Difference between men and animals

I said in my heart, concerning the speech of the sons of man, God will judge them, and that to shew that they are beasts.
19 Also to them is the event of the sons of man, and the event of the brute; one event befalls them: as is the death of the one, so also the death of the other;
and there is one breath/spirit to all: and what has the man more than the brute? nothing; for all is vanity.
20 All [go] to one place; all were formed of the dust, and all will return to dust.
21 And who has seen the spirit of the sons of man, whether it goes upward? and the spirit of the beast, whether it goes downward to the earth?

Ecclesiastes 3:18-21, LXX - Brenton

Many Christians use the special creation of Adam from dust as something different from the creation of animals created by God's word/command, only.

But Scripture says that both men and animals are from the dust.

So, was the creation of man really a special creation, if it was, in what way? And what does man has what animals do not have?

GEN. 1:26-27.
And God said, Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness:
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,
and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.

HEB. 9:14.
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through The Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God,
purge your conscience from dead works to serve The living God?

Do you think that Ecclesiastes is wrong?

And I mean this question seriously, I have found many strange teachings in this book.

Ecclesiastes is also never quoted in the New Testament.

Men and animals both have bodies of flesh. God did not breathe into the animals a living soul. Animals have life but not a soul.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

I agree that the Book of Genesis tells us we are created in both the image and likeness of God.
Genesis 1 tells us that on the 5th day God created the animals. "And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. 25God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. "
They aren't said to be created in the image and likeness of. Though they are created of and from God .

And humans and all living creatures in that way possess Nepesh. Making them a living being.

Both animals and humans have souls and spirits, but the spirit of animals is of the earth and the spirit of man is of GOD.

It seems to me like a rhetorical question, not like a teaching.

But your translation translates it differently.

Can you show me that in Scriptures?

Ah I see, Yes the LXX is different.

All you have to do is read Genesis 1 & 2 to see that Adam was indeed a special creation of God.

For sea creatures and land creatures, God simply said "Let the waters bring forth" and "Let the earth bring forth".

But for the creation of Adam, God took the dust of the ground, made clay ("thou art the potter, we are the clay"), shaped man, then breathed into his nostril the breath of life, and made him a "living soul". This life included both the soul and the spirit. But the spirit -- which communicates with God -- is not to be found in animals.

All creatures die and do return to dust, but that is hardly the issue.

animals created by God's word/command, only-------->creatures that are natural product of this temporary realm , will surely finish in their death and over.


There is spirit within the body, man's spirit abode in his/her body .
Gen2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul

Zec12:1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. ( valid for the chosen /His /born of God e.g. Jacob , not valid for born of flesh e.g. Esau )


Jer1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Not exactly...
Adam and eve were created in Gods' image.
And then adam had a son, born in his own image and he named him seth.

What scripture tells us that? The part about born in Adam's image?

Hi Trofimus, @oldethennew mentioned the most important distinction I think, that mankind was made in God's image.
This verse comes to mind as something interesting to consider (here St. Peter compares false prophets to brute beasts).

........2 Peter 2
........12 These men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct,
........born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.

So man was created to be a creature of reason, like God, not simply one whose existence/thinking is based solely upon instinct/feelings/desires, like that of an animal.

I think the statement that, "beasts ... perish", supports @notuptome's thought that animals, while alive, do not have eternal souls (though admittedly, this is hardly a didactic teaching on the subject).

~Deut

................Psalm 49
................20 Man in his pomp, yet without understanding,
................Is like the beasts that perish.

Genesis 5:3
New Living Translation
When Adam was 130 years old, he became the father of a son who was just like him--in his very image. He named his son Seth.

New International Version
When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.

NASB
When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.

Adam (the first)the image of one dead in his trespasses and sin '

Mankind (man and woman) was created in the image of God as if God was two... father and Son. This is in order to be used in various parables to represent a loving government.

A loving and not a tyrant atheistic government ...requires two working together in perfect harmony and submission to each other.

Because of the time of reformation had come. Where Christ our husband is used as an earthly husband, cleansing his bride with the water of the word.(doctrines of God) as the husband represents Christ not seen... the wife represents the whole new creation, male and female.


She who is used as a glory to represent man.... is not left without a representative glory her own, her hair, it as a represntitive glory og God's unseen glory must be covered just as the man must not be covered seeing he represent Christ not seen.

Much has been lost in the dumbing down of that part of the two part ceremonial wedding supper that will take place when we as His bride receive our new incorruptible bodies that will be neither male not female. Jew or Gentile.

The need for procreation has come to an end all that God has drawn has arrived.

Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

The old Adam did not protect his wife who he was with when she did eat both fell in the twinkling of the ey .Holding the husband responsible not the bride Eve

Hi Ostrich, along with the direct statement from Genesis 5:3 (that @Stunnedbygrace just posited for us above), we also know that, unlike our first parents (who were made both "upright" and in the very "image of God" .. e.g, Genesis 1:27; Ecclesiastes 7:29), we were begotten of our parents instead (as fallen, "children of wrath" from conception .. Ephesians 2:1-3, Psalm 51:5). IOW, unlike our progenitors, we were made/begotten in our parents tarnished image instead of God's perfect image.

St. Paul also tells us the sin and death (which are the two universal traits that are most common among us all) entered this realm through one man (Adam) and what he did, not because of anything that God did .. cf Romans 5:12.

~Deut

Astounding post Deut!

I believe that when the Word says we are created in God's image it means we are also triune beings (flesh, soul, spirit). We know there are horses in Heaven, so why not other animals as well? I would go so far as to say one of the best examples of agape love is between a dog and his master. I see the biggest difference between humans and animals is that human flesh is wicked, we will default to acting selfish without the intervention of our spirit. Animals don't do that. They do what they do out of instinct and though they can be taught to mimic behavior they don't do things spitefully. A shark doesn't bite you because it's evil, it's either curious or hungry or both.

Amen, brute beast are used in ceremonial laws as unclean animals to represent unconverted natural man .They are used to preach the gospel of Christ in respect to the suffering of Christ beforehand and the glory that followed the first resurrection of the saints who were waiting in the bosom of Abraham ( the invisible presence of God), waiting for Christ to say; "it is finished" . Their graves were opened and their new born again spirits entered into the many mansions that Christ had finished building (the city of Christ in respect to His bride the church ) . We look back to the suffering of Christ by the Spirit of Christ that lived in them they looked ahead to the cross.

Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 1 Peter1:9- 11

Many today say the saints did not have the Holy Spirit until the day of Pentecost .We have received the end of our faith (the salvation of our souls as that which comes from hearing God just as they did .

The manner of time the reformation. When the shadows of those ceremonial ,laws used as parables became the substance.

In effect mankind was deceived by a brute beast which no one know how that creature looked before the fall. Some say the most beautiful of all the beast of the field, its legs were removed so that it could eat dust of the field as a serpent used to identify false prophet's, false apostles as those sent by God as those lame .( no walking by faith )

God did not send a serpent. He wanted them to trust him not seen... walking by faith through his eternal word .

You could say he sent an Ass to represent God can bring the gospel even through one who believes not God... to show he is not served by human hands. He is the God of no needs as one that satisfies all needs. Like that of salvation

He will not share that unseen glory with men. Like the person in Mathew 7 who did do many wonderful works having it in respect to his own self as a worker of inequity, usurping the authority of God as if it was a sign to men seen, and not God not seen,. Christ did not say he did not perform those wonderful works just who they were in respect to.

Exodus 13:12-14 That thou shalt set apart unto the Lord all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be the Lord's.And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem. And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:

Numbers 22:27-29 And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.