Topical Bible: Beasts: Man by Nature No Better Than

◄ Beasts: Man by Nature No Better Than ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

In the Scriptures, the comparison of man to beasts serves as a poignant reminder of the fallen nature of humanity and the need for divine redemption. The Bible often uses the imagery of beasts to illustrate the baser instincts and moral failings inherent in human nature when it is not aligned with God's will.

Ecclesiastes 3:18-21: The Preacher, in his exploration of life's meaning, observes the similarities between man and beast. He writes, "I said to myself regarding the sons of men, 'God is testing them to show them that they are but beasts.' For the fate of both man and beast is the same: As one dies, so dies the other; they all have the same breath. Man has no advantage over the animals, for everything is futile. All go to one place; all come from dust, and to dust all return." This passage underscores the shared mortality and physicality of humans and animals, emphasizing the futility of life without a divine perspective.

Psalm 49:12, 20: The psalmist reflects on the transient nature of human life and the folly of trusting in wealth and status. He states, "But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish... A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish." Here, the comparison to beasts highlights the ultimate end of those who live without spiritual insight, equating their fate with that of animals.

2 Peter 2:12: In the New Testament, Peter warns against false teachers and those who follow their corrupt ways. He writes, "But these men are like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be captured and destroyed. They blaspheme in matters they do not understand, and like such creatures, they too will perish." This analogy serves to illustrate the destructive nature of living according to base instincts rather than divine truth.

Jude 1:10: Jude echoes Peter's sentiment, describing those who reject divine authority: "These men, however, slander what they do not understand, and like irrational animals, they will be destroyed by the things they do instinctively." The comparison to beasts underscores the peril of living without spiritual discernment and the inevitable judgment that follows.

Psalm 73:22: The psalmist Asaph, in a moment of self-reflection, acknowledges his own folly: "I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You." This admission highlights the humility required to recognize one's own limitations and the need for divine guidance.

Throughout Scripture, the comparison of man to beasts serves as a sobering reminder of the limitations and moral failings of human nature apart from God. It calls believers to seek wisdom, understanding, and redemption through a relationship with the Creator, who alone can elevate humanity above its base instincts.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ecclesiastes 3:18,19
I said in my heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Of the Condition of the Beasts and Man.
... give them the choice: would they prefer the wisdom of man together with his weakness,
or the strength of the beasts together with their nature? ...
/.../lactantius/on the workmanship of god/chap iii of the condition of.htm

"If So be that the Spirit of God Dwell in You. Now if any Man have ...
... Truly the soul of man by nature is in no better case ... driven out among beasts, so
the soul of man, being driven ... Lord, may act in a way common to beasts, or in ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xxiv if so be.htm

"For they that are after the Flesh do Mind,"
... God hath set him into, to the lowest station, that of beasts; and truly a
Nebuchadnezzar among beasts is the ... Now such is every man by nature,""that which ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xviii for they that.htm

We could Easily Show that the Idea of Heaven and Earth in the Soul ...
... idea of it in the Soul of Man, better than the World in ... It more immediately beautifies
and perfects your nature. ... shine on all rivers, trees, and beasts in vain ...
/.../traherne/centuries of meditations/90 we could easily show.htm

The Noachic Covenant
... never do horrible things contrary to their nature; they all ... what difference is there
between a man and a ... The flood which drowned the beasts drowned the men too ...
/.../kingsley/twenty-five village sermons/sermon xi the noachic covenant.htm

The Arrest of the Body
... more recalled, with numbering Man among the beasts, and levelling ... To be a Man, and
to have no conceivable successor ... defeated; to be the best that Nature in her ...
/.../drummond/the lowell lectures on the ascent of man/chapter iii the arrest of.htm

Philippians ii. 11-May
... It touches not His divine nature, but has to do altogether ... no need of provisions
for the way, nor beasts of burden ... their wind, in short, all that a man can name ...
/.../homily vii philippians ii 11-may.htm

Concerning the Condition of Man in the Fall.
... which he hath in common with the beasts, but by ... but is according to the very order
of nature appointed by ... first showeth what is the cause of man's eternal death ...
/.../proposition iv concerning the condition.htm

Lessons from Nature
... for cattle, but the Lord of all has his beasts in the ... God to see it, than it is for
a man to see ... God, in nature, has placed life in singular spots, and so has ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/lessons from nature.htm

The Voice of the Lord God
... see and taste and handle, and become as the beasts that perish. ... Credible and reasonable,
not indeed to the natural man who looks only at nature, which he ...
/.../kingsley/the gospel of the pentateuch/sermon iii the voice of.htm