LET GOD BE TRUE

CHAPTER V

WHAT IS MAN?

THROUGHOUT the centuries the questions, What is man? Has he an immortal soul? and, What is man's destiny? have been the subjects of great discussions among the leaders of thought of this world. Men of religion, science and surgery have spent much time and effort in an attempt to satisfactorily answer these questions. The scientists and surgeons answer these questions from the facts that they have learned in their study of the anatomy of man. Religious leaders answer the questions from the knowledge they got in divinity schools or theological seminaries.

² The scientists and surgeons have come to the conclusion that man is simply a higher form of animal life, having a more complex organism and capable of exercising faculties beyond those of any of the other forms of animal life. They have not been able to find in man any definite proof of immortality. They cannot find any evidence that indicates man has an immortal soul. In contrast with this the religious leaders claim that man has an immortal soul and that this is

the major difference between man and the other forms of life. They say the soul is the immortal, immaterial and spiritual part of man.

³ The study that is here made of these questions will be made to ascertain the answers of God's Word, The Bible, on these important questions. Others may base their answers on the opinions and writings of men, but unless those opinions and writings are firmly based on God's Word they will not correctly answer the questions. Since it is the correct answers that are desired, the Bible will be quoted as the authority for all that is stated. The psalmist expressed the proper attitude when he said, "Shew me thy ways, 0 LORD ; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation." — Psalm 25:4, 5.

⁴ Now as to the question, What is man? The psalmist answers this question for us at Psalm 8:4-8 as follows: "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas." These words were in reality a prophecy, as the apostle Paul shows at Hebrews 2:5-10, and he

applies the words to the Son of God, who became "the man Christ Jesus", and who was also called "the Son of man", and who was crowned with glory and honor in heaven. — Matthew 16:13,27,28; 1 Timothy 2:5,6.

MAN THE SOUL

⁵ In describing the original creation of man, Genesis 2: 7 very simply states: "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." Thus we learn that man is a combination of two things, namely, the "dust of the ground" and "the breath of life". The combining of these two things (or elements) produced a living soul or creature called man. If you have a Bible that shows marginal readings either alongside or below the columns of Scripture verses, you can look at Genesis 1: 20, 30 and note that fish, birds and animals are in the "living creature" class (the marginal reading showing "soul" for "life" in these verses). The Bible principle that men and beasts are souls is also indicated by the statement of Numbers 31: 28, which says, "And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep."

⁶ Thus we see that the claim of religionists

that man has an immortal soul, and therefore differs from the beast, is not Scriptural. The Bible shows that both man and beast are souls, and that the pre-eminence of man is due to the fact that he is a higher form of creature and was originally given dominion over the lower forms of animal life. (Ecclesiastes 3:18-21) The first man, Adam, was created a living soul (1 Corinthians 15:45), and nowhere is it stated that he was given an immortal soul.

⁷ It is well here to examine further this subject of the soul. In the King James Version of the Bible the English word "soul" is used to translate the Hebrew word nephesh and the Greek word psuche. The word nephesh occurs 745 times in the Hebrew Scriptures, and the word psuche occurs 105 times in the Greek Scriptures. By the use of an analytical concordance, such as Young's, a person can trace each occurrence of these two original words. The result of such a thorough search will be that you cannot find a single text in which either of the original words nephesh (soul) and psuche (soul) is connected or associated with such word as immortal, everlasting, eternal, or deathless. There is not one text in the Bible that states the human soul is immortal. Let us abide by the facts of God's Word, and not by the philosophies of religious-minded men.

⁸ The original words, nephesh and psuche,

are translated into English by a number of other different English words in our common version of the Bible. Inasmuch as these original words include in their scope the various faculties, functions and powers of the creature man, it is necessary to use various English words to convey the proper thought in our language. Thus at times these original words are translated into English by the use of such words as "life", "mind," "heart," and a number of others.

THE SOUL MORTAL

⁹ The fact that the human soul is mortal can be amply proved by a careful study of the Scriptures. An immortal soul could not die, but God's Word, at Ezekiel 18:4, says, "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."

¹⁰ In the Hebrew Scriptures there are fifty-four texts where the word nephesh (soul) is used for man and shows that the soul can be slain or killed. An example of this is in Joshua 10:28-39. There you will find seven instances in which the soul is spoken of as being killed, slain, or destroyed.

¹¹ It is an acknowledged fact that every living fleshly creature has lifeblood surging through its body. The prophet Jeremiah, speaking of those in his day that had bloodguilt on them, states, "Also in thy skirts is found the blood of

the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these." (Jeremiah 2:34) This clearly proves that the term "souls" is used as synonymous for creatures. There are many other examples similar to this in the Bible.

¹² In the Hebrew Scriptures there are 243 passages in which the word nephesh is used for man as being mortal, subject to various kinds of death, from which it is possible to be saved and delivered and life prolonged. One . such example is at Psalm 22:20,29: "Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul." In the Greek Scriptures the word psuche is similarly used.

¹³ The fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, containing the prophecy of the sufferings of the Messiah (or Christ), gives some very fine examples of the use of the word "soul" in the Bible. These are found in Isaiah 53:10-12: "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many;

for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." This doctrine of the ransom proves that it was a soul (Adam) that sinned, and that in order to redeem man there had to be a corresponding soul (man) sacrificed. Christ by 'pouring out his soul unto death' provided the ransom price for man. By this statement of Scripture it is clearly seen that even the man Christ Jesus was mortal. He did not have an immortal soul: Jesus, the human soul, died.

¹⁴ In the Greek Scriptures there is an example where the word "soul" is evidently used as the equivalent of all right to life. This is at Matthew 10:28: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [Gehenna]." The gist of this text is to the effect that we should fear God, because he is able to destroy not only the body (the present life) but the future life as well. The destruction in Gehenna here referred to means that death from which there is no resurrection to future life as a soul.

IMMORTALITY

¹⁵ Now that we have examined the Scriptures

on the matter of the soul, it is well to see what God's Word teaches regarding immortal and immortality. It has been clearly proved that man (the soul) is mortal and subject to death. The question that now arises is, Who does possess immortality? and is it ever shared with others? The words "immortal" and "immortality" occur six times in the King James Version Bible. It would be well, therefore, to examine each such occurrence.

¹⁶ The apostle Paul makes two statements regarding God as having immortality. One is found at 1 Timothy 1:17, and reads: "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen." The other is found at 1 Timothy 6: 16, where he states, "Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen." From the texts just quoted it is clearly seen that Jehovah God alone is the one that has always been immortal and really possesses immortality.

¹⁷ Immortality is held forth as something that the true Christian is to seek after. Romans 2: 7 states: "To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality [incorruption], eternal life."

¹⁸ Speaking of the church of faithful Chris-

tians that are accounted worthy to have part in the first resurrection, Paul says: "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." (1 Corinthians 15:53,54) Hence the members of the church do not get immortality until at their resurrection.

¹⁹ The final mention of immortality in the Bible is at 2 Timothy 1:10, where it is stated: "But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." In the Catholic Douay Version Bible the words "immortal" and "immortality" occur twelve times, but this is because the Douay Version contains the apocryphal or spurious books, such as Wisdom or Ecclesiasticus. Ecclesiasticus 17: 29 says, "The son of man is not immortal." But we prefer the testimony of the accepted inspired apostolic books of the Holy Bible rather than lean on apocryphal books written before the "appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ".

²⁰ The Scriptures definitely show that immortality originally belonged to Jehovah God alone. hater Christ Jesus received immortality as a reward for his faithful course of action, and

it is also given, as a reward, to those who are of the true church or "body of Christ". Immortality is a reward for faithfulness; it does not come automatically to persons at birth.

²¹ Man being now a sinful mortal, his ultimate destiny is death. God gave perfect Adam this command: "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:17) Adam disobeyed this command of God and brought upon himself and his posterity the condemnation of death. If perfect Adam had not sinned, it would have been possible for him, although mortal, to live on earth forever, and to bequeath life to his children. One should note here that God spoke very emphatically regarding the death sentence. He said "thou shalt surely die". There is nothing to indicate that God meant that sinner Adam would only appear to die but that his soul would live on forever. The only text in the Bible that states that disobedient man would not surely die is found at Genesis 3:4: "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die." Thus it is seen that the serpent (the Devil) is the one that originated the doctrine of the inherent immortality of the soul. This doctrine is the main one that the Devil has used down through the ages to deceive the people and hold them in bondage to religion. In fact,

it is the foundation doctrine of all religion.

²² The Bible states that men and beasts die alike. Ecclesiastes 3:19, 20 states: "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."

²³ Speaking of the death of man the psalmist says, "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." (Psalm 146: 4) He enters into unconsciousness.

²⁴ Thus do the Scriptures show that the natural destiny of the sinner man is death. But the Bible also offers a ray of hope. Romans 6: 23 says: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Thus is summarized for us the true hope. If a man turns to God through Jesus Christ and seeks meekness and righteousness that man can gain eternal life. — Zephaniah 2:3.

²⁵ The conclusion of the Bible regarding, What is man? is one that is simple and logical. No vain philosophical teachings of men! And, above all else, the Scriptures alone offer real hope for those who do seek the Lord and strive to follow His ways.