Passion for the Truth

GHOST

What is this scary phenomenon?
Man does not need any revelation or information about the existence of ghost. It is inherent for human to believe about spiritual things; he believed even without any reason at all. Man is a spirit conscious creature that believed in the spirit world unlike animals, because man is the only creation of God where He formed spirit within him. God didn’t only quicken the body with the spirit of life when He created man, but at the same time forms human spirit within him by breathing into his nostrils; this is the infusion of human spirit, unlike animals were given life by the mere words of God‒‒not through breathing. The Bible has something to say about God forming the spirit within man’s soul in the following verses:

“The Lord…who forms the spirit of man within him..,” Zech. 12.

“But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him the understanding,” Job 32:8.

“The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being,” Proverbs 20:27.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made,” Psalms 139:13-16.

It is a common belief that the spirit of the dead person comes back visiting the living, specially the relatives. It is a kind of unwelcome visit, because of the fear which arises among the living in the appearance of the spirit with an eerie connotation of the word‒‒ghost. Such belief becomes more relevant to some Bible readers, at least, they have a reason to believe by pointing to the Bible that there is indeed ghost mentioned in the book of Matthew 14:26, Mark 6:49 and Luke 24:39. In King James Version the term SPIRIT is use. The New International Version used the term GHOST, which sounded scary because it is believed to be definitely pertained to the spirit of the dead person who comes back and appear before the living.

The disciples knew Jesus was dead and was buried. When Jesus appeared to them they were frightened, thinking they saw a ghost (Luke 24:37-39). Jesus said, “It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” This is the verse concerning ghost that many Bible readers referred to, and give rise to the effect of [note the word] thinking that there is indeed a ghost. Indeed ghost do exist. Ghost is spirit and does not have flesh and bones as defined by our Lord. For some, this becomes a convincing statement from Jesus which some Bible readers compelled to believe that ghost is the spirit of the dead that haunt the living. Many are thinking like the disciples and King Saul, about the spirit of the dead that comes back in the world of the living that appears as ghost. No doubt, this was in the mind of the disciples, “…THINKING they saw a ghost.” It just came out from their thinking. In my study I tried to look if there is any scriptural basis of what they were thinking about the spirit of dead that comes back

This ghostly subject must not be dismissed leaving the readers without a clear biblical view as to what is really to believe. The important thing is that, the truth can set our minds free; free from fear, free from deception and, free from being troubled with the unknown.
Man is a soul spirit housed in the body of flesh (2 Cor. 5:1-2) that makes him conscious in the realm of spirit world. Learned and unlearned, civilized and uncivilized, human kind in all walks of life is inherently spirit conscious, in which animals are not. Therefore, it is natural for man to believe in ghost. He just believed without question or wondering about the phenomenon. Without God’s leading another spiritual power could direct man into superstitious belief. Satan capitalized on this nature of man that he is able to make his deception more compelling by impersonating the dead that even the elect could possibly be carried away with his deception. Satan is able to impersonate your dead love ones, your friends, or someone who is closed to you. Satan is the greatest impersonator in 2 Corinthians 11:14.

The inspired word of God declared where the spirit goes at death, and the state of the dead body, wherein none of these fits the hallucination and apparition stage by Satan.

“For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun,” Ecclesiastes 9:5-6.

“Whatever your hands finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom,” verse 10.

What happen to the spirit of the dead; where does it go when man dies? Let the Bible answer that question.

“… and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it,” Ecclesiastes 12:7.

“So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord,” 2 Corinthians 5:6-8.

The Bible says the spirit of the dead is with the Lord. Who then, this spirit that appear as ghost and mingles with the affair of the living, when the Bible said, never again will they have a part in anything under the sun? Is this not the author of the greatest impersonator mentioned above?

Satan quoted the scriptures in tempting Jesus, and now Satan is quoting even the very word of Jesus in his attempt to deceive even the very elect of God, that he can sow not only the seed of fear but also to distort the truth of the Scriptures concerning the spirit that return to God at death. Satan will quote what Jesus said in the book of Luke 24:39:

“Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
Then the deceiver will say, “You see! Jesus said there is a ghost!” Satan is not only the greatest impersonator he is also the father of all lies. He manipulated and added lies to what Jesus had said. “There is a ghost!” Sound true, and indeed it is. But his intention is to divert the focus of one’s mind from what Jesus did not say. Satan deludes the thinking of people that ghost is the SPIRIT OF THE DEAD; this is an addition to what Jesus did not say. In this verse I asked myself, Did Jesus say, that ghost is the spirit of the dead? Or was this their thinking because they saw Jesus who was dead and buried? Satan is printing his deception not on the pages of a book but directly in people’s mind. He will say, “Why Jesus did not correct the disciples that ghost is not the spirit of the dead? Therefore, His being silent is the proof that ghost is the spirit of the dead.” This is a question that will pop up in one’s mind. This is a tricky question of the devil that will compel people to believe the return of the dead. What did Jesus said to the disciples in this junction? “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?” The Bible has no mentioned of correcting the disciples, but we know in the later teachings of the apostles during their ministry that the spirit of the dead is with the Lord. Jesus had taught them many things that were not written in the Bible when they were together with Him.

“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25).

Saul and the Witch of Endor
The account of King Saul with the witch of Endor is another stronghold of Satan where he quoted Scriptures to take control of people’s mind to be subjected to his deception. The prophet Samuel died. King Saul consulted a medium, so he could talk to Samuel who had been long buried. Satan who obscured the whole context of the account quoted the verse that makes it appear to be talking to Samuel’s spirit‒‒like this verse: “Samuel said to Saul, ‘Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?’” (1Samuel 28:15). Most Bible readers (including me) will be inspired to say, “There you are; it’s the spirit of Samuel speaking. The spirit of the dead do really comes back.” When I look at the context of this account as a whole I saw differently from what popped up in my mind. I have to know those things that transpired before the scene of Endor.

This is the account before King Saul’s encounter with the witch of Endor. Saul sinned against the Lord by not carrying out the Lord’s instruction through the prophet Samuel. The Lord rejected him as king over Israel (1Samuel 15). In chapter 28 of 1 Samuel, Saul saw the Philistine army‒‒terror filled his heart. He inquired of the Lord but the Lord did not answer him by dreams, neither through the prophet Samuel who refused to see him until the death of this prophet. So King Saul looked for a medium to inquire and ask for advice concerning the battle with the Philistine. He found the witch of Endor and asked her to bring up Samuel from the dead.

The following verse is the key to make the readers aware of king’s Saul state of mind in his endeavor to speak to Prophet Samuel.

And the woman said to Saul, “I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth.” So he said to her,
“What is his form?” And she said, “An old man coming up, and he is covered with a mantle.” And Saul PERCEIVED THAT IT WAS SAMUEL and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down (1 Sam. 28:13-14 NKJV).

Since it was established in the mind of Saul even without seeing and recognizing what the medium saw, for him that old man was Samuel. Note the phrase “And Saul PERCEIVED that it was Samuel…” Hence, in verse 15 is named Samuel in their conversation. Without considering the whole scenario, verse 15 will lead anyone [that includes me] to believe like Saul that it was Samuel who came out of the earth.

There are two things here to be considered:

First: Since Saul was rejected by the Lord, and Samuel refused to talk to him while yet he was alive; he even said, “I will never come back to you.” Who then is this spirit talking with Saul?

Second: The witch said she saw a spirit coming out of the ground. Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, it is the body or the dust that return to the ground; which is indeed true, Samuel was buried under the ground. And his spirit returned to the Lord. Who then this spirit that came out of the ground? Hmm…

Whoever this spirit was, it wasn’t Samuel. God may use any spirit to fulfill His purposed. We know the rest of the story, that spirit declared the fate of King Saul. #

DOES GOD EXIST

“By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (Heb. 11:3 NIV)).

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities‒‒his eternal power and divine nature‒‒have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

“God spread the North over the empty space and He hanged the earth over nothing” (Job 26:7).

Even without the above Scriptures, the presence of The Great power is obviously seen and undeniable through the spectacular and wonder of the physical things that exist. And yet, this is just the affirmation of what being revealed in the Scriptures, thus, those who say in their hearts there is no God is without excuse.

Modern science has now the knowledge of how the earth hanged over nothing, and so, of what then, the mystery of the unfathomable space we call the universe. It is so awesome to behold the power that controls the movement of 200 billion galaxies in the universe that has 100 billion stars in each galaxy. One of these billions of stars in one galaxy alone named the Milky Way Galaxy is called Sun, where nine planets revolve including the planet called earth, where we, human being live. The movement of the nine planets on its own orbit around the Sun is perfectly in coordination with each other that has to do with our earth’s ecology and layer of atmospheres. The earth rotate in its axis a complete cycle of 24 hours, we call one day. It revolves around the Sun a complete cycle of 365 days and one fourth, we call one year. The axis tilts a declination of 23.45 degrees to the North and to the South of the equator as it travels along the preordained orbit that gives us the four seasons in one year cycle, we call spring, summer, autumn and winter. The awesome universe with the 200 billion galaxies within, down to 100 billion of stars in each galaxy intricately moves in its cycle with precision for billions of years. This phenomenon didn’t happen by random; the cycle is being repeated for billions of years perfectly the same from what it had been in the distant past and, still going on.

There must be a being of intelligence and power that controls this awesome universe. There must be a power that controls the coordinated movement of every object in the universe down to the speck of dust in the space which is the earth‒‒the planet where we live. This power who preordained everything and all things is none other than GOD, the Creator Himself. This is the God that we worship.

And most amazingly, God’s control redounds to the inhabitants of the speck of dust in the space. In the book “Peace Maker” by Ken Sande, the author writes on page 60“He (God) alone controls individual lives and destinies.” The author supported this with many Scriptures, and may I add Psalms 139:16 that says, “All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be”.

What a spectacular creation of the All Powerful, All Knowing and Omni-present God. No wonder He is the One and only who controls everything in the universe and beyond the limitless space. Indeed, He is The Eternal God.

There is no way that can ignore the power behind this awesome universe, and there is no reason to say that God doesn’t exist, except what Psalms 14:1; 53:1 that say, ‘Only fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God’.”

WHAT HAPPEN WHEN A MAN DIES

ABSENT FROM THE BODY
AND TO BE PRESENT WITH THE LORD

“The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7). Thus says Ecc. 12:7 “…and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”
The English word “breath” in this verse is translated from the Hebrew word neshamah; force of wind, a vital breath from God through which man received the spirit of life. It is the same Hebrew word used in Job 27:3; 34:14-15 (NIV) as follows:

“For as long as life is in me and the breath of God is in my nostrils”; 14“If it were his intention and withdraw his spirit and breath, 15all mankind would perish together and man would return to the dust”

Physical death is separation of the spirit from the body. The spirit returns to God who gave it and the body returns to the dust of the ground it came from. This is true to all breathing creatures (Gen. 7:22 NIV), and for both believers and non-believers.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 is in accord with the above Scriptures, except for the common teaching of the additional description, i.e. consciously enjoying the bliss of heaven with the Lord. Conscious and heaven is not even mentioned in the verse. It was only hinted without any basis except for the spirit that came from God and returned to God. This is the verse where the interpretation is mainly drawn without reference to other Scriptures.

“Absent From the Body and to be Present with the Lord”

The crux of the problem that obscured the real meaning of the above verse is because the interpretation is confined to the qouted verse itself without affirmation with other Scriptures. 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 was the overwhelming verse that I once believed that once a saved person dies immediately he or she is consciously present with the Lord. Let’s examine this verse in relation with other Scriptures to comply with the principle that the Bible interprets itself.

“So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:6-8).

Consciousness and bliss of heaven is clearly absent in this Scripture. The apostle Paul was not merely talking about the state of being dead of those who are saved that they are with the Lord. From verse 1 to 10 of 2 Corinthians 5, Paul was talking about the process wherein the save can be ultimately with the Lord, whereby can enjoy the bliss of heaven. In my study I didn’t confine myself in verses 6-8 where I can make my own interpretation. As I continue reading through verse 10, I found out the saved are still to face judgment. Nothing in this verse that implies immediately enjoying the bliss of heaven with God; the dead is still have to go through the judgment seat of Christ in verse 10, and re-affirmed by Heb. 9:27 saying “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,” that is yet future at the second coming of Christ.

“Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Heb. 9:27-28 NIV).

Those who died in Christ are still waiting for His second appearance to bring their salvation. It is axiomatic that this would happen in His second coming as the verse says “he will appear a second time.” Such scene of consciously with the Lord will not come immediately after death as I have formerly been thought to believe.

This is the result of dwelling alone on the verse “Absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” without investigating the verse itself and comparing it with other Scriptures, thus complying with the principle of understanding the written word of God.

“These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual (1 Cor. 2:13 KJV).

The saved still have to appear in the judgment seat of Christ (yet future), that each one may receive what is due (reward) him for things done while in the body―whether good or bad (2 Cor. 5:10).

What Happen When A Man Dies?
The first thing one should understand is Hebrews 9:27 that say: “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” I didn’t see anywhere in the Bible that say after a person die will immediately enjoy the bliss of heaven, or immediately be thrown in the lake of fire based in the understanding of the parable of Lazarus and the Richman, to be tortured forever and ever without facing judgment. The parable of Lazarus and the Richman is highly misunderstood. Understanding the word hell in Hebrew and Greek will shed light of the true meaning of the word hell in its context. I followed the Berean example of Acts 17:11. I check the Scriptures from what I have been thought, read, and heard from media‒‒all of these are done before prayer. Sorry for a bit of digression.

What then would be the state of being dead? This Scripture of Ecclesiastes 12:7 is appropriate answer to the preceding question.

“Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.”

True enough, the spirit return to God and therefore present with the Lord. Does the verse we investigate say “consciously enjoying the bliss of heaven in the bosom of father Abraham? Heaven isn’t even mentioned in the parable of Lazarus and the Richman. This parable had a great influenced in my former belief, because it was assumed in the parable that the scenario took place in heaven. The state of the dead body and the state of the spirit that returned to God must be examined and analyzed to see its textual content in the affirmation of other Scriptures, to see what they really mean. The spirit which is absent from the body and present with the Lord is the person himself [This is made clear in my Bible study of “What is Man”]. He or she is with the Lord and will remain unconscious until the soul‒spirit will be clothed upon with the new spiritual body.

“…it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:44). “Now we know that if the earthly tent (the natural body) we live in is destroyed (or die), we have a building from God, an eternal house (spiritual body) in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked (or disembodied spirit)” 2 Corinthians 5:1-3).

The moment the soul‒spirit is clothed upon with the glorified incorruptible body, then, it (the spiritual body) will become a living soul; that spiritual body will become conscious as the same person when still in the flesh with its memories. The same situation with the physical Adam when God breathed the breath of life to his nostrils, his physical body became conscious; except for memory and the character which is still to be build up and develop―this is only in the case of Adam, for we are already in the process of being built and molded in the very image of God.

It is true indeed, and there is no question that absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, because that’s what the Bible says. But it is natural for man to add something which is not in the text, which is merely a pretext that makes it out of context by saying, “Consciously enjoying the bliss of heaven in the bosom of father Abraham” (Did the Bible say so?). The word conscious and heaven is added to the verse; this is hint from the parable of Lazarus and the Richman, and from that point of view more conjectures branches out. The prime one is the doctrine of continuous consciousness after the body dies and said to be enjoying the bliss of heaven, and the return of the spirit of the dead as a ghost to haunt their loves ones. And, in addition to this belief, their spirit that already enjoying of being with the Lord will be brought back to earth to join their body which is the dust of the ground to be resurrected, sighting from a different context that makes it out of context, that said, “The dead in Christ shall rise first” and “This is the first resurrection.” What is resurrection for, when you are fully conscious and enjoying the bliss of heaven? What is this scenario of going back to earth joining with the body that returned to the dust of the ground to be resurrected when the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:1-4, if our earthly body is destroyed, God have prepared spiritual body in heaven (not the dust of the earth) for us to be clothed?

Satan is capitalizing on this doctrine of continuous consciousness immediately after death, and deceived people about the scary connotation of the word Ghost, leaving the joy and comfort of the bliss of heaven with God and His angels for a while, and return to earth to visit and haunt their love ones as a ghost. This doctrine has a great influence to the familiar stories of haunted house infested with ghosts.

Resurrection is simply to rise from being dead or from unconsciousness to consciousness. It is not the dirt of the ground that will be resurrected but the spirit which is the person that belong to the first resurrection, by clothing with spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:44; 2 Corinthians 5:1-4). This is not to overlook that there is a bodily resurrection that will occur after one thousand years from the first resurrection. This is a different subject to deal with in a separate paper.

The book of Hebrews chapter 11:39-40 tells about the people of God in the Old Testament time that they died without receiving the promised:

“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us [Christ followers] so that only together with us would they [people of faith of the Old Testament and martyrs of the New Testament] be made perfect.”

I would like to emphasize the last part of the above verse “…only together with us would they be made perfect.” Are they not perfect yet? Those who died and present with the Lord are not in their perfect state yet, their perfection link to the followers of Christ who were still alive. I am taking note of this, “…only together with us would they be made perfect.”

The question is: What event described in the Bible that they would be “together with us” so they would be made perfect? Whatever and whenever it would be, they are now in the state of being unconscious, because they are still disembodied spirit until they will be clothed upon with the spiritual body (1Corinthians 15:44; 2 Corinthians 5:1-3).

This event that they will be made perfect will occur at the second coming of Christ‒‒not immediately when they fall asleep or died and their spirit is present with the Lord (Ecc. 12:7). 1Thessalonians 4:13-18 will tell us when this event will occur:

“13Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus [in His second coming] those who have fallen asleep in him. 15According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first [This is the first resurrection when they will be clothed upon with spiritual body, it is not the dust of the ground that shall be resurrected]. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up TOGETHER WITH THEM in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage each other with these words.”

However, by comparing Hebrews 11:39-40 and 1 Thessalonians 4:17 that says:
“After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

This would be the event described in the Bible that we will be together with them so they would be made perfect who have fallen asleep in Christ. That would be the event of rapture and resurrection at the second coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. This doesn’t happen immediately at death, or when absent from the body. But from the perspective of those who died; it is immediate, without missing a heartbeat.

Mean while, the dead has no consciousness or awareness of the passing of time. We, the living are aware that those Old Testament people are dead for several hundreds or thousands of years. But at the time of resurrection, those thousands of year gap would only be a fraction of second for them. It’s kind of like a continuous consciousness without missing a heartbeat. This will be re-affirmed by more Scriptures as follows:

DEATH IS SLEEP:(Sleep is the metaphor for death)
I am avoiding the use of the words “soul sleep” because it will raise contempt that such phrase is nowhere in the Bible [Is the word trinity in the Bible?]. If you are in a dreamless sleep you are unconscious, no knowledge of passing of time. Although the phrase "soul sleep" itself is unscriptural, the idea that the dead are "sleeping" is Scriptural. By using the concordance it will give us all the Scriptures containing the word sleep. I hope those who read the following Scriptures will agree with me, that death is sleep, or say, will agree with the Scriptures‒‒not with me.

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers..." (Deut. 31:16).

"And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou [David] shalt sleep with thy fathers. (II Sam. 7:12).

"David slept with his fathers..." (I Kings 2:10).

"Solomon slept with his fathers..." I Kings 11:43).

Job said, "...for now shall I sleep in the dust..." (Job 7:21).

Take note of this one:
David said "...lest I sleep the sleep of DEATH..." (Psa. 13:3).

"For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep [are dead]" (I Cor.. 11:30).

"Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep ... the dead shall be raised..." ( I Cor. 15:51-52).

"...the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep" (I Thes. 4:14).

"...My daughter is even now dead ... the maid is not dead, but sleepeth." (Mat. 9:18 & 24).

"For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption." (Acts 13:36).

It is said even of our own Lord:

"But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruit of them that slept" (I Cor. 15:20), etc., etc.

If these Scriptures are true, which I believe they are, either Abraham is dead, buried and sleeping with his fathers, just as Moses, David, etc., or these Scriptures can’t be trusted. This nullified the common interpretation of the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus. By the way, where do we read of "heaven" in the parable of Lazarus and the Richman? There is not the slightest hint of the word heaven in this parable! Abraham’s "bosom" is no more heaven than anybody’s bosom is heaven.

How about Ephesians 5:5 said that No idolater will be with the Lord?
Interestingly, not only did all these patriarchs go to sleep, but they went to sleep with their fathers, and many of their fathers were idolaters! The Scripture said No idolater will be with the Lord. So there we have a dozen Scriptures stating that God likens death to sleep. This is another Scripture that makes me think that no Bible believer should ignore.

In spite of those irrefutable Scriptures of death is sleep, it is hard for me to let go with the knowledge I was born with through the teachings of the church where I belong. It is not easy for me to change from what I formerly believe, but I feel accountable to the Creator of the universe to reject the truth in which I became aware of. Instead, I work and study hard to look for a verse to defend the belief once I uphold, but to no avail. And, to my horror, I found out I am against the tenet of Christian belief that the Bible does not contradict itself. Since the Scriptures I found were irrefutable, there is no option but to relent, submit and accept His written words. In so doing God continue to reveal more new knowledge in my study of His Word.

Now ponder on this: In what way is being conscious and tortured in the flames of Hell analogous to sleep? "God says death is "sleep." Now in what way is conscious torture in Hell fire analogous to "sleep?" In what way is a blissful life in Heaven analogous to "sleep?" Well, of course, it’s not analogous at all. How can the unconscious experience torture? How can the unconscious experience the joyful bliss of heaven? Yet God plainly says, many times, that death is "sleep" God awakens dead people out of sleep.

Therefore, the teaching that the dead Rich man and dead Lazarus are not asleep is wrong and unscriptural. It is only in the figurative language of a parable can it be said to be different.

Once and for all, let’s take a look at this Scripture: What happens after one dies:
"If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change comes. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee; thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands." (Job 14:14-15).
Have we not just read Hebrews 9:28 that the dead are in the state of waiting for Christ second appearance? When a person dies, he must: WAIT ... FOR APPOINTED TIME ... TILL CHANGE COMES ...
We know that Christ was the "firstfruit" of them that slept (I Cor. 15:20, 42, 43, 52, 53, 55, I Thes. 4:16-18). The "dead in Christ" are now "ASLEEP" according to the Scriptures. Thus, the phrase “soul sleep” derives from, which does not exist in the Bible, the same with the word “Trinity”, the foundational doctrine of Christendom is nowhere in the Bible.

THE THIEF ON THE CROSS:
We are familiar with the scenario on the cross at Calvary, but the point of interest in this study is what Jesus had said to the thief on the cross in the book of Luke 23:43, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” How could it be in the same day the thief would be with Jesus in paradise when He was buried for three days? Jesus, himself after his resurrection admitted that He had not yet ascended to His Father by saying to the women, “Touch me not for I haven’t gone to my Father.” Jesus promised the thief that same day he will be with Him in paradise. And true enough at the twinkling of an eye, the thief saw himself meeting with Jesus in paradise―right that same day as Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, today…” There is no other logical reason to explain the promised of our Lord to the thief that will not contradict any Scripture of the Bible, but through the process of not knowing the passing of time.

If anyone would like to believe in the doctrine of continuous consciousness immediately after physical death, then he or she must look from the perspective of the living through the process which the thief had gone through on the cross, i.e. immediately he is consciously meeting the Lord with other saints and, saints of the Old Testament times (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

Let me share with you in this writing the personal experienced I have gone through of not knowing the passing of time. This was the time when I have a colonoscopy test. I was watching the monitor and I can clearly see the inside part of my body just at the very beginning of the process. I vividly remembered just a gap of like wink of an eye the continuity of what I saw in the monitor (although a little bit drowsy), then I heard the doctor saying, “It’s done,” and at the same time pulling out the instrument. I couldn’t believe that it was just as easy as that. In reality it took a long period of time in working on the process without my consciousness of the passing of time.

I know others who had undergone colonoscopy test had different experience than I have. On the same day the woman who had gone through the same test ahead of me, I found her still sleeping when I was wheeled to the recovery room. But I am sure when she wakes up she would not know that she had already undergone the test.

The crux of the problem is because in essence the verse in question is confined inside the border and cannot be accessed with other Scriptures related to it for comparison, thus it becomes the basis of human concept of continuous consciousness after death, and immediately enjoying the bliss of heaven or suffering with eternal torture in hell, i.e. without going through judgment.
In reading this paper you have now gotten out that confined this verse to itself alone for interpretation.

“Absent from the body and to be
present with the Lord”

Do you now see the difference in viewing this verse with the affirmation of other Scriptures by comparing spiritual things with spiritual? (1Cor. 2:13). What we see now are lots of disregarded Scriptures that contradict the popular teachings of being consciously enjoying the bliss of heaven in the bosom of father Abraham. It is good to listen to theologians, especially those considered to be spiritual giants. It is good to listen to the preachers that preach from the pulpit, not negledcting to follow the example of the people from Berea in the book of Acts. The Bereans listened attentively to the preaching of Paul, and they study everyday to see if Paul’s teachings are true.

“Now the Berean’s were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11).

Are we like the Bereans that search the Scriptures to see what we are being taught are biblically true? Or we just do not care to spent time with the Lord in studying the Scripture to know Him more and to grow in the grace and knowledge of His word? Do we just believe what we are being taught without looking into the Scriptures ourselves? Our endeavor is not only to learn, but to be closed to Him. When we pray and study the word of God every day we develop intimate personal relationship with Him, thus He directs us to understand perplexing Scriptures that we encounter in our study. In my personal Bible study of the Scriptures new light of understanding which differs from some of what I formerly believe was slowly changing my insight in the word of God. I came to learned some of what I believed is in conflict with the Scriptures, or maybe I am developing new views of the Scriptures against the ones I have accepted without investigating, which I opted to leave them as they were. I made some lists of my former belief that becomes apparently different in meaning as I continue studying the word of God. It is necessary to write them separately to remain in focus in the subject being dealt with in any of them. #

THE FREE WILL DILEMMA

The enigma of the doctrine which is called man’s freedom of the will is one of the prominent controversial doctrines in the Christendom. Those who are in the camp of Free Will are quick to express their belief by saying, without Free Will man is like robots. It is said, the colossal example where this doctrine operates is the expression of true love for God. Love which is force is said to be meaningless. This is said without any basis of Scripture to support such premise. Indeed, true love is voluntary, but it was argued that it requires the so called man’s free will to make it possible.

The Bible is abounding in scriptural teachings that render the doctrine of the so called free will not only unscriptural, but it overrides God’s sovereignty. It is said God gave man freedom to do whatever he wants to do, holding God off limit to interfere. He is free to do whatever his heart desires to do. This is where the doctrine of free will came about when in fact man is a prisoner and slave to sin (Gal. 3:22; Rom. 6:16-18). This is not a God given freedom. God gave us freedom by setting us free from slave to sin that we become slave to God whom we now serve (John 8:36; Rom. 6:22). We cannot attribute this freedom to what is called Free Will. This man’s doctrine is lawless, because man’s desire is against God, and doesn’t want to subject himself to God’s law (Romans 8:7).

One of the popular radio programmed named the Bible Answer Man; its host wrote an article on the subject of free will; his is a typical example of answering biblical questions out of man’s wisdom (1 Cor. 2:13). He formulated and rationalized a beautiful composition of writing upholding the doctrine of free will without quoting a single verse from the Bible which he claimed to be the source of his teachings. And I never read nor heard anyone quote a single verse to support this doctrine they uphold. The phrase I always hear is, without free will man is like a robot‒‒this is unscriptural. Nothing in the Scripture that implies man’s analogous to robot.

In this study paper, all answers to biblical questions are directed to the Scriptures. The Word of God is the sole authority that gives the final and irrefutable answer. Scriptures are to be compared in harmony with other Scriptures that delves in the same subject which is among the principle of understanding God’s word. Such principle is maintained in this study paper and, following the example of those in Berea in the book of Acts 17:11. Just for example read Rom. 9:11-23 and analyze what man can do to put his so called free will into action.

The writer of this study paper has a deep passion in learning the truth of God’s word that he avoid into some degrees to be dogmatic regarding controversial issue to allow any possible truth that may come up; hence, he pertained to this writings as only Bible Study. Anyone who has a different insight is welcome to present what the Lord has given him, not through human logic, but through the Scriptural revelation. By this means we can express the love of God, and together we can pursue our endeavor to grow in the grace and in knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I wonder if the wise of this world have given thoughts to their claimed that “God is in control of everything” and at the same time God gave them the freedom of the will, that God, himself, cannot intervene to control their wills. This is where the Scripture pertained to in saying, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: He catches the wise in their craftiness.” This is their DILEMMA. (1 Corinthians 3:19).

God created man with a personal, rational and moral character, with heart and soul which is the seat of human function where feelings and emotion emanates. Man re˗˗acts according to the carnal emotion of his heart. Although he possessed the elements of the image character similar to those of the divine Being, the godly traits of handling such virtue is yet to be molded and develop through life time experience of struggle in overcoming fiery trials, sufferings and endurance, and learn the ways of God and His righteousness before God allow him to reach out for the tree of life and live forever. Man is in the process of being created into the perfect image of God, not by means of his own will, but according to the purpose of God’s will in His plan.

Robot is a preprogram machine, mindless, no heart and soul, no fear nor guilt. It can be program to utter the words “I love you” repeatedly for thousands of times, but without feelings or emotion. It can be programmed to obey without having to struggle to perform the task. It has no initiative and incapable of learning. It is therefore a farfetched idea to make an analogy of man to robots‒‒it is just a dumb obedient machine.

God works in man in many ways according to His good pleasure to fulfill His plan. There are abounding of biblical characters that demonstrates how God works in them, yet they never acted as robots do. The following are just a few examples:
We are familiar with the story of the ten sons of Jacob who sold their brother to the Ishmaelite traders. To make the story short their brother was brought to Egypt and became the second in command to Pharaoh. These ten brothers were so fearful when they came face to face with Joseph whom they sold. Obviously, their act of fear and guilt were the result of their heinous crime and the evil deeds they have committed against their young brother.

Then, Joseph said, “And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you, So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Gen. 45:5,8; 50:20).

God uses people to accomplish his plan. God didn’t use the ten sons of Jacob to act like robots to accomplish his plan; robots have neither fear nor guilt. They thought the decision they made came from their own will or the so called FREE WILL. It was God who works in the hearts of the sons of Jacob to WILL AND TO ACT (Philippians 2:13) that causes them to sell Joseph. God, holding them accountable does not mean they have Free Will. God put in their hearts what they did. Their action comes from the emotion of their jealous hearts that their conscience convicted them to be accountable. Joseph breathe to them these words because they feel accountable to what they had done, “And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here…,” Robots has no feeling or emotion, has no fear or guilt, and no feeling of responsibility and accountability; robots are just a dumb obedient machine. None of us who knew this story ever think that the sons of Jacob were like robots. There is a world of difference between man and robots, and it is a farfetched idea to compare man to robots.

God worked in the heart of Pharaoh to will and to act to accomplish His purposed. The Lord says to Pharaoh in Exodus 9:16, “But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”

Pharaoh’s action comes from his heart. He feels it was an act of his own free will that made him responsible, without knowing it was God who hardened his heart to fulfill His plan. It is axiomatic that who knew the story never assumed Pharaoh was
acting like robot.

Who could ever think that it is in God’s plan to divide the kingdom of Israel? God works in the heart of king Rehoboam in making the crucial decision to fulfill God’s plan of dividing the nation of Israel (1 Kings 12:15). There are other prominent characters of the Bible that God works in their hearts such as King Cyrus of Persia which is responsible in rebuilding the temple of God in Jerusalem. God moved the heart of Samson to marry the Philistine woman which is unlawful for Israel in order to fulfill His plan. These biblical characters are explicit example that God works in the hearts of men to will and to act according to his good purposed to both believers and unbelievers, for which they were responsible for their decision and accountable for their action. Robot is not designed to make decision for which they can be held responsible.

What can we say about the Apostle Paul? He was a spiritual giant. I consider him the best example among the biblical characters which demonstrates that God works in us without being robotic in character. Aside from being the product of the New Testament church in which we are, he spoke about himself in his struggle against his sinful nature.

We have Scriptures as to how man is able to obey and love God without being force despite of the rebellious sinful nature that blatantly opposed God’s way (Rom. 8:7). God works in our hearts by inspiring us to will and to do according to His good purposed. The Scripture also says for those whom God touches the heart to believe and choose the ways of God still struggle with their sinful nature. It is not automatic obedient like robots; there are overcoming involve. There were occasions we succumbed to our sinful nature which God allows, making us aware and conscious that we need Him in our struggle to overcome. Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” For this reason we are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to be joyful and pray continually to be closed to Him and be strengthen, so that even in the midst of our struggle no matter what happens we can still give thanks with a joyful heart.

True Love Is Not Express In Free Will:
The doctrine of free will makes man believe that he is free to do whatever he wants to do, such as choose to reject or choose to love and obey God. It is said, free will is essential to express a genuine love for God‒‒so is said in the author’s opinion in his book entitled “Bible Answer Man.” On page 170 we read:
“Without choice, love is meaningless. God is neither a cosmic rapist who forces his love on people, nor a cosmic puppeteer who forces people to love him. Instead, God, the personification of love, grants us the freedom of choice. Without such freedom, we would be little more than preprogrammed robots.” [We will see the difference between being forced and inspired.]

If you notice there is no single verse in the Bible quoted. All what he said is from his own wisdom in supporting the doctrine he uphold. Let’s focus in why the majority in Christianity believe their love for God comes from free choice as stated by the above author. Here is why: Because they don’t feel being force in loving God. Christians who read this paper experienced such sincere love emanates from their hearts. For those who have such emotion of genuine love is manifested with obedience and deeds that glorify God. It is a voluntary love without being forced or pressured. This experienced is said to be man’s free will or freedom of choice.
This understanding of loving God has a problem. There is a problem with this thought of loving God through the operation of alleged freedom of the will. “We love because he first loved us,” 1 John 4:19. We cannot will to initiate loving God; humanity as a whole is not free, for the whole world is a prisoner of sin (Gal. 3:22). This is reaffirmed by the following Scriptures:
Romans 3:10-18 and Romans 8:7 tell us about the fallen state of man.
“There is no fear of God before their eyes” verse 18
“Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be”

The question is: How then, we have such existing feeling and emotion that comes deep from our hearts that produce a genuine love for God, when the Bible said, our nature of being carnally minded is hostile against God, and it is impossible for us to submit to his law (“neither indeed can be”). Therefore, what we call free will is impossible to administer in producing this genuine love we presently experience as followers of Christ. Our genuine love for Jesus is undeniable‒‒hopefully.
Think about this: What happens between being carnally minded and not loving God or being not subject to His spiritual law, AND THEN LATER, loving God and being subject to His spiritual law‒‒that is what we are now. How did this happen? Who was responsible for causing it to happen? Philippians 2:13 (NLT) is the prominent among other Scriptures that will give us the answer.
“For GOD is working in you, giving you the desire to obey (and to love) him and the power to do what pleases him” (parenthesis added

God, who is in control of everything was the responsible, not what we think our presume free will. The irony is we are placing the credit upon ourselves in taking the first action [which didn’t and can never happen] of loving God‒‒something that we can boast (Eph. 2:9).
How can we have the will to love God, we can’t even come to Jesus, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). And unless he chose us (John 15:16), we can do nothing apart from him (John 15:5). Unless he paid our sin death on the cross, we cannot be set free (John 8:36). Say, where is man’s free will here?

When we are set free and come to know the truth, we can make the decision to accept and receive Christ in our hearts. Loving God is not a decision. It doesn’t come from free will. God works by inspiring our hearts to move with such a passion and emotion of loving Him, overriding our hostility against him for we are controlled no longer by the sinful nature but by the Spirit (Romans 8:7-9). You didn’t choose to love God, it’s already there‒‒in your heart, when God inspired you to love Him‒‒you are not force. There is a world of difference between being inspired and being forced. God didn’t work in us (Phil. 2:13) to force us to obey loving him, or to threaten us to go to hell if we refuse. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). This verse is telling us God will not force us to love Him.

And to add to the above Scriptures of describing man’s nature, the Bible has something more to say about the heart of man‒‒they are as follows:

Matthew 15:19
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”

Jeremiah 17:9
“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?

Genesis 6:5
“The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every
inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.”

Jeremiah 11:8
Yet they obey not, nor inclined their ear, but walked everyone in the imagination of their evil heart.

Matthew 23:37
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”

God’s foreknowledge demolished the doctrine of free will. How could it be free? God said His counsel or purpose shall stand, and what He planned, that He will do (Isaiah 46:10). Example: Peter was sincere in his decision to die for Jesus, with that said, Jesus demolished believers’ so called free will of Peter by predicting he will deny his Master three times instead. All of these abounding Scriptures have shown this doctrine comes from the wisdom of man who wants to be free and not to subject to the spiritual law of God, says Romans 8:7. Man is practicing what he believed concerning free will of choice, but he has no choice but to disobey God. The horror of the consequences of ignoring the law proved this doctrine of free will is not real but only an idol of the heart. If anyone wants to subject himself to the law of God [being aware of Romans 8:7], now is the time to abandon this doctrine of idol of the heart. Anything place before God is a sin of idolatry, like holding on free will in place of subjecting oneself to the law of God. Where is the wisdom in saying, I have free will and I subject myself to the law of God. It’s kind of like placing a round pole in a square peg. God gave us freedom from slavery of sin. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36), and becomes slave to God (Rom. 6:16, 22), because we subject ourselves to the law of God. Man’s free will is bent to disobey God. This is the reason why God didn’t say we have to choose between life and death, His command is to choose life (Deut. 30:19). God’s command to Adam is not to choose between eating and not eating the forbidden fruit. God gave specific command to Adam‒‒not to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree (Gen. 2:17). No free will of choice, but to obey His command. God is not forcing man to obey His law, rather work in inspiring those whom He has chosen for the first era of salvation before the creation of the world, giving them the power to obey Him and to do what pleases Him (Phil. 2:13). And Adam sinned by not subjecting himself (Rom. 8:7) to the law of God. He, himself, chose to follow his sinful nature not to obey the commandment of his Creator.

I found out in many parts of the Old and New Testament beginning in the Garden of Eden, God gave those biblical characters commandments by which they could be blessed, but they fall far short of God’s standard; their choices are always against the ways of God. Is it surprising for Adam to disobey God? It was exemplified by the ancient Israel’s rebellious character against God. It was also Paul’s testimony for the New Testament believers that he, himself was struggling against his sinful nature (Rom. 7:18-19). In my own experienced, even I claim to receive Christ as my Savior, the desire to do things my own way still present in me. Since I am no longer control by the sinful nature I have to overcome such carnal desire with godly desire, yet, just like Paul, I cannot carry it out apart from Jesus. In my investigation I cannot find even the slightest hint of free will in Apostle Paul’s testimony in Romans 7:18-19 that says,

“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the will to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”

What a paradox! Does anybody who knows Paul’s admission in this Scripture still cling to free will? This is Paul, the spiritual giant, speaking in his state of having the Holy Spirit in him, yet still struggling with his sinful nature. Paul’s will is not free to carry out his will to do good. Who among us that received the Holy Spirit is perfect and no longer struggle with the sinful nature? Obviously the answer is none of us. I direct my interest in Paul’s teachings that unravel the mystery of inconsistency of being a man of God and his admission of still struggling with his sinful nature. I found in Romans 7:24-25 that says,

“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God‒‒through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Jesus our Lord helps us in our struggle to overcome the evil desire of our sinful nature. God initiate the action of drawing Paul to Jesus [This incident occurred on the road to Damascus] and then works in him, giving him the desire to obey him and the power to do His will. Just like Paul, the only way that we can come to the decision to accept, to love and to abide in Christ is for the Father to draw us first to Christ and live our life in Christ who love us and gave Himself for us. It is by grace that God initiates the action by drawing us to Christ, for Jesus said “No one can come to me unless the Father draws him” (John 6:44), and “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The operation of the so called free will is totally absent in choosing to obey and to love God, for we love, because He loves us first (1John 4:19).
I asked myself, how Philippians 2:13 works? Does God works by possessing us like a demon possessed person that controls the mind and soul? I learned from the Scriptures that God works in both believers and unbelievers to fulfill His plan according to His good pleasure, but none of them or anyone of us experienced of being force to do something, or preprogram like robots. I found out how God operates in working in man to do His good pleasure–‒that is through the heart‒‒not through the mind. The heart controls the mind. The nature of the heart does not always change instantly when God works by inspiring us and giving us the desire to obey him and the power to do His will according to His good pleasure. There are struggle and overcoming involved which is the process of forming man in the image of God’s spiritual character. God works through the heart, the seat of human function which is the soul where feelings and emotions emanates. Just like a man who fell in love with a woman despite of her unpopular back ground, make a life time decision to marry her against the will of his mind. That love comes from the feelings and emotion of his heart which he cannot resist. He is deeply in love.
God works through our hearts to will and to do according to His good pleasure. This is not how robots work. Robots have no feelings and emotions. This love that comes from the heart is voluntary, not base on free will. Voluntary love has action. The chosen cannot ignore his emotion of obeying God. He cannot afford to ignore the emotion of his deep love for God that comes from the heart by not doing anything for the glory of His name, although there is still struggle because of the presence of sinful nature.

The Holy Spirit inspires us to study His Word. To be inspired in doing something is not being force. God inspires His chosen to love Him, to know Him more, and to grow in the grace and knowledge of God. True Christians has lots of good works to do in their walk with our Lord Jesus, but this work is inspired by God who works in every believer. Take note of this verse.
“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10), no free will.
This is how the Scripture says that we should work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. We cannot boast by giving credit to ourselves in doing the good works. We can do nothing even to what we call our part, for He said, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” A person may claim that he chose Jesus Christ without experiencing of being force, because it was Christ who works in the emotion of his heart and gave him the desire to choose Him. We are taking the credit upon ourselves if we say we choose God with our own free will, and we are even then boasting says Ephesians 2:8-9.
Yes, we chose God and, also to abide in Him‒‒there is no question about it. Indeed we must repent for the forgiveness of our sins. We must have faith, for without faith we cannot please God. We must believe for us to be saved and our household. We must pray all the time and be thankful whatever happens, and we must obey to have an intimate personal relationship with God.

The above are Scriptural and the prerequisite for salvation. But they are all the works of God‒‒not through the operation of the so called free will. God has a plan of salvation for mankind. With God everything in His plan is already done before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4, 11; Romans 8:29-30).
In man’s original state (Romans 3:10-18; 8:7) it is impossible for him to go through all the prerequisite of salvation. It all begins with God, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2 KJV). The following are the Scriptures that reaffirmed the works of God in the process of salvation:

John 6:44 “No one [May I emphasize “NOT EVEN ONE” can abide in Christ with his own decision] can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…”

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit: FOR WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING.”

John 15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you.”

Philippians 1:29 To believe is a gift from God, “For it has been GRANDTED to you on behalf of Christ not only TO BELIEVE on Him, but also to suffer for Him.”
Ephesians 2:8 Faith is a gift, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through FAITH‒‒and this not from yourselves, it is the GIFT of God.”

Philippians 2:13 NLT “For GOD IS WORKINGF IN YOU, giving you the desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him.”

REPENTANCE IS A GIFT:
Acts 11:18 “When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, ‘So then, God has GRANTED even the Gentiles REPENTANCE unto life.”
Acts 5:31 “God exalted Him to His own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give REPENTANCE and forgiveness of sins to Israel.”
2 Timothy 2:25 “Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.”
Romans 2:4 “Do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of GOD LEADS YOU TO REPENTANCE?

Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

2 Thessalonians 2:13 “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.”

Acts 13:48 “When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.”

Salvation is all of God, as we response to the emotion and feelings inspired by Him. It is not force but voluntary. All of us have his own story to tell how God works in us in drawing us to Jesus. Looking back when I was a babe in Christ with a little knowledge of the Scriptures; for me, being a Christian going to church every Sunday is only an obligation; yet I still benefit to the sermons through which I acquire the second hand knowledge of the Scripture by listening. In the process of time, curiosity and interest, and the desire in knowing and learning more about God’s Word fascinated me‒‒I was inspired [I was not aware God is working in me]. Being unaware of such passion that engulf me in keeping on the direction of spending time studying Bible daily, like those in Berea of Acts 17:11, I found many Scriptures first hand that excites me and inspires me such as Philippians 2:13, John 6:44 and John 15:5 and many other familiar Scriptures I quoted in this paper, which brought out a new light of meaning which had been obscured before. Through these verses I became aware of my transformation not only in acquiring knowledge but also the endeavor of living in them‒‒putting them into practice, as Paul said. God works in a wonderful way without being noticed until such a time we become aware of it. I still struggle against my sinful nature. Indeed, there is nothing good lives in me, except Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world–the source of my strength (Philippians 4:13).

I pray that those who opt to dwell in the dilemma of contradiction will now see through the Scriptures how we came to choose, believe and accept the sacrifice of Christ despite of our rebellious sinful nature. Thus, we are responding to the exhortation in 2 Peter 3:18 that we should grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him, be the glory both now and forever. Amen. #

WHY DO YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE FREE WILL

Why You Believe You Have Free Will?

Our belief in free will makes us think that we are free to do whatever we want to do, such as choose to reject or choose to love and obey God. And we believe free will is essential to express a genuine love for God‒‒so is said in the author’s opinion in his book entitled “Bible Answer Man.” On page 170 we read:
Without choice, love is meaningless. God is neither a cosmic rapist who forces his love on people, nor a cosmic puppeteer who forces people to love him. Instead, God, the personification of love, grants us the freedom of choice. Without such freedom, we would be little more than preprogrammed robots.” [Where is your Scripture for this, sir?]

Since we didn’t experience being force to love God, we think our love for God is our free choice, as stated by the author above. Christians who read this paper indeed experience a sincere love which emanates from their hearts. For those who have such emotion of genuine love is manifested with obedience and deeds that glorify God. It is a voluntary love without being forced or pressured. This experienced is believed to be man’s freedom of choice or free will.

The way we think of loving God has a problem when we come to the Scriptures. We have a problem with this thought of loving God through the operation of alleged freedom of the will. The fact is, “We love because he first loved us,” 1 John 4:19. We cannot will to initiate loving God, humanity as a whole is not free, for the whole world is a prisoner of sin (Gal. 3:22). This is reaffirmed by the following Scriptures:

Romans 3:10-18 and Romans 8:7 tell us about the fallen state of man.
“There is no fear of God before their eyes” verse 18.
“Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be”

The gist of the problem is, how then, we have such existing feeling and emotion that comes deep from our hearts that produce a genuine love for God, when the Bible said, by nature and being carnally minded we are hostile against God, and it is impossible for us to submit to his law‒‒it says “Neither indeed can be”. Therefore, what we call free will is impossible to administer in producing this genuine love we presently experience as followers of Christ. This was my dilemma until I found the Scriptures that free will is only in my mind.

Think about this: What happens between being carnally minded and not loving God or being not subject to His spiritual law, AND THEN LATER, loving God and being subject to His spiritual law‒‒that is what we are now. How did this happen? Who was responsible for causing it to happen? Philippians 2:13 (NLT) is the prominent among other Scriptures that will give us the answer.
“For GOD is working in you, giving you the desire to obey (and to love) him and the power to do what pleases him” (parenthesis added).

God, who is in control of everything was the responsible, not what we think our presumed free will. The irony is, we are placing the credit upon ourselves in taking the first action of loving God [which didn’t happen and will never happen], something that we can boast (Eph. 2:9).
How can we have the will to love God, we can’t even come to Jesus, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). And unless he chose us (John 15:16), we can do nothing apart from him (John 15:5). Unless he paid our sin death on the cross, we cannot be set free.

GOD GAVE US THE FREEDOM:
We were slave to sin, but God set us free and become slave to God whom we now serves (Romans 6:16-18). Loving God is not a decision. God works by inspiring our hearts to move with such a passion and emotion of loving Him, overriding our hostility against him for we are controlled no longer by the sinful nature but by the Spirit (Romans 8:7-9). We are now, then, free to make the decision to accept and receive Christ in our hearts, this is the freedom God gave us. We are inspired to love God, we are not force. There is a world of difference between being inspired and being forced. God didn’t work in us to force us to obey loving him, or to threaten us to go to hell if we refuse. #

THE FALL OF MAN

THE FALL OF MAN
The Sin of Adam

It is a common belief that Adam and Eve sinned upon eating the forbidden fruit, and I was once who believed in this teaching. In my analysis in the scenario in the Garden of Eden by comparing spiritual things with spiritual, or expressing spiritual truth with spiritual words (1Cor. 2:13), I found out that Adam and Eve have already committed all sins that is in the world prior to their eating of the fruit of the forbidden tree. How did they sin is explicitly clear in the Scriptures. Adam and Eve were not spiritually perfect when they were created. Did anyone wonder how they could have sinned when they were spiritually perfect, righteous and holy? I understand it is impossible for a perfect being to sin. Jesus said, “Be perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Man was made in the image and likeness of God. The attributes of God’s image is found chiefly in man, that he is a personal, rational, and moral being, except for righteousness and holiness. Man is the only living creation of God inherent of being spiritually conscious. Adam and Eve were in their innocent stage of knowing good and evil. They don’t know what sin is, for they had not experienced sin in any way shape or form, and the consequences it may bring about. Being sinless doesn’t make them holy and righteous. They must first acquire the knowledge of good and evil (as God is), and the ability to handle such knowledge with godly wisdom. It is in God’s plan to process man to become holy and righteous and other attributes of God which is communicable to man. Adam was provided with all his needs in his physical life. God gave him the tasks to perform and to work from which he enjoys like keeping the garden and giving names to animals [Gen. 2:4-25]. There were no problems, no difficulties, and neither trial to overcome. There were no means for Adam to exercise overcoming evil to develop holiness and righteous character traits of God.

On the onset, God withheld His attributes of the knowledge of good and evil and allowed Adam to live and experience life without anything to worry to prepare him to be processed in His perfect image. Adam enjoys life without untoward circumstances, wherein he can relate this experienced when God starts the process of molding his character by encountering trials and problem for him to overcome that makes life sometimes difficult. To possess immortality with the knowledge of good and evil is a dangerous attributes for man, because of the carnal nature of his heart when he was created. He must first develop godly character to handle such power of being immortal. Man’s character is molded through the knowledge of good and evil, learning the difference between God’s ways and his own ways. He will experience the miserable consequences that sin can inflict in his life and other creations, against the blessings of joy and peace, and well being that comes from obedience to the law of his Creator.

In God’s due time, God began the process by intentionally placing the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the MIDST of the garden to attract the attention of Eve. When Eve saw the forbidden tree her attention was glued to it, and later she had already desiring it and, her desire turned into lust. She remembered the commandment of God not to touch and eat of the forbidden tree, but her heart’s desire is stronger than the will of her mind to obey God. While her eyes were still glued to the fruit of the forbidden tree, Satan the devil started to stimulate [to tempt if you will] the heart of Eve into action. The devil said unto the woman (Gen. 3:1-4).

“Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
The woman said to the serpent:
"We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’"

Eve was okay with that commandment of God. She was not yet deceived, and she set the serpent straight that he is completely wrong. She has the will to obey God, but the devil’s persistence agitated the more the nature of her heart. You know the rest of the story in the 3rd Chapter of the book of Genesis˗˗˗both Adam and Eve succumb to sin.

Their sinning nature is a strong proof that they were not holy, neither spiritually perfect. This is irrefutable, I can’t find Scripture in the Bible that is in conflict with their not being holy, righteous and perfect as I used to believe. They were still to be molded towards perfection in the character image of God by going through the experience of tests and trials, and endure sufferings (Rom. 5:3-4). This is the reason why Christians has to undergo and face various trials mention in James 1:2-4; likewise, in Ephesians 4:22-24, Christians has to go through such process to the end of what verse 24 say, “…CREATED TO BE LIKE GOD IN TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS,” that none of us have‒‒just like Adam when God created him.

Sin is an important ingredient in the plan of God in creating man in His image otherwise, God could have prevented them not to sin. God could have placed the forbidden tree in the obscured location in the Garden of Eden. God could have prevented Satan to sneak‒in in the Garden of Eden. Man’s tendency is to disobey God because of the nature of his heart. God created the heart with a nature of hostility against His law. Man’s will by nature is to disobey his Creator (Romans 3:10-18; 8:7), a perfect specification of God’s designed of man to be molded in the likeness of God. Therefore, sin plays an important role in the plan of God in creating man in His image.

God Started the Process
“And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil:” All is set for molding man in the image of God, after His own likeness. Man has already acquired the knowledge of good and evil by disobeying God’s commandment through the forbidden tree. He now learned what sin is through the miserable consequences he experienced in disobeying God; “and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” (Genesis 3:22).

At this stage, it is dangerous for man to take the tree of life. He is not yet ready to take the tree of life and live forever without the ability to rightly handle the knowledge of good and evil with godly wisdom. The record of history bears eloquent testimony to the fact that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s HEART was only evil continually [Genesis 6:5], such attributes of the heart is dangerous to acquire immortality. Since God is the creator of the nature of the heart which is hostile to God and it does not submit to His law (Romans 8:7), it is only Him who can change the evil heart into a holy heart (Jeremiah 24:7). Changing man’s character is the process man has to go through in his physical life. Through this experience man will know his own ways brings only miseries and destruction, and he will also experience that God’s way is the way toward life abundance and peace, and all things that man could desire that will bring real joy. Man will realize that he needs God, for apart from Him he can do nothing with his sinful nature (John 15:5). These are all the works of God (Phil. 2:13) which no man has a part that he can boast (Eph. 2:8-10), it’s all of God.
God Is the Author of both Good and Evil
Many are so familiar with the song that “God is good in all the time,” which is true, and so says the Scripture in James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shadow of turning.” With God’s goodness embedded in the believer’s heart, it’s too hard to conceive in one’s mind and accept that God could also be the author of evil. Yet, it is equally true that God is both the author of good and evil. The Scripture say, “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and CREATE EVIL: I the LORD do ALL these things” (Isaiah 45:7). The veracity of Isaiah 45:7 is re-affirmed by the following Scriptures:

God created the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Gen. 2:9.
God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem…Judges 9:23.
Saul's attendants said to him, "See, an EVIL SPIRIT from God is tormenting you,” 1 Sam. 16:15.
God used Satan to inflict EVIL upon Job.
God pronounced EVIL upon King David that another man will come to his concubines before the eyes of Israel.
“The LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has declared DISASTER against you” (1King 22:23).
God, Himself, caused evil on His own people, where seventy thousand men alone died in 2 Samuel 24:10-15.
GET THIS ONE:
“Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be EVIL in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?” Amos 3:6.

Let me make one thing clear at this point; Evil is not good nor is it eternal. Nevertheless “knowledge” of evil is good and is eternal. All evil will take its place in the lake of fire, but a knowledge of evil is eternal just as sure our God, Who possesses a knowledge of evil, is eternal.

God Created the Human Heart
God imparts to man his attributes of knowledge of good and evil through the forbidden tree. God said in Gen. 3:22 “…Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil…” But, there is something else God creates in man˗˗˗it’s the nature of the heart. God creates the heart of man [Not the literal heart that pumps blood, but the feelings and emotion where human nature emanates]. God perfectly designed the heart according to his plan. The heart didn’t create itself, or by chance to be what it is. There is a cause for the effect of what the heart is to be what it is. God is the cause of every effect in the universe, and God is the cause for the heart to be what it is. Psalms 139:13-14 (NIV) we read:

“For you created my inmost being [The heart]; you knit me together in my mother‘s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

The following Scriptures declare God’s creation and designed of the heart which is the seat of human function:

“The HEART IS DECEITFUL above all things and DESPERATELY WICKED; who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV).
“But those things which proceed out of the mouth COME FROM THE HEART and they defile a man. FOR OUT OF THE HEART PROCEED EVIL THOUGHTS, MURDERS, ADULTERIES, FORNICATIONS, THEFTS, FALSE WITNESS, BLASPHEMIES” (NKJV) Matthew 15:18-19.
“The HEARTS OF MEN, moreover, are FULL OF EVIL and there is MADNESS IN THEIR HEARTS while they live” (NIV), Ecclesiastes 9:3.
“Because the CARNAL MIND IS ENMITY AGAINST GOD: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be,” (KJV), Romans 8:7.
“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his HEART WAS ONLY EVIL CONTINUALLY,” (KJV), Gen. 6:5.
“If you then, being EVIL, know how to give good gifts unto your children…” Matthew 7:11.

Without understanding the plan of God, the above description of human heart which is attributed to God’s creation is blasphemous. How could a holy God create evil heart in man whom He created in His own image? The Scripture says, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, theft, false witness, blasphemies..” Again, the heart didn’t by chance to be what it is˗˗˗it was cause. And the same God will also cause the same heart to be changed at the culmination of His plan, when everything is fulfilled, from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh or from evil to holy righteous heart (Ezekiel 11:19). “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God,” says the LORD (Jeremiah 24:7).
Man’s tendency to disobey the command of God comes from the heart˗˗˗not from the so called free will. Man’s will is not free to obey God˗˗˗he is a prisoner of sin (Galatians 3:22 NIV). The scenario in the Garden of Eden works perfectly according to God’s plan. Eph. 1:11 says,
“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the PLAN of him who works out everything [including sin] in conformity with the purpose of his will.”
Sin works perfectly in conformity with God’s plan. Is God contradicting Himself by making a command not to touch and not to eat of the forbidden tree, while it is in his plan that they should do so by using Satan to fulfill His purpose? Certainly not! God’s purpose in his plan has something to do in creating man in His image˗˗˗it is a process.
Likewise, God has a purpose when He hardened the heart of Pharaoh, so as not to let His people go. God said to Moses, “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt" (Ex. 3:10). “The LORD said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. BUT I WILL HARDEN HIS HEART SO THAT HE WILL NOT LET THE PEOPLE GO” (Ex. 4:21). “Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the desert' "(Ex. 5:1).
Is God contradicting himself by saying, “Let my people go,” and then, He turned around and say, He will harden the heart of Pharaoh so as not to let his people go? God’s purposed in raising up Pharaoh is to make His power be known throughout all the earth (Rom. 9:17). God was not contradicting Himself in his intention for Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit despite of his command.

Sin Begins In the Heart
“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death” (James 1:14-15).
“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh), and that it was pleasant to the eyes (lust of the eyes) and a tree to be desired to make one wise (pride of life), she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (Genesis 3:6).
And certainly man’s will is not the originator of sin. God did not say: “O that there were such a will in them…” Deut. 5:29 says, “O that there were such a HEART in them, that they will fear me, and keep all my commandments.”
What does all these stuff mentioned above have to do with Mother Eve’s sin in the garden? The Apostle John classifies all sins into three categories under one heading, which is in 1 John 2:15-17 together with Genesis 3:6.
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God abides forever.”

The Three Categories of Sin
“For all that is in the world”
Genesis 3:6 1 John 2:15-17
(1) “And when the woman saw that the tree was GOOD FOR FOOD”…LUST of the FLESH
(2) “And it was PLEASANT to the EYES”………………………………..LUST of the EYES
(3) “And a tree to be DESIRED to MAKE ONE WISE………………….The PRIDE of LIFE

The Bible defines the above Scriptures of Genesis and 1 John as one of the descriptions of sin. Eve committed every category of sin there is in the world, before she actually ate of the forbidden fruit. All of Eve’s evil thoughts of pride, vanity, lust, greed, disobedience, and finally thievery proceeded NOT from Eve’s supposed “free will,” but rather from out of her HEART. Adam was not deceived, but he listened to the voice of his wife rather than God. He loves his wife more than his Creator. His mind was over power by the emotion of his heart in spite of his awareness of God’s commandment not to eat of the forbidden fruit; his decision comes from the emotion of his heart˗˗˗not from what is believed to be free will. At this point he had already committed the sin of idolatry and began to “will” the act of formulating in his mind that comes from his heart the actual physical action of doing the eating. Adam sinned before he actually partakes eating of the forbidden fruit. Both of them sinned first before the eating.


Sin Is In the Plan of God
I found myself deviating from what is written in the Bible and what God intended to do, by creating in my own mind how we would be living in a world of paradise if Adam had not sin. Such speculation will never happen, because that was not in God’s plan. In His plan, God prepared a lamb to be slain before the foundation of the world to redeem us from the condemnation of sin that begins from Adam (Rev. 13:8; 1Pet. 1:20-21). God never forced anyone to sin. Man’s heart is inclined to sin. They don’t need to be forced; man by nature is hostile against God and doesn’t want to be subjected to His law (Rom. 8:7). Adam and Eve sinned as planned by God in conformity with the purposed of His will. Sin plays an important role in forming man in His image. GOD HATE SIN and He want man to learn through the bitter and horrendous experience of the consequences sin can inflict to humanity, that man, himself, will hate sin. Man is in the making of being formed in the spiritual image of God, house in the body of flesh which is by nature subject to deteriorate and decay and eventual death. Remember Ecclesiastes 3:19 that man has no advantage over the animal in the physical aspect. Man, in the final stage of being molded in the image of his Creator will be given a spiritual body which is not subject to decay and death. This is what 1 Corinthians 15 says about spiritual body which is incorruptible. Adam’s physical body was corruptible even before the fall. This is the time 1 Cor. 15:44 will be fulfilled that says, “It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.” Then and only then, man will live forever, ruling the universe with his Creator. #

ADAM WAS CREATED MORTAL

A D A M
Was He Created Immortal?

Nowhere in the bible that says, Adam was created immortal, nor he was created mortal, and yet, the common belief Adam was immortal before his fall into sin. However, there are plethora of Scriptures implicitly suggest that Adam in his physical nature is subject to death. First of all, he has not taken the fruit of the tree of life yet, that will make him live forever. He was, then, subject to die and to return to dust where he came. To start with, let’s investigate Adam in its physical aspect.

Adam was created from the dust of the ground‒‒material, subject to deteriorate through the process of time. Out of the ground he was taken that he needs food that comes from the ground to nourish and replenish the old and decaying cells of his body. Certain amount of the old and decaying cells remain in the body that such accumulation causes the aging process and eventual death. By the way, the finger nails you have now is not the finger nails you had a year ago; and so with your hair. The body cells keep on changing with the new ones that comes from the food that we eat [what you eat is what you are‒‒is the old adage]. According to the doctor our body is not the same body we have five years ago; this is speaking of the body cells that keep on replenishing the old ones that comes from the food we eat. This is what God designed when he created man as a physical being.
I remember the DVD documentary of the ten lost tribes of Israel. Their religious leader said, “Through the generations your body changes, but your spirits never change, you are still Jew in the inside.”
Before Adam fell into sin God instructed him what to eat to maintain a healthy long life.
“Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground–‒everything that has the breath of life in it–‒I give every green plant for food’ And it was so” (Genesis 1:29-30).

Scientifically, man in his physical existence regardless of sin is subject to deteriorate and in the process of dying. In this respect man and animals have the same fate when God said, “…everything that has the breath of life in it” and so with Ecclesiastes 3:19-20.

“Man’s fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.”

Animal has to eat to continue to live; so with man for there is no difference on the physical aspect of both. They are not immortal.

Continuing in the spiritual aspect of man:
The Scripture below numbering to four affirmations, witnesses to the fact that man is created
mortal. Not a single verse in the Bible exist that can contradict the following verses, because the
Bible does not contradict itself.

(1) The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. 46 What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later” (1 Cor. 15:45-46).

(2) "It is sown [first] a NATURAL BODY [a physical body which dies]; it is raised [afterward] a SPIRITUAL BODY [which is made immortal and never dies]…" (I Cor. 15:44)

(3) "Who shall change our [first] VILE BODY, that it may be fashioned like unto His [afterward] GLORIOUS BODY…" (Phil. 3:21).

(4) "If I have told you EARTHLY things [first], and you believe not, how shall you believe, if I tell you of HEAVENLY [spiritual] things [afterward]?" (John 3:12).

We cannot disconnect earthly things with spiritual; the sequence of God’s plan of salvation for mankind is most important, first is the physical and then comes the spiritual. The death pronounced by God to Adam upon eating the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the statement of fact: “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it where you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19). Regardless of sin, Adam was taken from the ground, and therefore to the ground he will return.

Parallelism of physical and spiritual facts:
Fact #1: Adam did not die physically after eating the forbidden fruit. But God is true to his word.
Fact #2: In that very day Adam and Eve died the spiritual death.

We can add nothing to those facts by saying the body begun the process of dying upon eating the forbidden fruit. The Bible has no mentioned that the body begun the process of dying because of sin. The Bible is clear in this verse, “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). If “surely die” referred to the physical, Adam is physically dead that very day˗˗˗not in the process of dying. I formerly believed that bacteria of some kind started working in the body of Adam which is the process of dying because of sin. I found out such belief of mine is aberrant to the Scripture; it’s just a product of man’s wisdom˗˗˗non-scriptural.

God is the source of all the blessings and life to enjoy. To be separated from Him is to be cut off from all the blessings and attaining abundance and quality life that would tantamount to spiritual death. Thus, Adam and Eve died the same day they ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Spiritual death is separation from God. They lost their fellowship with God together with the blessings which they enjoy. #

WHAT IS MAN

WHAT IS MAN

“The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7).

Man was made from the dust of the ground, a physical being with five natural senses such as: smell, hearing, sight, taste and touch, together with the heart, the seat of human function where emotion and passion emanates, “For you created my inmost being…” (Ps. 139:13). And, with carnal nature subject to sin. A perfect creation of God, designed according to the intended purposed of its specification that could be molded in God’s image. The English word “breath” in this verse is translated from the Hebrew word neshamah; force of wind, a vital breath from God through which man received the spirit of life. It is the same Hebrew word used in Job 27:3; 34:14-15 (NIV) as follow.

“For as long as life is in me and the breath of God is in my nostrils”; “If it were his intention and withdraw his spirit and breath, all mankind would perish together and man would return to the dust”

God impart the spirit of life after He formed the man from the dust of the ground. And this is the same spirit mentioned in Ecclesiastes 12:7 that return to God when the body dies. This spirit couldn’t be the man or self of man; it is the spirit of life from God, the Bible says it is HIS spirit and breath, so it has to return to its source at death, “the spirit returns to God who gave it.” The Scripture is clear, that spirit that returned to God is not the self of the man.

This essence of life of the spirit has no consciousness by itself. Its function is to give life to the body; it is the body that becomes conscious˗˗˗an animate life, upon imparting the spirit of life from God˗˗˗by breathing to man’s nostrils. Trees, plants or weeds have the same life that comes from God, but without soul or consciousness, they are not a living soul˗˗˗like man. The Scripture say, “The body without the spirit is dead,” it has no consciousness. Spirit and body put together [In the case of man and animal] produce life with consciousness, or “became a living soul,” says the bible. When God breathe the breath of life into man’s nostrils, man became a living soul. For a soul to exist there must be body and spirit. Similarly, two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen (H2O) put together produce water. Separate these two elements, there is no water. Physical death is the separation of the spirit from the body. Likewise, spiritual death is separation of man from God which is cause by sin, like what happened in the Garden of Eden; that very day they died the spiritual death.

The following verses of the Scriptures are explicit that the spirit and breath from God gives life to the body. This spirit is not the personality or the self of man, i.e. in this context of the spirit. Breath (ruach in Hebrew) is also rendered spirit inter-changeably with breath elsewhere. Take note throughout the following Scriptures [Bold letters added] the word breath and spirit is not the self of man, it is from God imparted to the body and man became a living soul.

“The body without the spirit is dead” (James 2:26).

“But after three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet” (Revelation 11:11).

“If it were his intention and withdraw his spirit and breath, all mankind would perish together and man would return to the dust” (Job 34:14-15).

“The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4).

“When their [God given] spirits departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing” (Psalms 146:4).

“For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6).

“Whatever your hands finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom” (verse 10).

The two parts of man are Body and Spirit. Soul cannot be considered a third part, distinct from the body and spirit, but rather the result of their combination. Separate the body and the spirit parts and there is no soul or consciousness. Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, at death, these two parts will separate and will return from where it came from; the body to the ground and the spirit to God [No mention of soul] and, the soul [as far as the living is concern] will go to the unknown, or to the unseen or grave, which is sheol in Hebrew. Likewise, water is not a third thing, distinct from the two gases but rather the result of their combination.

Soul is the term used in English from the Hebrew word nephesh. From the above study of this paper we garnered that the word “soul” is related to consciousness. It is the entity of the term that denotes consciousness. Hence, the word soul has a deeper significance in meaning than mere consciousness when refer to man. Because the word soul (nephesh) was also applied to the animal kingdom (Ecclesiastes 3:21), to creatures on land, air, and sea, even before it was referred to man. The attributes of the soul in its essence of consciousness or awareness of existence are the passions and emotions, i.e. love and compassion, hate and anger; joy and sadness, fear and boldness and other attributes which are the products of being conscious such as the five natural or physical senses. You can prove this with your own experience‒‒from your perspective of being awake, looking back when you were in a deep dreamless sleep; you remember nothing, it is a period that nothing exist together with all the said attributes above˗˗˗not to mention the passing of time. In this state your soul is in the unknown, unseen, it does not function as the dead in the grave.

The word nephesh or soul is used in different aspect in the Bible, yet they were all related from being conscious such as the account of the death of Rachel in Genesis 35:18 (NKJV), “And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she is dying).” This simply means her consciousness was fading away together with all its attributes (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6). Another one in Genesis 17:14 (KJV) “… that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.” Soul in this context is used as metaphor for a person; hence, a person who is aware and conscious of being cast out or separated from his people. There are lots of other usages of the word soul, and all of these pertained to being conscious. Never the soul is used in an inanimate life, such as trees, plants or weeds and much more to object without life such as stone, planets, earth, statue and the like, except in figurative language and poetry, e.g. in the book of Isaiah 55:12, “The mountain and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”

Strong’s Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon
Outline of Biblical Usage H5315 Nephesh, translated Soul in English KJV
1) soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion
a) that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the inner being of man
b) living being
c) living being (with life in the blood)
d) the man himself, self, person or individual
e) seat of the appetites
f) seat of emotions and passions
g) activity of mind
1) dubious
h) activity of the will
1) dubious
i) activity of the character

We can all agree that the above biblical usage of soul (nephesh) pertain to being conscious. In the context concerning man [Distinct from animal], Soul and Spirit goes together as one. This is not my personal opinion. This will be elaborated with the supporting verses of the Scriptures as we continue in this subject of Soul and Spirit. There are truths in the Bible that were not directly stated, but the context within the Scripture is implicit to what it meant. The best example is the doctrine of Trinity as it can be understood. This is a universal doctrine and, is one of the pillars in Christendom’s faith; but nowhere this word ever existed in the Bible.

Man is a Soul Spirit
All living creatures received the spirit of life from God by His mere word, (Genesis 1:24-25). Animals has the spirit of life, but with man, God formed his body from the dust of the ground and received the spirit of life by God’s breathing into his nostrils, and through that same breath, God also formed the spirit within man which animal doesn’t have; this is what makes man distinct from animal and other breathing creatures.

Animal has soul (nephesh) or the commonly used term for consciousness or awareness of existence. God created animals with instinct and they follow the same pattern of instinct from the time God created them. Man is a soul spirit with its moral, intellectual, relational, and spiritual capacities. Man is capable of being created into the perfect image of God. His consciousness is imbued with the power of God’s spirit; inherent of spiritual awareness. People who were born far from civilization who doesn’t know about spiritual things still looking for spirit god to worship. Some worship the sun, or the mountain, the stone or anything they can worship thinking there is spirit behind those objects. Christian and non-Christian both have the sense of spiritual consciousness; this is axiomatic. The following verses witnesses to the fact that God formed the spirit within man as He gave life to the body by breathing to his nostrils.

“The Lord…who forms the spirit of man within him…” Zechariah 12.

“But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him the Understanding, (The human mind)” Job 32:8.
“The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being.” Proverbs 20:27.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” Psalms 139:13-16.

“The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” Job 33:4.

Man’s soul or consciousness which was infused with the spirit that comes from God’s breath is the very essence that man is made in the image of God. This soul spirit in the body of flesh is being process into the perfect image of God, such as wills and choices, his holiness and righteousness and other attributes of God’s image that are communicable to man. It is not an easy experience for man to be molded in the spiritual image of God, because it entails tests and trials, sufferings and endurance that requires overcoming that sometimes makes life uncomfortable. This is the reason why Christians has to undergo and face various trials mention in James 1:2-4; likewise, in Ephesians 4:22-24 that Christians has to go through such process to the end of what verse 24 say, “…CREATED TO BE LIKE GOD IN TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS.”

The fall of man was just the beginning of the process of God’s plan in creating man in His image. God created man not by random. The creation was well planned with tender care toward the ultimate product of perfection (Ps. 139:13-16). God placed man on this earth’s environment to be processed and molded in his spiritual image. The carnal sinful nature of man will be changed into a holy, righteous image of God. At the last stage man will be given a spirit body (1 Corinthian 15:42-44 and 2 Corinthian 5:1-5), a perfect creation of God; a finished product that can never sin nor rebel against his Creator. The book of Hebrews 2:6-8 has an awesome revelation about what man is:

“What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet. In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.”

This is the potential of what man is. #