Bible Question:
If the spirit of man is dead at the point of physical birth, and his body and soul are alive, how can the soul be part of the spirit, when God's word clearly divides the three? CDBJ |
Bible Answer: Body/Soul/Spirit Part 2 Gen.3:4,5…satan in the form of a serpent, tempted Eve by saying, “You will not surely die… For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Adam and Eve then both took from the tree and ate, becoming their own gods. Self-appointed judges of good and evil, and beginning the entire human history of sin (unbelief in what God said), suffering and death. It is very important that we understand the meaning of their sin and the results of their choice, because it is foundational to the entire Bible, and to our understanding of the need for salvation. While man stands apart from the rest of God’s creatures, being uniquely created in His image, there is also an infinite gulf between man and God. Only God is truly independent. He needs nothing, and no one, being totally self-sufficient. Man, on the other hand, is a totally dependent creature. We are dependent upon food, air, water, etc. for our physical life (body); we are dependent upon the world around us and other people for our soulish well-being; and we are dependent upon God for our spiritual life. We were created dependent upon God for our spiritual needs of unconditional love and acceptance, and meaning and purpose in life. But because of the fall, man is unable to discern the difference between soul and spirit. As a result, man has turned to the world to meet his spiritual needs. For example, many people get married in hopes of finding unconditional love and acceptance, not realizing, that is a spiritual need that can only be met by a Spiritual Being, Jesus Christ. Man is dependent. God is independent. I believe a possible meaning of the temptation presented to Adam and Eve lies in the serpent’s phrase “in the day that you eat of from it…you will be like God.” They were offered the chance (so they may have thought) to step outside of their dependent (faith) relationship with God, and to assume an independent status…to be their own gods, to be self-sufficient, to know good and evil. Therefore, from God’s point of view, the problem of mankind is not just that we are sinners that need forgiveness; He sees a world of spiritually dead people that need life. And our Holy Father has provided the perfect solution to both of our needs, through faith in Him, Jesus Christ |