Introduction
After all, is there a spiritual entity in the creation and death of man? Many beliefs teach that human beings have a spirit that lives independently of the body, either before birth or after death. However, what does the Bible truly say about this subject? To understand this question, we will analyze the biblical accounts of the creation of man and what happens to him when he dies, seeking a clear answer based on the Scriptures.
Contextualizing Beliefs
It is very common for us to reflect on our existence in this world. Some believe that a pre-existing non-corporeal entity joins the physical, material part to form the human being, which we call the body. In this line of thought, this non-corporeal entity exists as a spiritual being and, at a given moment, becomes part of a physical body generated here on earth. In other words, each of us is an incarnation of a spiritual being in a physical body. As soon as this physical part ceases to exist, the spiritual entity frees itself from the body and returns to exist independently of it. Those who believe in this theory call this entity a spirit, attributing to it a life of its own, the capacity for thought, and independent action.
Other people believe something similar, differing in that they do not believe in the pre-existence of this spiritual entity. The spirit begins to exist only when the physical part is conceived, but when the body dies, it is freed and begins to live in a spiritual form, without connection to a physical body.
Most people in Christianity, as well as in other religions, believe in these two ideas. There are others who disagree with these two beliefs, but they are in the minority. But what does the Bible tell us about this subject?
Spirit of Man: What Does the Bible Say About It?
The subject is very broad throughout the Bible. Scholars need to analyze hundreds of passages, both those that support and those that challenge the thoughts presented above. I believe that we must be objective and direct in order to determine which belief is correct, and for this, there is nothing better than studying the description that God left us about how He created human beings and what happens to them when they die. The account of our creation is told in Genesis 2:7, as we can read below:
Genesis 2:7 – “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul“
Notice that this verse states that God formed the human being from “dust of the earth“. God used the earth itself to form and shape our body, but this body shaped by the Lord did not yet have life. It was simply a “doll“. In order for it to stop being just a lifeless doll, God needed to add an additional element to the physical body, described as the “breath of life“. The Lord breathed this breath into the nostrils of the body. After doing this, God transformed that created doll into a “living soul“.
Dust of the Earth and Breath of Life
Understand that the human being is the result of the union of the body (“dust of the earth“) with the “breath of life“.
This description leaves no doubt about the first theory presented. There is no pre-existing spiritual entity that comes to “incarnate” or join the physical part (body) at the moment of the creation of the human being. There are only two elements: the “dust of the earth” and the “breath of life“, which God granted through His breath. Just from this biblical description, it is already possible to eliminate the first theory.
As I mentioned above, the second theory states that the spirit is a living spiritual entity, which is freed as soon as the body dies and begins to exist independently of it. However, this theory becomes problematic when we take into account the creation of man, where life only exists when both elements are present: the “dust of the earth” and the “breath of life“. In other words, the “living soul” only exists when these two elements are together. The moment these elements separate, life ceases to exist. There is no place or reason for life to pass from a physical body to a spiritual one.
What Happens at Death?
We can reinforce this thought with the description of what happens to human beings at death, as we read in the following passage:
Ecclesiastes 12:7 – “And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it“
In the biblical text above, God describes the process that occurs at death. Note that the text mentions two elements: the “dust of the earth” and the “spirit“. The first element, which constitutes our body, returns to the earth, and in fact, this happens during the process of decomposition after death. The text presents the second element as “spirit“. But what is this “spirit“? Is it a spiritual entity that lives apart from the body? The verse itself answers this question by stating that this “spirit” returns “to God, who gave it“.
To better understand what this spirit is, we need to ask ourselves what God gave at the time of the creation of the human being. As we read in Genesis 2:7, it was the “breath of life” that God blew into the body (“dust of the earth“) during creation. There were only two elements at that time. Therefore, the “spirit” mentioned here in Ecclesiastes is none other than the “breath of life” described in Genesis 2:7. The fact that both texts describe God granting them confirms this idea.
In other words, what occurs at death is nothing more than the separation of these two elements, with the dust returning to the earth and the “breath of life” (called in many passages “spirit“) returning to God. This “spirit” does not become a spiritual entity that will live in another dimension or region in our universe, as many people think. Another interesting text is Ecclesiastes 3:19-20:
Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 – “For what happens to the sons of men happens to the beasts; one thing happens to them: as one dies, so dies the other; and they all have the same breath; so that man has no advantage over beasts, for they are all vanity. All go to one place; all were made of dust, and all return to dust“
The text above describes that, in the same way it happens with human beings, the same occurs with animals. God created all beings with the “dust of the earth” and the “breath of life“. When we die, we return to the dust of the earth, and the spirit that God gave us, whether from a human being or an animal, returns to God, and thus life ends.
Conclusion: Is there a Spiritual Entity in the Creation and Death of Man?
Therefore, we conclude that these two theories, or any others that follow similar thinking, are not correct within the biblical view. It is easy to reach this conclusion when we analyze the descriptions of man’s creation and his death. By using these texts as a standard of analysis, we can avoid confusion about what to believe regarding death.
May God bless us richly.
