THE NATURE OF MAN by John O. Corliss

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Apr 11, 1900

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 26, No. 15.

THE NATURE OF MAN

By John O. Corliss

MAN'S CONDITION IN DEATH.

THE loss of dear friends by death seems the hardest of all hard things to bear. Who at such times has not, under the sense of utter loneliness, longed to receive from the departed an old-time look of recognition, or to hear some familiar word of friendship? But how impossible is such a thing! The lost one may be appealed to by voice, but gives back no response; he may be caressed, but the pale face returns no look of recognition. Every sense of the once animated organism has been suspended, and the form once so active and companionable, is in the rigid embrace of unconsciousness. That which causes uncontrollable grief at such times is the thought that no earthly skill is available by which to restore the lost senses to consciousness, and that they will no more be responsive to the environments of earthly attractions.

Under such circumstances there is but one source of consolation,—the never-failing Word of truth, which calls for all to refrain from weeping for the dead, in view of the fact that they will 'come again from the land of the enemy.' Jer. 31:16. Until that glad day we have only to trust the Lord's Word, and wait for their return from the 'land of forgetfulness' (Ps. 88:10-12), that country where 'the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest;' where small and great are alike free from oppression and care (Job 3:17-19), and where no one has any concern about what takes place in earth or heaven (Job 14:20, 21; Eccl. 3:19, 20; 9:5, 6; Ps. 115:17; Isa. 38:18).

With a moment's candid thought, free from the bias of modern theological theories, these scriptures will seem reasonable and right. When one lies down at night, to be wrapped in quiet, profound slumber, his brain ceases to act, and he has no knowledge of or concern about what goes on during his sleep. He is entirely unconscious, unless disturbed in some way; then his thoughts again begin their course of action. This being true of natural sleep, it is not strange that in the sleep of death one should be dispossessed of the power of thought, and consequently of knowledge. The inspired Word, in fact, says of those who die, 'They are as asleep.' Ps. 90:5.

Of these the Lord says again: 'But man dieth, and wasteth away; yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up; so man lieth down, and riseth not; till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.' Job 14:10-12. When the water fails from the sea, it ceases to exist; when the flood dries up, it is gone. So it is with man when he gives up the life power by which his brain had produced thought; he has fallen asleep, and all his senses are suspended until life re-enters his inanimate body to revivify it, and clothe its brain with energy again to think. In this way alone is consciousness restored to those who have fallen under the power of death, which is the exact opposite of life, because it is the cessation of life.

In life alone rests the ability to think and appreciate environments. It has one source only, and that is the Author of the universe.

With Him is 'the fountain of life.' Ps. 36:9. Man's possession of life depends wholly upon this infinite fountain. He holds life purely as a gift of God, only so long as he uses it in a way to glorify its Author. Life being the only possible means through which man can enjoy the things of God, and so be able to render thanksgiving to Him as the Creator of his blessings, it follows that this must have been the object in first bestowing life. 2 Cor. 4:15; Rev. 4:11. A failure on man's part to render the required tribute would of course separate him from his Benefactor, and so from the source of life. This would cancel the gift of life to man, and so prevent him from using the highest power of heaven in the service of God's greatest enemy.

After sin separated man from the Source of his life, a plan was put in operation whereby man could continue his existence for a time, in order to give him opportunity to decide whether he desired the perpetual continuation of life or not. This expression of God's infinite love for the poor unfortunate race was seen in the gift of His only-begotten Son, that whosoever would believe on Him 'should not perish, but have everlasting life.' John 3:16. This is to say that those who do not receive Christ do not have everlasting life, but perish, and that in their own corruption. 2 Peter 2:12.

To believe in Christ, then, is to accept the renewed gift of life, which Adam forfeited for the race while in Eden. John 3:36. Notwithstanding, the decree of death visited upon the human family must be endured by all, and so all must go down into unconsciousness. 1 Cor. 15:22. But when the voice of Christ wakes the sleeping ones in the last great day, there will be two sorts of resurrection: one to life, and the other to condemnation. John 5:28, 29. Every one will come up in his own order, however,—those who are Christ's at His coming (1 Cor. 15:23), and those who are not will wait for a second resurrection (Rev. 20:4, 5).

At the sound of the Archangel's voice, which is the call of God to His own (Joel 3:16), the dead in Christ will arise to meet Him in the air, and so will ever be with Him (1 Thess. 4:16, 17). The voice of God then uttered will be the word that gives back to His people the life He first bestowed, but which had been forfeited through alienation from Him. As it had been breathed into man from God at the beginning, so the breath of His mouth, manifested in His word of command, must again bestow it, through the union of the once estranged sinner with the Lord Jesus Christ. But this can not be fully bestowed until all who will come to Christ are redeemed from the thralldom of sin, and the curse, which brought death, has been forever removed. Should that life be fully restored while probation remains, it might again be forfeited, as in Adam's case, and so the death of Christ be made of no avail.

It is of no force to say that the redeemed, having been freed from sin, could not be entangled with it again; for we know that Adam, made in the very image of God, and intrusted with life by the breath of God, when left to decide for himself between right and wrong,

chose the wrong and failed. It might be so again were men clothed with the same attribute, amid defiling sin. It is the wisdom of God displayed to withhold that boon from all until the destroying power over man is itself destroyed, when life may be restored to him without danger of it being lost again.

But while on probation men have this life by faith in Christ, who is their life, just as the minor child having property through the will of his father, tho having not entered on the full possession of it, can truly say, by faith in the word left by his father, that the estate is his. He will not come into full possession of it until a certain time stated by the will of his father, but in his faith he claims it, and builds the hope of his future on it.

So it is with eternal life. The will of God provides it for every one who becomes His child through Jesus Christ. As soon as one becomes a child he becomes joint heir with Christ in the promise, and by faith has the life, because Christ has it, and he is in Christ. True, he does not come into actual possession of it for himself until Christ, who is his life, shall appear, but then he will be permitted to appear with Christ in glory. Col. 3:3, 4.

J. O. CORLISS.

[The next article in this series will be entitled "The Necessity of a Resurrection."]