2st Spirit, Soul, Body (10)
2004-05-23 | Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee | 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
Today, I would like to testify to what is the difference between man and beast and where is the true value of a man who was created with soul and body.
In the past, soul was a term that encompassed both “memory devices in the human brain” and “memory contents stored therein” and “thoughts that reproduce and utilize the contents of memory.” Also, regarding the operations of the soul, when seeing, hearing, remembering, recalling, and using what is remembered, all the operations of the soul must be done properly and truthfully before God.
Now that we have learned about the body and the soul, it is our turn to learn about the spirit. By examining the differences between man and beast, it is to realize the true value of man and lead a life in which the spirit becomes the master of the soul and body.
1. The difference between man and beast from the point of view of soul and body
People who believe in the theory of evolution explain that they evolved from lower creatures to humans eventually, but once you get to know the soul and body, you will find that this explanation is not entirely correct. This is because humans and beasts have fundamentally different beginnings and completely different compositions.
Man is composed of soul and body, and the most important of them is spirit. The flesh is like a tent house that contains the spirit and soul of man. Even if the flesh decays and perishes, the spirit does not perish, and the soul is united with the spirit and remains as it is.
However, when God created the beasts, they did not breathe life into them like humans did. Therefore, animals do not have a spirit and are composed only of soul and body. The same is true for meat, birds, and other animals that live on land. They have a brain in their head, and they move and live according to the knowledge and instincts they have entered into from birth. Soon, as the brain cells rot and disappear, the memories contained in them also disappear, and the action of the soul no longer occurs, and it returns to nothingness.
Ecclesiastes 3:21 clearly shows the difference between man and beast, saying, “Who knows that the soul of a human being goes up, and the soul of an animal goes down to the bottom, that is, to the earth”. I see so much sadness and mourning. In fact, more often than not, she sheds tears for her own grief rather than for a dead beast.
If, from the point of view of a cow plowing the fields in a rural area, it dies, there is no need to be beaten or toil any more. However, from the point of view of the owner of the cattle, he is sad because he incurs a huge loss to his property. Even when a pet dog or cat dies, from the point of view of the owner, he is sad because he feels empty and sad because the existence he loved and affectionately disappears.
Of course, animals sometimes feel pain and fear. Because it acts as a soul in its own way, when the owner pours affection on it, it remembers it, shows special affection for the owner, and sometimes expresses joy, anger, or sadness.
However, since there is a limit to the action of the soul of animals, when they are born, they eat according to their instincts, eat when they are hungry, sleep when they are sleepy, reproduce and die when the time is right. Even if your soul is working, you only do as much as you need to live according to your instincts. Animals ponder what life is worth, or ask, “What will happen if I die?” I do not fear God or seek religion while thinking about it.
Of course, animals also have an instinctive fear of death. When someone tries to kill you, they run away, and when they feel threatened, they resist or fear. However, this is only the moment you feel the danger, and the fear of death disappears as soon as the danger disappears before your eyes.
However, humans can develop civilization because they have the ability to pursue more valuable things than to eat and live by working with more complex and diverse souls on a completely different level from animals, and because they think about the meaning and value of life, It creates religion.
Humans’ reactions to death are also different from those of animals. Not only are we afraid of the pain of death, we are afraid of death itself, and we have a greater fear of the afterlife. So, even though death is not yet near, they are afraid of death and try to avoid it at all costs.
For example, let’s say that a person was ill and was tested, but unexpectedly found out that he had terminal cancer and was hospitalized. Then, a person who had been living a normal life until then often becomes exhausted and sick within a day or two. It’s not because the condition suddenly worsened, but because of the despair and fear that “I’m going to die now.”
It is because man has not only soul and body, but also spirit, that he is able to function as a soul that is superior to that of beasts and to feel the fear of death. So, in their nature, people feel the spiritual world, and whether they believe in the Lord or not, they feel about God, Heaven and Hell in the deepest part of their hearts.
Among those who have not heard the gospel in the past, people with good consciences vaguely serve heaven and try to live a good life. Also, those who do not want to acknowledge God with their heads have a vague fear in their nature. If there was no such fear, people might rather welcome death. Wouldn’t it be better to die and rest forever than to live poorly in poverty, disease, and all kinds of suffering?
However, no matter how much they say they want to die, I see them struggling to live no matter what when they die. Of course, if you give up in a desperate situation or lose your heart and mind to an evil spirit, you may forget even that fear and choose to die. When they do, they suffer from the fear in their nature and try to live a little longer.
For example, the 18th-century Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire was a famous atheist who wrote many atheist tracts and articles against God, promising to wipe out Christianity within 50 years. Then, when it was time for him to die, it is said that he lamented, “I wish I had not been born.” Even if he denied God, as well as heaven and hell, he was able to feel what was true in his nature as he was nearing the end of his life.
Interestingly, Voltaire’s home, where he wrote to exterminate Christianity, became a Bible publishing house 20 years after his death, and later became a headquarters for publishing Bibles in foreign languages as well. The word of the living God lives and works forever, regardless of whether anyone denies or opposes it, and continues to be preached throughout the world to this day.
2. The true value of a person is only when the spirit becomes the master of the soul and body.
Sometimes people are afraid to hear that if an animal dies with a grudge, its soul will take vengeance on man. When I was young, when I killed a snake, I was told to hang it on a high place, but when a dead snake touches the ground, it comes back to life and comes to take revenge on the person who killed it. It is also said that the souls of cunning beasts, such as cats and foxes, harm people. However, as the soul dies along with the death of the body, animals cannot do harm even if they want to harm anyone.
Also, no matter how many years pass, animals with soul and body cannot evolve into beings with a spirit. Because God gave the spirit only to man, Adam could become the lord of all things and rule over all things.
However, the soul and body of man today is not the same as the soul and body when Adam was first created. Before Adam sinned, out of spirit, soul, and body, the spirit became the master of man and ruled over the soul and body. However, after Adam sinned, the spirit died, and the word death here does not mean that the spirit died because it was unable to function at all. .
After Adam’s transgression, the spirit died and was unable to rule over the soul and the body. As the soul became the master in this way, as the years passed, people gradually lost their value as human beings. This is because the spirit dwells in the truth in the image of God and draws the soul and body to the truth, but the soul pursues instinctive and lustful things like animals (Ecclesiastes 3:18). These beast-like human beings made of soul and body have to be punished in eternal hell because their spirits do not die out.
Therefore, if we are to go to heaven, we must regain our value as a human being, that is, the spirit must become the master and be able to rule the soul and body. Only then can we restore our status as children of God, created in the image of God, and enjoy eternal life in heaven after our earthly life ends.
Dear saints,
Even if you gain the wealth, honor, and authority of the whole world in one body, if you do not gain the salvation of your soul, your life will have a very miserable end (Luke 9:25). It would be better if it were to be destroyed like the beasts, but it would not be possible and we would have to suffer forever in a horrendous hellfire.
Therefore, we should not put our hope on this earth where we will live for a little while, but rather put our hope in the eternal afterlife, and spend the remaining time more valuable. I bless you in the name of the Lord.
