Read Ezekiel 18:4, Ezekiel 18:20 and Matthew 10:28. How can these verses help us understand the nature of the human soul?

Human life in this sinful world is fragile and transitory (Isaiah 40:1-8). Nothing infected by sin can be eternal by nature. “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12, NKJV). Death is the natural consequence of sin, which affects all life here.

Image © Steve Creitz from GoodSalt.com

On this matter, there are two important biblical concepts. One is that human beings and animals both die. As stated by King Solomon, “Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. … All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return” (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20, , NIV).

The second concept is that the physical death of a person implies the cessation of his or her existence as a living soul (Heb. nephesh). In Genesis 2:16-17, , God had warned Adam and Eve that if they should ever sin, by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would die.

Echoing this warning, the Lord reinforced the point in Ezekiel 18:4, Ezekiel 18:20: “The soul who sins shall die” (NKJV). This statement has two main implications. One is that since all human beings are sinners, all of us are under the unavoidable process of aging and dying (Romans 3:9-18, Romans 3:23). Another implication is that this biblical concept makes void the popular notion of a supposed natural immortality of the soul. If the soul is immortal and exists alive in another realm after death, then we don’t really die after all, do we?

In contrast, the biblical solution for the dilemma of death is not a bodiless soul migrating either into Paradise or into purgatory, or even into hell. The solution is indeed the final resurrection of those who died in Christ. As Jesus stated in His sermon on the Bread of Life, “everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40, NKJV).

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

Amen!(1)

The post Monday: “The Soul Who Sins Shall Die” first appeared on Sabbath School Net.

The post Monday: “The Soul Who Sins Shall Die” appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/monday-soul-who-sins-shall-die/

Read Genesis 1:24-27 and Genesis 2:7, Genesis 2:19. What similarities and differences can you see between the way God created the animals and humanity? What does Genesis 2:7 tell us about human nature?

The Genesis account declares that on the sixth day of Creation week the Lord God brought to life land animals and the first human beings, a couple (Genesis 1:24-27). We are told that He “formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky” (Genesis 2:19, NIV). He also “formed a man from the dust of the ground” (Genesis 2:7, NIV).

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Although both animals and man were alike made from “the ground,” the formation of the man was distinct from that of animals in two main ways. First, God shaped the man physically, and then “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7, NIV). He was a physical entity before he became a living one. Second, God created humanity as both male and female in the very image and likeness of the Godhead (Genesis 1:26-27).

Genesis 2:7 explains that the infusion of the “breath of life” into the physical body of Adam transformed him into “a living being” (Heb. Nephesh chayyah) or literally “a living soul” (KJV). It means that each of us does not have a soul that can exist apart from the body. Rather, each one of us is a living being or a living soul. The claim that this “soul” is a conscious entity that can exist separate from the human body is a pagan, not a biblical, idea. Understanding the true nature of humanity prevents us from accepting the popular notion of an immaterial soul and all the dangerous errors built upon that belief.

There is no conscious existence of any isolated part of the human being separated from the person as a whole. God created us in a fearful and wonderful way, and we should not speculate beyond what the Scriptures actually say about this specific matter. In fact, not only is the very nature of life a mystery (scientists still can’t agree on exactly what it means for something to be alive), even more mysterious is the nature of consciousness. How does the few pounds of material tissue (cells and chemicals) in our heads, the brain, hold and create immaterial things like thoughts and emotions? Those who study this idea admit that we really don’t know.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

Amen!(0)

The post Sunday: “A Living Being” first appeared on Sabbath School Net.

The post Sunday: “A Living Being” appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/sunday-living-being/

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Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Genesis 1:24-27; Genesis 2:7, Genesis 2:19; Matthew 10:28; Ecclesiastes 12:1-7; 1 Kings 2:10; 1 Kings 22:40.

Memory Text: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7).

The tension between God’s word, “You shall die” (Genesis 2:16-17, , NRSV) and Satan’s counterfeit promise, “You certainly will not die!” (Genesis 3:4, NASB) was not restricted to the Garden of Eden. It has echoed throughout history.

Many people try to harmonize the words of Satan with the words of God. For them, the warning, “You shall die” refers only to the perishable physical body, while the promise, “You certainly will not die!” is an allusion to an immortal soul or spirit.

But this approach doesn’t work. For example, can contradictory words of God and of Satan be harmonized? Is there an immaterial soul or spirit that consciously survives physical death? There are many philosophical and even scientific attempts to answer these questions. But, as Bible-based Christians, we must recognize that only the Almighty God, the One who created us, also knows us perfectly (see Psalm 139:1-24). Thus, only in His Word to us, the Scriptures, can we find answers to these crucial questions.

This week we will consider how the Old Testament defines human nature and the condition of human beings at death.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 15.

Sunday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/sabbath-understanding-human-nature/

Support for the mission activities of the Seventh-day Adventist church has always been part of the Sabbath School program. This video is Mission Spotlight for this week.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vOVzYThOd8&w=560&h=315]

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The post Mission Spotlight for October 8 first appeared on Sabbath School Net.

The post Mission Spotlight for October 8 appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/mission-spotlight-for-october-8/

“Join host Eric Flickinger from It Is Written as he discusses this week’s Sabbath School lesson with the author, Dr Alberto Timm. Come away with unique insights and discover the main points the author wished to convey in this week’s lesson.”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFzr5P_GqVo&w=560&h=315]

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The post 2: Death in a Sinful World – It is Written – Discussions with the Author first appeared on Sabbath School Net.

The post 2: Death in a Sinful World – It is Written – Discussions with the Author appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/2-death-in-a-sinful-world-it-is-written-discussions-with-the-author/