THE SOUL IS FROM GOD
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. Creation
a) The Bible speaks of a new creation, a new birth, or a resurrection. What happens to our souls at conversion is certainly marvelous. It is a free gift from God — a gift from "the surpassing riches of his grace" (Ephesians 2:7) far beyond any price we could possibly pay.
Ephesians 2:10
“We are God’s workmanship created in Christ.”
b) When Paul says that we have been "created in Christ" he is thinking about us being "born again" as Jesus expressed it when he was talking to Nicodemus (John 3:3-5). Paul also speaks of it figuratively, as a resurrection and ascension (Ephesians 2:6).
c) To appreciate the the new creation in Christ, we need to first go back and look briefly at the story of the human soul from the beginning.
2. The Soul Is From God
a) In every person there is a soul or spirit created "in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27). God "forms the spirit of man within him" (Zechariah 12:1). So the soul of man is a gift direct from God. James tells us that "every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights... he brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among his creatures" (James 1:16-18). That's how we came into this world, and even though we may have lost our light through sin, we can have it restored through Christ as "the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
b) There is glory in Man's Soul. Man is made "a little lower than the angels" (Hebrews 2:7), not a little higher than the beasts (Psalms 8:4-8). Whilst this is a prophecy about Christ in a special sense, it also is applicable to humankind in a general sense. We must remember too, that the intent of the prophetic meaning is that Christ was to become a man. When God’s Son became a human being, he was "made like unto his brethren in all things" (Hebrews 2:17). It follows that his brethren were therefore also like him. They also were made a little lower than the angels, and through him are "crowned with glory and honor" (Hebrews 2:7). Furthermore, the rightful destiny of mankind is to become "like the angels" after a little while (Matthew 22:29-30).
c) We are often reminded by humanists and evolutionists that our genes differ from the beasts by only a few percent. That takes account only of our bodies, and only of them in their mortal form. It takes no account of our souls or of the fact that "this mortal must put on immortality" (1 Corinthians 15:42-46,53). Scientists examining the human body are finding out very little about what mankind is.
The End ...
1. Creation a) The Bible speaks of a new creation, a new birth, or a resurrection. What happens to our souls at conversion is certainly marvelous. It is a free gift from God — a gift from "the surpassing riches of his grace" (Ephesians 2:7) far beyond any price we could possibly pay.
Ephesians 2:10
“We are God’s workmanship created in Christ.”
b) When Paul says that we have been "created in Christ" he is thinking about us being "born again" as Jesus expressed it when he was talking to Nicodemus (John 3:3-5). Paul also speaks of it figuratively, as a resurrection and ascension (Ephesians 2:6).
c) To appreciate the the new creation in Christ, we need to first go back and look briefly at the story of the human soul from the beginning.
2. The Soul Is From God
a) In every person there is a soul or spirit created "in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27). God "forms the spirit of man within him" (Zechariah 12:1). So the soul of man is a gift direct from God. James tells us that "every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights... he brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among his creatures" (James 1:16-18). That's how we came into this world, and even though we may have lost our light through sin, we can have it restored through Christ as "the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
b) There is glory in Man's Soul. Man is made "a little lower than the angels" (Hebrews 2:7), not a little higher than the beasts (Psalms 8:4-8). Whilst this is a prophecy about Christ in a special sense, it also is applicable to humankind in a general sense. We must remember too, that the intent of the prophetic meaning is that Christ was to become a man. When God’s Son became a human being, he was "made like unto his brethren in all things" (Hebrews 2:17). It follows that his brethren were therefore also like him. They also were made a little lower than the angels, and through him are "crowned with glory and honor" (Hebrews 2:7). Furthermore, the rightful destiny of mankind is to become "like the angels" after a little while (Matthew 22:29-30).
c) We are often reminded by humanists and evolutionists that our genes differ from the beasts by only a few percent. That takes account only of our bodies, and only of them in their mortal form. It takes no account of our souls or of the fact that "this mortal must put on immortality" (1 Corinthians 15:42-46,53). Scientists examining the human body are finding out very little about what mankind is.
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