In light of the rise of discussion regarding abortion rights, it is important for Christians to understand the various positions on the subject by different people involved in the discussion. Most Bible believers take a Traducian, or Procreation, view of origins of the soul.
Three Basic Positions On the Origin of the Soul
1. All souls are eternal and pre-existent.
There are two basic positions on
pre-existence:
A.
Transmigration: This is the position
behind reincarnation formulated during the 9th century BC in the
composition of the Brahmana writings.
After someone (animal or human) dies, the soul transmigrates from one
body to another. The common word for the
core of human existence in the Eastern Religions is the Atman or Purusha. There are many various beliefs regarding
transmigration within Buddhism, Jainism, Chinese Taoism and Hinduism.
B. Greek
Platonism: This position believed all
souls pre-existed in a Celestial World and fell into human bodies due to sin. In order to be liberated from the bondage of
the material world (the body), the soul needed to be purified through various
stages of reincarnation in order to return to a pure form of existence. Neo-Platonism (beginning during the 3rd
century A.D.) was formed by the integration of Hindu and Platonian
philosophies.
Reincarnation is merely a “rebirth” of
a pre-existing soul into a new life or new body. The Soul (Atman
or Purusha) is the true and
continuing essence of individuality often referred to as the Higher or True Self, the Divine Spark
or the I. The last stage of reincarnation is known by
many different terms; Nirvana, Enlightenment and Self Actualization to name a few.
Most New Age Christians
integrate various forms or degrees of these beliefs into Christianity.
2. Creation: all souls and spirits are created by God either before
time (pre-temporal) or at birth
3. Propagation: (Traducian) the soul and spirit are generated at
conception as part of procreation.
Scriptural evidences can substantiate
only these latter two theories in anyway.
We find the first Scriptural mention of the soul in the creation account
in Genesis.
“4 These are the
generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day
that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 And
every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the
field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the
earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. 6
But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of
the ground. 7 And the LORD God formed man of
the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and
man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:4-7).
The word translated “soul” in Genesis
2:7 is the Hebrew word nephesh (neh'-fesh). The word simply means a breathing
creature. God “formed man” out of “the
dust of the ground.” This refers to
man’s material being and chemical construction.
Then we are told that God “breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life.” This is apparently
unique to man. We are not told that God breathed life into any other breathing
creature although there are thousands of species of breathing creatures. This act of God is what caused man to become
“a living soul.” Although other breathing
species have life, nowhere is it said they have a soul.
The word “living” is translated from
the Hebrew word chay (khah'-ee), which simply means alive or
living. It was this act of God
“breathing” into this lifeless mass of physical/material chemicals that caused
this thing to become a distinct, unique entity with the ability to think,
formulate ideas, develop personality, and make personal decisions of the
will. These two words “living soul”
would be the result of God’s Spirit/Life uniting with human form producing an
eternal soul since the Life of God is eternal Life.
It is
obvious from Genesis 2:7 that the spirit and soul are distinct from one another
but closely related. I believe they are
really inseparable from one another. “Soul connotes that the immaterial part
of man which is related to life, action, emotion. Spirit
is that part within related to worship, communion, divine influence.” (Chafer’s
Systematic Theology; Volume VII, page 291)
The terms are so closely related they are often used interchangeably
throughout the Word of God. That does
not mean they are synonymous. In the
fall of man, the Soul is lost and man
became spiritually dead.
It would seem that the Soul of man is the essence or
intelligent composite of his sensuality (sight, touch, smell, hearing, taste)
creating memory and physical awareness.
It would seem that the Spirit
of man is the essence or intelligent composite of his link to his spiritual
existence (emotions, worship, communion, imagination, reason, and divine influence)
creating conscience and spiritual awareness.
For
instance, in I Corinthians 2:14-15 the Scripture refers to both the “natural
man” and the “spiritual man.”
“6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect:
yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come
to nought: 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even
the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had
they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath
prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath
revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man
knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so
the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but
the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given
to us of God. 13 Which things also
we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy
Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of
the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he that is spiritual
judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may
instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ” (I
Corinthians 2:6-15).
The word “natural” in I
Corinthians 2:14 is from the Greek word psuchikos
(psoo-khee-kos'). It means sensitive. It was used of the human senses as they act
upon the animate, material world.
Therefore, the Soul of man is said to be “lost.” The word “lost” is never used of the Spirit
of man. The word “lost” in the New
Testament books is translated from the Greek word apollumi (ap-ol’-loo-mee). It refers to something ruined or
destroyed. Man was created to bring God
glory. That purpose was ruined/destroyed
by humanity’s fall into sin. In this
destruction/ruin of the Soul, man also lost his connection to the
spiritual realm of his existence.
Humanity was “blinded” to the spiritual and became “dead in trespasses
and sins.” Humanity was not only
separated from God’s existence (“dead”), he became completely ignorant of God
and What God is because of the ruin/destruction of his Soul.
“1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in
trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to
the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the
spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among
whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the
children of wrath, even as others” (Ephesians 2:1-3).
Salvation
is much more than a Fire Escape from
Hell. Salvation is the restoration of a
fallen Soul to God in fellowship,
worship, and service. In salvation, the
sensual (Soul) is reconnected to the
spiritual (Spirit) and the
restoration of communion/fellowship between God and the saved individual is
restored.
How does this help us decide whether
souls are created or propagated (procreated)?
If souls, after the original creation, are created by God upon birth or
conception, then we must conclude that those souls were created by God as
“lost” souls. David said, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my
mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5). This
makes God the creator of sinners.
The idea that a child
receives his/her soul upon birth was actually a part of the transmigration
theory. In this theory, a divine Being
created all souls. These souls are
introduced into the Karma by birth
over and over again until they achieve Enlightenment. There is really no Scriptural evidence that
God created all souls before time or that He creates a soul for each new baby
born/conceived into this world. If God
creates a new soul for each new baby when that baby is conceived/born, then
creation is an ongoing process. This
would be a contradiction against the statement of Scripture in Genesis 2:1-3.
“1 Thus
the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had
made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it:
because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made”
(Genesis 2:1-3).
The
intent of these verses is that God ceased in His work of creation ending His
creative work on the “seventh day” by blessing the seventh day (7 is the number
of completion) and setting that day apart for Him. This act of sanctifying the seventh day was
intent upon bringing the creation into a living and harmonious relationship
with the Creator. The main emphasis of
the text is that creation ended on the sixth day after which the creation was
self-propagating; i.e., everything produced after its own kind.
“20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly
the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the
earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21 And God created great
whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth
abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and
God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, Be
fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply
in the earth. 23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after
his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his
kind: and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after
his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth
upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and
let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,
and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that
creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own
image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over
the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing
that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:20-28).
The
intent of these Scriptures is to show that God created a continuum. That continuum was through
propagation/procreation. Every species
was created with the ability to reproduce itself through
propagation/procreation. All that a
species is exists within its genetic makeup, and reproduces itself in the
process of procreation.
Propagation/procreation
as well answers the question of when life begins. Life began when God created life. Life continues to be generated through the
process of procreation. Therefore, life
continues to be propagated at conception in the fertilization of an egg by male
sperm. Since all species are monogenetic
(produce after their own kind), at the moment of conception a new life
begins. In the human species, the
fertilized egg is immediately body, soul, and spirit. Although that child will grow for nine months
in the womb before birth and grow for many years until adult maturity, all that
this person will be is there in the egg in the genetic merging of the parents. Therefore, God indirectly creates all souls
through His continuum of procreation.
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Numerous studies and series are available free of charge for local churches at: http://www.disciplemakerministries.org/
Dr. Lance Ketchum serves the Lord as a Church Planter, Evangelist/Revivalist.
He has served the Lord for over 40 years.
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