Studies in the Life of the Christian: His Faith and His Service — John Shaqi
Studies in the Life of the Christian: His Faith and His ServiceSell, Henry T. (Henry Thorne)
Religion
Studies in the Life of the Christian: His Faith and His Service
Sell, Henry T. (Henry Thorne)
Religious education
Scripture references: Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7; 9:6; Job 33:4; Psalm
100:3; 8:4-9; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Acts 17:26-28; 1 Corinthians 11:7;
Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10; 1 Corinthians 15:45; Hebrews 2:6,7;
Ephesians 6:10-18; 1 Corinthians 2:9.
WHAT IS MAN?
What Shall We Think of Man?--Who is he? What is his place on the
earth and in the universe? What is his destiny? He is of necessity an
object of thought. He is the subject of natural laws, instincts and
passions. How far is he free; how far bound? How is he linked with
the physical and the spiritual worlds? These and a host of other
questions press upon us for answers, when we begin to think about man
and his destiny.
Taken in detail the inquiries lead investigators in many different
directions and result in many contradictory systems of thought. Taken,
however, in a general practical way all questions about man may be
considered from two standpoints; the physical and the spiritual. The
danger is in making the physical alone interpret the spiritual and in
declaring that "man is simply a ripple on the sea of human events and
human life, merely on episode marking a particular stage in the
cooling of a nebula." This method of interpretation leads to the
ruling out of any personal responsibility on the part of man for his
thoughts or actions, the obliteration of the distinction between right
and wrong and the denial of a personal God and personal immortality.
The right standpoint from which to consider the many questions about
man, as he appears upon this earth, is that of a personal spiritual
being with a physical body. There is here no denial of the physical
part of man, but it is made subordinate to the spiritual. Man is
personal and responsible for his thoughts and conduct; upon this
conception of man is founded human society and the state. Man is
spiritual, knowing the distinction between right and wrong, capable of
knowing God who is The Personal Spirit and looking forward to a
personal immortality.
The Christian Thought of Man recognizes him as a personal spiritual
being with a physical body; he has large responsibilities, and a great
destiny to attain--if he so wills.
There are six heads under which the Christian conception of man may be
considered:
1. Man is mortal (Psalm 90:5,10; Ecclesiastes 12:5). The physical part
of man is quite definitely limited in years. His body is formed of the
same elements as that of any other animal and is subject to the law of
decay and death. This linking of man with, what we call, the material
universe is asserted at the very opening of the Bible (Genesis
2:7). Man is a member of a race of men with all that this membership
implies (Acts 17:26).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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