Paul's View of Man by Jared Spaulding

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 8, 1857

Paul's View of Man.

By Jared Spaulding

PAUL was a child of God, and had a good understanding of his word. He had a clear view of Christ's second coming, and the establishment of his everlasting kingdom under the whole heavens, and the resurrection of all that have fallen asleep in Christ. "We are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ." 2 Cor. v, 8, 10. Paul says in Phil. i, 23, "For I am in a strait betwixt two; having a desire to depart and to be with Christ." And again in 2 Tim. iv, 6-8. "I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. . . Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day, and not to me only but unto all them also that love his appearing." When? at death? No. "I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom." 1 Pet. v, 4. "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." The above tells when Paul will be with Christ.

Now I declare unto you by the word of God that Paul is dead. He knows not anything; his memory is forgotten, and his love is perished. And so it is with all that die on all the face of the earth. Eccl. ix, 5. "For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything." Ps. cxlvi, 4. "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish."

When God formed man in his own image and likeness, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, then he became a living soul; and when God took away his breath he became a dead one. If God breathed into man the breath of life and he became a living soul, then of course when God takes away his breath man becomes a dead soul. And in Josh. x, 28, 30, 32, 35, 37, 39, the person is called the soul, and Joshua slew many souls with the edge of the sword. And so it is written. The first man Adam was made a living soul, the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

In Isa. xxvi, 10, 14, there is a prophecy concerning the wicked, at the final closing up of all things. We will read it: "They are dead, they shall not live, they are deceased, they shall not rise, therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish." "All go unto one place, all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again."

When men die, then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Now to the resurrection of the saints of God. "Thus saith the Lord God, Come from the four winds O breath and breathe upon these slain that they may live. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my spirit in you and ye shall live. Thus saith the Lord God, Behold O my people, I will open your graves, and will cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel."

"And I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For, this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent

them which are asleep. For the Lord himself (not another one but himself) shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first." Eccl. ix, 5; Ps. cxlvi, 4; Eccl. xii, 4; Eze. xxxvii, 5-15; 1 Thess. iv, 13 to the end; Gen. i, 26; ii, 7; 1 Cor. xv, 45.

We are frequently told from the pulpit, in the face of the above passages, that man has an immortal soul within, which leaves the body at death and flies away to a spiritual world, and the dead know more than the living on earth. A plain contradiction of God's word. No wonder then that the devil has got mediums here on earth that pretend to converse with the spirits of the dead of their departed friends. And for this cause God has sent them strong delusions, that they should believe a lie, that they might all be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. We are taught by man, that man is mortal and immortal, but we are taught by the Word that man is mortal, a mortal soul, subject to pain, sickness, sorrow, and death, on every hand, and will remain so until the resurrection of the saints of God, when this mortal must put on immortality, and as God only hath immortality, (1 Tim. vi, 16) I ask, how are we to get it? By Jesus Christ the second Adam, who came and brought it to light through the gospel. We are to seek for it by patient continuance in well-doing.

To all such it will be given at the last trump, when Jesus comes to judge the world in righteousness and reward every one according as his works shall be. In proof of these positions, we will now examine all the passages where this doctrine is directly spoken of. 2 Tim. i, 10. "But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." We see then that Christ has brought it within our reach. To him be all the glory. Amen.

Rom. ii, 6, 7, will show us how we are to obtain it. God will render to every man according to his deeds; "to them who by patient continuance in well doing, seek for glory, honor, immortality, eternal life." How are we to obtain immortality? God says by seeking for it. How shall we seek for it? By patient continuance in well doing. Would God require you to seek for that you already possess? Never. Can any wicked man get immortality on these terms? Impossible. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

Brethren "we are saved by hope, but hope that is seen, is not hope, for what a man seeth why doth he yet hope for. But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it?" Now if man has got immortality, why doth he yet hope for it?

1 Tim. vi, 16. "Who (God) only hath immortality." What can be plainer than this positive declaration of God's word. And yet we are told right in the face of this declaration, that not only hath God immortality, but also all men.

1 Cor. xv, 52, 54, shows us when those who have sought for immortality will obtain it, which is at the last trump, when death is swallowed up in victory. Then shall this mortal put on immortality. Here are all the plain and positive scriptures on the subject of immortality, none of which teach that man, or any part of him is immortal, but every passage contradicting the theory.

How astonishing it is then, that such a doctrine should have been received by the church. And what a perfect fulfillment of the state of the church as a sign of the last days. "They shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables." And here is one that contradicts every plain declaration of the Word, without one to favor it. From the frequent use of the terms, immortal beings, immortals, &c., one would suppose the Bible was filled with them; but on examination we find the word immortal used but once, and then applied to God. 1 Tim. i, 17. "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God," &c. And when

God speaks of man, he calls him mortal. Job iv, 17. Shall mortal man be more just than God? Thus harmonizing with the declaration, God only hath immortality. "Now then if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead be in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." Rom. viii, 7, 11, 24, 25.

I believe that the beasts of the earth, and the fish of the sea, and the fowls of the air, all have souls. I believe when God created them, and breathed into them the breath of life, they became living souls, and moved upon the face of the earth.

If I mistake not, in the Hebrew language it reads as follows: Gen. i, 20, 30. "And God said, let the waters bring forth abundantly, the creeping creature that hath soul, and let the fowl fly above the earth, in the face of the firmament of heaven And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is a living soul, I have given every green herb for meat; and it was so." You will find the word soul in the margin of your Bibles.

Glory be to God for the hope of his people. Yes brethren, give God the glory. And I would not have you to sorrow as others which have no hope, no hope of immortality, no hope of the resurrection of the bodies of all who have fallen asleep in Christ, no hope of our vile bodies being changed, and fashioned like unto Christ's, and seeing his face in glory, no hope of Christ's coming, and the establishment of his everlasting kingdom under the whole heavens, no hope of God himself being with his people, and they seeing his face in bright glory; for if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

Yours looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, JARED SPAULDING. Morristown, Vt., Sept., 15th, 1857.