Living Life: Spiritual Being, Social Creature, and Consuming Organism

Living Life: Spiritual Being, Social Creature, and Consuming Organism

Living Life: Spiritual Being, Social Creature, and Consuming Organism

Living life is the challenge of being a spiritual being, a social creature, and a consuming organism.

Living life as a spiritual being.

The Scriptures are clear when it comes to the creation of man. First, he is created a spiritual being: 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 (Gen. 2:7). Physical matter (formed out of the dust of the ground) does not have life within itself.  The breath of life, the Spirit of God, will  have to be breathed into the lifeless form. This will enable it to become a breathing creature, a living soul. Although man has a flesh and blood body, he is intended to be a spiritual being experiencing the Spirit of God.

Living life as a social creature.

Secondly, the Scriptures also reveal that man is by creation a social being.  The Scriptures record, And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him (Gen. 2:18). Also, it  proclaims, Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh (Gen. 2:24). From the beginning, in what it means to be a human being will require him, as in the birth of a child, to enter into relationships with others or die. Entering into relationships with another is necessary for continual existence,. Moreover, the interaction between two participants is the only realm in which the fullness of life can be experienced (1 Thess. 2:19-10).

Living life as a consuming organism.

Finally, the Scriptures also state that man is a consuming organism:

And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat (Gen. 2:15-16).

It should be obvious that in matters of life and death continual physical existence will hinge upon what man eats. For man to survive as a human being, he must continual digest nutritional food and drink. Just as man was created to be a spiritual being and a social creature, by an act of creation man was also made a consuming organism.

The creation of man and his consequential control as a spiritual being, a social creature, and a consuming organism is perhaps best summarized by one of the early followers of Jesus:

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us (2 Cor. 4:6-7).

Living life is the struggle of having the treasure of life in an earthen vessel.

The struggle of being a spiritual being (the foundation for the good life) as opposed to being controlled by fleshly impulses is conquered only by the excellency of the power of Jesus living in and through an individual. Likewise, since we are social creatures, the challenging effort to enhance others at our expense (the pathway to the rich, full, contented life) as opposed to using others to enhance ourselves is overcome also only by the excellency of the power of the free-flow of the grace of God at work in us. Finally, because there is a need to keep the organism healthy and alive, the temptation to horde food and drink greedily to satisfy our personal hunger is defeated only by the excellency of the power of the Holy Spirit controlling us. Truly, man does “have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of [man].”

There is great mystery involved in man successfully living the rich, full, contented life as a spiritual being, a social creature, and a consuming organism. For example, a new born baby is experiencing the glory of being a spiritual being, a social creature, and a consuming organism; however, the infant has no understanding of just how glorious is the glory that is being experienced. Born with the capability to comprehend but with little or any comprehension, all of life for the human newborn is about learning just how precious and glorious is the life that is being experienced.

Living Life is the mystery of continual growth.

It is this growth to maturity by the infant that is ultimately mysterious. Before the human being can come to know, to appreciate, and to delight in experiencing the prize of the high calling of [Life]” (Phil. 3:14), the human species will have to experience what one of the early followers of Jesus labeled as “endureth temptation.” Growth, this putting to proof, or test [original meaning of temptation] in life, if successfully managed, will enable “the crown of life [the prize of the highest quality of life]” to be received (James 1:12). Another of the early followers of Jesus simply stated,

knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you (1 Pet. 5:9-10).

Living life is to become the perfected crown jewel of creation.

It is a hard lesson to learn but it seems before an individual can know, appreciate, and delight in the spiritually produced crown of life he will first have to experience the depravity of life fed by sensual desires. Likewise, before an individual can experience the “hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing” in others (1 Thess. 2:19), he must first experience the misery that eventually comes from using others for his own benefit. Finally, abundant life (“satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s” [Ps. 103:5]) can only be truly appreciated after the individual experiences life as if the whole universe exists solely to meet his own hunger and his own thirst.

In other words, to come finally to know, to appreciate, and to delight in the prize of the high calling of God, the uniqueness of the human mind must first learn that he has miss the mark and so not share in the prize” (2 Thess. 2:3). Man was created in such a way that before he can come to know, to appreciate, and to delight in being the perfected crown jewel of creation, he will first have to experience the depravity that exists in his fleshly thinking. It is, indeed, a hard lesson to learn that the excellency of the power of life is with God and not with man (2 Cor. 4:7), but it is the mysterious matriculation (the schooling) process of the human soul.

May we all continue to grow no matter the age of our existence in living life.

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Dr. James Stone is the founder and President of Christian Ministries, Inc., a ministry for personal, family, and church growth. He travels extensively across America and several foreign countries sharing his experiences with Jesus. His over 40 year career in ministry has included individual counseling, family counseling, church pastor, Bible college/seminary professorships, leader of revivals, Christian growth seminars & church growth specialist.

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