What is traducianism?
Traducianism is the belief that at conception both the child’s body and soul or spirit are passed on to the child from the parents. In other words, the child inherits both the material and immaterial aspects of his being from his biological parents. A differing view is creationism, which holds that God creates a new…
Why did God give us free will?
The question of why God gave humans a free will often comes up in a discussion about the problem of evil. Someone will ask why there is so much evil in the world, and the answer is that human beings have chosen to do evil things. God is not to blame. The follow-up question is,…
What is the flesh?
John Knox (c. 1510–1572) was a Scottish clergyman, a leader of the Protestant Reformation, and a man who is considered to be the founder of the Presbyterian denomination in Scotland. Knox has been admired by contemporary theologians as someone who personified a zeal for God and a commitment to the truth of Scripture and holy…
What is the human spirit?
The human spirit is the incorporeal part of man. The Bible says that the human spirit is the very breath of Almighty God and was breathed into man at the beginning of God’s creation: “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of…
What is the human consciousness?
To be “conscious” is to be “aware.” The general term for a person’s thoughts, emotions, sensations, and general awareness is human consciousness. Scripture does not explicitly define what human consciousness is, though the Bible provides perspectives on it. A biblical view of human consciousness might be summarized as “the soul’s awareness of itself and its…
Is free will an illusion caused by chemical processes?
The so-called “scientific” argument (which is actually atheistic) against the objective reality of free will is self-refuting and, therefore, irrational. It is based on multiple fallacies that are philosophical, not scientific, including reductionism (all physical objects are nothing more than the sum of their parts, including human beings who are merely a collection of a…
What does it mean to be spiritually dead?
To be spiritually dead is to be separated from God. When Adam sinned in Genesis 3:6, he ushered in death for all humanity. God’s command to Adam and Eve was that they could not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It came with the warning that disobedience would result in…
Are all people born good?
There is a common belief today that people are born “good” and most people remain basically good at heart their whole lives. According to this theory, the evil that some people exhibit is the result of environmental factors—people only turn “bad” when external forces beyond their control twist them away from their basic goodness. This…
Are we all born sinners?
Yes, the Bible teaches that we are all born sinners with sinful, selfish natures. Unless we are born again by the Spirit of God, we will never see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). Humanity is totally depraved; that is, all of us have a sinful nature that affects every part of us (Isaiah 53:6;…
Is the human soul mortal or immortal?
The human soul or spirit is that part of a man or woman that is not physical. The soul is central to the personhood of a human being. It is the “true self”—who a person really is. The soul is the center of life, feeling, thought, and action in a human being. Without a doubt…