 
Illustration. Sea Of Galilee. "And the Lord ... breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Gen. 2:7. 1. In what condition was man created? “Thou madest him a little lower than the angels.” Ps. 8:5. 2. What will be the final condition of the righteous? “Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.” Luke 20:35, 36. 3. What are angels called? “And of the angels He saith, Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire.” Heb. 1:7. 4. What is the difference between the two Adams? “The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.” 1 Cor. 15:45. 5. Are our present bodies natural or spiritual? “Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.” Verse 46. 6. When will the righteous have spiritual bodies? “It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” Verse 44. 7. To what does the sowing here spoken of refer? [pg 506]“That which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die.” Verse 36. Note.—Man does not now possess the undying, spiritual nature of the angels, except as he holds it by faith in Christ; nor will he until the resurrection. Then, if righteous, he will be made immortal, and he cannot die any more (Luke 20:36), because he will be “equal unto the angels.” 8. How is man's nature defined? “Shall mortal man be more just than God?” Job 4:17. Mortal: “Subject to death.”—Webster. 9. What is God's nature? “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Tim. 1:17. Immortal: “Exempt from liability to die.”—Webster. 10. Of what was man formed in the beginning? “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground.” Gen. 2:7, first part. 11. What act made him a living soul? “And [God] breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Same verse, last part. Notes.—The living soul was not put into the man; but the breath of life which was put into man, made him—the man, made of the earth—a living soul, or creature. The original for “living soul” in this text is nephesh chaiyah. On the use of this expression in Gen. 1:24, translated “living creature,” Dr. Adam Clarke says: “A general term to express all creatures endued with animal life, in any of its infinitely varied gradations, from the half-reasoning elephant down to the stupid potto, or lower still, to the polyp, which seems equally to share the vegetable and animal life.” 12. Are other creatures besides man called “living souls”? “And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.” Rev. 16:3. See also Gen. 1:30, margin. 13. Do others besides man have the “breath of life”? “And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: all in whose nostrils was the breath of life.” Gen. 7:21, 22. 14. Is their breath the same as man's? “As the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.” Eccl. 3:19. [pg 507] Note.—That is, here men, as well as beasts, die. This present life, with them, as with the rest of the animal creation, is dependent upon their breath. When this is gone, they, the same as beasts, die. In this respect they have no preeminence over beasts. But men have a future unending life held out before them, and may, if they will, die in hope of eternal life, which is a very great preeminence over the rest of the animal creation. 15. What does Job call that which God breathed into man's nostrils? “All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils.” Job 27:3. 16. When man gives up this spirit, what becomes of it? “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Eccl. 12:7. Note.—That is, the spirit of life by which man lives, and which is only lent him of God, at death goes back to the great Author of life. Having come from Him, it belongs to God, and man can have it eternally only as a gift from God, through Jesus Christ. Rom. 6:23. When the spirit goes back to God, the dust, from which man was made a “living soul” in the beginning, goes back as it was, to the earth, and the individual no longer exists as a living, conscious, thinking being, except as he exists in the mind, plan, and purpose of God through Christ and the resurrection. In this sense “all live unto Him” (Luke 20:38), for all are to be raised from the dead. See John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15; Rom. 4:17. 17. Who only have hold of the life eternal? “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” 1 John 5:12. Note.—The veriest sinner has this temporal life; but when he yields up this life, he has no prospect nor promise of the life eternal. That can be received only through Christ. 18. Why was Adam driven from the garden of Eden and excluded from the tree of life? “And now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.” Gen. 3:22. 19. What was done to keep man away from the tree of life? “So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” Verse 24. 20. How are all men in the natural state regarded? “We all ... were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” Eph. 2:3. 21. If the wrath of God abides on a person, of what does it deprive him? [pg 508]“He that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36. 22. Through whom is the sinner saved from wrath? “Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” Rom. 5:9. 23. With whom is the Christian's future life hid? “For ye are dead [to sin], and your life is hid with Christ in God.” Col. 3:3. 24. When will this life be bestowed upon the believer? “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.” Verse 4. Note.—The word immortal occurs but once in the English Bible (1 Tim. 1:17), and is there applied to God. 25. Who only possesses inherent immortality? “Who is the blessed and only potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality.” 1 Tim. 6:15, 16. Note.—God is the only Being who possesses original life or immortality in Himself. All others must receive it from God. See John 5:26; 6:27; 10:10, 27, 28; Rom. 6:23; 1 John 5:11. 26. Through whom has immortality been brought to light? “But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” 2 Tim. 1:10. 27. To whom is eternal life promised? “To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life.” Rom. 2:7. Note.—One does not need to seek for a thing which he already possesses. The fact that we are to seek for immortality is proof in itself that we do not now possess it. 28. When will the faithful be changed to immortality? “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Cor. 15:51, 52. 29. What is then to be swallowed up? “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” Verse 54. See verse 57. |
|
