The Nature of Man - Antiquity of Man Part 2 — John Murray

Let us pray. O Lord, our God, Thy testimonies are altogether righteousness and faithfulness. We glorify Thy great and holy name, for all that Thou art, for all that Thou hast manifested Thyself to be in the marvels of Thy love and of Thy grace.

And we pray that increasingly we may, by Thy word and by the illumination of Thy Holy Spirit, explore the unsearchable riches of Thy grace. For Jesus' sake, amen. Now I was making a few remarks about the genealogy, and particularly about the chronological details in 511, and I had made the first point that the purpose of these chronological data is to provide us with information regarding the longevity of the patriarchs.

The Longevity of the Patriarchs and Early Human History

The longevity of the patriarchs as a significant feature of life in these early days of human history. Then second, this longevity is purposeful. This longevity really is purposeless in that period of the world's history.

One of the most important would be that it contributed to the increase of the weight, fulfillment of the mandate, be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it. Obviously there was a much longer period, fertility and virility.

Very readily discerned is that longevity was a means of securing the authenticity of tradition. Authenticity of tradition. And the record of this longevity is the guarantee to us that the events of early human history.

The Genealogies in Genesis and the Antiquity of Man

The conclusion of the antiquity of man by.

Professor John Murray was lost on the master tape. This is the end of the conclusion.

Condensation in Genesis 5, Genesis 11. That's all I want to say on that particular topic of the antiquity of man. I would have to say a great deal more. I would have to lecture at least the most formal man to provide you with the data which can be derived from other biblical genealogy, the Old Testament, the Old Testament.

But I presume that that is done in the Old Testament department, probably in Old Testament history, and I don't want to burden you with any unnecessary duplication. So I turn on to the next topic, which is the nature of man.

Man as Both Material and Spiritual

The nature of man. The antiquity, now the nature. The nature. I want to deal with this under two main captions. One of the chapters I'm going to, we shall have a stir. We are just at a caption. I've given this explanation bodily of the origins of man.

We found material called dust on the ground in the formation of man. On the ground. In the formation of man. There is a material aspect to man's constitution from the very outset. Secondly, devils. Expressing this truth is that man is body.

Frequently in the scripture reflects on this physical, material aspect of man's. The reason for putting it this way is that body enters into the integrity, I should say belongs to the integrity of man's personality.

That the biblical representation is not that man's soul or spirit was created. Representation is the opposite of the opposite. The man, dust on the ground. At the very outset, man is body. It is not accident.

The Unity of Body and Soul in Human Nature

Renunciating into Christian thought. That the body is the person house of the soul. In a little book. In every respect, but in this one respect I am. F .B. Babbage. F .B. Babbage. B-A-B-B-A-G-E.

Man in nature and in grace. Pages 26 through 33. I don't know anywhere where this platonic Aristotelian view of human nature is more succinctly and clearly set forth. Separation, body and spirit. And that's fine.

The human body is man himself. Perfectly correct so far. The human body is man himself in the structural whole of his temporal appearance. The human soul, pregnant religiosity of his spiritual existence.

Which transcends all temporal structures. The pregnant religious sense is man himself in the radical unity of his spiritual existence. Which transcends all temporal structures. End of the quotation. That is from the translation.

A new critique of theoretical thought. Volume 3, page 89. A new critique of theoretical thought. Volume 3, page 89. This is the English translation. Transcends all temporal structures. Is that what you want?

Transcends all temporal structures. Now it seems to me that from the biblical position, in that definition, perhaps not applied all that way, but as a matter of form, as a matter of definition, there is something there that I don't believe is quite in accord with the emphasis, which I think I have clearly demonstrated to be the biblical emphasis.

His body, Goebbels says, in effect, the human body is man himself. Man is body. It belongs to the integrity of his personality. And that, Goebbels would not deny, belongs to the integrity of his personality.

Genesis 3:19 and the Return of Man to Dust

But this term, temporal appearance, occurring in that definition. Temporal appearance. Restrictive in its reference. Appearance. Not simply. Man himself. Permanent identity. Now that's true. Lest you might be troubled by the statement in Genesis 3, 19, to the effect that thus thou art and to thus thou shalt return, consistent with the position I have outlined, I want to deal with that, because it could be misinterpreted.

It could be misinterpreted as meaning that since man is dust, he necessarily returns to dust. ...or application of Genesis 3, 19, that Genesis 3, 19 occurs in the curse and was pronounced upon man before his death.

Never be removed from that context. And that means, therefore, that the reason why he returns to dust is not that he is naked. 19 is to this effect, penalty executed upon sin, takes this way of man is made of dust.

Penalty upon sin takes this way of executing itself because man is made of dust. Personality, it must appropriate way to dust. Took effect. Take effect in this. ...statement, that way of pronouncing the curse, couldn't have any relevance to dust.

...of constitution. This is the importance. Thus thou art and to thus thou shalt return. Unique. It should be such uniqueness that he is made in the image of God. So constituted by that uniqueness that he is made in the image of God.

Curse to dust. That even in death, he that is made in the tomb.