Breath of God in Earthen Vessels

Then the LORD God formed man
of dust from the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life;
and man became a living being.  
      - Genesis 2: 7

“We are machines built by DNA
whose purpose is to make
more copies of the same.”
  — Richard Dawkins, River Out of Eden

Can you imagine the scene?  There it was, the handsome but lifeless body that would soon become the first human being.  This lifeless creation from the dust of the Earth became Adam, a living person as God breathed life into his nostrils.

As we ponder the creation of the first human as described in Genesis 2 of the Bible, several questions come to mind.  What is it that made Adam and his descendants unique among all living creatures?   In particular, how have humans been equipped to personally know God and choose whether or not to worship and serve Him?  Are our bodies composed of different chemical elements or different molecules from other creatures?  Do we possess a unique anatomy and physiology?  Or, are humans unique because of the “breath of God” that our father Adam received and that we have inherited?

Are Humans Chemically Unique?
According to the Bible, prior to the creation of Adam, and before there was anything, …God created the heavens and the Earth out of nothing (ex nihilo) (Genesis 1: 1)!  Then, He used the material elements of the Earth to “bring forth” each genetic kind of animal and plant including the lifeless form of what would become Adam.  Therefore, it was no surprise when chemistry revealed that all 19 essential chemical elements that compose the human body are found in the natural world and in most animal species.  Four elements, Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), and Nitrogen (N) compose 99% of human cytoplasm.  

If humans are not unique because of the chemical elements they contain, what then?  Could it be that the 19 elements in humans are combined to make unique molecules?  Here, we must recognize how the biblical view of the origin of life contrasts with the evolutionary biology view represented in the quote from Richard Dawkins above.  According to naturalistic evolution, life is not the result of the intelligent, purposeful, creative, and sustaining power of God.  Rather, we owe our existence to the special “creative ability” of atoms and molecules acting according to physical and chemical laws. However, to date, no one has observed the spontaneous generation of life from inanimate matter.

A humorous argument in support of supernatural creation goes something like this:

Scientist: “God, we no longer need you.  We can create a human just like You did.”

God: “Maybe you can.  Let Me see you do it.”

Scientist: “Okay.” 
[Then, the scientist bends down to scoop up a handful of dirt.]

God:  "Just a minute.  That's my dirt.  Go make your own dirt." 

Modern science has been unable to create even one living cell or organ.  Still, science textbooks and journal articles deny God’s “intelligent design” while attributing a “creative intelligence” to molecules like DNA!  But any science that excludes God, must “go make its own DNA.”  And, so far, science has come up short.

“Breath of Life”
If we are honest, we should admit that a supernatural intervention was necessary to infuse life into a lifeless form.  All necessary organs and molecules were present, but the lifeless form was not yet a man, not a functioning human being, not a person.  It was not until God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life [that the] man became a living being (Genesis 2: 7).  So far, no scientist has been able to isolate or define “the breath of life” given by God.  Nor can science even restore the “breath of life” to a person once they are fully deceased.

The “breath of life” is not unique to humankind.  In Genesis 1: 30, we read that …to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that moves on the Earth which has the breath of life in it, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.  Centuries later, the Apostle Paul reasoned with the Greek philosophers on the subject of the origin of things, and said, The God who made the world and all things in it… He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; (Acts 17: 25).

Some Hebrew scholars [See HERE.] interpret the Hebrew word ruach to apply more broadly to mean the “breath of life” in non-human animals (cf. Genesis 7: 15).  But note that ruach is also translated “Spirit of God” as in Genesis 1: 2.  Although not without exception, the Hebrew word neshamah is used more frequently to mean the “divine breath” that God breathed into the nostrils of the first human form to bring Adam to life (cf. Genesis 2: 7; Job 33: 4). 

“This divine breath is not merely a physical phenomenon but also carries spiritual significance, particularly in the context of human life, which is seen as possessing both physical and spiritual dimensions” (The Hub Study Bible, HERE).  Pastor Douglas Hamp adds, “This breath of God animated Adam’s body in a manner similar to the animals in that they also have breath (neshamah) in their nostrils.  But it was also so much more, for we know that God did not breathe directly into the animals. Thus, the breath that God breathed into Adam must have been so much more than the mere animation of the body (spark of life).  It was also the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.” [See HERE.]

In summary, all humans and air-breathing animals have many chemical and anatomical traits in common as endowed by their Creator.  In addition, they all possess the “breath of life.”  However, Adam was uniquely formed by God in that he received the “breath of life” into his nostrils directly from God’s divine breath (Heb. neshamah; Greek, pneuma, breath, wind, spirit).  Upon being enlivened by God’s divine breath (Spirit), Adam became a complete person in the image of God and was indwelt by the Spirit of God (Genesis 1: 26-27).

Unlike Adam who was created from the dust of the ground, Eve was created from the living flesh of Adam’s side (Genesis 2: 21-22) to be “a helpmate suitable for him” (v. 20).   Adam and Eve lived for a time in perfect spiritual communion with God (Genesis 3: 8-9).  God gave them the free will to choose to love and serve Him as stewards of the Garden of Eden.  We can only try to imagine the inexpressible love and joy that was shared between God and His image bearing creatures as they “walked in the Garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3: 8).

The Curse of Sin
But when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God’s command not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the Spirit of God within them departed and their close communion with God ended (Genesis 3).  Because of their act of disobedience to God, …sin entered the world through one man, and death [both physical death and spiritual separation from God] through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned (Romans 5: 12).  From Genesis onward, the Old Testament reveals that the Spirit was upon only certain individuals including Joseph (Genesis 41: 38), gifted craftsmen of the tabernacle (Exodus 28: 3), Moses (Numbers 11: 25),  Joshua (Num 27:18), Gideon (Judges 6: 34), Samson (Judges 14: 6), Saul (1 Samuel 10: 10), David (1 Samuel 16: 13), Isaiah (Isaiah 59: 21), Ezekiel (Ezekiel 2: 2), Daniel (Daniel 4: 8), and Micah (Micah 3: 8).

The Old Testament is a record of God’s plan to restore His fallen and broken image-bearers from the curse of sin that separated them from His love and communion.  At the same time, it is a record of God at work to teach mankind His expectations (moral and ceremonial laws) for anyone who wishes to come into His holy presence (cf. Exodus 20; Psalm 15).  The Apostle Paul summarized the essence of the Gospel of Christ as follows:  For since death came through a man [Adam], the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man [Jesus Christ].  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  God had breathed the life of His Spirit into formless clay that became the “first Adam.” In order to reconcile fallen Adam, God will breathe His Spirit once again into all who believe in Christ who died and rose victorious over sin and death.

God Breathed Again
On the Sunday evening after the discovery of the empty tomb that morning, Jesus appeared to His disciples.  They were together in a room with the doors closed for fear of the Jews.  Jesus greeted them with, “Peace be with you,” and showed them his nail-pierced hands and side.  After comforting them, Jesus ...breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit (John 20: 19-22).  According to Douglas Hamp, the Greek word for “breathed on” or “inbreathed” is enephusesen.  The exact same word is used in Genesis 2: 7 of the Greek Septuagint to translate the Hebrew word for “breathed:” vayipakh.  The significance of this second inbreathing by the Lord Jesus is worth noting.

According to the Bible Hub Study Bible, “The act of breathing on the disciples is symbolic and reminiscent of God breathing life into Adam in Genesis 2:7.  This signifies a new creation where the disciples are being spiritually renewed and empowered for their mission.  The breath of Jesus here is a precursor to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, as described in Acts 2.  It also connects to Ezekiel 37:9-10, where the breath brings life to dry bones, symbolizing spiritual revival.”  This biblical concept is affirmed in the ancient wisdom book of Job when his friend, Elihu, testifies (emphasis added): 
The Spirit (Heb. ruach) of God has made me,
And the breath (Heb. (neshamah) of the Almighty gives me life.  – Job 33: 4

The Bible Hub Study Bible addresses the greater theological implications of pneuma (breath, wind, spirit): “Breath, as depicted in the Bible, is not merely a physical necessity but a profound theological symbol.  It represents the life-giving and sustaining power of God, the intimate relationship between the Creator and His creation, and the transformative work of the Holy Spirit. The act of breathing, therefore, serves as a constant reminder of humanity's dependence on God for both physical and spiritual life.”

Three Dimensions: Spirit, Soul, Body
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23).  This powerful prayer of the Apostle Paul has been the subject of much discussion among theologians.  Does the apostle mean that “spirit and soul and body” exist as separate dimensions of our being, or in one integrated whole?  Bishop Ellicott writes, “This is St. Paul’s fullest and most scientific psychology, not merely a rhetorical piling up of words without any particular meaning being assigned to them. (Ellicott Commentary, HERE.)  The commentator then expounds on each dimension (emphasis added):

“The "spirit" (pneuma) is the part by which we apprehend realities intuitively--i.e., without reasoning upon them; with it we touch, see, serve, worship God (John 4:23-24; Romans 1:9; 1Corinthians 6:17; Revelation 1:10, et al.); it is the very inmost consciousness of the man (see, e.g., 1Corinthians 2:11); it is the part of him which survives death (Hebrews 12:23; 1Peter 3:19; comp. Luke 23:46; Acts 7:59).”

The "soul." (psyche) includes the intellect, the affections, and the will: and it is of the very essence of the gospel to force sharply upon men the distinction between it and the spirit (Hebrews 4:12).  Low-living men may have soul (i.e., intellect, affection, will) in abundance, but their spirit falls into complete abeyance (Jude 1:19)…  Because of the unique moral significance and accountability of the human soul toward God, the Bible has much to say about the spiritual warfare that uniquely challenges humans as fallen creatures.

Spiritual Warfare: Body and Spirit
The location of “the soul” becomes potentially problematic when the Apostle Paul combines the three dimensions into “body and spirit” to describe the spiritual warfare we face as believers (cf. e.g. Romans 7: 14).  Bishop Ellicott believes the soul belongs altogether to the lower nature—the “flesh (body).”  In support of this interpretation, note that in Galatians 5: 19-21, Paul gives us a list of the “deeds of the flesh (body)” which clearly include what may be considered “soul-sins”—e.g. “jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, etc.  These contrast markedly with the “fruit of the Spirit” which result when we submit our mind and spirit to the Holy Spirit in us—e.g.  love, patience, kindness.

Far be it from this writer to expound fully and accurately the relationship of body, mind, and spirit; or, even “body and spirit.”  Yet hopefully, our limited understanding will be enough for us to make some practical points that are useful for those pursuing a disciplined life so that their spirit and soul and body [will] be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23).  As you explore the points below, we invite you to do so prayerfully, asking God to speak into you through His Spirit and Word.

Stewards of the Breath of God
1)  God breathed life into the lifeless.  When the “breath of God” was uniquely and directly imparted into the lifeless form that became Adam, he was enlivened with a “spirit” (“breath”) (Genesis 2: 7).  Adam’s spirit served like an electric lamp to receive power from God’s Spirit.   When Adam’s “spiritual lamp” was “plugged in” and lighted by God’s Spirit, he was able to see the truth of God’s Word and walk in His light.  However, when Adam sinned, his spiritual connection to God was broken.  Although Adam and his descendants retained a “spirit,” nevertheless, they were separated from God’s Spirit and power.  The human “spirit” became like an unplugged lamp.  The light went out!

2) Sin brought death—“lights out!”  In his epistle to Christ-followers in Rome, the Apostle Paul quotes from Psalm 14:  The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.  He concluded:  They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.  To the Ephesians, Paul wrote (emphasis added):   And you were dead in your trespasses and sins… (Ephesians 2: 1a).  Paul adds in Ephesians 4: 18 that we were darkened in [our] understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in [us] due to the hardness of [our] hearts.  Each person living apart from God is a lifeless form without the Spirit of God.  Indeed, he is worse off than the spiritless, lifeless form that would become Adam. Think of this!  Not only do sinners love darkness and separation from God, they also hate the light of Christ who came to illuminate God’s Word of truth through the life He lived. Whereas, the lifeless “pre-Adam” lay still waiting for God’s life-giving Spirit, the fallen descendants of Adam hate the Light of God and run from the Light not knowing they are blind and ignorant of God’s love and purpose for them.

3) We must confess we are blinded and lifeless.  The Apostle John wrote, This is the verdict: Light [Jesus Christ] has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of the Light because their deeds were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed (John 3: 19-20). John MacArthur wrote, “they seal their own condemnation because they reject the only One who can save them from their spiritual darkness” [Daily Readings from the Life of Christ.  Moody 2008]   But by God’s grace, it did not need to end in darkness.  John continued (v. 21):  But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.  Confession of our sin (“saying what God says about our sin and darkness”) is what God requires.

4) We must be “born again.”  Jesus had told Nicodemus, “You must be born again” (John 3: 3).  Like the earthen form into which God breathed during His creation of Adam, each of us are  lifeless spiritually –unless and until we are “born again.”  The good news is …if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you (Romans 8: 11).  When we die to our sin and yield to God’s Spirit, our spirit is “plugged into” God’s Spirit and our spiritual lamps burst into light which then illuminates God’s Word for our instruction in becoming more like Christ.  With the psalmist David, we can exclaim, For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light (Psalm 36: 9).  Have you been “born again?” Have you received the Light of life and been filled with the “breath of life” through the indwelling Spirit of God?  To learn more, go HERE.

5) “Born again” to be a “living sacrifice.”  When we are “born again,” we are babes in Christ who ought to “desire the pure milk of the Word of God” (1 Peter 2: 2).  If we have been “saved by grace” (Ephesians 2: 8-9), we should also recognize that the same grace of God also helps us develop the disciplined life of a Christ-follower (Titus 2: 11-14).  The Apostle Paul wrote, Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you] (Romans 12: 1-2).  But we cannot “present our bodies as a living sacrifice” with our own discipline and strength.  We need the power of God’s indwelling Spirit to stand firm in a “spiritual warfare.” 

6) Realizing our spiritual warfare.  The Scriptures make it clear that each Christ-follower faces opposition from both the material dimension (“body”, “flesh”) and the spiritual realm (cf. Ephesians 6: 10-12).  Victory in our spiritual warfare requires that we consider our “old self” as having been “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2: 20) so that His resurrection life and Spirit can rule in our lives.  Here, the Apostle Paul’s teaching on the “body” and “spirit” helps us focus on the nature of the spiritual warfare (emphasis added):   For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please (Galatians 5: 17).  Then, in vv. 19-21, Paul lists examples of the “deeds of the flesh.”  This is a very depressing listing of evil attitudes and behavior.  In contrast and very uplifting is the “fruit of the Spirit:” love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, etc. (vv. 22-23).  If we take time to self-assess our attitudes and behavior, especially in difficult situations, we can literally feel the tension that often arises.  We offer the model below for sake of meditation and discussion, realizing that it oversimplifies the dynamic relationships of “spirit, soul, and body” we have been discussing.

7) Disciplines for spiritual warfare.  Here is where the “rubber” of our spiritual disciplines “meet the road” in the arena of daily living where spiritual warfare is a continual reality.  If you are not a Christ-follower, we urge you to pursue a relationship with God as explained in (4) above.  Writing to Christ-followers, we assume you have the Gift of salvation through faith in Christ, and are cultivating a relationship with God through His indwelling Spirit.  If so, the “lamp of your spirit” is lit up by God’s Spirit so that you can see His Word and be encouraged in the spiritual disciplines of surrender, prayer, worship, service, and witness to others. However, we still live within physical bodies, “earthen vessels,” that are prone to illness, sudden misfortunes, addictions, etc. which can wear us down emotionally and spiritually.  These factors are complex and dynamic from day to day.  Therefore, we close with some specific suggestions to incorporate into your spiritual disciplines drawn from study resources of the Hub Study Bible [Link]:

Strategy 1: Suit Up—Put On the Full Armor (Ephesians 6: 13-18)

• Belt of Truth — anchor every thought to God’s Word.
• Breastplate of Righteousness — walk in daily obedience; unconfessed sin leaves gaps.
• Shoes of the Gospel of Peace — stay ready to share Christ; peace steadies your footing.
• Shield of Faith — raise specific promises of God when doubts or temptations fly.
• Helmet of Salvation — guard your mind with the certainty of Christ’s finished work.
• Sword of the Spirit (the Word) — quote, pray, and apply Scripture as Jesus did (Matthew 4).
• Prayer in the Spirit — the supply line that keeps every other piece effective.

---

Strategy 2: Stand on Scripture, Not Feelings

For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh… We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10: 3-5)
• Memorize key verses that answer your recurring battles.
• Replace lies with truth; meditate until your mind reroutes automatically (Philippians 4:8).

---

Strategy 3: Active Resistance

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)
Resist him, standing firm in your faith. (1 Peter 5:9)

• First step is surrender to God; resistance without submission has no power.
• Speak truth aloud when attacked—darkness hates light.
• Persist; fleeing may not be immediate, but it is promised.

---

Strategy 4: Continual, All-Kinds-of Prayer

Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. (Ephesians 6:18)

• Conversational prayers through the day keep you alert.
• Intercede for others; a wider scope denies the enemy easy targets.
• Include praise and thanksgiving—praise enthrones God and unsettles evil (Psalm 22:3).

---

Strategy 5: Fellowship and Accountability

And though one may be overpowered, two can resist him. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

• Honest relationships expose hidden schemes; secrecy is the enemy’s ally.
• Corporate worship multiplies faith and courage.

---

Strategy 6: Cultivate Holiness

Make no provision for the flesh. (Romans 13:14)

• Remove media, habits, or environments that invite darkness.
• Replace them with practices that nourish the Spirit—service, Scripture, worship.

---

Strategy 7: Practice Discernment

Beloved, do not believe every spirit,
but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. (1 John 4:1)

• Weigh teachings, impressions, and emotions against clear biblical doctrine.
• The Holy Spirit never contradicts the written Word.

---

Strategy 8: Rest in Christ’s Victory

He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:15)

• Spiritual warfare is fought from victory, not for it.
• Remind yourself that final authority already belongs to Christ; you stand in His triumph.

Creation’s Complexity Can Be Convicting

When we consider the amazing diversity of plants, animals, and microbes, we are bound by our very nature to ask the question:  Where did they all come from?  Our answer will likely fall under one of two claims.  Either they came into being “by time, chance, and natural causes;” or, “by the plan of an Intelligent Designer.”  If your answer is “intelligent design,” then you are in the company of most of humankind throughout recorded history.

Mechanical Cogs and Gears of the Planthopper Insect

On the other hand, those who attribute the “natural world” to “time, chance, and natural causes” are facing a higher and higher mountain of challenges to their logic.  When atheistic, naturalistic thinkers of the 18^th and 19^th centuries proposed “natural causes,” little was known of genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry.  Since then, science has been revealing an amazing intricacy and complexity within living cells.  When we view imaging and animations of living cells such as that shown in the video series, “The Secrets of the Cell—The X Factor in Life,” featuring biochemist Dr. Michael Behe, many of us have too little faith to believe such wonder could have assembled itself by “undirected natural causes.” 

The complexity of the world around us is not only amazing, it can speak conviction into our lives.  When I was a much younger man, I remember struggling with a particular pattern in my life.  I knew in my conscience and from reading my Bible that this pattern was something that I must not allow to continue.  I also knew enough about the Gospel message of God’s saving grace to know there was something more at work in my struggle than simply scoring high with God on a “checklist” of do’s and don’t’s.  For by grace are you saved, through faith, and [even] that is not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2: 8-9).  I was convinced that, left unchecked, such a pattern of behavior and other similar allowances could eventually point my life in a direction away from that of a purpose-driven, God-pleasing life.

During this time of inner struggle, I remember hiking in an open meadow with scattered, large trees.  On this particularly hot day, I found it refreshing to sit beneath a large oak tree.  There I sat enjoying the cool air.  Then, I remembered that this coolness was made possible by the evaporation of water which carries heat away from the thousands of leaves on this oak tree.  This escape of heat-laden water vapor through tiny leaf pores (stomata) cools both leaves and the atmosphere around and under the tree.

While enjoying my cool comfort, I also enjoyed watching several squirrels scampering among the large branches of the giant oak.  Closer observation revealed that they were gathering acorns, perhaps to store them as a food reserve for winter.  Some of the acorns dropped to the ground near meadow wildflowers where honeybees and other insects were busily gathering nectar.

As I watched these animals and a nearby woodchuck poking his head out of his burrow, I realized that, in my state of moral conflict, I was the only living organism in this meadow that was not in tune with the purpose of God.  The oak tree had produced a fruitful crop of acorns and was functioning all the while to cool the microclimate around it.  The squirrels, insects, and woodchuck were all busily being and doing that for which they were created.  But me?  I was kicking against God’s moral guidelines—principles which He had lovingly provided to help me realize His purposes.  Yet I believed the evidence of God’s love for me, that Christ died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf (2 Corinthians 5: 15).

The choice was mine –to either continue to go my own way, or to yield to God.  I paused and remembered Hebrews 4: 12 which states that the word of God is alive and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4: 12).  Like using a mirror to shave and comb my hair, I needed to use God’s Word as a mirror and as a scalpel to reprove, correct, and train me in the path of God’s righteousness (2 Timothy 3: 16).

The choice is mine and yours to make. Thankfully, God led me to repent and turn from my sin, and to pursue His gracious forgiveness (1 John 1: 9).  Some people, instead of recognizing and repenting of their inner struggles and turning to God’s moral guidelines and purposes for them, choose to reject God’s plan and provisions.  By denying the reality of God and His design and purpose in creation, they may forge what seems to be a satisfactory worldview.  After all, if there is no God, then there is no accountability for our actions.  Yet, many remain unsettled every time they encounter the amazing intricacy and wonder of creation.

Molecular Motor of  a Bacterial Flagellum

An acquaintance of mine confided that his friend had confessed to him that he really didn’t believe in Darwinian evolution.  In fact, he had to admit that evolution was a means of avoiding being morally accountable to a purposeful God who will one day judge all of mankind (Hebrews 9: 27).   But God speaks through His creation and through His Scriptures like Romans 8: 20-22:

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing to be wise, they became fools…

Please consider again my reflections in the meadow with the oak tree, squirrels, and insects.  Then, consider that our lives and the lives of trees, squirrels, and insects are all propelled by the intricate workings within microscopic living cells as shown in visual media like “The Secrets of the Cell—The X Factor in Life.”  Yet, above and beyond all of these intricacies, God speaks through His Word to convict us of our rebellion (sin) and to draw us into loving fellowship with Him.

To those such as this writer who have struggled with patterns of life that have competed with God’s moral purposes and plans, I pray with the Apostle Paul, to the God of purpose and design that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1: 18-20).

How About You?
Jesus taught His disciples, saying I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing (John 15: 5).  I realized that God was pointing out where I was missing the mark and that He was inviting me to repent, turn away from my rebellious direction, and yield to His path for me.  Abiding in Him and He in me!  What an amazing provision!  When we abide in Him, we can be fruit-bearers by the provision and power of God’s Holy Spirit within us.  The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (Galatians 5: 22-23).

Helpful Reading:
Lee Strobel. 2005. The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence the Points toward God.  Zondervan.  Grand Rapids, MI.

A.W. Tozer.  1950.  God’s Pursuit of Man.  Moody Press.  Chicago.

God Speaks through Nature and through His Word.  Oikonomia.  May 3, 2016.

Black History 3: Bible and Biology Erase Racism

Infants and young children often enjoy a blissful existence, oddly enough because of their ignorance.  For example, a boy baby or toddler can have just as much fun at play with a girl and her dolls as with his own toy trucks and tools.  Many a child can as much enjoy the warmth and love of a dedicated stepmother or adoptive parents as that of his or her biological parents.  And, young children can enjoy playing with other young children without being distracted by differences in skin color, hair, or facial contours.  Everything seems to fit well into a child’s simple scheme of things.

Racism is Sin We Learn to Practice
But as children grow older and learn more about the world, their understanding becomes darkened by values that run contrary to both God’s created order and His revealed Truth recorded in the Bible.  When parents or other authorities in the child’s life practice racial discrimination or racism, the child suddenly learns that their black or white friends are somehow inferior, or of lesser value, or are their enemies. 

The fact that racial discrimination and hatred are passed from one generation to the next is illustrated clearly in the movie, 42.  This 2013 film records how Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier to become the first black major league baseball player.  One scene in which Jackie was playing in a game in Cincinnati features a boy seated in the stands next to his racist father.  The boy’s enjoyment of baseball was marred by confusion over his dad’s racial slurs against Robinson.  Soon, out of respect for his dad, the boy began to chime in to express his own racial protests.  How many times has this scenario been repeated over many generations?

What happens in the human heart that transforms an innocent child who had once enjoyed play with other children regardless of ethnicity to a child that is guarded, suspicious, or resentful of another person who is simply “different?”  Racial and ethnic strife is nurtured when experiences feed our natural inclinations toward pride and spiritual rebellion against God who created us.  Meanwhile, God reveals His truth through the Bible, history, and the sciences.  For those who humbly study these sources of truth, understanding brings great reward.  Jesus promised those who will follow Him:  If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free (John 8: 31-32).

In Part 1 of this series, “Correct History Brings Light,” we considered how ethnic minorities were instrumental in America’s founding.  By the time of the American Revolution, minority Americans like Crispus Attucks were already part of a “melting pot” of ethnicities that was instrumental in the forging of the United States of America.  Attucks who died in the Boston Massacre is reportedly the first casualty of the Revolution.  Interestingly, Attucks himself was an ethnic “melting pot.”  Although he appeared to be an African American, only Attucks’ father was of African descent, while his mother, Nancy Attucks, was a Native American of the Natick tribe.  A better understanding of how Black history is interwoven culturally and genetically with American history is necessary to evaluate the notion of Reparations which we discussed in Part 2.

A correct understanding of Black history and how it is intertwined with American history, it is necessary that we consider what the science of biology is revealing to us about the human race.  As always, we must try to integrate (i.e. logically and consistently fit into a complete whole) what we discover about humankind through science with what God reveals in the Scriptures of the Bible.

Scripture Says, “One Race”
Racism is a complex issue that I am still learning to understand.  However, since I have placed my faith in Jesus Christ and in the authority of God’s Word, the Bible, I must turn to God and His Word for answers to my questions and pray for wisdom to direct my communication and behavior.  Therefore, we will begin by considering what God has revealed about His creation of humankind, His provision for all people, and His principles intended for our good.

After God had created all except humankind, we read in Genesis 1: 26-27:
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
and Genesis 2: 7,
Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Jesus Christ was with God at Creation.  “Our likeness” above suggests the Trinity. The Apostle John wrote, All things were made by Him (Jesus Christ); and without Him was not anything made that was made (John 1: 3).  Jesus in turn spoke of the creation of Adam and Eve:
“Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, and said, ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’?

The Apostle Paul taught both Jews and Gentiles in Athens that they were all of one race (emphasis mine):
He (God) made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation…indicating that all of humanity, regardless of “race,” gender, or origin, are offspring of the first man and woman (Acts 17: 26).  Paul adds specific reference to the man, Adam, in 1 Corinthians 15: 45-47:  So also it is written, “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.  However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven.

Taken together these Scriptures clearly teach us that all humans are descendants of one specially created man, Adam.  So, we all comprise “one race,” not many races.  It follows that just as the “first Adam” is father of the human race, so the “second Adam,” Jesus Christ, Adam’s descendent through the line of Abraham [Abraham (Hebrew) = “father of many nations”] is the “father” of all who repent of sin and are born again by faith in Him.  In fact, Paul continued his message to Athens with these words (emphasis mine):  Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man (Jesus Christ) whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead (Acts 17: 30-31).

The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel presents a biblical view of social justice with respect to race relations and ethnicity:
God made all people from one man. Though people often can be distinguished by different ethnicities and nationalities, they are ontological equals before God in both creation and redemption. “Race” is not a biblical category, but rather a social construct that often has been used to classify groups of people in terms of inferiority and superiority. All that is good, honest, just, and beautiful in various ethnic backgrounds and experiences can be celebrated as the fruit of God’s grace. All sinful actions and their results (including evils perpetrated between and upon ethnic groups by others) are to be confessed as sinful, repented of, and repudiated.

As the above statement clearly states, the Bible nowhere supports the notion of racism.  Instead, racism is rooted in Darwinian evolution which claims that pre-human primates evolved into different lines, or "races" leading to present day Caucasian, Negroid, Asian, and other ethnicities.  Because evolution theory assumes that natural selection leads to differences in visible and other traits related to survival, it follows that some "races" must be superior to others.  In, “World History Without HIS Story,” I explain how the Darwinian mindset provided the basis for Nazi Germany’s eugenics experiment involving the Holocaust, the aim of which was to deliberately exterminate Jews and favor the “Aryan race.”  Some educators, both Christian and secular, prefer the use of “ethnic group” or “people group” rather than the term “race.”  Biology and genetics support the Scriptural teaching that humanity is “one race” not many races.

Biology Says, “Race Is Not Rooted in Reality”
An increasing number of scientists believe the term “race” is genetically meaningless.  The American Association of Physical Anthropologists (AAPA) has drafted an official “Statement on Race and Racism.” The statement includes the following rejection of “race” as a useful genetic concept:  Race does not provide an accurate representation of human biological variation. It was never accurate in the past, and it remains inaccurate when referencing contemporary human populations.

Interestingly, while the AAPA Statement denies that race has its “roots in biological reality,” nevertheless it admits that “racism” exists as a social problem rooted “in policies of discrimination.”  That is, racism can be attributed to “a classification system that emerged from, and in support of, European colonialism, oppression, and discrimination.”  Unfortunately, the AAPA Statement fails to identify the role of Darwinian evolution as a major cause of the emergence of ethnic minority oppression and extermination under Hitler as noted above.

Referring to decades of research by the Human Genome Variation Project, the AAPA Statement notes that a genetic comparison of all humans reveals that the genetic makeup of any two randomly chosen persons in the world will differ by no more than 0.1% (one-tenth of 1 percent) of their genes.  According to Natalie Angier (“Do Races Differ?  Not Really.  Genes Show)”, New York Times, Aug. 22, 2000), only approximately 0.01 percent of the variation among all humans involves genes commonly associated with “race-distinguishing” traits like skin color.  D. J. Witherspoon, S. Wooding, et al. publishing in the journal, Genetics (176: 351–359  May, 2007), concluded, “…most human genetic variation is found within populations, not between them.”  Rob DeSalle and Ian Tattersall, both at the American Museum of Natural History, conclude, “race is a totally inadequate way of characterizing diverse humankind or even of helping understand humanity’s glorious variety.”

We began by reflecting on the bliss enjoyed by the baby or toddler who can enjoy being at play with another child regardless of outward differences in appearance.  Meanwhile, because of human spiritual depravity, adults worldwide behave like spoiled children who learn to reject and abuse others who look or act differently.   When will we realize the sin of racism?  In so doing, we defy God’s creative purposes by wrongly dividing human beings who differ by only a few genes that determine outward appearance?  Although racism is real and damaging on a cultural level, there is not enough genetic difference to consider it real biologically.  How tragic!  

The challenge for Christ-followers is to understand the following:
a)  What the Scriptures teach about the origin of all humans from the ”first Adam” (Genesis 1-2)
b)  The reason why we are spiritually depraved (Genesis 3; Romans 1-2)
c)  Why God sent His only Son as the “second Adam” (1 Corinthians 15: 45)
d)  Our need to repent and receive Christ's free Gift of salvation and restoration (Acts 17: 30-31)
For more information on how you can receive the Gift of Salvation, CLICK HERE for "Steps to Peace with God."

Those who come to Christ by faith can fully celebrate human ethnic diversity.  That means celebrating the way in which God and "HIStory" has melted ethnic diversity for the benefit of many nations, America included.  And best of all, Christ-followers can assist in the harvest of souls of every ethnicity, all of whom God loves and invites to live with Him throughout eternity if they claim His righteousness by faith in the blood of Christ.