The Doctrine of Man - His Nature.

In dealing with the Nature of Man we will attempt to answer these five basic questions suggested by Willmington p.670 - 672:

od

Dr H. Willmington, Dean of the Willmington School of the Bible at Liberty University

A) How is man made in the Image and likeness of God?

B) Is man Dichotomous (having two parts) or Trichotomous (three parts) ? That is, does he consist of two parts: body and soul; or does he consist of three: Body, Soul and Spirit.

C) Where and how does man receive his soul?

D) What is the soul? The nature of man’s soul?

E) What are the basic characteristics of the souy, Soul and Spiritl?

A) How is man made in the Image and likeness of God?

Gen 1:26  And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creepers creeping on the earth.

Gen 1:27  And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female.

How are we to understand these words? Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.

The Historical interpretations are these:

1. That this is a reference to the trinity of man. In other words, as god is Triune in Nature (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), He created man a Triune creature consisting of spirit, soul, and body. Advocates for this theory quote hebrews 4:12 and 1 Thess 5:23 And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blamelessly at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2. That man is created in the image of God in that his Creator gave him self-consciousness, God-consciousness and a sense of Morality. Simply stated, this means man can identify himself, know his God, look back to his birth and plan for his death.

3. That when God spoke these words He was thinking of the future incarnation of Christ, the God-man, and His present-day work in making the Christian like Himself.

Php 3:20  For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which also we are looking for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Php 3:21  who shall change our body of humiliation so that it may be fashioned like His glorious body, according to the working of His power, even to subdue all things to Himself.

Rom 8:29  For whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be the First-born among many brothers.

1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when He shall be revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

4. At any rate, there seems to be an image of God in all men which cannot be lost, and an image which can be lost.

a. That image which cannot be lost. 1Co 11:7  For a man indeed ought not to have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God. But the woman is the glory of the man.

Jas 3:8  But no one can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Jas 3:9  By this we bless God, even the Father. And by this we curse men, who have come into being according to the image of God.

God instituted capital punishment and justified it on the grounds that a murderer should die for taking the life of another creature made in the image of God.

Gen 9:6  Whoever sheds man's blood, his blood shall be shed by man; for He made man in the image of God.

b. The Image which can be lost.

Col 3:9  Do not lie to one another, having put off the old man with his deeds

Col 3:10  and having put on the new, having been renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

Eph 4:24  And you should put on the new man, who according to God was created in righteousness and true holiness.

It would seem that there was a part of God’s image that was lost after Adam sinned. This must now be restored by the Holy Spirit at the time of Salvation. This lost image would seen to be the ability to know God and the desire to  love and obey Him.

B) Is man dichotomous (having two parts) or trichotomous (three parts) ? That is, does he consist of two parts: body and soul; or does he consist of three: Body, Soul and Spirit.

The Dichotomous Theory : Strong states this theory thus: “The Immaterial part of man viewed as an individual with conscious life, capable of possessing and animating a physical organism, is called psuche ; viewed as a rational moral agent , susceptible to divine influence and indwelling, this same immaterial part is called pneuma The pneuma, then , is man’s nature looking Godward, and capable of receiving and manifesting the Pneuma Hagion, the pneuma  is man’s higher part, as related to spiritual realities or as capable of  such relation: The psuche is man’s higher part , such relation. as related to the body, or  as capable of such relation. Man’s Being is therefore not trichotomous but dichotomous, and his immaterial part, while possessing duality of powers has a unity of substance.” Quoted in Henry C. Theissen, Lectures in Systematic Theology. p.226

Willmington adds, 1.a. “ Man is a dichotomous being not just because of God’s plan, but because of the very nature of the Universe, which only recognizes material and non-material.. In other words, man’s body belongs to the material and his soul to the non-material. What else is left? Therefore a man’s spirit is non-material, it must be placed into the camp of the non-material and this become identical with the soul.

b. Often in the Bible the terms soul and spirit  are used inetrchangeably. See Mary in    Luk 1:46  And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord,

Luk 1:47  and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

Cf 2 Cor 7:1; James 5:20

http://www.bible.ca/psychiatry

2. Basic Evidences for trichotomy would include:

a. The fact that some passages use both terms interchangeably, does not mean that there is no distinction whatsoever. For example, ,the phrases  the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven are on occasion used interchangeably, yet most Bible students would recognise a general and decided difference between them.

1Th 5:23  And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb 4:12  For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

b. The Hebrew word nephesh is translated by the word “soul” 428 times in the Old Testament. But on only two ocasions it is rendered “beast” and in nine other passages we find the word ”Creature” being used.

Lev 24:17  And he who kills any man shall surely be put to death.

Lev 24:18  And he who kills an animal shall make it good, animal for animal.

Gen 2:7  And the LORDH3068 GodH430 formedH3335 (H853) manH120 of the dustH6083 ofH4480 the ground,H127 and breathedH5301 into his nostrilsH639 the breathH5397 of life;H2416 and manH120 becameH1961 a livingH2416 soul.H5315 [nephesh]

Gen 2:19  And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every animal of the field and every fowl of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature,[H5315 =nephesh] that was its name.

The point of the above is this: The Bible sometimes pictures animals as having souls. Therefore as man, is different from animals, he must have something higher, and that higher thing is the spirit.

Merrill Unger

The Hebrew Scholar, Merrill Unger says about this question, “ The two terms are used interchangeably….. however , soul and spirit as synonymous terms are not always used interchangeably. The soul is said to be lost, for example, but not the spirit. When no technical distinctions are set forth, the Bible is dichotomous, but otherwise it is trichotomous. Theologians have poured over these distinctions ceaselessly. Unger’s Bible Dictionary p. 1043 in Willmington.

C) Where and how does man receive his soul?

From H.C. Theissen Lectures in Systematic Theology

In this discussion when we refer to the term soul  we are referring to the immaterial part of our nature, both soul and spirit.

There are three distinct Theories with regard to the Origin of the Soul: Pre-existence, Creationism, and Traducianism.

a) The Theory of Pre-existence.

According to this theory souls have existed in a previous state, and enter the body at some point in the early development of the body. Plato, Philo and Origen held this view. Even some theologians of our era have held to it in order to explain inherited depravity.

This Theory is Un-Scriptural. It contradicts the Bible teaching in Roman’s that all sin and death is the result of the sin of one man Adam. The theory we are opposing holds that it is the result of sin in a previous existence. We have no recollection of any previous existence. This sounds a little like reincarnation of  basicHinduism.

b) The Creation Theory.

According to this view, the soul is an Immediate Creation of God. It enters the body at an early stage of the development of the body. The body is only propagated from past generations. Notes these Scriptures that speak of God as the Creator of the soul and spirit.

Num 16:22  And they fell upon their faces and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin and will You be angry with all the congregation?

Ecc 12:7  then the dust shall return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.

Isa 57:16  For I will not contend forever, nor will I be always angry; for the spirit should fail before Me, and the souls I have made.

One basic objection is that if God creates each soul in heaven separately and sends it down into the developing body, then why are all men sinners? It is wrong therefore to say that the soul is corrupted by the body, for nowhere does the Bible teach that the source of sin in man stems from the body of flesh and blood and bones.

On the contrary, sin is said  to come from man’s stubborn and rebellious will, and his will is an aspect of the soul. God does not create a sinful soul in the first place.H.C. Theissen p.232-233

H.C. Theissen

C) Traducian Theory.

That both  the body and the soul are passed on through natural generations.This is the view of most Theologians [except C. Hodge]

Psa 51:5  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Job 14:4  Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

Psa 58:3  The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

Eph 2:3  among whom we also all once lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest:––

A serious charge is levelled against the Traducian Theory. The problem is this. If a child receives his soul from his parents, then How did Jesus escape from the sin nature of Mary and remain pure and a perfect Saviour that he was? This argument overlooks the fact that Jesus did not begin to exist at Bethlehem by either the creation nor the Traducian Method but He always existed as God. He is eternal. He prayed “a body Thou hast prepared for Me.” Heb 10:5 cp. Jn 17:5 Willmington p.672

D) What is the soul? The nature of man’s soul?

The nature of man’s soul is a mystery. So only fools are dogmatic about its definition.

Mar 12:30  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'

Mar 12:31  The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Heart: καρδία kardia kar-dee'-ah Strong's Concordance

Prolonged from a primary κάρ kar (Latin cor, “heart”); the heart, that is, (figuratively) the thoughts or feelings (mind); also (by analogy) the middle: - (+ broken-) heart (-ed).

Soul : rψυχή psuchē Thayer Definition:

1) breath 1a) the breath of life 1a1) the vital force which animates the body and shows itself in breathing 1a1a) of animals 1a1b) of men

1b) life

1c) that in which there is life 1c1) a living being, a living soul

b) the (human) soul in so far as it is constituted that by the right use of the aids offered it by God it can attain its highest end and secure eternal blessedness, the soul regarded as a moral being designed for everlasting life 2c) the soul as an essence which differs from the body and is not dissolved by death (distinguished from other parts of the body)

Mind διάνοια dianoia Thayer Definition:

1) the mind as a faculty of understanding, feeling, desiring 2) understanding

3) mind, i.e. spirit, way of thinking and feeling 4) thoughts, either good or bad

Strength ἰσχύς ischus Thayer Definition: 1) ability, force, strength, might

JFB Commentary with thy heart — This sometimes means “the whole inner man” (as Pro_4:23); but that cannot be meant here; for then the other three particulars would be superfluous. Very often it means “our emotional nature” - the seat of feeling as distinguished from our intellectual nature or the seat of thought, commonly called the “mind” (as in Phi_4:7). But neither can this be the sense of it here; for here the heart is distinguished both from the “mind” and the “soul.” The “heart,” then, must here mean the sincerity of both the thoughts and the feelings; in other words, uprightness or true-heartedness, as opposed to a hypocritical or divided affection. But next, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God” with thy soul. This is designed to command our emotional nature: Thou shalt put feeling or warmth into thine affection. Further, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God”

with thy mind — This commands our intellectual nature: Thou shalt put intelligence into thine affection - in opposition to a blind devotion, or mere devoteeism. Lastly, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God”

with thy strength — This commands our energies: Thou shalt put intensity into thine affection - “Do it with thy might” (Ecc_9:10).

Hebrews 4:12 Heb 4:12  For the Word of God is living, and powerfully working, and sharper than every two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of both soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge of the thoughts and intentions of the heart;

A.Clark“For the word of God - preached, Heb_4:2, and armed with threatenings, Heb_4:3, is living and powerful - attended with the power of the living God, and conveying either life or death to the hearers; sharper than any two-edged sword - penetrating the heart more than this does the body; piercing quite through, and laying open, the soul and spirit, joints and marrow - the inmost recesses of the mind, which the apostle beautifully and strongly expresses by this heap of figurative words; and is a discerner, not only of the thoughts, but also of the intentions.”

Willmington adds, “  The following statements  are suggestions and not absolute answers; In his opinion it would seem that the Bible indicates not so much that I have a soul, but that I am a soul. I have a body and I have a spirit, but the soul is me. But again we cannot be dogmatic here.

E) What are the basic characteristics of the soul?

There  seems to be four words we need to look at here. Intellect, feelings, conscience and will. Here are some suggested thoughts:

1. Intellect -  the human mind by which we can reason and perceive and understand.

2. Feelings - That  faculty of the soul in which the emotions tell me what I like and what I dislike.

3. Conscience - that aspect of the soul that tells me what I should do about an issue.

Note here the Bible descriptions :

a. an Evil Conscience.Heb 10:22  let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts having been sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our body having been washed in pure water;

b. A defiled Conscience: Tit 1:15  Truly, all things are pure to the pure, but to the ones being defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but even their mind and conscience has been defiled.

VWS says:Unto them that are defiled (τοῖς μεμιαμμένοις) Only here in Pastorals. See also Joh_18:28 (note); Heb_12:15; Jud_1:8. Only in Joh_18:28 in a ceremonial sense. Elsewhere of moral pollution.

Nothing is pure

Their moral pollution taints everything with its own quality. The purest things become suggestors and ministers of impurity.

Mind and conscience (ὁ νοῦς καὶ ἡ συνείδησις)

For νοῦς see on Rom_7:23 : for συνείδησις, see on 1Pe_3:16.

c. A Weak Conscience 1Co 8:7  But the knowledge is not in all; but some being aware of the idol eat as an idolatrous sacrifice until now; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

1Co 8:12  And sinning in this way against your brothers, and wounding their conscience, being weak, you sin against Christ.

d. A Good conscience. 1Ti 1:5  but the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience, and faith not pretended,

1Ti 1:18  This charge I commit to you, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies going before concerning you, that you might war the good warfare by them,

1Ti 1:19  having faith and a good conscience, which some having thrust away, made shipwreck concerning the faith,

1Ti 1:20  of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan, that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

4. The Will :That faculty of the soul where the Volution resides.Websters Dictionary says    
 1. That faculty of the mind by which we determine either to do or forbear an action; the faculty which is exercised in deciding, among two or more objects, which we shall embrace or pursue. The will is directed or influenced by the judgment. The understanding or reason compares different objects, which operate as motives; the judgment determines which is preferable, and the will decides which to pursue. In other words, we reason with respect to the value or importance of things; we then judge which is to be preferred; and we will to take the most valuable. These are but different operations of the mind, soul, or intellectual part of man. Great disputes have existed respecting the freedom of the will. Will is often quite a different thing from desire.A power over a man’s subsistence, amounts to a power over his will.

2. Choice; determination. It is my will to prosecute the trespasser.

3. Choice; discretion; pleasure.