WHAT IS MAN? HIS NATURE

1. His Nature

a) Man has three parts: body, soul and spirit, 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

b) The body is made up of flesh, bones and blood. Angels do not have bodies. At present our bodies can become sick and die. When Christ comes, Christians will receive a new body which will be like His body, 1 Corinthians 15:53, 1 John 3:2.

c) Because God raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, we can be sure that all men will also be raised from the dead, 1 Corinthians 15:22. Sad to say, the wicked will rise from the dead only to be judged for their sins, John 5:28-29.

d) Man also has a soul. With this he thinks, feels, and decides what he wants. "My soul is sorrowful", Matthew 26:38. Sometimes the word "soul" is used for the whole man, or for the part of man that is not his body. But there are some verses in the Bible which show clearly that the soul and spirit are not the same thing. See Hebrews 4:12.

e) What is the spirit of man? The spirit of man allows him to know God who is Spirit. This makes men different from animals. Animals are said to have a body and a soul, but not a spirit. An animal cannot know God.

f) Man's conscience is part of his spirit. An animal may be afraid of punishment, but does not know what is right and what is wrong. The conscience is an inner guide which acts according to what a person knows to be right and wrong. If a person get this knowledge from the Bible, a good conscience is a wonderful thing to have. But if a person does not obey his conscience, it may stop warning him altogether.

g) When a man is redeemed, his whole being is redeemed - his body, Romans 8:23, his soul, 1 Peter 1:9, and his spirit, Hebrews 12:23. Right now our bodies belong to God, but the effects of sin will not be taken away until the Lord comes.