The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-03-29
VOX POPULI.
THE BREATH OF LIFE
AND THE LIVING SOUL

Editor Pensacola Journal.
In answer to the letter in your
columns Friday morning would like
TO cite Mr.. Rice to a few Scriptures
which should help him.
Gen. 81 says, God formed man of
the dust of the ground, and breathed
Into his nostrils the breath of life and
man became living sou1." Did this
say that God breathed an immortal
soul into Adam? No, it says that man
(Adam) became a living soul by having
breath in his nostrils. The same term
rendered soul here is translated living
creature" in the first and second chap
tiers of Genesis. when referring to the
animals and fish and birds which God
created. They were animal souls or
beings, fish souls or beings, and bird
souls or beings. Man became a living
man soul or being when the breath
was breathed into him.
But Mn Rice will argue that the
breath in mans nostrils was different
than that breathed into the other ami
mails, for no such process of forma-
ton was gone through with when they
were created, and this process is gone
into in detail to show the difference in
the creation of man and the animals.
The Bible says not so. The difference
between man and the other animals
was that man was made in the image
of God, with reasoning powers, etc,
and in His likeness in that he was
given dominion over the earth. The
breath in his nostrils was the same for
Fec. 3:19 says, For that which be-
faIleth the sons of men befalleth beasts,
even the one thing befalleth them; as
the one dieth, so dieth the other, yea
they have all one breath so that man
hath no pre- eminence above the beast,
for all Is vanity" The word rendered
breath in this verse is shown to be
the same word that is rendered spirit
elsewhere in the Bible, so that it could
properly read they have all one
spirit" (See Revised Version note(.
The proper rendering of the word
would be power" spirit or breath"
of life, for God is the fountain of life,
and all His creatures are dependent on
Him for life, whether birds, fish, ami
mails, man or angels. The term i'm
mortality means life within one self
self sustaining life. while mortality
would mean dependent hfe-not self
sustaining" An immortal cannot die,
while a mortal is subject to death,
though not necessarily in process of
dying as is the human race. The angels
are mortal though they are not dying
creation. Satan, one of the highest
arChanEelS, is mortal, ana Will DC ue-
stroyed in Gods due time, as shown in
Heb. 2:14.
Now this brings US to the founua-
ton principle or doctrine of the Bible.
the death of Christ as the ransom pria
for Adam and the whole world 1TE
2:5, 6, says, There is one God, and
one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus, who gave Him
self a ransom for all, to be testified in
due time" This word ransom" means
a corresponding price or equivalent"
and the verse signifies that Christ
paid the penalty against Adam by suf-
fering the same penalty, and paying
corresponding price. What was the
penalty for Adams sin? Death? Yes.
Did Christ pay that penalty? Yes.
Will Mr.. Rice say that Christ did not
pay the price? Or will Mr.. Rice deny
the ransom? Can Mr.. Rice show one.
Scripture which shows the wages of
sin to be eternal torment? If Mr.. Rice
can do this, and prove by the Scrip
lures that eternal torment is the pen
atty OF sin, then he must concede that
Christ did not pay the ransom price,
for we know that He is not suffering
eternal torment.
Let me suggest. Mr.. Rice. that you