The truth that leads to eternal life (1981)
Download: PDF — The truth that leads to eternal life (1981)
The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life
Source: jw.org
Contents
Title Page/Publishers’ Page
Contents
Grand Blessings from God Near at Hand!
Why It Is Wise to Examine Your Religion
Who Is God?
Why We Grow Old and Die
Where Are the Dead?
Jesus Christ, the One Through Whom God Blesses Mankind
Are There Wicked Spirits?
Why Has God Permitted Wickedness Until Our Day?
The Reason Why a “Little Flock” Goes to Heaven
God’s Kingdom Comes to Power in the Midst of Its Enemies
The Last Days of This Wicked System of Things
Righteous Rule Makes Earth a Paradise
The True Church and Its Foundation
How to Identify the True Religion
“Get Out from Among Them”
Popular Customs That Displease God
How to Pray and Be Heard by God
Christian Obedience to Law
Godly Respect for Life and Blood
Building a Happy Family Life
Your Decision to Serve God
True Worship—a Way of Life
“Press On to Maturity”!
Title Page/Publishers’ Page
Title Page/Publishers’ Page
The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life
Dedicated to the God Who Is Gracious to All Those Who Seek His Life-giving Truth
Revised in 1981
Contents
Contents
PAGE CHAPTER
5 1 Grand Blessings from God Near at Hand!
11 2 Why It Is Wise to Examine Your Religion
17 3 Who Is God?
27 4 Why We Grow Old and Die
34 5 Where Are the Dead?
46 6 Jesus Christ, the One Through Whom God Blesses Mankind
55 7 Are There Wicked Spirits?
65 8 Why Has God Permitted Wickedness Until Our Day?
75 9 The Reason Why a “Little Flock” Goes to Heaven
82 10 God’s Kingdom Comes to Power in the Midst of Its Enemies
94 11 The Last Days of This Wicked System of Things
102 12 Righteous Rule Makes Earth a Paradise
114 13 The True Church and Its Foundation
122 14 How to Identify the True Religion
131 15 “Get Out from Among Them”
140 16 Popular Customs That Displease God
151 17 How to Pray and Be Heard by God
157 18 Christian Obedience to Law
163 19 Godly Respect for Life and Blood
170 20 Building a Happy Family Life
181 21 Your Decision to Serve God
187 22 True Worship—a Way of Life
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations in this book are from the modern-language New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, revised edition of 1961.
Abbreviations of names of other Bible versions quoted:
AT — The Bible: An American Translation, by J. Smith and E. Goodspeed, of 1935.
AV — Authorized or King James Version Bible, of 1611.
Dy — Roman Catholic Douay Version, of 1610.
Grand Blessings from God Near at Hand!
Chapter 1
Grand Blessings from God Near at Hand!
1. In view of worsening world conditions, what questions arise?
DO YOU want to live in peace and happiness? Do you desire good health and long life for yourself and your loved ones? Do you long to see wickedness and suffering end? Every honest-hearted person wants these things. But today, in all parts of the earth, violence, crime, hunger and sickness are increasing. Why is the world so filled with trouble? What does it all mean? Is there any sound reason to believe that conditions will really get better in our lifetime?
2. (a) What book gives us reason for hope? (b) Why can we reasonably think that the loving Creator will bring an end to conditions that cause sorrow?
2 Yes, there is reason for such hope, and it is clearly set out in a book that is published in more languages than any other book in the world. That book is the Bible. It tells us of God’s purpose to set up an entirely new system of things for mankind. If you had the power to do so, would you not bring to an end the conditions that cause so much sorrow? Of course you would! Should we think that the Creator of mankind will do any less? The Bible tells us that “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) Surely this loving heavenly Father knows what mankind needs. He has the power to fill those needs, and he will most certainly do so, for Psalm 145:16a says of God: “You are opening your hand and satisfying the desire of every living thing.”—See also Deuteronomy 32:4.
3. (a) Will it be a long time yet before God satisfies man’s desire for peace and happiness? (b) Of what are worsening world conditions a proof?
3 When will God satisfy man’s desire for true peace and happiness, along with lasting health and life? Must mankind wait for thousands of years more? No! The time is near at hand! But how can this be? Conditions in the world are getting worse, not better. True, but the Bible clearly showed, long in advance, that these very conditions would be proof that we are living in the “last days” of the present wicked system. (2 Timothy 3:1-5) Soon the loving Creator will bring to their end both wickedness and those who cause it. But God will richly bless honest-hearted ones who want to do what is right, for he promises: “The world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.”—1 John 2:17.
WHAT GOD WILL DO FOR MANKIND
4. (a) In God’s new system, what causes for unhappiness will be things of the past? (b) How will God fulfill his promise of peace?
4 What a change this earth will experience! There will be no more war, nor will there be any of the suffering that war brings. Hatred, selfishness, crime and violence will all be things of the past. Instead, there will be perfect peace and security on earth. God’s own Word declares: “Just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more; . . . the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.” (Psalm 37:10, 11 [36:10, 11, Dy]) Such peace will exist, not only between nations, but among neighbors and in every household. Think what a grand blessing that could be to you! And how reassuring to know that the fulfillment of this heartwarming promise does not depend on men! It is God who will bring it about. How? By destroying the wicked and by educating his people in the ways of peace.—Proverbs 2:21, 22; Isaiah 54:13.
5. (a) In the new system, what will happen to sickness and death? (b) What questions arise about man’s present short life-span?
5 Among the many blessings that people will enjoy in the new system of God’s making is good health. Even death, which brings much sorrow to all of us, will be no more. The Creator’s promise is: “And [God] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be any more. . . . Look! I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:4, 5)b That is something that no human ruler, no scientist, no doctor can do; but it is something that God will do. Is it reasonable that God’s only purpose for man is that he spend twenty years growing up, perhaps another twenty or thirty years gaining knowledge and experience, and shortly thereafter begin to grow old, suffer from sickness and die? Why should man’s life be so short when even a turtle may live to the age of two hundred years and a tree may live far longer? God made man to live, not to die. The Creator promises that soon it will be possible to enjoy life everlastingly, right here on earth. (Isaiah 25:8) With peace-loving neighbors, good health and satisfying activity to fill our lives, what a pleasure that will be!
6. How can we be sure that this new system will come?
6 How can you be sure that this new system will come? How can you be sure it is not just a dream? You can be confident because Almighty God has promised it. The One who created and sustains the universe has given his guarantee that it will come. “God . . . cannot lie.” (Titus 1:2) His word never goes unfulfilled.—Joshua 23:14.
7. Even though men were used to write the Bible, why can we truthfully view it as “the word of God”?
7 These thrilling truths are found in God’s Word, the Bible, the Holy Scriptures. There is no other source of information available to man that explains in a truly satisfying way the reason for what has happened on earth and God’s purpose for mankind. While men were used to write the Bible, they did so under the direction of God’s powerful active force or holy spirit, so that “all Scripture is inspired of God.” (2 Timothy 3:16) Just as an invisible radio beam can carry information to you, so God’s invisible active force directed the writers of the Bible to put down what he wanted mankind to know. That is why one of those writers, the apostle Paul, could say: “When you received God’s word, which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of men, but, just as it truthfully is, as the word of God.”—1 Thessalonians 2:13; see also 2 Peter 1:20, 21.
WORLDWIDE CHANGE NEAR
8. What are some events that Jesus said would mark the last days of this wicked system?
8 God’s Word of truth tells us very clearly that we are fast nearing a worldwide change. It shows us that our time is the one Jesus Christ had in mind when he foretold the end of this wicked system. Jesus foretold many things that his future followers should watch for so they would know when the end was near. He said that the last days of this wicked system would be marked by such things as world wars, food shortages, increasing lawlessness and a growing loss of faith in God. (Matthew 24:3-12) He said there would be “anguish of nations, not knowing the way out.” (Luke 21:25) We have seen the fulfillment of these prophecies in our lifetime.
9. Give an example or two of what men who study world events say about our time.
9 Many men who study world events are convinced that a great change is definitely in the making. The famous writer Walter Lippmann said: “For us all the world is disorderly and dangerous, ungoverned and apparently ungovernable. Everywhere there is great anxiety and bewilderment.” He added that all this “marks, I believe, the historic fact that we are living through the closing chapters of the established and traditional way of life.”c Also, as reported back in 1960, a former United States Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, declared that our time is “a period of unequaled instability, unequaled violence.” Based on what he knew was then going on in the world, it was his conclusion that soon “this world is going to be too dangerous to live in.”d
10. (a) How do we know that world change is very near? (b) For what does the coming world change mean destruction?
10 All the many things foretold in God’s Word of truth indicate that the time for world change is upon us right now! What we see going on throughout the world today in fulfillment of Bible prophecy shows that our time is the one that will see the destruction of this entire wicked system. Present-day governments will be removed to make way for the rule of all the earth by God’s government. (Daniel 2:44; Luke 21:31, 32) Nothing can stop this change, because God has purposed it.
TRUTH THAT LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE
11. (a) Can we escape the effects of the coming world change? (b) So, if we want to live, what must we do, according to 1 Timothy 2:4 and John 17:3?
11 The coming world change will affect every person on the face of the earth, including you. If you love life and want to live, you should hasten to take in accurate knowledge of God, his purposes and his requirements. That is what God wants you to do, for it is his will that “all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4) Accurate knowledge from God’s Word of truth will enable honest-hearted persons to survive the end of the present wicked system. (Zephaniah 2:3)e It will also reveal the way to eternal life in God’s grand new system. Jesus Christ said in prayer to God: “This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.”—John 17:3; see also John 4:14.
12. What strong reasons do we have for wanting to learn the truth from the Bible?
12 How encouraging it is to know that soon we will see the end of all the world’s troubles! How thrilling it is to know that we have the hope of shortly entering a new system where we can forever enjoy life to the full! This should give every one of us strong reasons for wanting to learn the truth from the Bible. By seeking this truth we begin to lay “a fine foundation for the future, in order [to] get a firm hold on the real life,” “eternal life” in God’s new system of things.—1 Timothy 6:19; AV.
[Footnotes]
Psalm 144:16, Douay Version.
The Bible book of Revelation is called Apocalypse in the Douay Version.
Newsweek, October 9, 1967, p. 21.
U.S. News & World Report, June 13, 1960, pp. 116, 119.
Sophonias 2:3, Douay Version.
[Picture on page 4]
“God . . . will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be any more.”—Rev. 21:3, 4.
Why It Is Wise to Examine Your Religion
Chapter 2
Why It Is Wise to Examine Your Religion
1. (a) Since God will soon destroy this system of things, what question do we need to ask about our worship? (b) If we want to follow the course God approves, to what book will we go?
WE HAVE good reason to think seriously about our standing with God. Why? Because the evidence proves that God will soon destroy the wicked and establish his righteous new system. So we need to ask: “Am I worshiping God in the way that he approves?” It is not any man, but God, who is the judge of what pleases him. To get God’s viewpoint, we need to go to the Bible. There he plainly tells us the course to follow if we want to gain eternal life. (Proverbs 3:1, 2) If we take to heart what he says and apply it in our lives, it will result in marvelous blessings for us, both now and in the ages to come.
2. What statement in the Bible shows that not all religions are pleasing to God?
2 When we examine what the Bible says on this matter, what do we find? Does it teach that the hundreds of millions of persons who practice religion in so many different ways are all pleasing to God? Does it show that all religion is good? To enable us to know how he views the matter, God had this plain statement recorded in his Word: “Broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.” (Matthew 7:13, 14) How clearly those words answer our questions! They show that many people are not worshiping God in a way that pleases him. Only a few are on the road leading to life.
3. Are there things done in the name of religion of which you do not approve?
3 Probably you find yourself readily agreeing with the fact that much religion is not approved by God. No doubt there are many things done in the name of religion that you do not approve. For example, if you look around in the churches and observe persons who live immoral lives but who make a pretense at being righteous, you know that something is wrong. (2 Timothy 3:4, 5) And when you read in the newspaper that some clergymen are publicly approving of sex relations between unmarried persons and that they are saying that homosexuality is all right under certain conditions, you are well aware that this is not what God says. You may remember that God destroyed the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And why? Because they practiced such things! So you know that God is not going to approve of a religion that tells people it is all right to act like that.—Jude 7.
4. (a) Besides our being moral and kind, what else must we consider about our religion, in view of Jesus’ words at John 4:23? (b) Why do we need to examine the doctrines that we have been taught?
4 However, you have no doubt heard people say: “It doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you lead a clean moral life and deal kindly with your neighbors.” But is that all there is to worshiping God in an acceptable way? These things are necessary, but God requires more. Doctrines are also involved. The Bible informs us that “the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth.” (John 4:23) If our worship is to be acceptable to God, it must be firmly rooted in God’s Word of truth. Jesus reproved those persons who claimed to serve God but who relied heavily on the traditions of men in preference to God’s Word. He applied to them God’s own words from Isaiah 29:13, saying: “It is in vain that they keep worshiping me, because they teach commands of men as doctrines.” (Matthew 15:9) Since we do not want our worship to be in vain, it is important for each one of us to examine his religion.
5. Why should we examine, not only our personal beliefs, but also the teachings of any religious organization with which we may be associated?
5 We need to examine, not only what we personally believe, but also what is taught by any religious organization with which we may be associated. Are its teachings in full harmony with God’s Word, or are they based on the traditions of men? If we are lovers of the truth, there is nothing to fear from such an examination. It should be the sincere desire of every one of us to learn what God’s will is for us, and then to do it.—John 8:32.
6. (a) Does the fact that the Bible is occasionally used in a church prove that all the church doctrines are from the Bible? (b) Why must religion approved by God agree in all details with the Bible?
6 The mere fact that church members may have the Bible or that it is occasionally read to them from the pulpit does not of itself prove that all the things they are taught are in the Bible. It is good to have the Bible; each and every person should. But we must also know what it says and believe it. If a religion really accepts the Bible as God’s Word, it is not going to use certain parts of it and reject other parts. “All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight.” (2 Timothy 3:16) Since this is so, the religion that is approved by God must agree in all its details with the Bible.
7. As shown by the apostle Paul, does the sincerity of the worshipers in itself indicate that their religion is approved by God?
7 The man who wants to please God must be sincere. But sincerity alone does not make one’s religion approved in God’s eyes. The apostle Paul was moved by God’s spirit to write concerning certain ones in his day: “I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God; but not according to accurate knowledge; for, because of not knowing the righteousness of God but seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.” (Romans 10:2, 3) As a result, their sincerity was misdirected. Their problem was that they were looking in the wrong direction for instruction. They held onto the Jewish religious system, which had rejected God’s Son and so was itself rejected by God.—Acts 2:36, 40; Proverbs 14:12.
8. How did Jesus Christ show that not all religion that claims to be Christian meets with God’s approval?
8 What, then, of the religions that take the name of Christ and profess to accept him as their Lord? Does their preaching in his name guarantee that they meet with God’s approval? In view of the scriptures already considered, perhaps you have concluded that it does not. If so, then on this matter you agree with Jesus Christ, the one whom God has appointed as heavenly judge; because he warns us, saying: “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name . . .?’ And yet then I will confess to them: I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness.”—Matthew 7:21-23.
9. What besides Bible knowledge is needed for one’s religion to be pleasing to God?
9 Knowledge of the Bible and of God’s will is essential for God’s approval. But, as Jesus said, it is the doing of that will that counts. One must have works that are consistent with what one has learned. (James 2:26) To please God, then, one’s religion must be in full harmony with the Bible and be applied in every activity of life.—Luke 6:46-49.
10. What fruitage will true religion bring about in the personal lives of those who practice it?
10 Jesus said that you could recognize whether a man practices the true religion by his “fruits,” that is, the things he does. (Matthew 7:20) In the same way, we can recognize a religion by the kind of people it produces. True religion ought to produce better persons—better husbands and fathers, better wives and mothers. It should produce persons who are honest, who stand out among others because they do what is right. Is that not what you would expect of a religion that truly draws one close to God? God looks for these things too, and they determine whether a religion is approved of God or not.
11. What course taken by people in ancient Beroea do we do well to follow?
11 Certainly you do not want to be classed with those who are refused entry into the kingdom of God because of failure to do God’s will. It will be to your benefit, then, to get well acquainted with the Bible. The book that you are now reading is designed to help you do that. Follow the course of those ancient Beroeans whom God’s Word approves because they “received the word with the greatest eagerness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so.”—Acts 17:11.
12. (a) How may our love for God be put to the test, perhaps by friends and relatives? (b) Whose approval should we always seek?
12 As you examine God’s Word, you will learn that your love for God will be put to the test. There may be individuals, perhaps even close friends or relatives, who will not approve of your examining the Scriptures. (1 Peter 4:4; Matthew 10:36, 37) They may try to discourage you. They may do this in all sincerity, because they do not know the marvelous truths found in the Bible. Perhaps you can help them. In other cases the opposition may come from persons who have no love for God. If this should occur, remember, having God’s approval is far more important than having the approval of men. It is God, not man, who will give you eternal life if you love him above everyone and everything else.—Matthew 22:37-39.
13. If we seek to do God’s will, for what should we pray?
13 Always look to God for his help and guidance. Keep on praying, as did the psalmist: “O Jehovah, hear my prayer . . . Teach me to do your will, for you are my God.” (Psalm 143:1, 10 [142:1, 10, Dy]) If you sincerely want to know and practice the religion that he approves, he will answer your prayer. And he will bring you into association with those who really do “worship the Father with spirit and truth.”—John 4:23; see also Matthew 7:7, 8.
Who Is God?
Chapter 3
Who Is God?
1. Why is there much confusion as to who God is?
MAN’S need for God and his help has never been greater than now. Our lives depend upon knowing him. But, strangely enough, there is much confusion as to who he is, for today, as in the past, there are many gods worshiped in different lands. Yet the Bible makes clear that there is only one true God.—1 Corinthians 8:5, 6.
2. (a) Is “God” the personal name of the true God? (b) What is his personal name?
2 To distinguish himself from the many false gods, the true God has given himself a personal name. This sets him apart from all others. “Is not ‘God’ his name?” some may ask. No, for “God” is merely a title, just as “President,” “King” and “Judge” are titles. God’s personal name is made known to us through his Word, the Bible, and that name is JEHOVAH. In many translations of the Bible this name is found at Psalm 83:18, where we read (AV): “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.” And in almost all translations the name is found at Revelation 19:1-6 as part of the expression “Alleluia” or “Hallelujah.” This means “praise Jah” (a shortened form of Jehovah). The Catholic Encyclopedia (1910, Vol. VIII, p. 329) says of this Divine Name: “Jehovah, the proper name of God in the Old Testament.” However, The Jerusalem Bible, a recent Catholic translation, regularly uses the name “Yahweh,” as do a number of other translations. Why is that?
3. (a) How is God’s name represented in the Hebrew Scriptures? (b) Why is it not possible to know exactly how God’s name was pronounced in Hebrew in ancient times?
3 In Hebrew, the language in which the first thirty-nine books of the Bible (AV) were written, God’s name is represented thousands of times by four Hebrew letters, YHWH. In ancient times the Hebrew language was written without vowels, the reader supplying the vowels as he read the words. So, the problem is that today we have no way of knowing exactly which vowels the Hebrews used along with the consonants YHWH. Many scholars think the name was pronounced “Yahweh,” but the form “Jehovah” has been in use for many centuries and is most widely known.
4. (a) How are clergymen who say we should not use God’s name because we do not know its exact pronunciation inconsistent? (b) What is far more important than how we pronounce God’s name? (c) Why is it important to use God’s name, in view of Acts 15:14?
4 Because there is uncertainty as to the exact pronunciation of God’s personal name, some clergymen say you should not use it at all, but instead simply say “God” or “the Lord.” However, they do not insist that you should not use the names “Jesus” and “Jeremiah.” And yet these commonly used pronunciations are quite different from the Hebrew pronunciations “Yeshʹua” and “Yirmeiahʹ.” The vital point is not what pronunciation you use for the Divine Name, whether “Yahweh,” “Jehovah,” or some other, as long as the pronunciation is common in your language. What is wrong is to fail to use that name. Why? Because those who do not use it could not be identified with the ones whom God takes out to be “a people for his name.” (Acts 15:14) We should not only know God’s name but honor it and praise it before others, as God’s Son did when on earth.—Matthew 6:9; John 17:6, 26.
GOD’S QUALITIES AND WHY WE SHOULD WORSHIP HIM ALONE
5. Why has no human ever seen God?
5 What does the Bible itself tell us about God? It tells us that “God is a Spirit.” (John 4:24) A spirit is not composed of flesh and blood, nor of other material substances that can be seen or felt by human senses. (1 Corinthians 15:44, 50) So, human eyes have never seen God. (John 1:18) He is far superior to anything our eyes behold. The majesty of the mountains, the brilliance of the sun, and even the glory of the starry heavens are nothing as compared to him.—Isaiah 40:25, 26.
6. (a) How does the Bible at Revelation 15:3, 4 describe God’s qualities? (b) Did God have a beginning?
6 No wonder that in the heavens the song is sung: “Great and wonderful are your works, Jehovah God, the Almighty. Righteous and true are your ways, King of eternity. Who will not really fear you, Jehovah, and glorify your name, because you alone are loyal?” (Revelation 15:3, 4) As the Creator of all things, Jehovah God, the “King of eternity,” existed before all others. He is “from everlasting to everlasting,” meaning that he had no beginning and will never have an end.—1 Timothy 1:17; Psalm 90:2, AV [89:2, Dy].
7. (a) According to Revelation 4:11, why is it right that our worship go only to Jehovah? (b) By means of what did God accomplish the creation of all things?
7 How right, then, that our worship should go only to him! As we consider his creative works, we too can say: “You are worthy, Jehovah, even our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, because you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11) He accomplished the creation, not with tools such as men use, but by means of his holy spirit, which is his invisible active force. (Genesis 1:2; Psalm 104:30 [103:30, Dy]) It is that same holy spirit by which he later caused the Bible to be written so that we might know his will and purposes for men on earth.—2 Peter 1:21.
8. (a) Why are we accountable to God? (b) So, what question ought we to think about seriously?
8 Since all things were created ‘because of his will,’ they all must serve God’s purpose. Jehovah informed the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, of his purpose for them, and he held them accountable to act in harmony with it. Are we, too, accountable to God? Yes, because God is the Source of our life. This is true, not only because we have descended from that first human pair to whom God gave life, but also because our continued life each day depends on the sun, rain, air and food from which Jehovah continues to let us benefit. (Psalm 36:9 [35:10, Dy]; Matthew 5:45) To what extent, then, do we live our lives in harmony with God’s purpose for us? We ought to think seriously about this, because our opportunity for eternal life is at stake.
9. (a) In what way should we fear God? (b) Why can we be glad that Jehovah is almighty?
9 Are we really to fear God? Yes, but with a healthy fear of rebelling against his will, because his will is right. In even ordinary things, do we not fear to take risks that could cause injury or loss of life? How much more so should we fear to displease “Jehovah God, the Almighty.” Yet we can be glad that he is almighty, for “as regards Jehovah, his eyes are roving about through all the earth to show his strength in behalf of those whose heart is complete toward him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9;a see also Isaiah 40:29-31.) And we may be sure that Jehovah always uses his power with a right purpose and for the good of those loving what is right. For “God is love.”—1 John 4:8.
10. What qualities of Jehovah make us happy to have him as our God?
10 Jehovah, therefore, is not an oppressive God. “All his ways are justice.” (Deuteronomy 32:4) True, he is “a God exacting exclusive devotion,” but he is also “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth.” (Exodus 20:5; 34:6) “He himself well knows the formation of us, remembering that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:14 [102:14, Dy]) We can be happy indeed to have such a just yet compassionate God as our Supreme Judge, Lawgiver and King.—Isaiah 33:22.
11. Even if we may not understand the reason for a certain law of God, what will move us to obey it?
11 With Jehovah there are “wisdom and mightiness; he has counsel and understanding.” (Job 12:13) Evidence of his wisdom is seen in all his creative works, in both heaven and earth. We may well ask, then: “Why should anyone ever doubt God’s wisdom?” The Bible shows that his requirements are for our good, with our everlasting welfare in view. It is true that there may be times when we, as humans having limited knowledge and experience, do not fully appreciate why a certain law stated by God is so important, or how it really works for our good. Yet our firm belief that God obviously knows far more than we do, that his experience is so much greater than ours, and that what he does is for our everlasting good, will move us to obey him with a willing heart.—Psalm 19:7-11 [18:8-12, Dy]; Micah 6:8.
IS GOD A “TRINITY”?
12. (a) What do church creeds, such as the Athanasian Creed, teach about God? (b) What questions should we ask about this teaching?
12 Many religions of Christendom teach that God is a “Trinity,” although the word “Trinity” does not appear in the Bible. The World Council of Churches recently said that all religions that are part of that Council should advocate the belief that there is “one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” that is, three persons in one God. Those teaching this doctrine admit that it is “a mystery.” The Athanasian Creed, of about the eighth century of the Common Era, says that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost (Spirit) are all three of the same substance, all three are eternal (and hence had no beginning), and all three are almighty. So the creed reads that in the “Trinity none is afore or after other; none is greater or less than another.”b Is that reasonable? More importantly, is it in agreement with the Bible?
13. According to the New Catholic Encyclopedia, did the Hebrew prophets and the first Christians believe in a “Trinity”?
13 This doctrine was unknown to the Hebrew prophets and Christian apostles. The New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967 edition, Vol. XIV, p. 306) admits that “the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is not taught in the OT [Old Testament].” It also admits that the doctrine must be dated as from about three hundred and fifty years after the death of Jesus Christ. So the early Christians who were taught directly by Jesus Christ did not believe that God is a “Trinity.”
14. How did Jesus show that he was not equal with his Father?
14 When Jesus was on earth he certainly was not equal to his Father, for he said there were some things that neither he nor the angels knew but that only God knew. (Mark 13:32) Furthermore, he prayed to his Father for help when undergoing trial. (Luke 22:41, 42) Also, he himself said: “The Father is greater than I am.” (John 14:28) Because of this, Jesus spoke of his Father as “my God” and as “the only true God.”—John 20:17; 17:3.
15. How do we know that Jesus was not equal with God even after he was raised from the dead?
15 After Jesus’ death, God raised him to life again and gave him glory greater than he had before. However, he was still not equal to his Father. How do we know? Because later the inspired Scriptures state that God is still “the head of the Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:3) The Bible also says that Jesus is to reign as God’s appointed king until he has put all enemies under his feet, and that then shall “the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:28, AV) Clearly, even since his resurrection Jesus Christ is not equal with his Father.
16. (a) Does Jesus’ statement, “I and the Father are one,” teach a “Trinity”? (b) What did Jesus mean by that expression?
16 But did not Jesus say on one occasion, “I and the Father are one”? (John 10:30) Yes, he did. However, that statement does not even suggest a “Trinity,” since he spoke of only two as being one, not three. Jesus was surely not contradicting the scriptures we have already read. What he meant by this expression he himself made clear later when he prayed regarding his followers that “they may be one just as we are one.” (John 17:22) Jesus and his Father are “one” in that Jesus is in full harmony with his Father. And he prayed that all his followers might likewise be in harmony with his Father, with Jesus and with one another.
17. Why does the statement at John 1:1 not teach a “Trinity”?
17 What about the statement at John 1:1 (AV), which refers to Jesus as “the Word,” saying: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”? Does that not prove the “Trinity”? No. Notice, first of all, that only two persons are mentioned, not three. Also, in this same chapter, Joh 1 verse 2 says that the Word was “in the beginning with God,” and Joh 1 verse 18 says that “no man hath seen God at any time,” yet men have seen Jesus Christ. For these reasons, and in full harmony with the Greek text, some translations of Joh 1 verse 1 read: “The Word was with God, and the Word was divine,” or was “a god,” that is, the Word was a powerful godlike one. (AT; NW) So this portion of the Bible is in agreement with all the rest; it does not teach a “Trinity.”c
18. How does the Bible account of what took place at Pentecost of 33 C.E. show that the holy spirit could not be a person?
18 As for the “Holy Spirit,” the so-called “third Person of the Trinity,” we have already seen that it is, not a person, but God’s active force. (Judges 14:6) John the Baptist said that Jesus would baptize with holy spirit even as John had been baptizing with water. Water is not a person nor is holy spirit a person. (Matthew 3:11) What John foretold was fulfilled when God caused his Son Christ Jesus to pour out holy spirit on the apostles and disciples during the day of Pentecost 33 C.E., so that “they all became filled with holy spirit.” Were they “filled” with a person? No, but they were filled with God’s active force.—Acts 2:4, 33.
19. (a) So, is the “Trinity” a Bible teaching? (b) In what ancient land did the pagans believe in trinities of gods?
19 What, then, do the facts show as to the “Trinity”? Neither the word nor the idea is in God’s Word, the Bible. The doctrine did not originate with God. But, you will be interested to know that, according to the book Babylonian Life and History (by Sir E. A. Wallis Budge, 1925 edition, pp. 146, 147), in ancient Babylon, the pagans did believe in such a thing; in fact, they worshiped more than one trinity of gods.
WORSHIPING GOD “WITH SPIRIT AND TRUTH”
20. According to Romans 12:2, what must we do to give God exclusive devotion?
20 To love and respect a person, one needs to know him as he really is. To give God the exclusive devotion that he deserves, you need to study his Word and ‘prove to yourself the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.’ (Romans 12:2) The important thing is not how humans want to worship God, but how God wants to be worshiped.
21. In the words of God’s own Son, how does God want to be worshiped?
21 Religious ceremonies and “aids to devotion” may seem beautiful in the eyes of those who use them, but how does God view them? Surely you want to know, because you want to have God’s approval. God’s own Son tells us that “the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth.” (John 4:23) Is the use of images, for example, worship “with spirit and truth”? Does it please God?
22. (a) What does the Bible, at Exodus 20:4, 5, say about religious images? (b) What does God’s Word say to show that the use of images as an “aid” to worship is no part of true worship?
22 At Exodus 20:4, 5, in one of the Ten Commandments, God himself says: “You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything . . . you shall not bow down to them or serve them.” (The Catholic Jerusalem Bible) Some people regard a religious image simply as an “aid” to worshiping God because they can see and touch the image. But God inspired the apostle Paul to write: “We are walking by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7) God is very frank about the matter. He tells us that the use of images is no part of true worship, but that such images are “a falsehood.” (Isaiah 44:14-20; Psalm 115:4-8 [113:4-8, second set of numbers, Dy]) Even though one may say that the honor given to a religious image is less than that given to God, God himself says that he will not share any of his glory and praise with such images.—Isaiah 42:8.
23. As we look around our homes, what words of the apostle John should we keep in mind?
23 Lovingly, the apostle John warns us: “Guard yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:21) Why not look around your home and ask yourself whether you are doing this? (Deuteronomy 7:25) By bringing your life and way of worship into harmony with Jehovah’s loving will you may gain his everlasting blessings.—1 Corinthians 10:14.
24. If we truly want to draw close to God, what should we do?
24 Continue to learn of Jehovah’s majesty and his loving purposes, and you will grow in love for him. Never let a day go by without thanking him for the good things that you enjoy because of his loving-kindness. As you learn more about him, impress upon your heart the importance of loyalty to him as the great God of the universe. By loving obedience to him, you will put yourself in the way that leads to eternal life.—Ephesians 4:23, 24; Psalm 104:33-35 [103:33-35, Dy].
[Footnotes]
2 Paralipomenon 16:9, Dy.
Cyclopœdia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, by J. M’Clintock and J. Strong, Vol. II, p. 561.
Trinitarians have practically ceased to cite the words “the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” that appear in some Bible versions at 1 John 5:7. Textual scholars agree that these words are a later spurious addition to the inspired text.
Why We Grow Old and Die
Chapter 4
Why We Grow Old and Die
1. (a) What is the desire of normal persons respecting health and life? (b) Because sickness and death are everywhere, what questions are raised about God’s purpose for man?
EVERY normal person desires life with good health. We seek relief from the pain and suffering that disease brings and we long for some way to escape from the weakening effect old age has on our bodies. It hurts us, too, when we see those we love afflicted by these things. Because of this, many persons ask, “Was all this part of God’s original purpose? When God created man, was it his purpose that man should grow old, and become deaf or blind? Did he mean for man’s skin to wrinkle with age, his heart to become diseased and his other organs to break down? Really, did God make man to die?”
2. (a) Did God create man with any defect? (b) What prospect, then, did God give Adam and Eve?
2 No, Jehovah God did not create man for such a miserable future. The Bible tells us that Jehovah provided a lovely garden home for the first human pair, and he blessed them. Reviewing his creative work, God rightly declared it “very good.” (Genesis 1:28, 31) This means that Adam and Eve were created perfect, without a defect in mind or body. (Deuteronomy 32:4; Proverbs 10:22) They had the prospect of living forever.
3. What do scientists say about the life potential of humans?
3 Interestingly, modern scientists know that the human body continually renews itself. And they say that, under the right conditions, it is capable of living forever. A Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Linus Pauling, explained that man’s bodily tissues replace themselves and, theoretically, should continue to do so forever. Biochemist William Beck also observed: “I can see no reason why death, in the nature of things, need be inevitable.” Yet, in spite of being so made, men continue to grow old and die. Why? God’s Word the Bible gives us the satisfying answer.
RESULTS OF DISOBEDIENCE
4. What test did God place upon Adam and Eve, emphasizing the seriousness of obedience?
4 When Jehovah created Adam and Eve, they became the earthly part of God’s great family, which already included a great number of spirit creatures in the heavens. God was the Father of the human pair, since he had given them life. The gift of life, however, was conditional; that is, it would continue to be theirs only as long as they met the condition of loving obedience to their heavenly Father. Obedience to law is necessary to continued peace and good order, so they had to recognize God as their Supreme Ruler. Did they know this? Yes, because Jehovah placed upon them a test that emphasized the seriousness of obedience. He said to Adam: “From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.”—Genesis 2:16, 17.
5. (a) Would the test of Adam and Eve’s obedience put a hardship on them? (b) Why was the ‘forbidden fruit’ not sex relations?
5 This test of obedience was not a difficult one. They were not deprived of needed food, nor were they tested beyond their ability. However, their obedience would show that they appreciated their relationship with God. (1 John 5:3) Although some persons have the idea that the ‘forbidden fruit’ had to do with sex relations between the man and woman, this was not the case. God himself had already told them to “be fruitful and become many and fill the earth.” (Genesis 1:28) When God commanded them not to eat the fruit of a certain tree it merely meant that God singled out one of the many fruit trees of Eden and commanded the human pair not to eat of its fruit.
6. (a) Why was the tree called “the tree of the knowledge of good and bad”? (b) When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, what bad thing were they doing in regard to their heavenly Father?
6 Why was the tree called “the tree of the knowledge of good and bad”? Because, as a result of God’s command, its fruit symbolized God’s right to decide for his creatures what is “good” and what is “bad” for them. So, for the human pair to take of this fruit would mean that they were turning their backs on their heavenly Father and rejecting his divine guidance and perfect will. While simple, the test involved much. It involved man’s dependence on his Creator and man’s recognition of divine authority. Remember, too, that Jesus Christ applied to imperfect humans the rule that “the person faithful in what is least is faithful also in much, and the person unrighteous in what is least is unrighteous also in much.” (Luke 16:10) How much more did this apply to perfect creatures!
7. (a) What did an invisible creature, speaking through a serpent, tell Eve about the tree’s fruit? (b) What did Eve then do, and when her husband found out, what did he do?
7 Why did Eve break God’s law and eat of the fruit? The idea did not begin with her but was presented to her by a spirit creature using a lowly serpent through which to speak. That spirit creature, identified in the Bible as Satan the Devil, is therefore called “the original serpent.” (Revelation 12:9) The invisible creature speaking through the serpent openly denied the truth of God’s command that Eve quoted. He represented the tree’s fruit as being able to cause her to be like God, deciding for herself what was “good” and what was “bad.” Eve then began to view the fruit as very desirable and she disobeyed God by eating of it. Adam, her husband and head, upon finding out what she had done, did not oppose her course but joined her in it.—Genesis 3:2-6; James 1:14, 15; 1 Corinthians 11:3.
8. (a) By their lawless act, of what were Adam and Eve guilty? (b) Why should we not judge the seriousness of what Adam and Eve did by the way people view disobedience and stealing today?
8 By this lawless act they became guilty of sin, and so they brought upon themselves the penalty of sin. (1 John 3:4) In considering the rightness of God’s decision we should not make the mistake of judging the seriousness of what Adam and Eve did by the way many people view things in our time. Today disobedience to parents is common, often going unpunished. Stealing also is common, and many think that, if what is stolen is small, the theft does not matter much. Rebellion and speaking against authority are likewise frequent today. But that does not make these things right! Much of the rotten fruitage we see today in the form of growing delinquency and crime is due to failure of parents and others in authority to correct matters at the start.—Proverbs 13:24; Ecclesiastes 8:11.
9. (a) Considering what Adam and Eve really did, why did God owe it to himself and his universal family to uphold the law? (b) What penalty did the lawless couple suffer for their sin?
9 God was not going to encourage wrongdoing by a failure to enforce his own law. By their disobedience Adam and Eve showed a great lack of love for the One who had provided so wonderfully for them. They were guilty of stealing, because they took what their Creator said was not theirs. Still worse, they joined with God’s enemy and, by their actions, called God a liar. Jehovah owed it to himself and to all his universal family to uphold the law. This he did. As a result of their deliberate sin the lawless couple were driven out of Eden to die.—Genesis 3:22-24.
10. How can the effect of sin be illustrated with a piece of machinery, and to what did sin lead Adam and Eve?
10 The effect of sin upon them might be illustrated by what happens to a piece of fine machinery when it is not used properly, according to the maker’s instructions. The machine will develop weaknesses and, in time, break down. Similarly, as a result of ignoring the instructions of their Maker, Adam and Eve lost their perfection. Their minds and bodies began to break down, and finally ceased to function, in death. That is what disobedience and removal from God’s favor meant for them. (Genesis 3:16-19) After Adam had used up the tremendous vitality of his once-perfect body, he died at the age of 930 years. This was within the symbolic “day” of one thousand years that God had set.—Genesis 5:5; 2 Peter 3:8.
EFFECT UPON OFFSPRING
11. How does the Bible explain why we today get sick and die?
11 But, since we today did not disobey that law in Eden, why is it that we also get sick and die? It is for this reason: All of Adam’s offspring were born after his disobedience. Thus his offspring inherited sin and death from him. All men inherit imperfection, because all come from Adam and Eve. As the Bible book of Job tells us: “Who can produce someone clean out of someone unclean? There is not one.” (Job 14:4) Also, at Romans 5:12 the Bible explains: “Through one man [Adam] sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men.” Just as a perfect piece of machinery cannot be produced from an imperfect mold, so Adam in his imperfection could not produce perfect children, free from sin.—Psalm 51:5 [50:7, Dy].
12. How can the effect of Adam and Eve’s sin be compared to what happens when persons who live immorally bring forth children?
12 The effect of Adam and Eve’s sin upon their offspring can be compared with what often happens when people who ignore God’s law and live immorally bring forth children. Such people may get diseased in the sex organs that God gave them to bring forth their children. The children of such “unclean” parents may be born physically or mentally damaged because of the sin of their parents. So, too, our first parents became “unclean,” imperfect, subject to sickness, and finally death. They could pass on to their offspring only what they themselves had: imperfection, with a future of sickness and death. That is why we all grow old and die, and why we so easily do what is wrong.
13. Is there a difference between deliberate sin and unintentional sin? How so?
13 However, it is one thing to make unintentional mistakes because of inherited sin, but entirely another matter deliberately to practice what one knows to be wrong. (1 John 5:16) If one is truly repentant over mistakes he makes because of inherited weaknesses, he can expect merciful forgiveness from God. (Proverbs 28:13) But he must be careful that, once he knows what is right, he does not deliberately choose to follow a course contrary to God’s will. To do so would mean loss of God’s favor and of life itself.—Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Hebrews 10:26, 27.
14. What provision has God made to save mankind from sin and death?
14 Happily, Jehovah has made loving provision to save repentant ones from the bad effects of inherited sin and death. This grand relief will come through the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Concerning this provision the Bible says: “God sent forth his only-begotten Son into the world that we might gain life through him.” (1 John 4:9) So, in God’s due time, under the Kingdom rule of his Son, inherited human imperfection will gradually be taken away, and mankind will no longer feel the effects of Adam’s sin. Why, even the death we inherited from Adam will no longer have power over us! (Revelation 21:3, 4) You can be one who will enjoy such blessings. How? By taking advantage of the provisions that Jehovah has made and proving your love for him by keeping his commandments.—Ecclesiastes 12:13.
[Picture on page 30]
Adam deliberately violated God’s plainly stated law
Where Are the Dead?
Chapter 5
Where Are the Dead?
1. What questions do people commonly ask about the dead?
PERHAPS you have experienced the empty feeling that comes with losing a loved one in death. On such occasions most persons feel not only sad but also very helpless. It is only natural to wonder: What happens to a person when he dies? Is he still conscious somewhere? Is there a real hope that the dead will live again? The Bible contains a comforting answer to these questions.
2. What does the Bible say happened to the first man Adam at his death, and so what is death?
2 Simply stated, death is the opposite of life. In sentencing the first man Adam for his willful disobedience, God said: “You [will] return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19) Consider now: Where was Adam before God formed him from the dust and gave him life? Why, he simply did not exist. At his death Adam returned to the same lifeless, unconscious state. He went neither to a fiery hell nor to heavenly bliss, but died—as God said he would.—Genesis 2:17.
3. What does Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10 say about the condition of the dead, and what happens to man’s thinking at death?
3 The Bible clearly teaches that the dead are unconscious and lifeless in the grave. Note what Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10 (AV) says regarding the condition of the dead: “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” This means that the dead cannot do anything and cannot feel anything. Their thoughts have ceased, as the Bible states: “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.”—Psalm 146:3, 4, AV [145:2-4, Dy].
DOES MAN HAVE AN IMMORTAL SOUL?
4. What does Numbers 31:28 reveal about the word “soul”?
4 But what about the soul? Is it not a part of man that separates from his body at death and goes on living? To answer this properly we need to determine what the soul is. You may be surprised to know that animals as well as men are called “souls” in the inspired Scriptures. For instance, Numbers 31:28 speaks of “one soul [Hebrew, nephʹesh] out of five hundred, of humankind and of the herd and of the asses and of the flock.”—See also Revelation 16:3, where the Greek word for “soul,” psykhé appears.
5. How does the Bible describe the soul?
5 What, then, is the soul? Let us see what the Creator’s own written Word says about it. At Genesis 2:7 we read: “And Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul.”
6. What Bible facts about the human soul show that it could not be a shadowy thing that can exist apart from a person? so what is the human soul?
6 Note, please, that after God started man breathing “the man came to be a living soul.” Hence the man was a soul, just as a man who becomes a doctor is a doctor. (1 Corinthians 15:45) Since the human soul is man himself, then it cannot be some shadowy thing that merely inhabits the body or that can exist apart from the person. In harmony with this fact, the Bible makes plain that the human soul possesses physical qualities. For example, the Bible speaks of the soul’s desiring physical food, saying: “Your soul craves to eat meat.” (Deuteronomy 12:20; see also Leviticus 17:12.) It says, too, that souls have blood traveling through their veins, for it speaks of “the blood of the souls of the poor innocents.” (Jeremiah 2:34, AV) Yes, your soul is really you, with all your physical and mental qualities.—Proverbs 2:10.
7. When the Bible uses the expression “my soul,” to what is it referring?
7 What, then, of the texts that use such expressions as “my soul,” or those that speak of a person’s soul as though it is within him? These texts, of course, must harmonize with the scriptures already considered, for there can be no contradiction in God’s Word. It becomes evident, then, that the word “soul” may be used in different senses. At times it refers to one’s own self as a soul. So just as one says “myself” he also can say “my soul,” meaning basically the same thing. Thus the psalmist wrote: “My soul has been sleepless from grief.”—Psalm 119:28 [118:28, Dy].
8. (a) In what other way can the word “soul” be used? So can a live person be rightly said to “have soul”? (b) What Bible accounts speak of one’s losing his life or soul?
8 “Soul” can also refer to the life one enjoys as a living soul or person. Now, we can say that someone is alive, meaning he is a live person. Or we can say that he has life, meaning he has life as a person. In the same way, man, according to the Bible, is a soul; but, as long as he is alive, he can be said to “have soul.” So, just as we speak of one’s losing his life, we can speak of his losing his soul. Jesus said: “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26, AV) When Rachel had trouble in giving birth to Benjamin, her soul (or life as a soul) went out from her and she died. (Genesis 35:16-19) She ceased to be a living person and became a corpse. And when the prophet Elijah performed a miracle in connection with a dead child, the child’s soul (or life as a soul) came back into him and “he came to life.” He was again a living soul.—1 Kings 17:17-23.a
9. (a) Does the Bible say that the human soul is deathless? (b) What scriptures show that the human soul can die?
9 Since the soul is the person himself, what happens to a soul at death? The Bible is very clear in stating that the soul is subject to death, saying: “The soul that is sinning—it itself will die.” (Ezekiel 18:4, 20) The apostle Peter quoted from the writings of Moses concerning Jesus, saying: “Indeed, any soul that does not listen to that Prophet will be completely destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3:23) Consistent with this basic truth, not once in any of its verses does the Bible say that either human or animal souls are immortal, deathless, cannot be destroyed or cannot perish. There are, however, dozens of scriptures that show that the soul can die or be killed. (Leviticus 23:30; James 5:20) Even of Jesus Christ the Bible says: “He poured out his soul to the very death.” (Isaiah 53:12) We see, then, that the human soul is the person himself, and when the person dies, it is the human soul that dies.
10. Confusion about what two words has caused much of the misunderstanding about death?
10 Much of the misunderstanding about death has been due to the confusion in many persons’ minds as to the meaning of “soul” and “spirit.” The Bible shows they are not the same, as we shall see.
WHAT IS THE SPIRIT IN LIVING CREATURES?
11. (a) According to Job 34:14, 15, what two things must man have to stay alive? (b) Explain what each of these means.
11 From Job 34:14, 15 we learn that there are two things that man (or any other conscious earthly creature) must have in order to be and stay alive: spirit and breath. There we read: “If he [God] sets his heart upon anyone, if that one’s spirit [Hebrew, ruʹahh] and breath [Hebrew, neshamahʹ] he gathers to himself, all flesh will expire together, and earthling man himself will return to the very dust.” We know that the first man was formed by God out of the “dust of the ground,” that is, the elements taken from the soil. At the time of Adam’s creation, God caused the billions of cells in his body to live, to have in them the force of life. This active life force is what is meant here by the word “spirit” (ruʹahh). But for the life force to continue in each of Adam’s billions of cells, they needed oxygen, and this was to be provided by breathing. So, God next “breathed into his nostrils the breath [neshamahʹ] of life.” Then Adam’s lungs began to function and thereby sustain by breathing the life force in his body cells.—Genesis 2:7, AV.
12. Illustrate the “breath of life” by what can happen to a newborn baby.
12 This was similar to the case of certain newborn babies. Although there is life in the baby when born, it sometimes does not begin to breathe right after birth. The doctor finds it necessary to spank the child to make it start breathing, for without breath the child would soon die. So, too, the life in Adam’s body cells had to be sustained by the breathing process in order for Adam to carry on the activities of a living person.
13. (a) Does the spirit have personality? (b) Using the illustration of an automobile, to what can the spirit be compared?
13 Whereas the human soul is the living person himself, the spirit is simply the life force that enables that person to be alive. The spirit has no personality, nor can it do the things a person can do. It cannot think, speak, hear, see or feel. In that respect, it might be likened to the electric current of a car’s battery. That current can ignite the fuel to make the engine produce power, cause the headlights to shine, sound the horn, or cause the car’s radio to produce voices and music. But, without the engine, headlights, horn or radio, could that battery current do any of these things by itself? No, for it is merely the force that enables the equipment to perform and do such things.
…