WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR DEAD LOVED ONES

WHAT IS THE "SPIRIT" IN  HUMANS?

The ancient Greek philosophers Socrates and Plato held that there must be something inherently immortal inside man and woman-a soul that survives death and never really dies.  Earth wide, millions believe this today.  This belief often engenders as much fear of the dead as it does concern for their welfare. The Bible teaches us something quite different about the dead.

In considering the condition of the dead, we must remember that our original father, Adam,  did not have a soul. He was a soul. In an awe-inspiring act of creation, God formed man-the soul-from the basic elements of the earth then breathed life into him "The breath of life."  Genesis 2:7  tells us:  "Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and a man came to be a living soul." Adam's  life was sustained by breathing. Yet, more than the blowing of air into man's lungs was involved when God put the breath of life into Adam.  The Bible speaks of "the force of life  that is active in earth living creatures. -Genesis 7:22.  

What is "the force of life"? It is the vital spark of life that God put into the lifeless body of Adam.  This force then sustained by the breathing process. But what is the "spirit referred to at Psalm 146:4? That verse says of one who dies:  "His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground; in that way his thoughts do perish."  (note: Also, the blood, which is the soul of the body; read Leviticus 17:10-14 has also something to do with life and when that is gone, you do not breath and you are deceased. I do not want you to get confused on this matter)  "When the Bible writers used the word "spirit" in this way, they did not have in mind a disembodied soul that continues living after the body dies. 

That "spirit" that departs from humans at death is the life force that origiated with our Creator. (Psalm 36:9; Acts 17:28) This life force does not have any of the characteristics of the creature it animates, just as electricity does not take on the features of the equipment it powers.  When someone dies, the spirit (life force ) ceases to animate the body cells, much as light goes out when the electricity is turned off.  When the life force stops sustaining the human body, man-soul-dies. - Psalm 104:29; Ecclesiastes 12:1-7.   

Note:  Again, without the blood flowing through one's body, there is no life or breath left in the body. They tend to leave that  particular part out here and I am not one to  want people to be confused here.    I try to put everything into laymen's terms or even kindergarten terms, which with anything legal, is what i need-kindergarten, so everyone will understand what is being said. I believe that is part of what is wrong with this world.  They put things in terms that only an attorney will understand and no one else.     

Next time: WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR DEAD LOVED ONES?/"TO DUST YOU WILL RETURN"

From the book: KNOWLEDGE That Leads to Everlasting Life