Knowing Christianity

The Material Part of Man In Genesis 1:26 we are told that God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…” and in Genesis 2:7 that God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.”  Lewis Sperry  Chafer states that, “These distinctions classify man above all other forms of life which are upon the earth and indicate that man is a moral creature with intellect, capacity for feeling, and a will.” [1] It was when man was made that he became alive; he did not become a living creature after already being a living creature. Genesis 2:7 also teaches that the material part of man was made of the dust of the ground and the immaterial part made of the inbreathing of God (cf. Job 33:4; Eccl. 12:7). Chafer states that, “The sixteen elements of the soil are said to be present in the human body: calcium, carbon, chlorine, fluorine, hydrogen, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, potassium, silicon, sodium, sulfu...

The facts concerning the origin of man can be known only because God has revealed those facts to us in Scripture. It is through special revelation that we discover something about where we came from. Attempting to answer the question of mans origin apart from Scripture has only served to demonstrate that man has been incapable to ascertain these facts elsewhere. Only God, as Creator, can provide a complete and accurate account of man’s origin, and this account can only be found in His Word. There are many passages in Scripture that clearly indicate that man was created (Gen. 1:1-2:25; John 1:3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 11:13). In the first chapter of Genesis alone, God is referred to as Creator about seventeen times, and about fifty other references can be found elsewhere in the Bible. There are a number of biblical arguments that clearly support the immediate creation of man and the literal twenty-four hour day’s view of creation: (1) A number of passages clearly teach that man was...

In Creation This has to do with His work in relation to the universe. While Scripture does teach that the Son created all things, there are a number of references that indicate that the Spirit did have a part in the work of creation. The references include His part in regard to the creation of man (Job 33:4) and animals (Ps. 104:30). Job 26:13 tells us that the Spirit participated in “garnishing the heavens” (KJV) and according to Gen. 1:2, in the restoration of the earth. In Revelation and Illumination This is His work in relation to Scripture. Although the central theme of the Bible is Jesus Christ, the Bible’s inspiration is by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21 ; 2 Sam. 23:2, 3; Acts 1:16 ; 28:25; John 14:26 ; 16:13 ; 1 Cor. 2:10 ; 1 Tim. 4:1). He is also the illuminator of Scripture. It is that ministry of the Holy Spirit in which He helps Christians understand the truth of Scripture. Our minds are enlightened and the text of Scripture becomes clear to the believer. In t...

The deity of the Holy Spirit and the doctrine of the Trinity are clearly bound together. It is obviously impossible to believe in the triunity of God if one denies the deity of the Spirit. To deny His deity is to deny the Trinity, and the denial of these will also inadvertently lead to the denial of other fundamentals such as the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture. So what evidence does the Bible present for the deity of the Holy Spirit? (1) His attributes – Omniscience (1 Cor. 2:10 -12), Omnipresence (Ps. 139:7-10; John 14:17 ), Omnipotence (Job 33:4), Eternity (Heb. 9:14 ), truth (John 14:17 ). (2) His works – regeneration (John 3:5-6), creation (Ps. 104:30), intercession (Rom. 8:26 ), generating Christ (Matt. 1:20 ). (3) His titles/names – Paul referred to the Spirit as being “God” (Acts 5:3-4), “Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11 ), “Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:11 ), “Lord” (1 Cor. 12:4-6). (4) His association with the Father and the Son – (2 Cor. 13:14 ; 1 Pet. 1:2; Mat...