"WHAT IS MAN?"

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 13 May 1920, Page 3

"WHAT IS MAN?"

ADDRESS BY MR GEO. A. GREEN

OK AUCKLAND

AT THE CHURCH OF CHRIST, HELENSVILLE.

On Sunday, May 9th, the special services were continued by Mr Geo. A. Green. At the evening service the subject of address was .

"WHAT IS MAN?"

The speaker referred to the address given by Mr Waterhouse on the previous Sunday dealing with the "Sure word of Prophecy." The fulfilment .of prophecy in the past giving assurance that that which is still unfulfilled shall yet be accomplished. Our only basis for belief, for faith, and for hope, rests on the fact that " God hath spoken," and that the Bible in its original is emphatically " The Word of the Lord," the sure Word which cannot fail. The Bible deals with man, and this earth as his home ; it professes to tell his origin, his nature and his destiny. Before we can deal with the great themes treated of in the Bible relating to "man," "sin," "death," "Salvation," "eternal life," and similar subjects it is necessary that the question " what is man" should be discussed and a decision arrived at. There is to day a great divergence of opinion amongst Christions, many believing that man is naturally possessed1 of an immortal soul or spirit (the real man) which in death becomes the true living personality and carries on existence, receiving the rewards, and suffering the punishments inflicted for the life lived and the deeds done here in the body.

We must be guided by the Bible—a revelation from God —which gives the true answer to the question, "What is Man?" The Bible speaks and speaks clearly—we shall do well to listen and take heed to what it says. The statement of Gen. 11—7 is very, definite. It says "The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground,and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a twin soul" (or living creature). This clearly states that man is a creature of the dust. The term "soul" does not cover all that the word " man " does. His whole personality is involved. And in asking the question " What is Man" we involve his nature and the question is he mortal as to that which is essentially man (i.e. his personality) or is ho immortal? Scripture must answer.

The verse quoted tells definitely of the beginning of man, and to this agrees Jor. xxvii—s: " I have made the earth the man, and the beasts that are upon the face of the earth by my groat power." Scientific theories have suggested that man has been evolved by a long succession of changes covering an infinity of time. But on this there is no certain knowledge, and the Bible declares that man was "created from the dust. This knowledge comes by revelation, as it records data before man was present. The Psalmist say : "He knoweth our frame, he remembereth that wo are but dust." Psa. ciii—l 4. Job cbx—9 says "Remember I beseech Thee, that Thou hast made me as the clay and Thou will bring me into dust again." The whole weight of evidence shows that both in life and in death man is one entity, one personality. That in fact he is a " living Soul " or "living being" while he possesses the breath (or spirit) of life from God. Lt is worthy of note that although the word " soul' occurs about 1600 times in scripture it is never spoken of as " immortal " or " never dying." On the contrary it is used alike of men and animals —and even of fish, " and every living soul in the sea died." Man in life (while he possesses the spirit or breath of life) is a living soul. When that leaves the man be dies —becomes, in fact a " dead soul." But some will say what of the breath of fife—the spirit? Is not that immortal? Does that not carry the personality in the death state ? We answer, no.

The personality of the man is never attached to the spirit in the Bible, it is always associated with the body in life and in death. The language of the Lord to the creature of His hand, made of dust, was " In the sweat of thy face shalt tliou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground for out of it wast thou taken, for dust thou art and unto dust shall thou return." (Gen. iii—l 9). The spirit is that which man has in common with all breathing creatures which confers and retains life. As Job says: " The breath of the Almighty lias given me life." (Job xxxiii—4.) "If He gathers unto Himself His spirit and His breath." (Job xxxiv—l 3, 14). " Whose breath is in his nostrils," (lsa. ii—22.) "All in whose nostrils was the breath of Hfo died." (Gen. vii—2l, 22).. The breath is identical with "Spirit." "He giveth breath . . . and spirit." (lsa. xlii — 5). It follows that the Spirit of God gives life to man and all creatures alike and man's hold on life depends on the retention of this loan from God of " spirit" and breath. Man is no where termed immortal. The work of Christ was unnecessary if he were. Only as man becomes linked to Christ who in resurrection is the one "who was dead, and is now alive again for evermore" can he hope for life in the age to come and that immortality for which by patience in well doing Paul enjoins all to seek for,

Man is mortal. In death he is unconscious, and only as this mortal (in. resurrection) puts on immortality (.Cor i—xv), or for the living that they are clothed upon, that that which is mortal may be swallowed up of life (Cor. 2—4) can man attain to the divine station to immortality. No Bible statement can be found that will not accord with this. The waiting church hangs on the promise of Christ —"1 will come again, so that then mortality may give place to lifeeternal life."