|
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
1] The greatest truth of the Bible is that God is
reproducing Himself through mankind. Hence, humanity's goal and purpose
for existence is, ultimately, to enter God's family and to become
literal sons of God. Human beings are physical beings with no inherent
immortality, but they can receive eternal life as a free gift from God.
Man was created by God to be wholly flesh and blood, yet in God's image
and with a spiritual component added to his brain to create the human
mind.
DOCTRINAL OVERVIEW
2]
To understand that God is reproducing Himself through
mankind is absolutely essential for understanding the nature of man. The
fact that human beings were made with the potential and the destiny of
entering God's family as His literal children and thereby actually
sharing His God-level plane of existence is fundamental to our knowledge
of who and what we are. back to top
back to answers
3]
Man was created as a physical being, a "living soul"
(Gen. 2:7). The English word "soul" is translated from the Hebrew
word nephesh and simply means a "living, breathing creature." The
same word is used in reference to all "breath-bearing life" (which is a
good working definition of nephesh-animal as well as human
life. Nephesh refers to animals in Genesis 1:20, 21, 24;
2:19; 9:10; 12, 15 (where it is translated "creature") and also Genesis
1:30; 9:4; Leviticus 11:10; 17:11, etc. (Note a legitimate, literal
translation of Genesis 1:20: "Let the waters swarm with a swarm of
living souls.") back to top
back to answers
4]
The Greek equivalent of nephesh is psuche,
which also literally means "breath," animal as well as human (Rev.
8:9; 16:3). Thus, the biblical "soul" is just the physical life of man
and beast-man and beast alike. Solomon makes the point clear: "For man's
fate is a beast's fate, one fate befalls them both; as the one dies so
the other dies, the same breath is in them all" (Eccles. 3:19,
Moffatt). back to top
back to answers
5]
Interestingly enough, nephesh is also used to
represent "dead bodies"-"dead nepheshes" or "dead souls"
(Lev. 21:11; Num. 6:6, 11, etc.). The biblical "soul" then can simply
become the "body," and when it dies it dies all over. Thus man is
a living soul which lives and dies as does any animal soul; therefore,
man neither has nor is an "immortal soul."
back to top
back to answers
6]
Ezekiel twice states that "the soul that sinneth it shall die" (Ezek.
18:4, 20). Jesus proclaimed that both the body and the soul
can be destroyed in hell (Matt. 10:28). John agreed: "no murderer
hath eternal life abiding in him" (I Jn. 3:15), and Paul concurred: "the
wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). back to top
back to answers
7]
In Psalm 146:4 we read that when man's "breath goeth
forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts
perish." Solomon wrote that "the dead know not anything"
(Eccles. 9:5). Clearly then, when a human being dies, he is indeed
mentally as well as physically dead-wholly unconscious, unaware,
unknowing. The example of David confirms this. Here was a man after
God's own heart (Acts 13:22), the eternal king of Israel (Ezek. 37:24);
yet Peter stated that "David ... is both dead and buried,
and ... is not ascended into the heavens" (Acts
2:29, 34). back to top
back to answers
8]
Although man and animals have identically mortal
"souls," man has been created superior to animals in a number of
important respects. First, God shows that man was made in His own
"image" and "likeness" (Gen. 1:26-and therefore carries the general
appearance of God, unlike the animals who are simply made "after their
kind"). In addition, God has given "the spirit of man" to humans. This
"spirit in man," a nonphysical component which God designed to combine
with the human brain to form the human mind, is the primary factor which
distinguishes man from animals, elevating man's mental capacity from the
wholly physical to the spiritual. The spirit in man imparts godlike
abilities and capacities. Man is thus able to experience a likeness to
God in his mental, emotional and spiritual dimensions; however, man is
presently limited to the physical dimension while God lives and moves in
the spiritual dimension. Man is physical and mortal, but through the
spirit in man has the potential of moving into the God-plane level of
existence and of becoming spiritual and immortal.
back to top
back to answers
9]
The spirit in man, then, is that essence which
imparts human mind power to physical brain tissue. It is the means by
which man exercises his promised "dominion" over all other creatures
(Gen. 1:26). back to top
back to answers
10]
The spirit in man is not an "immortal soul"; it has
absolutely no consciousness apart from the brain. Job speaks of such a
spirit: "it is a spirit in man ... that giveth them understanding" (Job
32:8, Jewish Pub. Soc.). Paul asks, "What human being can
understand the thoughts of a man except [by means of] the spirit of
man which is in him" (I Cor. 2:11; Moffatt; ccf. KGJ). This
simply states that self-consciousness-the awareness of thoughts, not
just the thoughts themselves-is generated by the spirit in man. The
spirit of man is not the man, but rather a spiritual essence which
provides man with his utterly unique characteristics of self-awareness
and mind, and thus lifts him far above the level of mere animal
intelligence. back to top
back to answers
11]
Zechariah shows that the Eternal God of Israel "formeth
the spirit of man within him" (Zech. 12:1). No immortal soul here-the
"spirit of man" and the "him" are separate entities, with the former
located "within" the latter. Paul confirms that this "spirit of man" is
"in him" (I Cor. 2:11). This does not say that man is a spirit, but
rather that this "spirit" is located in the man. (If a man swallows a
marble, that marble would be in him, but does that then make the man a
marble? The man may have "lost his marbles," but he is surely not a
marble himself.) back to top
back to answers
12]
If we are not careful, we can very quickly begin to
think that the spirit in man possesses conscious sensation, thought and
awareness independent of the brain. This is wholly wrong. The spirit in
man, of itself, cannot sense, cannot think, cannot reason, cannot know.
The brain performs these tasks. But to engender the exquisite qualities
which constitute the human mind, the spirit in man must be added.
back to top
back to answers
13]
We can liken the spirit in man to a blank recording
tape and the human brain to a tape recorder-neither one able to generate
the human mind without the other. The tape recorder houses all the
machinery and wirings required for its particular operation, that of
sound reproduction. Likewise, the human brain contains all the necessary
structures and circuits for its manifold responsibilities-which are
sensation, memory, emotion, creativity, etc. Just as the tape recorder
produces nothing without the recording tape running through it, so the
human brain is severely limited without the spirit in man joined to it.
The recording tape imparts the capacity of auditory reproduction to the
tape recorder; this same tape also records and stores the magnetic
impress from the tape recorder. Analogously, the spirit in man imparts
the capacity of creative intellect and self-conscious personality to the
brain, while at the same time recording and storing the stamp impress
from the brain. back to top
back to answers
14]
At death, the spirit in man "tape" is complete-It
contains, at that time, the incredibly detailed, indelible record of
every nuance of life, thought, personality, attitude and character which
made one exactly the singular individual he was. The "tape" can then be
"filed"-until needed again for reactivation, an event called the
"resurrection" in biblical terminology. Solomon alludes to this "filing"
of the spirit in man as well as to the mortality of the man in
Ecclesiastes 12:7: "Then (at death) shall the dust (the human being)
return to the earth as it was: and the spirit (the spirit-in-man tape)
shall return unto God who gave it." back to top
back to answers
15]
Again, we can easily make the mistake of attributing
consciousness to this filed-away "tape" which is no more the former
living individual than a boxed piece of magnetic recording tape is the
peaceful third movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. In order to
reconstitute those serene musical vibrations from the magnetic recording
tape, the tape must be reinserted into a tape recorder. Similarly, in
order to reconstitute the specific person's conscious awareness from the
"spirit-in-man tape," the spirit in man must be reinserted into a brain.
Therefore, a reorganized brain and body (whether spiritual or physical)
are necessary adjuncts to the spirit-in-man tape in order to
reactivate-or resurrect-the original individual.
back to top
back to answers
16]
Man was created physical, mortal and limited so that
God could work with and prepare him for his ultimate destiny. God's
moral character is self-determined by His own free choice. If man is to
be like Him and share eternity on His level, he must also be free to
make his own decisions and thus to build his own character. Physical
life provides the arena for man to learn the object lessons necessary to
become like God in character. This kind of character can be developed
only through time and experience. back to top
back to answers
17]
Freedom of choice requires the possibility of
rejecting God's character and way of life. If a man, given every
conceivable opportunity over a protracted period of time, becomes set in
the kind of moral character which would poison him and his environment,
God in His infinite mercy and wisdom would not endow that man with His
eternal life and unlimited potential. back to top
back to answers
18]
The Bible states that when God created man, He "saw
everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1:31).
Man was thus not created with an evil nature. This is confirmed in
Ecclesiastes 7:29: " Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man
upright." On the other hand, man was not created with the righteous,
holy character of God, which it is impossible to create instantaneously.
One might say man was created morally neutral so that he could develop
moral character through experiencing life.
back to top
back to answers
19]
Although a free moral agent, with the full capacity
to make his own decisions, man is subject to influences. As a part of
the human learning and growing process, God has allowed Satan, the
ultimate source of evil, to influence man for the period of human
history. Much of what can be called the natural mind-the mind in
opposition to God's mind-is a result of Satan's influence as well as
man's own wrong choices as he lives and experiences life without God's
guidance. It is important to understand that God did not create man with
an intrinsically evil nature but rather with free choice, and subject to
the influences of both good and evil. back to top
back to answers
20]
All humans are born morally neutral, as was Adam when
he was first created. Unfortunately, Adam chose to follow Satan the
Devil and thus sinned, with the result that his frame and direction of
mind became evil and perverted. Likewise, as we sin, our minds become
perverted from their moral neutrality and become instead self-oriented,
filled with vanity, jealousy, lust and greed-becoming oriented as
Satan's mind is oriented, in opposition to the orientation of God's
mind. The Bible states that "the carnal mind is enmity against God: for
it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7),
and that man's "heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked" (Jer. 17:9)-reflecting clearly in both scriptures what is the
attitude of Satan. back to top
back to answers
21]
How does this happen? How does man reflect Satan's
nature? Ephesians 2:2 reveals some critical, indeed startling,
information. Satan is called "the prince of the power of the air,"
projecting a form of "spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience." This seems to indicate that Satan the devil has the
capacity to influence individual human beings by having his negative,
evil "spirit" affect their neutral spirit in man, much as a radio
broadcast will affect thousands of neutral radio receivers to "play its
tune." back to top
back to answers
22]
The only antidote to Satan's broadcast-the remedy
required to change the heart of man-is God's Holy Spirit. It is
impossible for man to obey God in the full spirit of the law without it.
And this is precisely what God wants us to learn: that we desperately
need God's Holy Spirit in order to have our minds and hearts converted,
to have our whole direction of life changed to follow God's way.
back to top
back to answers
23]
The spirit in man is, of itself, incomplete. It
indeed elevates man's mental capacity to the spiritual plane, but all
this does is cause spiritual problems without any spiritual solutions.
The existence of the spirit in man clearly demonstrates our burning need
of the missing dimension of the Spirit of God. Thus the reality of the
spirit in man becomes the focal point of all human life. And it is in
the arena of human survival that the spirit in man takes on monumental
significance because the mere existence of a spiritual component in the
human mind unveils the fundamental cause underlying all mankind's
troubles. back to top
back to answers
24]
Consider what the spirit in man signifies; the human
mind operates with a spiritual dimension, and that means spiritual
problems. The spirit in man adds spiritual problems to the physical
human brain. (The human mind and its resultant spiritual problems are as
directly related together as are the animal brain and its resultant
instinctive behavioral patterns. Thus, while the animal brain maintains
perfect harmony in nature, the human mind is about to utterly destroy
the earth!). back to top
back to answers
25]
That is the crux of the matter-that is why mankind is
planning its own extinction: human beings have spiritual problems
but only physical solutions-and physical solutions just cannot
solve spiritual problems. This is why the spirit in man must
become the focal point of all human knowledge, because it enables us to
understand-for the first time-that all man's physical difficulties are
caused by deep-seated spiritual complications. No amount of physical
measures-no matter how intricate or expensive-will ever improve the
overall welfare and happiness of the human race. If we ever hope to
solve our physical problems and have an abundantly happy world, our
spiritual problems. must be solved first.
back to top
back to answers
26]
The spirit in man is the key to man. The knowledge of
it suddenly reorients us. It points us in the proper direction. It tells
us where we must look if we are ever to have a peaceful planet.
back to top
27]
Spiritual solutions are needed to solve
spiritual problems. If this one fundamental point were understood,
man should be forced to realize that the structure of his entire
society-from the government of nations to the behavior of children-needs
radical revision before people can at last be joyfully busy with peace
and progress. back to top
back to answers
28]
This is where God's plan of salvation comes in. God
first calls us by-opening our minds to His truth, leading us to
recognize our wretched, sinful state, cut off from God. Then upon our
heartfelt repentance and sincere acceptance of Jesus Christ as our
Saviour, God enables us through baptism and the laying on of hands to
receive His Spirit. Conversion by God's Holy Spirit means a renewing of
one's mind (Rom. 12:2), a complete changing of one's attitude and heart;
it is the creation of a new man, walking in newness of life (Rom. 6:4).
Through God's Spirit man can have the fellowship and communion with God
that is so important to growth in God's mind and character.
back to top
back to answers
29]
It is not fully revealed how God's Spirit actually
works. We know that it alters our whole mental outlook and direction in
life from evil to good, from satanic to godly-yet how does it do this?
Romans 8:16 states that God's Holy Spirit "itself beareth witness with
our spirit [in man] that we are the children of God." This begins to
show that God's Holy Spirit functions by working through the spirit in
man which is the intrinsic spiritual component of every human mind. If
to this we add biblical analogies of conversion to begettal and of
spiritual conception to physical conception, we arrive at the working
model of God's Holy Spirit impregnating and energizing man's spirit much
as a male sperm impregnates and energizes a female ovum. (There are many
spiritually instructive understandings and extrapolations to be derived
from this analogy.) Thus the spirit in man becomes the focal point of
human existence; it is the one essential element differentiating us from
animals; and it is, at the same time, both the vehicle through which
Satan can influence us and our link with the divine, giving us the full
potential for spiritual conception through God's Holy Spirit.
back to top
back to answers
30]
Although the negative or evil side of man must be
dealt with, the Church of God chooses to focus on the positive and
awesome potential of mankind. This is the heart and core of the message
Jesus brought to man. Through God's grace and the sacrifice of Jesus
Christ man can be forgiven of his wrong choices and sins. God in His
infinite love and wisdom has provided a plan by which man can, as a free
moral agent, gain the experience and character necessary to receive
eternal life. If the spiritual essence God gives us at baptism continues
to grow within us, we will personally be born into God's family at the
resurrection. Conversely, God shall destroy, in the lake of fire any who
absolutely refuse to repent and obey Him, that is, those who have been
spiritually aborted. From this we draw the conclusion that there is no
"second chance" for those who totally reject God and His way after
having been enlightened, their end is to be burned (Heb. 6:8). But not
having a "second chance" presupposes that every person must really have
a full first chance for salvation. This means that God can only condemn
unrepentant, deliberate sinners "who have tasted the heavenly gift, and
have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness
of the Word of God and the powers of the age to come" (Heb. 6:4-5). To
have a real opportunity for salvation, to be judged by God, human beings
must really know the truth (Heb. 10:26). back to top
back to answers
31]
Since it is God's will and purpose for all men to
reach their full potential as sons of God, all men shall have a full
opportunity to actualize that potential. Thus mankind will become God
(as its family name), and God's family will grow into the multiple
billions. The lengthy history of man's mostly negative experience is
only one phase of God's plan, not the final chapter.
back to top
back to answers
32]
The ultimate destiny of man is truly beyond our
limited comprehension now, although God does give us certain hints.
God's purpose is to put "all things"-everything-including the whole
universe, under man (Heb. 2:8). Not only are human beings promised
eternal life but also the sharing of all that it means to be in the
family of God. God's greatest desire is to share everything with us. His
only concern is that His sons be prepared in character, attitude and
experience for that fabulous destiny. back to top
back to answers
33]
Thus we see that God did not conclude His spiritual
creation in the first seven days recorded in Genesis 1 and 2. Rather,
those chapters record the physical creation of man. God is now working
with man spiritually and creating His own character in man so that in
time he might be born into God's Kingdom to share God's greatness as a
veritable son of God for eternity. Earth is thus the proving ground
where we physical human beings can gain the character necessary to rule
with God for all time.
back to top
back to answers
34]
Although the ultimate purpose of human life is to be
fulfilled at the resurrection, God does not neglect the present physical
life. Indeed the fulfillment, abundance, happiness and success of this
human life are an integral part of God's plan. The entirety of the book
of Proverbs is filled with instructions and exhortations explaining how
men, women and children should act in order to achieve the maximum
success in their lives. God truly wants all mankind to prosper, with
everyone achieving his or her own fullest individual potential in all
areas of living: social, economic, intellectual, family and personal.
Jesus Christ stated that "I am come that they might have life, and that
they might have it more abundantly" (Jn. 10:10). And the apostle John
gives it the proper perspective: "Beloved, I wish above all things that
thou mayest prosper and be in health" (III Jn. 2). In line with God's
most magnificent truth of man's destiny, the Church of God upholds and
seeks to promote the dignity of man in every facet of human life.
back to top
back to answers
---END---
|
