The Great Salvation. Thomas Williams

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      18. The spirit of man not an immortal entity, but the word is used for life, mind and disposition

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       PROPOSITION 18.

      The Spirit of Man Is Not an Immortal Entity, But the Word is Used for Life, Mind and Disposition

      Now, reader, you may be under the impression that spirit is only applied to man in the Scriptures; and truly, if it is a word that signifies immortal entity, it ought never to apply to the beasts in any sense. If we show you testimonies in which spirit is spoken of as belonging to the beasts as well as to man, then you will see at once that it cannot have the meaning commonly attached to it.

      Now there are different words in the original Scriptures that are rendered in our translation spirit. It will therefore be well for me to give these and a brief statement of the facts as to their meaning and use. To do this I will quote from the alphabetical appendix of the Emphatic Diaglott a statement whose correctness you can, with little trouble, test yourself.

      The Definition and Use of the Word Spirit as Found in the Scriptures

      "The Hebrew world ruach occurs 400 times in the Old Testament, and is rendered spirit 240 times; breath 28 times; wind 95 times; mind 6 times; and the balance in 18 different ways. The Greek word pneuma has been chosen by the inspired writers of the New Testament as the equivalent in meaning of ruach. It occurs 385 times, and is the only word rendered spirit, (with two exceptions, Matt. 14:26; Mark 6:49). Pneuma, like ruach of the Old Testament, has four significations: 1. It represents primarily the air that we breathe. 2. It denotes a being, as angels. 3. It represents an influence from a being. 4. It indicates a state of feeling. It is believed that there is not a passage where these words rendered spirit occur but what may be classified under one of these significations."

      Now when it is said in Gen. 6:17, "I do bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh wherein is the breath (ruach, the Hebrew word often rendered spirit) or life, we see that "immortal soul" or "immortal spirit' is out of the question; for "all flesh" included the beasts of the field.

      When the wise man declares of man and beasts in Ecc. 3:19, "For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them; as the one dieth so dieth the other; YEA THEY HAVE ALL ONE BREATH (ruach), you would certainly not read, yea they have all one "immortal spirit. So, also, when it is said in Jas. 2:26, "For as the body without the spirit (pneuma) is dead, the meaning is, as you will see by the word breath in the margin, "the body without the breath (or life) is dead. And surely this is true of all flesh wherein is the breath or spirit of life.

      It was the breath of life that God breathed into man to make him a living man. Before that he was a lifeless man. When God takes away the breath of life or the spirit of life, which all creatures possess, the man becomes as lifeless as he was before he received the breath of life. Hence Solomon says in Ecc. 12:7, "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return to God who gave it." The word rendered spirit here is the same as is rendered breath in chapter 3:19, where it says of man and beasts, yea they have all one breath (ruach).

      The fact that our translators have rendered the same word (ruach) breath and spirit does not change the fact that the inspired writers used the same word. A good way for you to test whether the inspired writers believed as theologians do now -- that spirit means "immortal spirit" or soul -- is to read "immortal spirit" in the verses where the words rendered spirit, breath and wind occur. Try in the following:

      I Kings 2:9 And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

      Job 9:18 He will not suffer me to take my breath ( ruach ).

      Job 12:10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

      Job 27:3 All the while my breath is in me, and the Spirit of God is in my nostrils.

      Job 33:4 The spirit of God hath made me and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

      Eph. 4:23 Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.

      Col. 2:5 For though I be absent in flesh yet am I with you in spirit.

      Num. 16:22 O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh.

      Num. 27:16 Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation.

      Josh. 5:1 Neither was there any spirit in them any more because of the children of Israel.

      I Kings 10:4, 5 When the Queen of Sheba had seen Solomon’s wisdom there was no spirit in her.

      Psa. 104:29, 30 Thou takest away their breath (spirit of the beasts, see context) they die and return to the dust.

      We say, a proud spirit, a haughty spirit, a rebellious spirit, a meek spirit, etc.; but we use the word for disposition or state of mind, and not for immortal entity. We say a horse is in good spirits or is a spirited creature; but we do not use the word as theologians do.

      Understanding spirit to be used for life, we can understand the words, "Lord Jesus receive my (not me) spirit and Stephen fell asleep (Acts 7:59); and, Jesus, when he had cried with a loud voice, yielded up the СКАЧАТЬ