Lesson 9: Nature of Man

Of the religions being studied, there are a few that teach differently from the Bible on the nature of man. The Bible teaches that man is a twofold creature; both physical and spiritual. Among the denominations that teach differently are: Jehovah Witness, Seventh-Day Adventists, Christian Scientists and Mormons.

MORMONS

The Mormons teach that man pre-existed before the world was created and that man was a spiritual being united with a physical body. "And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth...I, the Lord God, had created all children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth,..." (Moses 3:5, Doctrine and Covenants).

They also teach if man had not sinned, they could not have had children. "And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the Garden of Eden...and they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence..."(II Nephi 2:22-25).

REFUTATION: To refute these doctrinal errors we need go only to the scriptures. Note the contradictions between the Mormon's doctrine and the Bible. In Isaiah 44:2 and Isaiah 48:5, we find that man is formed in the womb. God's creative power can be seen in natural childbirth. Birth is one of the greatest wonders of life. It is by that process that we come to be.

"The burden of the word of the Lord...and formeth the spirit of man within him" (Zechariah 12:1). "But there is a spirit in man..." (Job 32:8). By these two scriptures we learn that the spirit is placed in man; not that the body is given to the spirit. Man and the spirit are created by God and when man is created (by natural childbirth) the spirit is put there by God. Nowhere does the Bible teach that man ever existed before his earthly existence. On the contrary, James said that death is a separation of the body and spirit (James 2:26). Solomon said, "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Again it is stressed that the spirit is made, formed and created to be housed in the body, not the body for the spirit. But this does not make the spirit less important than the body.

In Genesis 1:26-27 we read, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth..." This statement was made by God before Adam and Eve had sinned. Eve's punishment after her sin was not childbirth (for that would be a glorious and precious gift) but it was her pain in childbirth. "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children;..." (Genesis 3:16).

JEHOVAH WITNESS

It seems to me that the J.W. are not as concerned about evangelism as they are to spread their doctrine and teaching. Not once in my encounters with them have they ever asked or sought to discuss the matter of becoming a Christian. Perhaps this is due in part to their peculiar view of man himself.

The J.W. teach that man does not possess a soul. "Since the human soul is man himself, then it cannot be some shadowy thing that merely inhabits the body or that can exist apart from the person. Yes, your soul is really you, with all your physical and mental qualities. When a person dies, it is the human soul that dies." (The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life, pgs. 36-37) "When a human creature dies nothing survives - no soul, no body" (Make Sure of All Things, p. 241).

J.W. declare that man was created in the "image of God". This means that man was endowed with God's attributes. To them, the attribute is the privilege of holding dominion over the earth and its animal inhabitants, not the immortal soul! The J.W. will make a play on the words Nephesh, a Hebrew word for soul and the corresponding Greek word, psyche, meaning soul or spirit. They will show you how it refers to the breathing of man and animals; meaning breathing creatures.

REFUTATION: The question is not whether the words "spirit" and "soul" are sometimes used to refer to the life principle which inhabits both man and animal and which ceases at death (Genesis 2:7; Revelation 16:3), however the words do sometimes have this meaning. Often a word has more than one meaning such as "heaven" which may refer to the air where birds fly or to the dwelling place of God. The question is, "Do some passages use the words soul or spirit in a way to indicate the immortal part of man?" YES!

1. LUKE 23:46, MATTHEW 27:50, ACTS 7:59 Jesus entrusted His spirit to God.

2. ECCLESIASTES l2:7 The spirit returns to God while the body returns to dust, not his breath.

3. PHILIPPIANS 1:21-23, II CORINTHIANS 5:8, II TIMOTHY 4:6 Paul says that after death he expected to go to Christ.

4. MARK 12:27, MATTHEW 17:3, LUKE 20: 37-38 God is not God of the dead but of the living.

5. LUKE 16:19-31

6. I SAMUEL 28:14-19

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST

The Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) teach the same as the J.W. about man in that man is completely physical and not spiritual. Man does not have a soul, but is a soul. "Man was endowed at creation with conditional immortality; we do not believe that man has innate immortality or an immortal soul" (Questions on Doctrine p.23).

REFUTATION: The same scriptures we used with the J.W. can be used to teach the truth about man to the SDA.

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE

It is ironic that the Christian Scientists (CS) use the same scripture as the J.W. and SDA do yet have a totally different viewpoint. The CS teach that man has NO BODY; that man is completely spiritual. "Man is not matter; he is not made up of brain, blood, bones, and other material elements. The scriptures inform us that man is made in the image and likeness of God. God is a spirit...man is a reflection of God, or mind, and therefore is external" (Science and Health, p. 475).

"The science of the first record proves the falsity of the second. If one is true, the other is false for they are antagonistic. Is this creation of Genesis l or Genesis 2 real or unreal. Is it the truth or is it a lie concerning man and God. It must be a lie, for God presently curses the ground" (Science and Health p. l39). Of course they would say this because it would violate their doctrine concerning man.

REFUTATION: Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 do not conflict with one another. Genesis 1 is a generalization of creation and Genesis 2 is specific in its description of the creation. Many scriptures can be cited, but the C.S. will deny them as being true. Two scriptures in particular can be used to show the fallacy of their teachings.

l. John 4:24, Luke 24:36-39. This is very important because of their belief in Christ.

2. "Christ is the ideal truth, that comes to heal sickness and sin through Christian Science, and attributes all power of God. Christ, as the true spiritual idea, is the ideal of God now and forever..." (Science and Health p.361).

If man is created in God's image and is all spiritual and Christ is the ideal God, why did Jesus say that He had flesh and blood? (Luke 24:36-39).

QUESTIONS

Explain the nature of man. How was he created?
What religions teach differently from the bible about the nature of man?
Explain what each denomination below teaches concerning man.
- Mormons
- Christian Science
- Jehovah Witnesses
- Seventh-Day Adventists
What scriptures would you use to teach the truth to a Mormon about man?
J.W. and SDA believe that man is physical. Which scriptures refute this idea?
What scriptures could be used to teach a Christian Scientist about the nature of man?