What Is Man?

This is an important question for several reasons.

1. If we do not understand what we are, we cannot understand why we need salvation.

2. If we are in ignorance as to our nature, we are equally in ignorance concerning our destiny, and cannot understand from what Jesus redeems; or the position in which redemption places us.

3. If we do not know our nature, we cannot know that it was necessary for Jesus to die upon the Roman cross, and the necessity of his death.

4. Mormonism is founded on the statement that the spirit of one Maroni appeared to Joseph Smith, and told him of the golden plates. A proper understanding of what we are proves their claim false.

5. Spiritualism is builded upon the assumption that immortal disembodied spirits can and do converse with its mediums. It, too, would soon be a thing of the past if we all understood our make-up.

6. The Protestant, Roman, and Heathen Hells are kindled by an improper understanding of our constitution.

7. Purgatory is also built upon the same false idea, that man is partly immortal. And we could show that Mohammedanism, Christian Science and all the dark religions are supported by the same fallacious proposition.

If our souls, or spirits, are immortal and capable of conversing with, and singing praise to, God why may they not converse with a Smith, or a medium in this mundane sphere? If the generally accepted interpretation of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus is true, why do we not hear the conversation between the damned in hades and the saved in heaven, as one is Biblically represented as being above and the other below, placing us between the two places?

I wonder if they have wireless telegraphs across the great gulf; and receivers and transmitters at each end. But to the question, "What is man?" A being of flesh.—"That which is born of flesh is flesh." (John iii: 6). "I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing."—Rom. vii: 18. Here the ego, "Me," and "my flesh" are explanatory the one of the other, and no room is left for the spook of Mormonism, or the Ghost of popular Christianity. Moses in explaining the creation of man states—"Yahweh Elohim formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."—Gen. ii: 7. Is it true? If not we know nothing of the formation of man, and if so the spark of modern Christianity is left out, which shall we believe? "Let God be true," and spookology go to its originator—the serpent. Again, we are told after the man whom the Elohim had created had become, a transgressor—"In the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return." Gen. iii: 19. Actually, was man taken out of the ground, and is he a creature of dust formation, and does he in death return unto dust? Inspiration answers affirmatively, and he who contradicts it makes God out a liar; for "He that believeth not God hath made him a liar." I Jno. v.10. Surely none will contend for a theory that holds the God of the Bible in such light before a perishing world, after a thorough investigation. After man had become quite numerous and sinful, God said: "My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh; yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." Gen. vi: 3. Did God here mean what he said, and say what he meant? If so, man is a being of flesh, and he is mortal; for his days were not eternity; but only one hundred and twenty years. "And Abraham answered and said, "Behold now I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes."—Gen. xviii: 27. Did Abraham here speak the truth when he confessed he was but "dust and ashes?" If not then he should have been corrected. Had one of our modern divines been there, he would have been almost certain to exclaim, No, no, father Abraham, you are immortal in soul or spirit, and the "dust and ashes," are what compose the body, the house in which you live. But not so with Abraham, he had no such faith and it should be the same with us; for, "Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,"—Rom. ix: 16. "He (God) remembered that they were but flesh."—Psa. lxxviii:39. God could not remember a falsehood as true, hence man is but flesh, and not an immortal entity inhabiting a body of flesh for a short period.

But does man actually die and become unconscious in death? We read of Adam (Gen. v: 5), Seth (Gen. v:5:8), Enoch (Gen. v.5-11), Canaan (Gen. v: 14), Jared (Gen. v:20), Methuselah (Gen v: 27), and Lameth (Gen v: 31), that they each "lived" a certain number of years, and then "died." The record is so plain here that I can see no room for cavil. "All the days that Adam lived." What is meant by this statement? Does it mean that 930 years were only the commencement of his life and that he still lives as an immortal entity? If so, of what use is language? God says, "All the days that Adam lived were 930 years" and adds, "and he died," showing that man is not alive while dead; and so in each other case cited. Job Chap. xiv: 1 says, "Man that is born of woman is of few days, and full of trouble." Preachers say man that is born of woman is as enduring as God himself.

Which is right? I must believe Job. Don't you? "He (man) cometh forth a flower, and is cut down; he fleeth also as a shadow and continueth not"—Job xiv: 2. If Job is correct here, man is cut down like a flower and fails to continue, which would not be true if he continues to all eternity "Man dieth and wasteth away; yea man giveth up the ghost and where is he?'' "Man lieth down and riseth not; till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake nor be raised out of their sleep." Chap. xiv: 10-12. Here we are plainly told that after man dies he "lieth down," and sleeps, instead of emigrating to some other country or state to live; verse 21 declares of the man who is in death, "His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them;" showing how false modern spiritualism is, and overthrowing many modern sermons, which tell us of loved ones beckoning us on. But perhaps dead folks are in heaven, and are singing praise to God and don't have time to look back to mother earth and their sons; what saith the scripture? "For in death there is no remembrance of thee (God); in the grave who shall give the thanks."—Psa. vi: 5. Shall I believe it? But don't dead people know some things? "For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything." Eccl. ix: 5. We must believe this too, or we make God a liar.

But, where do the dead sleep? Is it in a realm of spirits? "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake."—Dan. xii: 2. Isaiah also assures us that God's "dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust, for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out her dead."—Chap. xxvi: 19. Do you want plainer language than this? But does not the Bible speak of immortality? Yes; we read, "Which in his times shall show who is the blessed and only potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto,” etc. I Tim. vi: 15, 16, "Now unto the king eternal, immortal, invisible the only wise God, be honor and glory forever."—I Tim. i: 17. Then God is immortal according to Paul; but what of man? "And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man," etc. Rom. i: 1-23. Here we are shown the contrast between God and man—one corruptible, the other incorruptible, or the one mortal and the other immortal.

Can man ever attain to immortality? Yes; God will render "unto them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life."—Rom. ii: 7. When? "Behold I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on corruption and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory."—I Cor. xv: 31-54. The Bible tells us nothing of anyone having an immortal soul or spirit, or of a separation of such from the body at death, as the clergy would have us believe; but that immortality is to be put on by this mortal. So man then is not immortal, but patiently must strive to gain a life eternal through Christ who makes alive.

John J. Heckman

The Christadelphian Advocate. November 1904, pgs. 589-592.