Things New and Old: "... man became a living soul."

Things New and Old

Ancient truths revealed in the Scriptures are often forgotten, disbelieved or distorted, and therefore lost in the passage of time. Such ancient truths when rediscovered and relearned are 'new' additions to the treasury of ancient truths.

Christ showed many new things to the disciples, things prophesied by the prophets of old but hijacked and perverted by the elders and their traditions, but which Christ reclaimed and returned to His people.

Many things taught by the Apostles of Christ have been perverted or substituted over the centuries. Such fundamental doctrines like salvation by grace and justification have been hijacked and perverted and repudiated by sincere Christians. These doctrines need to be reclaimed and restored to God's people.

There are things both new and old here. "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things" 2Ti 2:7.

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

"... man became a living soul."

A Brother asked:
Pastor Lau during the first sermon it was mentioned that man does not have a soul. Man is a living soul.

How can it be explained in the light of :
1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole SPIRIT and SOUL and BODY be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of SOUL and SPIRIT, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

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Thanks for the excellent question.

While alive, the Lord preserves our whole soul - spirit and body united; while dead, the Lord preserves BOTH our whole body and spirit... that both may be united again into a glorified living soul. Blessed be our Lord God.

I'm not saying that the mortal body is preserved in the sense that it will not rot and decompose and return to the dust!

Nevertheless, the Scriptures plainly declare that the Lord preserves the body... in the SENSE that the SAME BODY that has decomposed and returned unto dust shall be resurrected and glorified! If the Lord does not preserve the body unto resurrection, would dust be left for the resurrection?

Of course, the glorified body is entirely different in the sense of its quality, immortal instead of mortal, spiritual instead of natural. However, it is still the same body that shall be resurrected!

1Co 15
¶42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in corruption:
43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Now, concerning Hebrews 4:
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight : but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Some important things to note:
1. The "word of God" refers to a divine person - He is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the hearts of men; the person indicated by the personal pronouns in verse 13 - his, him, and whom. Too many Christians are oblivious of this simple but momentous truth.

2. This Divine Person is a powerful discerner of the thoughts and intents of the deepest secrets in men's hearts. His is likened to a double-edged sword, able to pierce even to the dividing asunder THINGS MOST INTIMATELY UNITED TOGETHER - like a human's soul and spirit, human's joints and marrow.

A living soul has both spirit and body; the spirit and soul are intimately and mysteriously united. However, this Divine discerner is capable of dissecting and separating them. It is like water (hydrogen and oxygen); water and hydrogen in the water are so intimately related and united.

The text is about the Divine Discerner, not the essential constitution of man.
We are completely NAKED before this powerful and sharp Divine Discerner of the thoughts and intents of our hearts.

We need to stop fooling ourselves. The pastor can fool you, and you can fool your pastor, but none can fool this Divine Discerner; He is too powerful and too sharp to be fooled by any.

Genesis 2:7 KJV — And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 KJV — Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

1 Corinthians 6:20 KJV — For ye ( living souls ) are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

This is to refute/counter the pagan dualism that the spirit is good and the body is bad; the idea that what the body does is unimportant as long as the spirit is kept 'pure'.