The Nature of Man/Life of Christ – Week 4 Forum – March 10, 2016

[Sister, Ana Maria Creque]

 

Good day, Students, this is your final forum for this class, read the parable of the Rich and Lazarus in the Gospel according to  Luke 16:19-31.  after reading it respond to the following questions in the forum.

• What can we learn from the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16?  Apply the information that we learned from our study of the Nature of Man?  What things stand out.

I can not wait to see your responses. This should be a good discussion.  Have a blessed week.

[Rhonda]

Luke 16:22 states, “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;”

Based on what we have studied thus far in class, I found it very interesting that Lazarus the man described as the beggar with sores which the dogs licked was carried by angels.  This was a spiritual triumph suited to one accepted by the most high God.  However, the rich man probably had a lavish funeral on earth as a sign of an earthly honor suited to a worldly life.

Also, the rich man saw and recognized Lazarus even though he no longer existed in his natural body. This is evidence that contrary to many beliefs, we do not just fail to exist after death. The spirit and soul is separated from the body after physical death here on earth, but we do not cease to exist.  This shows us that the real man is the inward man, the hidden man of the heart, which is an eternal being.

The rich man was still able contact the intellectual realm because he still possessed his soul. This was evident when he tried to rationalize contacting his brothers (whom he still had memory of) to warn them of the place he was in. The rich man was still able to reason and think and tried to use this ability to demand that Lazarus dip his finger in water to cool his tongue.  However, he no longer had a physical body and was separated from his bothers in the physical realm.

[Roxanne Rhymer]

Great post Rhonda!  I can imagine the rich man’s funeral.  I imagine it was very well attended with the finest of the finest decor and trimmings.  The poor man may not have even had a funeral but he had even better than that.  His soul and spirit got carried by an angel into Abraham’s bosom.  He definitely had the better outcome.  Thank God that He looks at the heart of man and not the fleshly body!

[Roxanne Rhymer]

The story of the rich man and Lazarus is a perfect example of the three parts of man.   Both men lived their lives on earth in their physical bodies.  One had a rather rich, extravagant life; while the other lived a life that was so poor that even the dogs came and liked his wounds.  I can imagine one living and and wearing the best about his body; while the other wore dirty rags and tattered garments.   Even though they both lived here on Earth in their physical bodies that was not the real them.  The real you consists of the present eternal components, your spirit and soul.

After the death of both men the story goes on to say that the rich man went down to hell while Lazarus was carried by an angel into Abraham’s bosom.  Both men still had a their spirit and their soul with them.  The soul is the part that we use to access the intellectual realm.  If the rich man was able to converse with Father Abraham and even question and demand him to do him favors then that is proof that his soul-man was still present.

Lazarus was in Abraham’s bosom, real him was there, his soul and spirit man.  He had to have had a different spirit that of the rich man because he was not in hell with the rich man.

[Monica Harrigan]

Exactly Roxanne, the rich man was showing his true spirit man by demanding what he wanted. Even in hell he was not humble, giving orders, acting mighty as if he was still living high on the hog.

[Monica Harrigan]

The 3 parts of man’s nature were displayed well in the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Thd rich man in the eatthly realm was living a lavish life style, not care in the world. Lazarus, the poor and destitute; laid outside the gate of the rich man and was content with the scraps from the rich man’s table. His earthly body, where his spirit lived was covered in sores and even licked by dogs.

However, when both men died…because of Lazarus’s spirit, which is our true being, he was received to the bosom of Abraham and carried by angels. Lazarus went to heaven and was comforted. The rich man, he went to hell where he was tormented, but his soul was still present and making demands…even in death.

[Marita Smith]

Monica you are right when Lazarus died his spirit which is the true him, was received into Abraham’s bosom. the rich nan died and went to hell where he was tormented, its evident that his soul was still active because of the fact that he was asking Father Abraham for mercy and still trying to make demands..

[Sister, Ana Maria Creque]

Awesome Job Rhonda! Both the beggar and the rich man experience physical death. A seperation of the inner man from the outer man, soul and spirit from the body. Which proves that the soul of the righteous have eternal life even after the body dies and the soul of the wicked are also conscious after the body. In either case, they continue in consciousness whether in heaven or hell.  ( Luke 16: 23-24) And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and see Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

[Sister, Ana Maria Creque]

Both the rich man and Lazarus died and their bodies were buried. However, Lazarus soul and spirit were carried by angels to paradise into the bosom of Abraham where he was comforted, no torment, no hell, no crying for mercy, no regrets of the past, and no thirst or punishment in hell fire. He retained soul and spirit faculties capable of enjoyment of eternity with God. (v 24-26).

Moreover, the rich man soul went to hell and he was tormented. He possessed eyes that could see and distinquish persons (v 23). He cried for mercy and begged for Lazarus to bring a drop of water to cool his tongue (v 24). He still had a tongue, eyes, memory, intelligence, feelings, emotions, reasoning powers, concern for his brothers and all other soul passions and spirit faculties.

 

[Marita Smith]

According to the scripture Luke 16:22 both men experienced physical death, but because man is a spirit being that possesses a soul and live in a physical body, Perfect example of the 3parts of man’s nature. In death their spirits lived on because the rich man was able to see, feel, experience emotions, and spoke to father Abraham he asked for water to cool his tongue.
For him to speak to Father Abraham it meant that he saw him and recognized who he was; he also retained his memory of his loved ones that he left behind. He bid father Abraham to let the beggar go back and testify to his brethren of the torment he was experiencing in hell that they don’t come there to have to experience what he was going through.

Lazarus’s spirit experienced the rebirth or got saved, his human spirit became like God free form sin nature, which qualified him for the kingdom of God, so his soul was carried into Abraham’s bosom by the Angels into heaven. He experienced comfort, peace, love joy and everlasting life with God the father.

[Rhonda]

Marita it feels so good to know that physical death on this earth is only a transition to the rest of eternity. Jesus parable of the rich man and Lazarus is a good example of man’s three part nature.

[Donna Riley]

Marita thank God for Jesus. What if Jesus had chosen not to die for us we would be experiencing the same as the rich man and rightfully so. Thank God we have a God that is merciful. We can follow His lead and show mercy to others especially to those who are going through the same situation we went through.

[Stacy Gregoire]

There are several things to be learned from the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16.

The first thing is one of main points that we have been studying: that even thou we die a physical death, our real man (our spirit man) continues to exist.  Also, the other eternal part of our three part nature, our soul, continues to exist.  The soul is the mind, the will and the emotions.  The Rich Man is still thinking, making requests and experiencing regret that he has gone to “this place of torment”.  In fact, he expresses concern for his five brethren.  Lazarus is comforted.

One issue that requires some clarity for me is the body of man as reflected in these Scriptures. The Rich Man is feeling the heat of the flame, Lazarus has a finger and the Rich Man has eyes and a tongue. Are these the eyes, tongue, finger etc. that we see on our bodies?

 

 

[Rhonda]

Stacy I had that same question also, but after reading of reference book, “The Three Fold Nature of Man” by Kenneth Hagin. Papa Hagin stated that there is evidence in the scriptures that indicate that man’s spiritual body is similar in appearance to his natural body. In 2 Cor. 12:2-4 Paul’s was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, his appearance in his spiritual state was like that of his appearance in the natural, but he could not tell the difference.

[Donna Riley]

Stacy I believe we have the same features we have now that is why the rich man could recognize Lazarus. However, their bodies are made up of different material because they are no longer on earth. Our bodies are made up of the same material as the physical world so we could connect to this world. I believe their bodies are made up of the material of the spirit realm, whatever that is, so they could connect to that realm.

[Stacy Gregoire]

Roxanne, definitely the differences in the spirits of the Rich Man and Lazarus determined where they ended up – Heaven or Hell. Earlier in the chapter Jesus said to the Pharisees “Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”

 

[Lilly Chalwell]

Luke 16  spoke about Lazarus and the rich man death. As we learn about the spirit, soul, and body I can relate concerning these three parts.  Even though Lazarus and the rich man died in the physical realm, their spirit and soul still lived on.  What stood out the most was how the rich man soulish realm was in operation. He saw Lazarus in Abraham bosom. He felt the heat down in hell. He demand Abraham to send Lazarus to his family.  He had a full conversion with Abraham. It is clear that we will still be fully alive spirit and soul, but not in body.

[Lilly Chalwell]

Stacy, even in hell his mind, will and emotion was in operation, clear to notice that his soul was also alive with his spirit. This is a very good tool to us while witnessing, because many people don’t know we will be alive for ever, our spirit will not died.

[Donna Riley]

In the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31, there is solid proof that we humans are spirit beings that possess a soul and lives in a body. This parable tells of Lazarus and a rich man both dying on the earth and leaving their physical body behind, v22. Both their souls and their spirits lived and went on; one to hell and one to heaven based on their life style, v22- 23. We know this because both could recognize each other and both had feelings and emotions in their places of destination, v24. Because the rich man while here on earth was merciless towards Lazarus, he received the same merciless treatment. There is no mercy in hell because God is not present there. It is obvious Lazarus lived a Godly life while on earth because his reward was to be received into the kingdom of God which at that time was Abraham’s bosom. There the saints of old waited until the death of the Messiah. If the rich man had any doubt in his mind why he was in hell, Abraham told him his punishment was due to his ungodly lifestyle. He was blessed to be a blessing, but did not reach out to others who were in need. These two people was able to communicate and able to experience emotions, which signifies the spirit communicating in the spirit realm and the soul the part of man that has emotions.

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