SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES! (John. 5:39). WHY am I a Seventh day – Adventist? TOPIC 7,2. “THE NATURE OF HUMANITY”. Millions of people on our planet believe in a doctrine of the “immortal soul”. Many people say, that when a person dies, his soul is separated from his body and sent to its designated place. In the very beginning, we want to say that this is a false doctrine that has nothing in common with the teachings of the Bible. In the Word of God there is no such doctrine or even a phrase as the “immortal soul”. Prophets, Christ and Apostles never use such term or teach anything like that. But а question arises: “Who benefits from having such a huge number of people believe in something that is not in the Bible?” Jesus said, that false doctrines are the devil’s seeds, which he sowed and disseminated on the God’s field (Matt. 13:27-28). To find out into what parts a person falls apart after death, we first need to know what the Bible says about what parts God created humans from. Bible says: “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 being”. (Genes. 2:7). (KJV). These words inform us, that for a creating human being - there were ONLY two major components: 1). The DUST of the ground. 2). The BREATH of life. (Dust + breath = living soul). (Living soul – breath of life = Dust). As we see, before the creation of man, he did not exist in any other form or dimension... The Bible does not say that God breathed some kind of “soul” into man. The “living soul” had appeared only then, when God breathed the “breath of life” into the lifeless body of man. In the original Hebrew in which the books of the Old Testament were written, the breath of life is called “neshamah”- נִ שְׁ מַ ת . The Bible teaches that the same breath of "neshamah" is present in all living creatures on earth (Еccl. 3:19). It’s obvious, that the author of the continuation of human’s life after death - (in the form of a soul) - is the devil. It was he who first distorted God’s words about death and said to the first people: “you will not die” and you will be like gods... (Gen.3:4-5). (To be like God – means to be a “spirit” (John 4:24). Satan invented a false doctrine of the “immortal soul” in order to appear to living in a form of deceased relatives and confuse them... Usually, (those so called souls) - tell the same story how after their death -they were in a dark pipe or a corridor, and then – they ended up on a lawn covered with green grass etc. Knowing that falsehood beforehand – God strictly warned all of us do not communicate with spiritists, mediums and those, who call up the dead (Deut. 18:10-11). TO BE CONTINUED ON THE NEXT THURSDAY. (fb)

THE TRUTH IS IN JESUS. TOPIC #7: NATURE OF HUMANITY. “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 being”. (Gen.2:7). In order to understand our human nature, we should unpack such 5 topics of the Bible as: 1).Humanity’s origin. 2).What it means to be created in God’s image. 3) How humanity lost their perfection, severing their connection to God. 4).How that loss of connection impacts every part of our lives. 5).God’s plan to redeem us and repair the relationship we once had with Him. A). We were made in the image of God with individuality, the power and freedom to think and to do. Though created free beings, each is an indivisible unity of body, mind, and spirit, dependent upon God for life and breath and all else. When image of God in us was marred - we became subject to death. Our descendants share this fallen nature and its consequences. They are born with weaknesses and tendencies to evil. As ancient prophet wrote: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me”. (Ps. 51:5). B). We were created of dust”. We live, because God was personally involved in the creation of humanity. God has breathed a breath of life into us. Everything else - the plants, the animals and the stars were spoken into existence. Humans possess specific capabilities other living beings on earth do not. These characteristics are also qualities God expresses. Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Gen.1:26). C). We don’t just sense our surroundings, we aware of them. We can process things voluntarily and make decisions based on the sensory information we take in. God created the earth and gave us the ability to create things within the earth. While ultimate authority belongs to God, He also gave humanity responsibility. He asked Adam and Eve to care for the earth (Gen.2:15). D). Free agency is a key component of the nature of humanity. Adam and Eve were able to control their own thoughts, actions and desires, but they must be able to choose Him. And in order to be able to choose, choices must exist (Deut. 30:19-20). E). Regretfully, Adam and Eve had disobeyed God’s warning. The devil, deceived them by the idea of being “like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). F). Without connection to God, we lost our perfection... We no longer resemble God. But He came to redeem us and restore the lost connection we once had with Him. It was done through Jesus Christ He was the only truly perfect person Who has ever lived on this earth. He provided His righteousness for all of us, restoring our relationship with God. “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men”. (Rom. 5:18). “For as by the one man’s disobedience tmany were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous”. (Rom. 5:19). TO BE CONTINUED ON THE NEXT THURSDAY. (fb)