The document discusses different perspectives on what life is through both religious and scientific lenses. According to a biblical view, life is composed of five essential components: consciousness, breath, body, heart, and soul. The biblical passages cited describe how God formed man's body from dust and breathed life into him, combining the physical and spiritual elements of life. Overall, the document presents life as a divine creation that involves our entire existence, including our physical, mental, and spiritual dimensions.

1. What is life?
什麼是生命?

2. What is life?
Shakespeare’s Macbeth Act V, Scene V [1]
Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts
and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no
more.
It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
signifying nothing.’
[1] http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/macbeth_5_5.html. 2

3. What is life?
1. ‘Doing good, being good, and receiving good’
2. ‘Self-organizing chemistry which reproduces itself
and passes on its involved characteristics encoded in
DNA’
3. ‘Embodiment of selfishness in which it strives for
survival and reproduction’
Others believe …
Life is
3

4. What is life?
A Biblical view
4

5. What is life?
‘Life’ is a composite
of 5 components.consciousness
breathbody
heart
5

6. What is life?
Genesis 2:7 創世記2:7
Then the Lord God formed the man
from the dust of the ground
上帝用土地的塵土造人
body
6

7. What is life?
body
Almost 99% of the mass of the
human body is made up of six
elements: oxygen, carbon,
hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and
phosphorus. Only about 0.85% is
composed of another elements.
Genesis 2:7 創世記2:7
Then the Lord God formed the man
from the dust of the ground
上帝用土地的塵土造人
7

8. What is life?
breathbody
Genesis 2:7 創世記2:7
Then the Lord God formed the man
from the dust of the ground and
breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life, and the man became a living
being.
將 生命的氣息 吹在他的鼻孔裡，
那人就成了一個有生命的人。
Physical oxygen 生理氧份
8

9. What is life?
breathbody
Genesis 2:7 創世記2:7
Then the Lord God formed the man
from the dust of the ground and
breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life, and the man became a living
being.
將 生命的氣息 吹在他的鼻孔裡，
那人就成了一個有生命的人。
Physical oxygen 生理氧份
Humanists would refer to this
ignition and continuance of life
as a ‘vital spark’ or ‘force of
energy’[2]
[2] Bernat, J. L. (2008). Ethical issues in neurology. Philadalphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 9

10. What is life?
breathbody
Genesis 2:7 創世記2:7
Then the Lord God formed the man
from the dust of the ground and
breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life, and the man became a living
being.
將 生命的氣息 吹在他的鼻孔裡，
那人就成了一個有生命的人。
Physical oxygen 生理氧份
John 20:22 約翰福音20:22
And with that he [Jesus] breathed on
them and said, “Receive the Holy
Spirit.”
Spiritual oxygen 靈性氧份
且說了這話後，他就吹氣 ，
且對他們說：「你們受聖靈！」
10

11. What is life?
breathbody
Genesis 1:26 創世記 1:26
Let us make mankind in our image,
in our likeness, so that they may
rule over the fish in the sea and the
birds in the sky, over the livestock
and all the wild animals, and over
all the creatures that move along
the ground.
神說：「我們要照著我們的形象，
按著我們的樣式造人，使他們管
理海裡的魚、空中的鳥、地上的
牲畜和全地，並地上所爬的一切
昆蟲。」
consciousness
11

12. What is life?
breathbody
consciousness
Luke 10:27 路加福音 10:27
He [Jesus] answered, “Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your
strength and with all your mind”
你要愛主你的上帝
出於你全部的心、用你全部的性
情、用你全部的
力量、用你全部的意念。
12

13. What is life?
breathbody
consciousness
Luke 10:27 路加福音 10:27
He [Jesus] answered, “Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your
strength and with all your mind”
你要愛主你的上帝
出於你全部的心、用你全部的性
情、用你全部的
力量、用你全部的意念。
13

14. What is life?
breathbody
consciousness
Luke 10:27 路加福音 10:27
He [Jesus] answered, “Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your
strength and with all your mind”
你要愛主你的上帝
出於你全部的心、用你全部的性
情、用你全部的
力量、用你全部的意念。
14

15. What is life?
breathbody
consciousness
heart
Luke 10:27 路加福音 10:27
He [Jesus] answered, “Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your
strength and with all your mind”
你要愛主你的上帝
出於你全部的心、用你全部的性
情、用你全部的
力量、用你全部的意念。
15

16. What is life?
consciousness
breathbody
heart
Humanists’ perspective:
Heart is the internal evidence of
a ‘vital spark’ or ‘force of energy’
of life[3]
[3] Bernat, J. L. (2008). Ethical issues in neurology. Philadalphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 16

17. What is life?
consciousness
breathbody
heart
Humanists’ perspective:
Heart is the internal evidence of
a ‘vital spark’ or ‘force of energy’
of life[3]
[3] Bernat, J. L. (2008). Ethical issues in neurology. Philadalphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
[4] Dorff, E. N. (1998). Matters of life and death: A Jewish approach to modern medical ethics. The Jewish Publication Society: Philadelphia, PA.
The lack of a heartbeat in any
biological entity is generally
considered by experts in biology
and medicine as an indication of
death, i.e., the absence a ‘vital
spark’ or a ‘force of energy’.[4]
17

18. What is life?
consciousness
heart
Luke 2:35 路加福音 2:35
Then Simeon blessed them and said to
Mary, his mother: ‘This child is destined to
cause the falling and rising of many in
Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken
against, so that the thoughts of many
hearts will be revealed. And a sword will
pierce your own soul too.’
西面為他們祝福，又對他(指孩子)的
母親馬利亞說：「看哪！這(孩子)被
立，為了以色列中許多人跌倒又興起；
又成為反對的記號，然後劍要穿透你
自己的心 ─ 使得思想從許多心中被
顯明。」
love & forgiveness (Matthew 18:35)
lusts & desires (Romans 1:24)
motives (1 Corinthians 4:5)
καρδιῶν
heart
Καρδιῶν[5]
Seat of our
Emotions
[5] https://biblehub.com/greek/kardio_n_2588.htm
18

19. What is life?
consciousness
heart
Luke 2:35 路加福音 2:35
Then Simeon blessed them and said to
Mary, his mother: ‘This child is destined to
cause the falling and rising of many in
Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken
against, so that the thoughts of many
hearts will be revealed. And a sword will
pierce your own soul too.’ ψυχὴν
[6] https://biblehub.com/greek/psuche_n_5590.htm
essence (本質) of our present existence.soul
Ψυχὴν[6]
breathbody 西面為他們祝福，又對他(指孩子)的
母親馬利亞說：「看哪！這(孩子)被
立，為了以色列中許多人跌倒又興起；
又成為反對的記號，然後劍要穿透你
自己的心 ─ 使得思想從許多心中被
顯明。」
19

20. What is life?
consciousness
heart
西面為他們祝福，又對他(指孩子)的
母親馬利亞說：「看哪！這(孩子)被
立，為了以色列中許多人跌倒又興起；
又成為反對的記號，然後劍要穿透你
自己的心 ─ 使得思想從許多心中被
顯明。」
ψυχὴν
It is the totality of my core sense of ‘self’ or ‘who I am’.soul
breathbody
Luke 2:35 路加福音 2:35
Then Simeon blessed them and said to
Mary, his mother: ‘This child is destined to
cause the falling and rising of many in
Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken
against, so that the thoughts of many
hearts will be revealed. And a sword will
pierce your own soul too.’
20

21. What is life?
consciousness
ψυχὴν
It is the totality of my core sense of ‘self’ or ‘who I am’.
It is the ‘me’ that I recognize when I look in a mirror.
soul
heart
breathbody
Luke 2:35 路加福音 2:35
Then Simeon blessed them and said to
Mary, his mother: ‘This child is destined to
cause the falling and rising of many in
Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken
against, so that the thoughts of many
hearts will be revealed. And a sword will
pierce your own soul too.’
西面為他們祝福，又對他(指孩子)的
母親馬利亞說：「看哪！這(孩子)被
立，為了以色列中許多人跌倒又興起；
又成為反對的記號，然後劍要穿透你
自己的心 ─ 使得思想從許多心中被
顯明。」
21

22. What is life?
ψυχὴν
It is the totality of my core sense of ‘self’ or ‘who I am’.
It is the ‘me’ that I recognize when I look in a mirror.
It is the ‘me’ that will live eternally in another place
when this body dies.
soul
consciousness
heart
breathbody
Luke 2:35 路加福音 2:35
Then Simeon blessed them and said to
Mary, his mother: ‘This child is destined to
cause the falling and rising of many in
Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken
against, so that the thoughts of many
hearts will be revealed. And a sword will
pierce your own soul too.’
西面為他們祝福，又對他(指孩子)的
母親馬利亞說：「看哪！這(孩子)被
立，為了以色列中許多人跌倒又興起；
又成為反對的記號，然後劍要穿透你
自己的心 ─ 使得思想從許多心中被
顯明。」
22

23. What is life?
Luke 10:27 路加福音 10:27
He [Jesus] answered, “Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your
strength and with all your mind”
你要愛主你的上帝
出於你全部的心、用你全部的性
情、用你全部的
力量、用你全部的意念。
The seat is of our emotions.heart
The totality of our existence (strength of body and
breath, and all our consciousness).
soul
consciousness
heart
breathbody
23

24. What is life?
God’s creation of
‘life’ is a composite
of 5 components.
consciousness
breathbody
heart
24

25. What is life?
consciousness
heart
breathbody 福
25

26. consciousness
heart
breathbody 福
神 God
What is life?
26

27. consciousness
heart
breathbody 福
神 God
一 one
What is life?
27

28. consciousness
heart
breathbody 福
神 God
一 one
口 life
What is life?
28

29. consciousness
heart
breathbody 福
神 God
一 one
口 life
田 garden
(world)
What is life?
29

30. A life is
consciousness
heart
breathbody
listening to, talking with, and enjoying God’s
presence and miracle working power in our daily
life. 30

31. consciousness
heart
breathbody
What is a death?
consciousness
heart
breathbody
Death is the absence of God in our life.
神 God 一 one 口 life 田 garden
(world)
31

32. consciousness
heart
breathbody
Where are you?
consciousness
heart
breathbody
32