Churches Of Christ/creation versus forming

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Expert: - 5/3/2010


Question
Gen Chap 1 speaks to God creating man and woman in His image. God being a spirit we must assume he created spiritual man and woman as a spirit in this scripture.Gen 2 we find God forming Adam out of the physical dust of the earth. This we must assume is the Physical carnal man which he places together at some point,perhaps in the mothers womb. Eve's is physical self then "formed" from a piece of physical man. Jeremiah God knew before he was "formed" in Mother's womb.Created and formed two separate acts? What does this say to Abortionist??

Answer
HI,

Thank you for sending me your questions. I never understood created and formed as two separate acts. I do believe that man has three parts. He has a physical body, a spirit, and a soul. I don't claim to understand the differences between soul and spirit or what their identifying characteristics are either. But I get the idea that there is a difference between a soul and a spirit from God's Word.

1 Thess.5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb.4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

I also firmly believe God knows all of us before our physical bodies are formed in the womb. To anyone who thinks it is okay to abort an unborn baby, I think they should see and understand that they are indeed murdering innocent babies. The only positive is that they are innocent of any sin and return to God the Father. Maybe there is something to the use of created and the use of formed. The word "formed" is typically used in reference to the making of pottery. The Hebrew word used literally refers to squeezing into a shape or molding into a form. This could be more tied to our physical bodies. But I am not sure if this is a difference that matters. I do believe we should work to prevent abortions though; just not through violence.

In Christ, Joe Norman

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Joe Norman

Expertise

I can answer questions regarding acceptable worship, organization of the church, or any apsect of the Christian life. I am the son of a preacher and have studied the Bible from cover to cover since I was 12 years old. I am strong in my research skills and do not follow teachings of men. Many will label me as conservative and some might label me as liberal, but I just seek to be biblical. I understand proper exegesis and hermeneutics and apply them. My desire is to share my knowledge of God's Word with others. Please always keep in mind that none of us who are listed as experts here are divinely inspired and therefore it is possible to get incorrect answers from any one of us. Study the Scriptures and decide for yourself if what is taught is true.

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I am the 4th generation in my family to be a faithful member of the church of Christ. I was raised by a preacher and have studied the Bible everyday since I was twelve. I am 45 yrs old now. I am not a "scholar", but I am very familiar with the scriptures.

Organizations
member of the church of Christ, served as a Deacon for a few years at LakeShore church of Christ in Waco, Tx. I currently live in the North Dallas area and am still very active within the church of Christ teaching, leading Bible Studies, and songleading as well. I am also actively involved in online ministry. I hope to open my own webpage eventually.

Education/Credentials
School of hard knocks

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