Brian Green is a world-renowned physicist. I watched one of his delightful episodes on public television about the cosmos and the forces that shape our universe. One of the things that is new to science is an understanding of quantum physics. Of course, everyone doesn't understand all of it -- there are mysteries yet to be discovered.
One of the things that has become clear is that the common element of time, which we all experience, is a created thing. Time and space are connected just like matter and energy. Time is the fourth dimension of our existence. In a scientific sense, time is an illusion. Our experience of time is that it moves forward, in one direction. We age. We remember the past, but not the future. By God's grace, some have glimpsed the future, like prophets in the Bible. This has happened to me a few times while in prayer. God exists beyond time.
Human beings have a spirit, soul and body. Our spirit is timeless. Many people think that life ends at death. This is incorrect. Others think our soul is merely organic chemistry, our brain. According to the Bible, man became a living soul when God breathed his spirit into our body. This was recorded in Genesis.
One way I describe this mystery is that a human being is a spirit who has a soul who lives in a body. That's simplistic because each part of our being is interconnected. For example, wrong thinking (a function of the soul) can negatively impact the body, causing a psychosomatic physical illness. Humans are different from other animals because we have a personality that will not die after the body expires. Our heart or inner man (our spirit with its soul) will live forever.
There is an immaterial world, a spiritual dimension. We interact with it by our spirit. You can't weigh it but you can touch it. Your soul enables people to know you as a unique human being. With our spirit, we relate to God; with our soul, to other people; with our body, to the material world.
Why does a human being have a spirit? The answer is, so we can interact with God, who is a spirit. For example, the Holy Spirit is a person with whom we can interact. He has feelings, a will, and makes choices the same as you. The Holy Spirit testifies to the truth of God's word and the reality of Jesus Christ. It's possible to grieve the Holy Spirit. Not a wise thing to do! The Holy Spirit tugs on our hearts and highlights the truth. Mr. Holy Spirit is a wonderful Helper given to all those who know the Lord Jesus. He is also a source of conviction for those who continue in sin or remain stubbornly in unbelief.
As a person, you have an eternal dimension. Your spirit is real and will never die. There are other spirit beings in this universe, holy angels. They were created by God. I suspect there may be more angels in the universe than human beings. Angels worship God around his throne. They visit us to help us serve God.
God is holy and his realm is holy. Not so for unclean spirits. These evil spirits are called demons. They like to torment human beings and cause mayhem. When we make room for lying spirits by unrepentant sin, they occupy our emotions or thoughts, pushing us in destructive directions. By Christ's power, evil spirits can be expelled. For safety, submit to God and resist the devil.
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Ron Wood is a writer and minister. Email him at [email protected] or visit www.touchedbygrace.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 02/26/2020