What is man? When you think of man, what do you think of? Too often
we think of the emotional make up of man. The world views man as body,
mind, and emotions. Because our educational system is overwhelmingly
secularized and based on atheistic humanism, little or no consideration
is given to the highly significant spiritual side of man.
Man will never solve the problems of man on a permanent basis until
he recognizes that there is a void within him.
Matthew 4:4
Yes or No Does man need God?
Luke 12: 15
Yes or No Is life more than physical things?
Genesis 1: 26-27
Yes or No Is man created after the image of God?
Genesis 2: 7
Yes or No Did God breathe life into man?
Man is an intensely spiritual being, which distinguishes him from
the animal kingdom. Man has four parts to him; these four distinct
parts make up the total person. No person is complete without all
of them.
We are all aware of the mental, emotional, and physical aspects of
man, but few realize the tremendous importance of the spiritual dimension. We
have been brainwashed into thinking man is an animal without a spiritual
dimension. Therefore, most people possess few spiritual reserves upon
which to draw in times of mental, emotional, or physical distress.
Let’s briefly consider man’s nature:
1. Physical: Everyone is conscious of the physical
aspects of life, the part of our being in which we spend tens and thousands
of dollars during a lifetime. In truth, it is the least important
part, for unless the other three parts of our nature function properly,
our body will malfunction.
Genesis 2: 7
Yes or No Did God form man from the dust of the ground?
Ecclesiastes 12: 7
Yes or No When one dies, does his body decay?
James 2: 26
Yes or No Does death occur when the spirit leaves the body?
As we shall see, our physical body is controlled by our emotions. We
often react to how we feel!
2. Emotional: Of the three parts of man’s nature that
are widely accepted today, the least understood is the emotional part. Everyone
is sensitive to love and hate and we all have heard of the “heart”. The
heart is the seat of the emotions. When God formed man and breathed
himself into man, God gave man His emotional nature.
Genesis 6:6
Yes or No Can God grieve?
John 3:16
Yes or No Can God love?
Proverbs 6:16
Yes or No Can God hate?
The emotional side of man seems to work electronically in conjunction
with every organ of the body. Before any bodily movement takes place,
it must first be electronically notified by the emotional center. Consequently,
the condition of this center will affect the condition of the entire
body. If a person is emotionally at peace, his body will function
normally. We all have heard of the term “emotionally” induced illness.” Doctors
have concluded that 70% of all physical ailments are provoked by emotional
disturbance. Such illnesses as heart disease, high blood pressure,
asthma, and some forms of arthritis, derive from emotional tension..
Genesis 4:5-8
Yes or No Is anger an emotion?
Yes or No Did Cain kill Abel? Why did Cain kill Abel?
Ephesians 4:26-27
Yes or No Can we be angry and not sin?
Remember this, emotions are not generated spontaneously. Our
emotions flow from the thinking pattern of the mind. Illustration: Suppose,
for example, that you are spontaneously asked to come to the platform
and address a large audience. If you are not trained for that kind
of experience, your mind will immediately set up self-conscious thought
patterns producing fear or fright, and will in turn affect a physiological
change in your body. Your uneasiness will occasion knocking of the
knees, restrict your saliva glands, and your normal voice may be reduced
to a high, screeching sound. Thus emotional tension causes a rapid
chain reaction, therefore, affecting the entire body.
Worry, anger, peace, joy, love, and hate all affect the entire
body. Since man’s emotions control his body, we must examine what
controls our emotions-the mind!
3. Mental: The mind is a phenomenal mechanism. Some
have designated it “The most complicated computer in the world.” The
memory capability of the human mind is almost beyond belief.
Genesis 11:4-6
Yes or No Did man purpose in his heart?
Genesis 6: 5-6
Yes or No Were the thoughts of the heart evil?
Matthew 13:15
Yes or No Can we understand with the heart?
The mind is composed of the conscious and subconscious. You
are what you think you are! Notice, thinking incites our feelings.
Whatever we put in our minds causes responses in our emotional center,
which in turn activates a physical response.
Matthew 5:27-28
Yes or No Does adultery start with our minds?
Matthew 15:15-19
Thought question: What defiles a man?
The five senses are the windows of the mind,
particularly the eyes and ears. Be sure of this: whatever in you put
into your mind through your eyes or ears incites a response in your
heart and in turn motivates the body. Anger is a good example. Long
before a person erupts into an angry response, he or she has seen,
heard, or thought about those things that produced the emotions of
hate which finally were put into motion. As we shall see, depression
(an emotion) produces apathy physically. Since feelings are caused
by the mind, depression, hate, fear, and worry are initiated by a mental
thought pattern. Instead of treating the results or symptoms (apathy,
sleeplessness and etc) with drugs or working on emotions, we may confer
lifelong relief only through a change in one’s thinking pattern. The
mind is the problem! But how does one control the uncontrollable mind? By
the Spirit!
4. Spirit: By avoiding his spiritual nature, as secular
man is prone to do, he makes himself a slave to his own mental weakness.
Genesis 1:26-27
Yes or No Did God make man in His image?
John 4:24; Luke 24:39
Yes or No Does God have a body?
Zechariah 12:1
Yes or No Did God place the spirit within man?
Ecclesiastes 12:7
Thought question: What happens to the spirit after death?
Little consideration is given to the inner man. But the inner man can and
does affect the rest of man. Example: A professional boxer would never enter
the ring with a black patch over one eye and one arm tied behind his back. Such
a sight, nevertheless, graphically illustrates the dilemma secular man finds
himself in today. By neglecting the spiritual side of his nature, he or she
has blinded himself or herself to the tremendous power available to them in overcoming
depression, fear, anger, worry, and other detrimental emotional maladies. Our
problems are further compounded by the God-void in our life created by spiritual
neglect.
Man is by nature a worshipping creature. In
every ancient civilization known to man, man has always worshipped
something or somebody. Indicating man’s universal religious hunger. What
produced that hunger? It is his natural God-given spiritual instinct
or nature.
Romans 1:19-20
Thought question: How did God make Himself known to man?
Anyone who neglects his or her spiritual nature does so at his or her own
peril. God has given to man this part of his being to stabilize and motivate
his mind, heart, and body.
The spiritual
side of man’s nature contains his will, one of the unique characteristics
that distinguish him from the animal kingdom. God has given to every
person a free will. With it we can ignore or reject God, or we can
accept and cooperate with Him.
Romans 1:18-32
Thought questions:
Why did they not honor God (v.21)?
What did God allow man to do (v 22)?
What did man worship (v 25)?
Why did man have a depraved mind (v 28)?
What are the ordinances of God (v 32)?
What is the outcome of those who practice such things (v32)?
God gives to every man the opportunity to be
the master of his own fate, and captain of his own soul. Every individual
must decide such things as where he will live, where he will go to
school, where he will work, what his vocation will be, and even where
he wants to spend eternity. Life is made up with decisions, but happiness
will ultimately be decided by man’s choices. A person who lives self-sufficiently
and independent of God will experience varying degrees of frustration,
confusion, guilt, and fear.
Most miserable or depressed people are not
conscious of the fact that their misery is due to the God-vacuum within
them. This spiritual deficiency or God-void makes them accessible
to a variety of mental, emotional, and physical diseases. This God-void
is as old as man. The Bible calls it death!
I John 3:4
Yes or No Is
sin lawlessness?
Thought question: What is lawlessness?
I John 2:15-17
Yes or No Is “lust of the flesh” a physical appetite?
Yes or No Is “lust of the eyes” a physical or mental desire?
Yes or No Is “pride of life” pride?
Genesis 3:4-6
Yes or No Can you see all three of these involved in Adam and
Eve’s sin?
Yes or No Did
Adam and Eve die? See Genesis 2:17
Isaiah 59:1-2
Yes or No Does sin separate us from God?
II Thess 1:8-9
Thought question: What is eternal death?
Jesus Christ
is God’s special remedy to fill the God-void in every human being.
John 10:10
Yes or No Did Jesus come to bring life?
1 Timothy
4: 8
Yes or No Is Godliness profitable for both the present world
and for our future life?
Jesus came
not only to teach us how to go to heaven, but how to live a good, moral
and spiritual life.
Romans 12:1-2
Yes or No Are
we to present our physical bodies as a living and holy sacrifice?
Yes or No Are we to be transformed by the renewing of our minds?
Eph. 4:21-24
Yes or No Must we be renewed in the spirit of our minds?
Thought question: How do we put on the
new self and in whose likeness?
Thought question: How
do we become like God?
Jesus said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
Hebrews 5: 8-9
Yes or No Did Jesus become the source of eternal salvation to all them
that OBEY Him?
Jesus died for all mankind but not all will be saved because
not all will OBEY Him!
Yes or No Will you OBEY Him?
John 8:24
Yes or No Do you have to believe in Jesus?
Luke 13:3
Yes or No Must you repent? Repentance means to change our attitude and
change our life.
Matthew 10:32-33
Yes or No Must we confess Jesus as the Son of God?
Acts 8:35-38
Thought question: The eunuch did not confess his sins, what did he confessed?
Mark 16:15-16
Yes or No Must we be baptized in order to be saved?
Acts 2:37-38
Yes or No Were their sins forgiven when they repented and were
baptized.
Col. 2:12-13
Yes or No Must we be baptized to have our sins forgiven and
to live with God? See Romans 6:3-6
Col. 3:1-10
Yes or No Must we set our minds on spiritual things?
Thought question: How do we become dead with Christ?
Thought question: What must we put aside? (v.8)
Thought question: What must we put on? (v.10)
Christ and His will can and will help change our lives. It can
give us a higher form of thinking, a higher perspective of life, and
a higher destiny to look forward to.
Matthew 11:28-30
Yes or No Would you like to learn of Jesus?
Yes or No Would you like to find rest for your soul?
