III. Man’s Nature

A. Does The Bible Say That Man Is Mortal (Can Die)?

1. Is Man Mortal?

Job 4:

    17 Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?

1 Corinthians 15:

    53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

    54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

Romans 6

    12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 8:

    11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

2 Corinthians 4:

    11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

TEXTS OF INTEREST

1 John 3:

    15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

NOTE:

    If a murderer was going to burn in hell fire forever, wouldn’t it be necessary for that person to have eternal life?

2. Can Man Perish?

Psalms 37:

    20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

Psalms 68:

    2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

Job 4:

    9 By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.

Job 34:

    15 All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.

Psalms 73:

    27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.

Psalms 146:

    4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

Proverbs 19:

    9 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.

Isaiah 41:

    11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.

Luke 13:

    3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

John 3:

    16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Acts 8:

    20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.

Romans 2:

    12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;

2 Thessalonians 2:

    10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

2 Peter 2:

    12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

3. Can Man Die?

Genesis 2:

    16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

    17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Job 14:

    10 But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?

Job 7:

    15 So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life.

Job 30:

    23 For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.

Ecclesiastes 3:

    19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 9:

    5 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.

Ezekiel 3:

    19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

    20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

Ezekiel 18:

    4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

    20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

    21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

    24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

    31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

    32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

Ezekiel 33:

    11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

Romans 5:

    12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Romans 6:

    23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:

    21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

    22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Hebrews 9:

    27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

James 1:

    15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Revelation 21:

    8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Revelation 20:

    14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Revelation 2:

    11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

4. Can Man Be Destroyed?

Isaiah 1:

    28 And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.

Psalms 73:

    27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.

Philippians 3:

    18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

    19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

2 Thessalonians 1:

    8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

    9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

Matthew 10:

    28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Psalms 145:

    20 The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.

Psalms 37:

    38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

Psalms 92:

    7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:

Job 21:

    30 That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.

Proverbs 10:

    29 The way of the Lord is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

Proverbs 13:

    13 Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.

Psalms 101:

    8 I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord.

Psalms 21:

    10 Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men.

Luke 17:

    29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

2 Thessalonians 2:

    8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

5. To What Does The Bible Compare Human Life?

Psalms 78:

    39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

Job 7:

    7 O remember that my life is wind: mine eye shall no more see good.

    9 As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.

Job 14:

    2 He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.

Job 21:

    17 How oft is the candle of the wicked put out and how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger.

Psalms 90:

    5 Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.

Isaiah 40:

    6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

James 4:

    14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

NOTE:

    It is plain that man’s nature is mortal, and is inclined to die. Man would surely die (the second death) if God hadn’t devised a plan by which we can have a choice. Choose God’s gift and live or choose to reject this gift and die.

Contents

Continue Chapter

Dwight Waterhouse is the compiler of this information. Please feel free to send your comments and questions. David Waterhouse is the Webmaster. You can reach both of us at the same E mail