WHAT IS MAN?

This article is not a message of correction for men even though it is entitled, "What Is Man?" However, it is an article to dispel error from gnosticism and paganism that was brought into the church between 70-170 A.D. There was a cloud that hung over the church during this period that prevents historians from understanding what was taking place.

Nearly all of the churches in the 20th Century teach that man has an immortal soul living inside of a flesh body. One church in this century actually teaches that there are immortal souls in heaven waiting for a fleshly human baby to be born that it may come to earth and inhabit that body. Many variations are taught with the same bottom line - man has an IMMORTAL SOUL! This flies in the face of inspired scripture! "…and this MORTAL must put on immortality" (1 Cor. 15:53). What is the truth?

The Only Source of Truth

The ONLY source of truth is Jesus Christ, the only Saviour of this world. He is the One Who sets doctrine. He is the One Who made man, then came into the world to save him. Notice His words: "That which is born of flesh IS flesh" (John 3:6). Jesus said clearly that when born of flesh and blood parents that we BECOME flesh also. He also revealed: "That which is BORN of spirit IS spirit." (John 3:6).

There is an old rule of mathematics that states: "whatever is on one side of an equal mark must balance what is on the other side of the equal mark." The verb "is" is like an equal mark. Example: "That which is born of flesh = flesh." Or: "That which is born of spirit = spirit." Primary mathematics requires that 2 + 2 = 4, not 5, 6, or 7. Jesus said there are two types of bodily composition - flesh as opposed to spirit (1 Cor. 15).

Of What Is Man Composed?

The answer to this question is very confusing unless you accept the ONLY source of truth - Jesus written on paper called the Bible. After all, Jesus said: "…thy word is truth" (John 17:17).

Gnostics of old were without God's Holy Spirit. They cannot understand spiritual things with a natural, carnal mind (1 Cor. 2: 7-16). What we are discussing is spiritually discerned. People such as Plato, Aristotle and others were gnostics and members of the Illuminati - supposedly "enlightened ones." Yet they had NO understanding of man.

Paul made an astute observation: "Concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh" (Rom. 1:3). Jesus was made flesh. He was made after the seed of David. It was according to David's seed through Mary that Jesus became a flesh and blood human being. The Apostle John wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that He [Jesus] was God (John 1:1-3,14), composed of spirit before the world began (John 17:5; Col. 1:12-18), emptied Himself of spirit composition and came into human form as flesh and blood. Notice Paul's words: "For it pleased the Father that in him [that is Jesus Christ] should all fullness dwell: And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him [Jesus who came into human flesh] to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his FLESH through DEATH [absence of life], to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight" (Col. 1:19-22). Clearly, it says we are reconciled BECAUSE Jesus Christ died in the flesh.

Why was it required that Jesus die in the flesh? You and I, the sinners to be redeemed, were born of flesh, therefore, BECAME FLESH! You and I are composed of flesh and blood. Jesus emptied himself of divinity, spirit composition, and came into flesh just like we are composed. God the Father gave Jesus His Holy Spirit WITHOUT measure. This would provide Him with the spiritual power to resist sin and become our Saviour. If Jesus had sinned just once, He would die FOR HIS OWN SINS AND NOT OURS!!! Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote: "For I know that in me (that is, in my FLESH) dwells no good thing: for to will is present with me; [in other words, with my mind I want to do that which is good] but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do it not: But the evil which I would not, that I do" (Rom. 7:18-19). The Apostle Paul states that in this FLESH body dwells no good thing. This requires a change in body composition by God the Father to correct the circumstances.

The word flesh is #4561 in the Strong's Concordance of the Greek language. It comes from the base word #4563 which means flesh "as stripped of skin." In other words, your muscular tissue that holds the body and skeletal system together. It means the body, a human being, carnal, fleshly. Paul wrote again under inspiration: "Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of ANGELS, intruding into those things which he has not SEEN, vainly puffed up by his FLESHLY mind" (Col. 2:18). Because a person is flesh, he has never seen an angelic being that is composed of spirit. Angels have materialized and been seen by people and on rare occasions a person's eyes have "been opened" to see the spirit realm. This verse shows clearly two different realms are involved. "Vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind."

Fleshly mind! What does the word Fleshly mean? It means pertaining to the flesh, bodily, temporal, animal. If this definition from the Strong's Concordance of the Greek language equates our fleshly body to animals, then what is the distinction between man and animal? We will get to that eventually.

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