. Though created as free beings, each is an indivisible unity, depending upon God for life and everything else. When our first parents disobeyed God, they denied their dependence on Him and fell from their high position. The image of God in them was marred, and they became subject to death. Their descendants share this fallen nature and its consequences (death).
The genealogies in Genesis demonstrate that the successive generations after Adam and Eve all descended from this first pair. As humans, we all share the same nature, which constitutes a genetic or genealogical unity. Paul said, ‘From one man he {God} made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth’ (Acts 17:26) Furthermore, we see other indications of the organic unity of our race in the Biblical assertions that Adam’s transgression brought sin and death upon all, and in the provision of salvation for all through Christ (Rom. 5:12,19; 1 Cor. 15:21–22).
The Breath of life
What are the characteristic parts of human beings? Are they made up of several independent components, such as a body, a soul, and a spirit? Genesis 2:7 KJV, we read, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.“
When God changed the elements of the earth into a living soul (a living being), He breathed the breath of life into the nostrils of Adam’s lifeless body. This breath of life is the breath of the Almighty that gives life (Job 33:4)—the spark of life. It’s an energizing spark (force) of life that animates all living beings (animals and humans). The breath of life is not a “soul” or “a spiritual soul”, it’s not a “living being,” or a person.
The breath of life returns to the heavenly God, who is our creator, after death; it does not go to heaven, hell, purgatory, or limbo. It does not retain the personality of a person or the character of an animal after death. It does not retain the feelings of a person or an animal after death; it does not have its own intentions or desires after death. It does not move from one person to another, nor do animals.
The breath of life was also called “Ruach.” The Old Testament Hebrew word Ruach translated as “spirit,” refers to the energizing spark of life essential to individual existence. It stands for the life principle, that animates all human beings and animals.
Ruach occurs several times in the Old Testament and is most frequently translated as “spirit,” “wind,” or “breath” (Gen. 8:1). It is also used to denote vitality (Judges 15:19), courage (Joshua 2:11), temper or anger (Judges 8:3), disposition (Isa. 54:6), moral character (Eze. 11:19), and the seat of the emotions (1 Sam. 1:15).
Ecclesiastes 12:7 KJV
“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it”.
Ecclesiastes 3:18-21 KJV
“I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?”
In the sense of breath, the Ruach of men is identical to the ruach of animals (Eccl. 3:19). The Ruach of man leaves the body at death (Ps. 146:4) and returns to God (Eccl. 12:7). Ruach is used frequently of the Spirit of God, as in (Isaiah 63:10). Never in the Old Testament, with respect to man, does ruach denote an intelligent entity capable of sentient existence apart from a physical body.
The New Testament equivalent of Ruach is pneuma, “spirit” from pneo, “to blow,” or “to breathe.” As with ruach, there is nothing inherent in the word pneuma denoting an entity in man capable of conscious existence apart from the body, nor does New Testament usage with respect to man in any way imply such a concept.
In such passages as (Romans 8:15; 1 Corinthians 4:21; 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:6), pneuma denotes “mood,” “attitude,” or “state of feeling.” It is also used for various aspects of the personality, as in (Galatians 6:1; Romans 12:11); etc. As with ruach, the pneuma is yielded to the Lord at death (Luke 23:46; Acts 7:59). Like Ruach, pneuma is also used for the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:11, 14; Eph. 4:30; Heb. 2:4; 1 Peter 1:12).
Psalm 146:4 KJV
“His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.”
Luke 23:46 KJV
“And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.”
Acts 7:59 KJV
“And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Man a Living Soul.
By definition: In the Bible, a “soul” is an entire unity of a living being, a whole unity of a human being (body + breath of life), and not something inside humans and animals that is immortal and lives forever. The Soul does not have any infinite attributes such: as infinite knowledge, infinite vision, infinite energy, and infinite bliss as the world argument put it. A soul is not a spiritual or immaterial part of a human being that survives death of the physical body and is reunited with the body at the final Resurrection, but rather is a person himself or a living creature.
What did the breath of life do? When God formed the human being from the elements of the earth, all the organs were present: the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, spleen, brain, etc.—all perfect but lifeless. Then God breathed into this lifeless matter the breath of life, and man became a living soul (living being).
The scriptural equation is straightforward
The dust of the ground + the breath of life = living Soul.
The union of earth’s elements with the breath of life resulted in a living soul (man). This breath of life is not limited to people. Every living creature possesses it, for example, the Bible attributes the breath of life to both those animals that went into Noah’s ark and those that did not (Gen. 7:15, 22).
The Hebrew term in (Genesis 2:7) that has been translated as “living being” or “living soul” is nephesh. This expression does not exclusively designate man, for it also refers to marine animals, insects, reptiles, and beasts (Gen. 1:20, 24; Gen. 2:19).
Nephesh, translated as “soul,” comes from naphash, meaning to breathe. Its Greek equivalent in the New Testament is psuche; both Nephesh and psuche are also translated as “life” or “person.” Inasmuch as breath is the most conspicuous evidence of life, nephesh basically designates man as a living being, a person. When used of animals, as in the Creation story, it describes them as living creatures that God created.
It is important to note that the Bible says that man became a living soul. Nothing in the Creation account indicates that man received a soul, some kind of separate entity that, at Creation, was united with the human body.
A Sinful soul is not immortal
The importance of the creation account for properly understanding the nature of man cannot be underestimated. By stressing his organic unity, Scripture portrays man as a whole and mortal
As we have already mentioned, in the Old Testament soul is a translation of the Hebrew nephesh. In (Genesis 2:7) it denotes man as a living being after the breath of life entered into a physical body formed from the elements of the earth. Similarly, a new soul comes into existence whenever a child is born, “yes each newborn is a new soul”, each soul being a new unit of life uniquely different, and separate, from other similar units.
This quality of individuality in each living being, which constitutes it a unique entity, seems to be the idea emphasized by the Hebrew term nephesh. When used in this sense nephesh is not a part of the person; it is the person, and, in many instances, is translated as a person (Gen. 14:21; Num. 5:6; Deut. 10:22) or self (Lev. 11:43; 1 Kings 19:4; Isa. 46:2).
On the other hand, expressions such as my soul, your soul, his soul, etc., are generally idioms for the personal pronouns ‘I,’ ‘me,’ ‘you,’ ‘he,’ etc. (Gen. 12:13; Lev. 19:8; Joshua 23:11; Ps. 3:2; Jer. 37:9). In more than 100 of occurrences in the Old Testament the KJV translates nephesh as ‘life’ (Gen. 9:4-5; 1 Sam. 19:5; Job 2:4, 6; Ps. 31:13).
Often nephesh refers to desires, appetites, or passions (Proverbs 23:2; Ecclesiastes 6:7), and it may refer to the seat of the affections (Gen. 34:3). At times it represents the volitional part of man, as when translated as `pleasure` in (Deuteronomy 23:24; Psalm 105:22; Jeremiah 34:16) KJV. In (Numbers 31:19) the nephesh is `killed,` and in (Judges 16:30) translated as ‘me’ it dies. In (Numbers 5:2) ‘the dead’.
The usage of the Greek word psuche in the New Testament is similar to that of nephesh in the Old Testament. It is used for animal life as well as human life (Rev. 16:3). In the KJV it is translated forty times simply as ‘life’ or ‘lives’ (Matt. 2:20; Matt. 6:25; Matt. 16:25). In some instances it is used to mean simply ‘people’ (Acts 7:14; Acts 27:37; Rom. 13:1; 1 Peter 3:20), and in others, it is equivalent to the personal pronoun (Matt. 12:18; 2 Cor. 12:15). Sometimes it refers to the emotions (Mark 14:34; Luke 2:35), to the mind (Acts 14:2; Phil. 1:27), or to the heart (Eph. 6:6).
Nephesh and psuche (living soul) is not immortal, because of our disobedience to God and our sins we are subject to death (Rev. 16:3) and we can be destroyed (Matt. 10:28). In (Hebrews 9:27) we read“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”. Ezekiel 18:4 KJV “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die”.
In Ezekiel (18:20) KJV bible says “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him”.
The Biblical evidence indicates that nephesh and psuche refer to the whole person and at other times to a particular aspect of men, such as affections, emotions, appetites, and feelings. This usage, however, in no way shows that man is a being made up of two separate and distinct parts. The body and the breath of life exist together; together they form an indivisible union. The breath of life has no conscious existence apart from the body. There is no text that indicates that the breath of life survives death of the physical body as a conscious entity.
As Living souls, we die, and after death, we return to dust, like other animals, then the final resurrection. Here some are resurrected for eternal “Judgment” and others for eternal “Life” (John 5: 28-29). According to the scriptures, the dead stay in the “Grave” and do not come out, but rot and become dust. They all lie there until the last day when the trumpet will be blown for the resurrection of the dead.
Once a human, who is a “living soul,” dies, there is no more prayer, wisdom, work, purification, or punishment. All of us, by reading the scriptures, agree that this is God’s teaching to all human beings: that when we die, there is nothing more we can do for ourselves or for others.
We read (Psalm 6:4-5) KJV, “O LORD, deliver my soul: Oh save me for thy mercies’ sake. For in death there is no remembrance of thee: In the grave who shall give thee thanks? In (Psalm 115:17-18) KJV we read “The dead praise not the LORD, Neither any that go down into silence. But we will bless the LORD From this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD.”
And in (Ecclesiastes 9:5)“For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten”. In (Ecclesiastes 9:10) the bible says “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” Psalm 146:3-4 KJV reads “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, In whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; In that very day his thoughts perish”.
Relationship on the unity of man
What is the relationship between body, soul, and spirit? What is the influence of this relationship on the unity of man?
A twofold union: Although the Bible views the nature of man as a unity, At times the word soul and spirit are used interchangeably. Notice their parallelism in Mary’s expression of joy following the annunciation: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:46-47).
In one instance, man is characterized by Jesus as body and soul (Matt. 10:28), and in another instance by Paul as body and spirit (1 Cor. 7:34). In reference to so many other biblical verses about the nature of humanity (for example, Gen 2:7, “man is a living soul”), the word “soul” in (Matthew 10:28) refers to the higher faculty of man, presumably the mind, through which he communicates with God. The word “spirit” in (1 Cor. 7:34) also refers to this higher faculty. In both instances, the body includes the physical as well as the emotional aspects of a person.
A threefold union: There is one exception to the general characterization of man as comprising a twofold union. Paul, who spoke of the twofold union of body and spirit, also spoke in terms of a threefold union. He states, Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 5:23). This passage conveys Paul’s desire that none of these aspects of the person be excluded from the sanctification process.
In (Hebrews 4:12) KJV we read; “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”
In this instance (1Thess 5:23) spirit may be understood as the higher principle of intelligence and thought with which man is endowed, and with which God can communicate by His Spirit (Rom. 8:16, 26). It is by the renewing of the mind through the activities of the Holy Spirit that the individual is transformed into Christ’s likeness (Rom. 12:1-2, Titus 3:5).
The “soul,” in this case when it is distinguished from “spirit,” may be understood as that part of man’s nature that finds expression through instincts, emotions, and desires. This part of one’s nature can be sanctified, too. When, through the working of the Holy Spirit, the mind is brought into conformity with God’s mind and sanctified reason bears sway over the lower nature, the impulses, which would otherwise be contrary to God’s will, become subject to His will.
The body, which is controlled by either the higher or the lower nature, is the physical constitution—the flesh, blood, and bones.
Paul’s sequence of first the spirit, then the soul, and finally the body is no coincidence. When the spirit is sanctified, the mind is under divine control. The sanctified mind, in turn, will have a sanctifying influence on the soul, i.e., the desires, feelings, and emotions. The person in whom this sanctification takes place will not abuse his body, so his physical health will flourish.
Thus the body becomes the sanctified instrument through which the Christian can serve His Lord and Saviour. Paul’s call for sanctification is clearly rooted in the concept of the unity of human nature and reveals that effective preparation for Christ’s Second Advent necessitates the preparation of the whole person.
It is clear that each human being is an indivisible unity. The body, soul, and spirit (As per 1 Thess. 5:23) function in close cooperation, revealing an intensely sympathetic relationship between a person’s spiritual, mental, and physical faculties. Deficiencies in one area will hamper the other two. A sick, impure, or confused spirit or mind will have a detrimental effect on one’s emotional and physical health, as well. The reverse is also true. A weak, sick, or suffering physical constitution will generally impair one’s emotional and spiritual health.
The impact the faculties have on each other means that each individual has a God-given responsibility to maintain the faculties in the best possible condition. Doing so is a vital part of being restored into the image of the Creator. As human beings (living souls), we are to act like God because we were made to be like God. Yes, we are human, and not divine, we are to reflect our Maker within our dominion in every way possible.
Amen
