Topical Bible: Man: Cannot Retain his Spirit from Death

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The concept that man cannot retain his spirit from death is a profound theological truth found throughout the Scriptures, emphasizing the mortality and limitations of human beings in contrast to the sovereignty and eternal nature of God. This theme underscores the inevitability of death and the inability of humans to escape it by their own power or will.

Biblical Foundation

The Bible clearly articulates the transient nature of human life and the certainty of death. In Ecclesiastes 8:8, it is written, "No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death." This verse highlights the lack of control humans have over their own lives and the moment of their death, likening it to the uncontrollable nature of the wind.

Similarly, Psalm 89:48 poses the rhetorical question, "What man can live and never see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?" This passage reinforces the idea that death is an inescapable reality for all humanity, and no one can rescue themselves from its grasp.

The Nature of Human Mortality

The Scriptures consistently affirm that human life is fleeting and fragile. James 4:14 describes life as "a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." This imagery conveys the brevity and uncertainty of life, reminding believers of their dependence on God for both life and salvation.

The mortality of man is further emphasized in Genesis 3:19, where God declares to Adam, "For dust you are, and to dust you shall return." This pronouncement, following the fall of man, establishes the reality of physical death as a consequence of sin, affecting all of Adam's descendants.

Divine Sovereignty Over Life and Death

While humans lack the power to retain their spirit from death, the Bible affirms that God alone holds authority over life and death. Deuteronomy 32:39 states, "See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god besides Me. I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal, and there is none that can deliver out of My hand." This declaration underscores God's ultimate control over the existence and destiny of every individual.

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ affirms His authority over life and death in John 10:17-18, saying, "The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again." This passage not only highlights Christ's divine authority but also His voluntary sacrifice and victory over death, offering hope of eternal life to believers.

Human Response to Mortality

Recognizing the inevitability of death, the Bible calls individuals to live with wisdom and purpose. Psalm 90:12 petitions, "So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." This prayer reflects a desire for a life lived in awareness of its brevity, leading to a deeper reliance on God and a commitment to His purposes.

Furthermore, the hope of resurrection and eternal life through Jesus Christ provides comfort and assurance to believers facing the reality of death. In 1 Corinthians 15:54-55, Paul triumphantly declares, "When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' 'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?'" This passage celebrates the ultimate defeat of death through Christ's resurrection, offering believers the promise of eternal life.

Conclusion

The biblical teaching that man cannot retain his spirit from death serves as a humbling reminder of human limitations and the need for divine intervention. It calls individuals to live with an eternal perspective, trusting in God's sovereignty and the hope of resurrection through Jesus Christ.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ecclesiastes 8:8
There is no man that has power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither has he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

"If So be that the Spirit of God Dwell in You. Now if any Man have ...
... but by the Spirit of God," so no man can indeed ... him but sin, and if you entertain
that, you cannot retain him ... you holy, then do not mar him in his work, labour ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xxv if so be.htm

The Witness of the Spirit
... what God hath joined together, let no man put asunder ... we can never be assured that
we are his children. Without this we cannot retain a steady peace, nor avoid ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 11 the witness of.htm

The Scripture Way of Salvation
... forth the Spirit of His Son into his heart, crying ... there are so necessary, that if
a man willingly neglect ... was in Christ Jesus; nay, he cannot retain the grace ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 43 the scripture way.htm

What the Historic Christ Taught About his Death
... profess, I doubt not, in many cases"to retain reverence and ... confess that I, for my
poor part, cannot understand ... the Christ that said, 'The Son of Man came to ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/what the historic christ taught.htm

Concerning the Condition of Man in the Fall.
... the like acts of disobedience; yet we cannot suppose that ... we may affirm, that Adam
did not retain in his ... posterity: for whatsoever real good any man doth, it ...
/.../proposition iv concerning the condition.htm

"For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus Hath Made Me ...
... They retain men in subjection by fear and not by love ... of grace and truth, did come
in man's stead, when ... be done by his almighty Spirit, and cannot be otherwise ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon ix for the law.htm

"For they that are after the Flesh do Mind the Things of the Flesh ...
... The natural man knoweth not the things of the Spirit, so ... I am sure most of you cannot
say, that ever you ... but you neither like to admit nor retain the knowledge ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xvii for they that.htm

The Law Given, not to Retain a People for Itself, but to Keep ...
... THE LAW GIVEN, NOT TO RETAIN A PEOPLE FOR ITSELF ... what cannot be fulfilled; nay, command
what cannot be fulfilled ... mouth may be stopped, and no man seem great in ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 7 the law given.htm

The Life of God
... a life, therefore they did not like to retain God in ... there is also the Son; for God's
substance cannot be divided ... the Son; as it is written: 'If a man love Me ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/sermons for the times/sermon xv the life of.htm

The Withering Work of the Spirit
... Year after year you say to yourself, "I cannot work it ... is true of the Greek; but
let us retain the old ... they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/the withering work of the.htm