23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.
In the next few messages focusing on the important truths of the Bible as opposed to the lies we face every day, I want to focus on death, dying and eternity. To do this we need to start at the core of who we are as humans.
One of the greatest lies of the past century attacks the very nature of who we are and what we are and what we will be.
Evolution is now taught in schools across the world. It is presented as a forgone conclusion, a scientific fact and as the only rational explanation for the existence of mankind and all of life on earth.
- Most of the debate has been about the science, but I want to focus on the outcome, on what the conclusion is; what this had led to in terms of what people believe about life and death:
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- The evolutionists believe and propagate that man is just an animal,
- just another species that inhabits this planet.
- At most equal to all the other animals, but guilty of all things bad on earth.
- Many want to see man as purely a physical being that lives on earth and then dies. End of story.
- When you are dead you are dead! Part of the food chain.
- Nothingness. At most a memory. No accountability, no judgement, no eternity.
- Abortion apologists hold firmly to this view. Humans are nothing special.
- The evolutionists believe and propagate that man is just an animal,
The Bible teaches something very different:
Man Is A Trinity (Spirit, Soul, Body)
The Bible teaches that Man is more than just an animal. Man is created by God for a purpose and man is immortal.
To understand immortality – the fact that man has life after death; we need to understand that man is made up of a body, a spirit and a soul.
- Some think there is just a body and a spirit, but the Bible makes a clear distinction between soul and spirit – they are hard to distinguish, but they are not the same.
- We were created in the image of God. God is a trinity and so is man.
The Bible says:
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.
And in Hebrews 4 we read:
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Heb. 4:12-13.
Many of the Cults dispute this fact and then use it as a basis to teach other false doctrines concerning death, resurrection and eternity –
- especially in the denial of hell and eternal punishment – more on this later.
What does the Bible mean by spirit, soul and body:
The Spirit
When spelt with a Capital letter the word “Spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit. When spelt with a small letter in has one of many meanings. It can refer to the Devil or an evil spirit and it can refer to the spirit of man – one of the parts of his being.
“The threefold nature of man might be illustrated in several ways. Dr. Clarence Larkin uses three circles (Rightly Dividing The Word, page 86). The outer circle stands for the body of man, the middle circle for the soul, and the inner for the spirit.”
The body touches the outer world through the five senses – sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing.
Larkin says that: The Gates to the ‘Soul’ are ‘Imagination,’ ‘Conscience,’ ‘Memory,’ ‘Reason’ and the ‘Affections.’
The “spirit” receives impressions of outward and material things through the soul. The spiritual faculties of the ‘spirit’ are ‘Faith,’ ‘Hope,’ ‘Reverence,’ ‘Prayer’ and ‘Worship.’
- God created the spirit of man to have fellowship with Himself
- Sin closed off this fellowship:
- When Adam sinned, a curtain was drawn across this window to God,
- The spirit of man became a death chamber and remains so for all unregenerated hearts.
- Rebirth pulls back the curtain and allows life and light to enter the spirit of man. The Power of the Holy Spirit gives new life in Christ.
- The spirit of man is the sphere of God-consciousness, where the work of regeneration takes place.
- This is the main theatre of the Holy Spirit’s activity in man, and the part of man’s nature with which He has peculiar affinity,
People who have not been reborn cannot know the things of God.
See 1 Corinthians 2:10 – 16
- Being a church member does not mean you are regenerated.
- Many come to church but do not understand the Word, or fellowship or worship.
- They need to be reborn – made alive to the things of the Spirit.
The Soul
A soul is what makes a living being alive. It is our psyche, emotions, mind and conscience.
- Our desires, affections and thoughts are not orientated to God or the things of God while our spirit is unregenerated.
- When we come to Christ, we can for the first time love God, hear God and commune with God.
Immortality
- Different to animal and plants – they are temporary.
Many unbelievers believe in immortality. Despite holding on to evolution. Just listen to how they talk when losing a loved one.
- It is part of the human condition – we instinctively know that life does not end at the grave.
- Most people hope on eternal life.
- People believe in ghosts, spirits:
- In many African countries people believe that their ancestors still see and hear and guide them.
- The Bible is clear on the subject – it assumes the eternal existence of every soul.
- No soul can ever be annihilated.
- The soul can “die” but nowhere does the Bible tell us that it will enter a state of non-existence or even non-consciousness.
- There is no “soul-sleep” at death and no soul destruction in eternity.
Three Kinds of Death
The Bible teaches that there are three kinds of death and it distinguishes clearly between each.
- First, there is physical death, or the separation of the soul from the body.
- This is the death of the body to which reference was made in Hebrews 9: 27, “It is appointed unto men once to die.”
- Jesus showed his authority when He raised Lazarus.
- Second, the Bible teaches that there is a spiritual death.
- This is the separator of the soul from God, the condition of all unbelievers of whom Paul says they are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), and “alienated from the life of God” (Ephesians 4:18).
- Third, there is eternal death or banishment from God.
- All who suffer eternal death are conscious, but “shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord” (2 Thessalonians 1:9), these “have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).”[1]
- This is the death of the body to which reference was made in Hebrews 9: 27, “It is appointed unto men once to die.”
Through sin death entered the world
- – immortality took on mortality.
- Eternal became temporary. (1 Corinthians 15:22)
- The whole human race was sentenced to death.
- However, Jesus redeemed man by presenting to God a sacrifice that was acceptable –
- His own blood.
10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Timothy 1:10.
Jesus has now brought immortality to all who believe.
- Through the triumph of the cross, by His death and resurrection Jesus abolished death. Hebrews 2:14-15 says:
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Eternal Life and Immortality
Eternal life and immortality are not the same thing.
- The soul never lost immortality and therefore even the ungodly have immortal souls.
- Through sin, our bodies became corruptible and even when we are regenerated and our bodies become heirs to immortality – they still die.
- They need to be resurrected to immortality.
- Our souls, however, receive eternal life. John 3:36 says,
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
Jesus said: “I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” (John 11:25).
Resurrection of our bodies
After death, redemption of the soul is behind us, it has already taken place for the believer, but the redemption of his body still lies in the future.
- All three parts still need to be united so that he can again reflect the image of the likeness of God his creator.
- This takes place at the resurrection.
- At the return of Christ, who made it all possible through his own death and Resurrection.
- Jesus died and rose again!
The Bible teaches us that:
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 1 Corinthians 15: 20 – 23
Through Adam everybody had to die and in Christ every child of God will be raised, never to die again.
Many things happen at this moment when we are resurrected:
When we are raised our bodies will change:
- Raised to be Like Jesus
- From Corruption to Incorruption—
- From Mortality to Immortality
- From Dishonour to Glory
- From Weakness to Power
- From the Natural to the Spiritual
- It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body
We are not animals. We were created by God and for God. We have a future. All men – saved and unsaved have a future. The question is what will happen once we have been resurrected and where will we spend eternity?
Next follows Judgement. I will deal with this next week.
[1] Strauss L