The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 1
IV. “Breath of Life” Equated With “Spirit” and “Spirit of God”
The expression “breath of life,” 2 in Genesis 2:7—elsewhere called the “breath of the Lord” and “breath of the Almighty”—is frequently equated with “spirit,” and “spirit of God.” Thus in Job: “If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his SPIRIT [ruach] and his BREATH [neshamah]; all flesh shall perish [expire] together, and man shall turn again unto dust” (Job 34:14, 15). CFF1 36.1
1. “BREATH”—“BREATH OF GOD”—“SPIRIT”—“SPIRIT OF GOD.”
The “breath of life” is elsewhere called God’s gift: “Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens ...; he that spread forth the earth ...; he that giveth BREATH [neshamah] unto the people upon it, and SPIRIT [ruach] to them that walk therein” (Isaiah 42:5). It is this “breath” that gives life to man: “The Spirit [ruach] of God hath made me, and the breath [neshamah] of the Almighty hath given me life” (Job 33:4). CFF1 36.2
Life is consequently dependent upon this “breath.” “All the while my BREATH [neshamah] is in me, and the SPIRIT [ruach] of God is in my nostrils” (Job 27:3). But possession of the “breath of life” does not in itself confer immortality, for we read that at the Flood “all flesh died ..., and every man: all in whose nostrils was the BREATH of life [Hebrews nishmath ruach chayyim, “breath of the spirit of life”]” (Genesis 7:21, 22). CFF1 36.3
2. “BREATH OF LIFE,” “SPIRIT OF LIFE”—SAME PRINCIPLE OF LIFE
That the “breath of life” of Genesis 2:7 that God thus breathed into man’s nostrils is identical with the “spirit” that God gave, is seen from the reversal of the creation process recorded in Ecclesiastes 12:7—“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the SPIRIT [ruach] return unto God who gave it.” 3 CFF1 36.4
Breath and spirit obviously are one and the same principle of life. This fact is enforced by the striking principle of parallelism in Hebrew literature. Here verses comprising two clauses are constantly used, in which the second clause is the repetition of the thought of the first clause, only in different language. Thus: “All the while my BREATH [neshamah] is in me, and the SPIRIT [ruach] of God is in my nostrils” (Job 27:3). CFF1 37.1
And again, in describing death, Job says, “If he [God] gather unto himself his SPIRIT [ruach] and his BREATH [neshamah]; all flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust” (Job 34:14, 15). CFF1 37.2
Similarly in Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones, the life that had vanished would be restored when God would “cause BREATH [spirit, ruach] to enter into you, and ye shall live” (Ezekiel 37:5). And He reiterates: “And I will ... bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put BREATH [spirit, ruach] in you, and ye shall live” (Ezekiel 37:6). Then, repeating His promise that He would bring them out of their graves, He promises, “and shall put my SPIRIT [ruach] in you, and ye shall live” (Ezekiel 37:14). CFF1 37.3
3. “SPIRIT,” OR “BREATH,” NEVER IDENTIFIED WITH SOUL
In conformity with this, the psalmist David at the prospect of death committed his spirit into the safekeeping of God—“Into thine hand I commit my SPIRIT [ruach]: thou hast redeemed me” (Psalm 31:5). And Jesus Himself used these very same words: “Father, into thy hands I commend my SPIRIT [Gr. pneuma]: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost” (Luke 23:46). And it should be noted that while Scripture identifies, or equates, “breath of life” with “spirit,” spirit is not once identified with soul. That is significant, and should not be forgotten. CFF1 37.4
4. POSSESSORS OF “BREATH OF LIFE” SUBJECT TO DEATH
It is to be particularly observed that having the “breath of life” is never said to make its possessor deathless, or immortal. This is clearly seen from the following texts: CFF1 38.1
“And, behold, I [God], even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh [every kind of being], wherein is the BREATH [ruach] of life [chayyim, plural for all kinds and manifestations], from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die [cease to breathe, expire]” (Genesis 6:17). CFF1 38.2
“‘They [Noah and his family], and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the BREATH [ruach] of life” (Genesis 7:14, 15). CFF1 38.3
This “breath of life,” given by God to man at his formation, returns to God at death (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Of the Flood, the record is: CFF1 38.4
“And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man; ALL in whose nostrils was the BREATH [neshamah] of life [R.V., “breath of the spirit of life”], of all that was in the dry land, died [ceased to breathe]” (Genesis 7:21, 22). 4 CFF1 38.5
It therefore follows that man does not possess immortality because he possesses the breath, or spirit, of life—for it may be possessed by him for time only and not for eternity. It may be separated from man forever. CFF1 38.6