Man Has A Rational Soul

Now when He was asked by the Pharisees

When the kingdom of God would come,

He answered them and said,

“The kingdom of God does not come

with observation; nor will they say,

‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed,

the kingdom of God is within you.”

Luke 17:20–21

                        Our aim, as it should be, is to find and reach the real and true God. How can we do such a thing? What is it that enables us to be able to reach and find the true God? The answer lies in one simple fact: We, humans, are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). No other created being has this image, only man, and by this image we can communicate with God which no animal has the ability to do so for they are not made in the image of God. Within man is where the knowledge of God lies and it is this image of God in man that allows for the knowledge of God and even to be able to have accurate comprehension of God: it is as Luke wrote: “…the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21b). Does this mean that man can save himself from his sins? NO! What it does mean is that man is without excuse for within him is the ability to know that there is a God and to know the real God. Moses speaking to the people of Israel states: “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it” (Deuteronomy 30:14). This agrees with what Jesus Christ said and is recorded by Luke in the opening verses. Paul adds this fact: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:18–21). Man has not the ability to know God, not due to not having a soul that can communicate with God, rather they desire to worship other things, to live a life that is not in harmony with the morals that God gives man when man receives his soul. They make excuses, they attempt to pave their own road in this life so that they can do whatever they desire as the culture of the world today expresses: Your truth is your truth and my truth is my truth, therefore we do not judge each other for what we do; this is pretension and deception a way to avoid what God has implanted in man so that man can know the real and true God. It is the pleasures of this life that attract many men and women and by their own admission that what they do and how they live are just a private thing, a private act, and this they do by denying that they have a soul created and given to them by God, they deny that there is a God. This is so foolish for even the material world cries out that there is a God, a creator, and by Jesus Christ coming into this world, demonstrating the power of God within Him due to the fact that He was God come to save those who  would believe; this they do by being impious and by their repudiation of being made in the image of God. Yet, their intellect has the knowledge of God, their soul being darkened by their lusts and desire to be autonomous they deny the very fact that is present before them: the world, the animal kingdom, nature itself which cannot, except by willful denial, demonstrates the fact that there is a God and man has something that no other creature has: a soul made in the image of God.

            Evolutionary theory has been a way for man to deny God and use this theory to promote their free lifestyle and say that man is nothing more than just another animal. The facts do not support the evolution theory as no group of animals can be regarded as a distinct species that is not to have existed as distinct from the beginning for what is seen is that there is immutableness that is an essential characteristic shown be the fact that they are able to propagate itself indefinitely. This constancy of immutableness has never been refuted or explained by those who desire to believe in evolution: therefore, there must be another reason as to why they desire to believe the unbelievable. Man differs from brutes, just take a moment and think about the animals, they do not have the ability to be rational. Only man has a rational nature of the soul. Only man thinks of things external to himself, and reasons about things that are not actually present, who exercises reflection, who chooses by judgment the better over the worse, at least when man uses his faculties of reason that has not been darkened by sin,. Irrational animals see only what is present, and are impelled by what meets their eye, even if the consequences are injurious to them as when a dog sees a squirrel and chases it onto a buy highway without taking into this chase the fact that there are cares racing at speeds which are not easily stopped even if the driver sees the dog running into the highway in front of their car. Man sometimes acts like an irrational animal but this is the exception, and often after making a poor decision he reflects on what he has done and realizes the truth of his choice and by his intelligence makes a rational decision not to do such a thing again: this is not true of a dog chasing after a squirrel and having avoided being crushed by an oncoming car will do the same thing again without any thought of the consequences. There is a difference between men and animals, man has a soul that has the attributes of God and the ability to communicate with God, that is if the soul of a man is not deceived and darkened by error and sin. Man has objective thought, animals do not; therefore man is not the same as an animal and as the Bible states, man is made in the image of God, man has a soul.

            Man being propagated by a common stock, Adam, has the sin of Adam propagated as well, this original sin and man has not the ability by his own efforts to rid himself of this sin. This will be the subject of these blogs; man needs a savior and that Savior is Jesus Christ.

Blessed are those whose

            Lawless deeds are forgiven,

And whose sons are covered;

            Blessed is the man to whom

The LORD shall not impute sin.

                                  Romans 4:7–8; cf. Psalm 32:1-2

Fear God: Live For Him

Richard L. Crumb