" WHAT IS MAN?" ABOUT HIMSELF HE HAS EXPRESSED AND CONTINUES TO EXPRESS MANY DIVERGENT AND EVEN CONTRADICTORY OPINIONS. IN THESE HE OFTEN EXALTS HIMSELF TO THE POINT OF DESPAIR. THE RESULT IS DOUBT AND ANXIETY.
SACRED SCRIPTURE TEACHES THAT MAN WAS CREATED TO THE IMAGE GOD," IS CAPABLE OF KNOWING AND LOVING HIS CREATOR, AND WAS APPOINTED BY HIM MASTER OF ALL EARTHLY CREATURES, THAT HE MIGHT SUBDUE THEM AND USE THEM TO GOD'S GLORY, EACH OF US IS COMPOSED OF SOUL, SPIRIT, AND MATERIALLY. WITH THE HELP OF GOD'S FURTHER REVELATION WE CAN SEE THIS IN THE STORY OF MAN MADE IN THE "IMAGE OF GOD." AND OF "THE DUST OF THE EARTH." THESE ARE TWO "ASPECTS" OF MAN, TWO "POWERS," TWO WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN ACT. OUR SOUL, OR SPIRITUAL POWER, IS JUST AS REAL AS OUR MATERIALITY WHICH WE CAN SEE AND FEEL. IT IS THE CORE OF OUR BEING, OUR CONSCIOUS, OUR INNERMOST "ME". IT INFUSES EVERY PART OF US THAT IS ALIVE.
IT ENABLES US TO THINK AND MAKE FREE CHOICES. WHEN WE THINK, WE CALL THIS POWER OUR INTELLECT OR MIND; WHEN, WE CALL IT OUR FREE WILL. WE MAKE FREE CHOICES, UNTIL "DEATH" KNOCKS ON THE DOOR. THEN WE FIND OUT
THAT MAN MEETS HIS MAKER, AND JESUS SAYS: MAN IS LIKE A PUFF OF DUST, AND HIS DAYS WERE LIKE A PASSING' SHADOW THE BIBLE FACES THE FACT THAT DEATH COMES TO EVERYONE. ON THE OTHER HAND, DEATH IS SEEN AS SOMETHING EVIL THAT STRIKES A NOTE OF TERROR IN ALL OUR MINDS. THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE THERE IS A CLOSE LINK BETWEEN DEATH AND SIN. DEATH IS PART OF THE JUDGMENT THAT COMES TO ADAM. AFTER HIS DISOBEDIENCE. PAUL REGARDS DEATH AS INEVITABLE CONSEQUENCE OF THE PRESENCE OF SIN IN THE WORLD. FOR GOD IS 'HOLY' AND CANNOT TOLERATE EVIL. IF WE DIE WITH SIN UNFORGIVEN, OUR DEATH IS NOT ONLY PHYSICAL, BUT SPIRITUAL. SINCE THE FALL OF ADAM AND EVE THE WHOLE CREATION HAS BEEN AFFECTED BY THEIR REBELLION AGAINST GOD. SIN CAME INTO THE WORLD THROUGH ONE MAN, AND HIS SIN BROUGHT DEATH WITH IT. AS A RESULT DEATH HAS SPREAD TO THE WHOLE HUMAN RACE BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS SINNED. EVERY PART OF THE UNIVERSE IS AFFECTED BY SIN BOTH PEOPLE AND THE NATURAL WORLD IN WHICH WE LIVE. ALTHOUGH WE STILL HAVE MUCH OF THE ORIGINAL NATURE GOD GAVE US, AND WE STILL KNOW AND SEARCH FOR GOD, YET WE HAVE AN INBUILT BIAS TOWARDS SIN. NEW TESTAMENT OFTEN SPEAKS OF NON-CHRISTIANS AS BEING PHYSICALLY ALIVE, BUT 'SPIRITUALLY' DEAD BECAUSE OF DISOBEDIENCE AND SINS. WHEN JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS HE TOOK THE ULTIMATE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN ON HIS SELF. HIS RESURRECTION SHOWED THAT HE HAD DEFEATED DEATH SO ALTHOUGH OUR HUMAN FATE IS TO DIE, BY FAITH IN CHRIST WE CAN HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. THE CHRISTIAN IS ALREADY LIFTED OUT OF OF SPIRITUAL DEATH TO NEW LIFE AND LOOKS FORWARD TO THE END OF THE AGE WHEN PHYSICAL DEATH, ' THE LAST ENEMY, WILL ALSO BE OVERCOME. YOU DID NOT CHOOSE ME; I CHOSE YOU; SAID JESUS. THESE WORDS SUM UP THE BIBLE'S TEACHING ON ELECTION. (CHOICE). BECAUSE GOD IS THE ALL POWERFUL CREATOR HE IS THE ONE WHO MAKES THE ULTIMATE DECISIONS-NOT MAN. YOU DID NOT CHOSE ME; I CHOSE YOU. SAID JESUS. THESES WORDS SUM UP THE BIBLE TEACHING ON ELECTION. (CHOICE.) BECAUSE GOD IS THE ALL POWERFUL CREATOR HE IS THE ONE WHO MAKES THE ULTIMATE DECISIONS.-- NOT MAN. THE OLD TESTAMENT RECORDS HOW GOD CHOSE PEOPLE. HE CHOSE ABEL NOT CAIN , ISAAC AND NOT ISHMAEL; JACOB NOT ESAU; JOSEPH NOT HIS BROTHERS. THEY WERE NOT CHOSEN FOR THEIR OWN GOODNESS OR GREATNESS.
MOSES TELLS THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL: THE LORD DID NOT LOVE YOU AND CHOOSE YOU BECAUSE YOU OUTNUMBERED OTHER PEOPLES... BUT THE LORD LOVED YOU. DO NOT SAY TO YOURSELVES THAT HE BROUGHT IN TO POSSESS THIS LAND BECAUSE YOU DESERVED IT. THE REASON FOR GOD'S CHOICE IS HIDDEN WITHIN HIS OWN MIND AND NO HUMAN MIND OR HUMAN BEING CAN UNDERSTAND IT. IT IS CLEAR, HOWEVER, THAT THOSE WHO ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE OF GOD'S CHOICE ARE EXPECTED TO OBEY HIM AND GIVE THEIR LIVES IN HIS SERVICE. THIS WAS SO FOR ABRAHAM AND THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL. IT IS NOW TRUE OF CHRISTIANS. YOU ARE THE CHOSEN RACE., THE KING'S PRIESTS. THE HOLY NATION, GOD'S OWN PEOPLE, CHOSEN TO PROCLAIM THE WONDERFUL ACTS OF GOD., WHO CALLED YOU OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS OWN MARVELOUS LIGHT. FAITH. PAUL CAREFULLY EXPLAINS IN HIS LETTERS TO THE CHRISTIANS IN BOTH ROME AND GALATIA THAT A PERSON CAN FIND A RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, NOT THROUGH YOUR OWN GOOD DEEDS ( AS PEOPLE OFTEN THINK) BUT ONLY THROUGH FAITH OR BELIEVING.
FAITH MEANS HAVING CONFIDENCE AND TRUST IN GOD.. IT IS NOT A 'LEAP' IN THE DARK. WHICH A MAN MUST TAKE. WITHOUT THINKING. IT IS A TRUST IN GOD WHOM WE BELIEVE TO BE TRUSTWORTHY. CONFIDENT IN THIS KNOWLEDGE A PERSON CAN BELIEVE AND ENTRUST HIS LIFE TO JESUS CHRIST. AS SINFUL PEOPLE WE CAN DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO SAVE OURSELVES. WE HAVE TO DEPEND TOTALLY ON WHAT GOD HAS ALREADY DONE FOR US THROUGH JESUS. THIS IS THE START OF A LIFE OF FAITH. NO ONE CAN BE CERTAIN OF LIVING ARIGHT BY HIS OWN EFFORTS. WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO TRUST WHOLLY IN JESUS AND THE SPIRIT HE GIVES US THAT HELPS US LIVE IN A WAY THAT PLEASES GOD. THIS LIFE OF DEPENDANCE ON GOD GOES RIGHT BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF GOD'S DEALINGS WITH MAN, AS PAUL SHOWS WHEN HE TRACES IT BACK TO ABRAHAM. THE NEW TESTAMENT
ALSO REFERS TO THE "FAITH" MEANING THE BASIC TEACHING ABOUT JESUS ON WHICH OUR TRUST IF ROUNDED.
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