Part 20
There are a couple of terms for us to consider in relation to man and sin.
Mediate Sin is the idea that we receive the sin nature from Adam through generation, or at birth. This speaks of the sin nature that we have when we are conceived. It is that natural bent toward sin and wrong.
Immediate when used in relation to sin is that we all were placed under the curse of death when Adam sinned. We were in his loins. Hebrews 7:910 may help you with this idea. We were under the curse of death, but we will die at a later time.
Intermediate Body: Chafer presents a doctrine that might be fun for you to toy around with. He mentions that God will provide us after death with an intermediate body. This body will serve us until our soul and spirit are united with our bodies.
I am not sure that the text he uses to prove this, really proves this, but it might make for a good study for you some evening when you don't have anything to do. I have some things that I would want answered before accepting this teaching. He suggests 2 Corinthians 5:1-8.
Some thoughts that relate:
1. If, when we die God gives us a temporary body to dwell in the heavenlies, why wouldn't God just resurrect the old one instead of creating a temporary one. There needs to be an act of God either way, so why create a temporary one now and then resurrect one later and dispose of the temporary? This does not seem to be the action of a logical God.
2. There is no reason for us to need a temporary body in particular. Chafer mentions that we will be uncomfortable as disembodied spirits and will desire a body. I cannot speak to the comfort or discomfort of a
disembodied spirt, as yet, but since we are spirit beings in the afterlife, the need for a body — material — seems illogical. (I will mention that the spirits that Christ cast out of the demonic possessed man, sought embodiment in the swine, thus possibly indicating that spirits seek embodiment.)
3. What will happen to all those intermediate bodies that are no longer needed?
4. In relation to his proof text: It would be easier to interpret the passage along the lines that we are in this life, naked in comparison to our future heavenly body. Or this may mean that we will never be naked once the heavenly is put on, as Lenski mentions. This groaning would be concerning our strong desire for our heavenly body. To say that we are groaning over the possibility of being naked, or to say that there is an intermediate body, is to read much into the text.
Lenski views the nakedness as mentioned previously, and sees the body as the earthly and the glorified body as the heavenly. He mentions "heavenly life" in reference to the building from God. (Lenski, R.C.H.; "The Interpretation Of St. Paul's First And Second Epistles To The Corinthians"; Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, pp 1000ff)
5. If there is an intermediate body, when Paul is speaking of the physical body being the seed for the heavenly, was he speaking of the heavenly intermediate, or the heavenly glorified? The intermediate body idea seems to be a cumbersome doctrine to hold.
6. God is a spirit and needs no body. Why would we "have" to have a body?
In Volume two, page 145 Chafer states that man is "Related in two directions — to substance and to spirit existence." He mentions this in the context of creation. God formed the body of material items, then breathed in the spiritual part of man. Indeed, we are a combination being.
Q. What practical thought can we give to this thought that we are literally both physical and spiritual beings, at this point in our existence?
1. We might consider whether a person can be drawn to one side to the exclusion of the other side. Yes, would have to be the answer. Someone
that has allowed alcohol to become a habit is in essence giving himself over to following after the substance side of himself. There will be little if any thought to the spiritual. It normally is that time when the alcoholic gives his mind to the spiritual needs, which he will finally do something about the physical.
2. On the other hand, can a person give themselves over to the spiritual to the exclusion of the substance? Yes. It is not uncommon for ministers and missionaries to give themselves over to the spiritual life and endeavor, so as to refuse themselves relaxation and a time of healing of body and mind.
We might add at this point, that both saved and lost are thusly related to both physical and spiritual. The lost are not as concerned with the spiritual, yet it often comes up in their lives.
By way of practical application you might consider how you approach different situations of life in your ministry. At particular times the believer, as well as the nonbeliever, is totally occupied in one realm or the other. This is not wrong necessarily as we will see, however dwelling in one area too long can be detrimental.
Consider the person in the hospital with a kidney stone. Terrible pain — in a hospital you are reduced to the substance side of existence. Literally, if you have pain and are in the hospital, about all you are concerned with is the physical aspects of getting out of the place. The emphasis is totally upon physical.
As you approach a person in the hospital how do you want to minister to him. What approach might you want to use to be of benefit to him?
Spiritual things may or may not be of interest at the moment. Be tuned in on what the person is talking about. They will probably let you know if they want to get into spiritual things. Bring them up if you can, but do not push.
A short psalm or thought, and a word of prayer before you leave may be all the spiritual they can stand. Others may want to really fellowship. Be alert to their needs at the present. (If it is a non-believer feel free to push as much as you can, especially if they are in bad shape. It might be your last chance to share Christ with them.)
When we lived in Salem, Oregon, my wife had a friend whose husband had been sick for a long time. He had had surgery and was not expected to live. He asked for me to come for a visit. When I got there, he asked me to pray for him. He was in much pain, but wanted spiritual. I might add that he did not want me hanging around either. After the prayer, he said something to the effect, "Thanks for coming." It was evident from his situation and condition that he did not want to talk about the weather. Others I know of that are in pain aren't all that interested in the spiritual.
How about super saint — the person that spends 26 hours every day doing the Lords work and never takes a break. Again — go softly for you treadeth on thin ice. Any suggestion of slacking off may be taken as "unspiritual." Possibly a good way would be to try and involve the person in some non-spiritual activities, and encourage further involvement. Again — do not get pushy unless you think the problem is serious to health or family.
If you are his leader then consider taking part of his work load away. He may have to work like a horse to keep up with what you have allowed him to take on. A pastor must be careful not to overwork those that are willing to work.
A Biblical thought that suggests that we should not be totally engrossed in spiritual things could be found in the Sabbath of the Old Testament. The person was to work the week and rest on the Sabbath. God set aside a day for resting because He knew it was necessary for man. Just how that relates to the pastor that teaches or preaches three services on Sunday, I am not sure. This is probably why so many pastors take Mondays off.
We have many books out on the subject of "Burnout" and it is a very real problem among Christian leaders. Many have devoted themselves to things of the Lord for so long with no rest, that they usually find that one day the need for rest is overwhelming to the point of them not being able to function properly.
I must warn also that this is not licence to be lazy either.
Volume two of Chafer, page 145-146 states: "With its incomparable, sublime simplicity, the Word of God declares that God formed man's body from the dust of the ground."
He lists the elements as follows:
calcium, carbon, chlorine, fluorine, hydrogen, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, potassium, silicon, sodium, sulphur
If you consider this listing alone, not to think of the intricacies of the eye, ear or nervous system, you must wonder how something so complex and complicated can be so simply stated. Yet with the dust of the earth God Created Adam.
On page 148-149 Chafer mentions concerning the body of Adam and Eve: "It became a dying, death-doomed body. The fact that, as it was originally created, it possessed vital organs and was self-sustained as the body is now sustained, indicates that, apart from such protection and support as God may have provided, the original or unfallen body was capable of death. Death was not then inevitable, though it was possible. God imposed the sentence of death...."
Q. I believe this to be true but can we but a Biblical basis to it for Dr. Chafer? Genesis 2:16,17
"And the Lord God commanded the man saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat
of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
All trees but one were available.
After the fall God was concerned that Adam and Eve would eat of the tree of life. Read Genesis 3:22-24. It seems that the tree of life had something to do with continuing life.
Theissen mentions, "Man, it is implied, was created mortal, but had the privilege of attaining immortality by means of the tree of life." (Thiessen, Henry C.; "Lectures In Systematic Theology"; Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1949, p 257)
Revelation 22:2 in telling of the New Jerusalem states:
"In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was
there the tree of life, which bore twelve kinds of fruits...."
Revelation 22:14 adds some insight for us as well: "Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have right to the tree of life...." There is a close relationship between the child of God and that tree of life.
I feel that we can be assured that Dr. Chafers statement is backed by the texts in Genesis while the Revelation texts indicate that the tree of life may well have to do with the continuing of life in eternity in some way. (There is no need for the believer to have right to it unless it is a part of eternal things.)
Let us consider for a moment our coming glorified body. What qualities will that body have? Since the only information we have concerning a resurrected body is the body of Christ after His resurrection, we need to view what is recorded concerning this. (Philippians 3:20,21) tell us that our comparison is correct.) I will just list some topics with references for your continued study.
1. Touchable: Matthew 28:9; Luke 24:39ff; John 20:17.
2. Seeable: Matthew 28:10
3. Mobile: He left the grave and went places.
4. Hearable: Matthew 28:9,10
5. Changeable: Mark 16:12; Luke 24:13ff
6. Disappearable: Luke 24:31
7. Feedable: Luke 24:42,43
8. Transportable: John 20:19
9. Recognizable: They knew who it was. Also John 20:27ff.
How do we make this doctrine useful for everyday life?
1. As we age, we begin to see the body going down hill. We see the hair loss — the weakening eyes — the lack of ambition — the longer periods of time in bed — etc. God is planning a body that is not plagued by such frailties. We will have an incorruptible body one day to replace this mass of chemicals that is failing us.
2. To the older person this can be a blessing. To the younger it can be a call to patience with the older folks — they are slow in movement — a pain in the neck — but one day so is all of mankind, including the young person.
3. There is hope for the physically handicapped as well. He created me as He wanted me to be, so I should be satisfied with me. Within this context, I might add to the Christian disabled, there is no reason for you to get involved with the self-pity and my rights thinking of the disabled organizations of our day. The disabled and handicapped need to be helped as much as we can, yet their self pity seems to be a bit much.
My father was paralyzed from the waist down from the age of 21 and never once went looking for his rights, nor pity. He functioned as best he could. He did most everything that he wanted to do. He did not wait for people to make ramps, widen doors etc. He just went on with his life, had two children, raised them and enjoyed the life God had given him to the fullest. No, he did not go skiing, but I would guess he would have if he had wanted to.
4. Our body is made by Him for His use, not our own. We should be caring for our bodies.
IMMATERIAL MAN
The body, soul and spirit of man are generated at the moment of conception. The body being man's environmental, or world consciousness, is the container of the soul which is man's self consciousness (intellect, emotion, and reason), and the spirit, being man's God consciousness.
BODY ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS
SOUL SELF CONSCIOUSNESS
SPIRIT GOD CONSCIOUSNESS
The Bible tells us that man was made in God's image. In what way are we made in God's image? Are we physically similar to God? No. Is our soul similar to God? Quite possibly. He has intellect, emotion and reason as we do. Is our spirit similar to God? I assume that all spirit beings are similar in some ways.
On the other hand "in the image of God" has some distinct limitations that are apparent. Our spirit being, will not fill the entire universe, nor is our intellect as God's, nor are our emotions as deep as His. We are in His image, yet limited by our finiteness. In our fallen state we are not holy, righteous nor can we have a good understanding of God. God however through redemption allows a certain amount of these things to the believer. (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10)
As a side note to holiness we might consider a question that Chafer raises. Can a person have a habit of holiness before he knows the principle of holiness? Not really. The habit is a consequence of the principle. For example would any of you begin studying for several hours a day if you didn't know why you were doing it or what study was. Probably not.
We should not condemn people for not living holy lives until we know for sure they have the principle in their mind. Indeed, is this not where the lost are today. They do not have the principle of God's holiness so they are not apt to enter into the habit, or life of holiness.
We should understand also that redemption is not a process of God trying to salvage something that Adam's sin destroyed. Redemption is a process of restoration. He is desirous of bringing us to a state that would be the same as Adam's pre-fall condition. This of course is dependant on the righteousness of Christ.
The unsaved man still has the image of his creator. Chafer suggests Genesis 5:1-3 as proof of this. "This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth." Adam was in the image of God and Seth was in the image of Adam.
Genesis 9:6 also suggests this thought. "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made he man." James 3:9 also is a foundation for this thought. "Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, who are made after the similitude of God."
God's view of the sacredness of life is also carried in these verses. We are created in God's image and this image is not lost. Lost man is in His creator's image.
There are some differences, however now that the fall has come to pass. Our moral likeness is somewhat soiled and lowered, and the lost man's mind is somewhat clouded by sin.
We are encouraged to follow the example of Christ in the New Testament and this will tend to bring us toward the image that God desires for us in this life.
There are three basic theories as to where the immaterial part of man came from.
1. Pre-Existence: This thought would come from Hinduism in the past, and Theosophy in our own time. I believe that Origin also held to this thought. (Chafer has a good section on this, page 174.) The doctrine of reincarnation is the basis of this thought. Reincarnation tells us that the immaterial part of man is recyclable. As we die, we are freed to reenter into another body to continue on in this life.
The immaterial part of man has pre-existence in this view. It can enter the body of the child at any time in it's development according to some reincarnationists.
My question is this. Why would anyone that lived this life through once want to go around for a second time? The previous life usually relates to your next life. If you are a really bad person in a life then you usually come back as a bug or some very lowly person. This is why the people of India can walk by a beggar without feeling sorrow or pity. The beggar was probably a murderer in another life. To be caught in a cycle of existence like this would be very depressing to me.
Some older theologians surmised with this theory that in a previous life all of us sinned and that is where the sin nature came from.
The objections to this view are:
a. The philosophy totally ignores the Word of God and all that it says on the subject.
b. The philosophy totally ignores original sin.
c. It ignores the need of proof for validity. They do not have proof.
2. Creation Theory: This theory would come from the Eastern Orthodox church of ages past, and I suspect even today. The theory tells us that the parents create the body of the child and that God creates the soul and spirit directly and immediately for each birth. Their thinking is as follows: a. The body is from earth, but the soul is from God, thus the soul can't come from the parent. b. The soul is not material so how could physical parents produce it. c. If Christ is like man and He is, then if the soul and spirit came from the parents, Christ would have a sin nature.
The people holding to this view mention that there are verses that speak of God creating the soul. There are also verses that state He creates bodies, however neither is literal. In the sense that He created all of mankind in Adam and Eve would be true, and He did create souls and bodies in this way.
A couple of things to think about concerning the Creation theory. If man is fallen at birth, and if God creates the soul and spirit, then, God is creating souls and spirits in the fallen state and they are destined for Hell. This is not a concept that is consistent with the Word. This would place God in the position of creating beings for destruction. Also, it must be then assumed that they did not fall in Adam. This contradicts the clear teaching of the Word.
3. Traducian Theory: Most of the western church holds to this concept. The body soul and spirit are generated by the parents at each individual conception.
In the creation of Adam and Eve there was all that was needed for all of mankind present and potential, for production of body, soul, and spirit.
There is one main objection to this thought and that is this: If this is true then Christ would have had a sinful nature. That is a big problem, however there are some answers for this. Some answer this by saying that the sin comes through the male, thus no problem. Others state that the soul of Christ was sanctified by the fact of the conception by the Holy Spirit. Others state that the nature He took from Mary was sanctified before the union with Himself. The Roman Catholics go a step further and say Mary was perfect, and that she gave Him the pure nature. This, however, only puts the problem of a perfect being at the feet of Mary's parents. Mary's soul would have to be perfect to produce a perfect child.
It seems easiest to assume that the fallen nature is transmitted via the father. This was the reason for the virgin birth. With no earthly father involved, there was no possibility of transmission of a sin nature.
If you desire to hold to the traducian theory, it is important to make the distinction of the sin nature coming from the father.
Let's consider Christ's perfect nature for a moment: a. If the traducian theory is correct, in that the entire being is created by the parents, plural, then He would have received the fallen nature. The key is the fact that Christ was a product of God and woman, not man and woman, thus there was no sin nature.
The fact that the sin nature comes from the male is indicated in the Word. Adam chose to sin — he turned against an express command of God while Eve was deceived. We all sinned in "Adam" not in "Adam and Eve". (1 Corinthians 15:22 "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive;") Thus it must be concluded that the sin nature is transferred to the child via the man side of the union. Why else is there a need for the virgin birth of Christ. No other answer really fits the facts that we have available from Scripture. In Genesis 3:7 both Adam and Eve's eyes opened at the same time to nakedness. This indicates Adam's sin was the clincher, not Eves.
How can you trace the 1 Corinthians 15:22 concept of "we all fell in Adam", if the soul and spirit are created at the point of birth? You can't. Luke 1:41 shows John the Baptist responding to Mary's presence while he was in the womb. "the babe leaped in her womb;" Excuse me if I feel it a bit ridiculous for a mass of flesh and bone responding to something supernatural. Logic would demand that there was some spirit consciousness present that was responding.
Hebrews 7:9,10 mention the fact that Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek because he was in the loins of his father. It takes more than flesh and bones to do this. A body does not pay tithes. A complete being does.
A result of the creation concept is abortion. That mass is not a person until it is outside the mother's body. Logically inferior, thus we can get rid of it with no moral problems. The traducian thought relegates a fetus, of any age, to being a spiritual and physical being fully present and growing, or if you will, in the aging process.
God's creating was finished on the sixth day and it was good. There is no indication that he continues to create each time a baby is brought into the world.
One author suggested that Mary was a surrogate mother. The entire being of Christ was created by God and raised in Mary. To state that the entire being of Christ was placed within Mary for incubation, is to deny the Lord's humanity.
Conclusions concerning our being created in God's image:
1. "Thus, also, G.F. Oehler declares man bears the divine image in view of the facts that
(a) human nature is distinguished from that of the beast, for there was no mate for man among lower forms of creation, and man may kill the beast but not the being which is made in the image of God.
(b) Man is set over nature as a free personality, since he is designed for communion with God, and is appointed to exercise divine authority in the affairs of earth. . . ." (Chafer, Lewis Sperry; "Systematic Theology"; Dallas, TX: Dallas Seminary Press, 1947, p 170)
2. The following verses indicate some of the areas of similarity between God and the creatures of His image. Matthew 5:48; Luke 6:36; 1 Peter 1:15,16.
3. Hebrews 1:1-3 shows Christ to be the express image of God. Romans 8:29 shows that we are to be conformed to the image of Christ. Mentally and spiritually we are under reformation, so to speak, to become as Adam was before the fall in these areas.
4. God took the time and effort to create man in His own image. Based on this truth, we are not to kill, nor slander another man. How about the thousands of unborn fetuses that are being destroyed every year by abortion. How about the man that pulls out in front of you from the stop sign? "You dumby" isn't quite the terminology to use, is it.
Every man is cared for, by our creator -- we ought to have a care and love for those people as well. They are created in Our God's Image even if he rejects our God.
Another question: Is salvation a restoration to the pre-fall condition? Not exactly. We as Christians are not as Adam and Eve were before the fall. Proof: If I ask you all to take your clothes off in a crowd could you do it
without knowing that you were naked? No. We are in the post-fallen state. We are partially restored, but we are being conformed to the image of Christ not the image of pre-fall Adam (Romans 8:29). We have a fallen body as well, for it is dieing (Philippians 3:21).
Most theology books raise the question, Are soul, spirit, heart, flesh and mind separate things? They are similar yet separate.
Illustration: My soul can know that something is wrong, my heart may tell me not to do it, but my flesh may go for it anyway. They are separate in their activities.
We have a couple more terms to consider: Dichotomist And Trichotomist.
Dichotomists think that there are two parts to man. There is the material part which is the body, and the immaterial which is the soul and spirit.
Trichotomists feel that there are three parts to man. The body, soul and spirit.
Do you see a semantic problem at this point? The dichotomist is speaking material/immaterial while the trichotomist is speaking body/soul/spirit. They are comparing potatoes with Corvettes. The immaterial part is of course the soul and spirit. Naturally when speaking material/immaterial there are two. When you speak of body, soul and spirit there are three.
Most trichotomists would see that the immaterial part was made up of soul and spirit, yet within the one immaterial there are two parts. The dichotomists also deal with the soul and spirit as two items.
There are three texts which the trichotomist presents.
1 Corinthians 15:44,
"It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a
natural body, and there is a spiritual body."
1 Thessalonians 5:23,
"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our lord Jesus Christ."
Hebrews 4:12,
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a descerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
I am not sure that 1 Corinthians 15:44 relates to the study.
In Thessalonians it is a simple statement that Paul is trusting that all three would be preserved. Indeed, it probably is an emphasis to say, I trust, that you will be wholly preserved. It does state that there are three items.
The construction of the Hebrew's text shows that the two are separate items. The contrast of joints and marrow would indicate soul and spirit are two items. This still does not say that the two are not parts of the immaterial man. They are different, but both immaterial.
To sum up this confusion may we say that when talking about material/immaterial we are dichotomists. When we are talking about body/soul/spirit we are trichotomists.
I Have It All Figured Out. If you are a trichotomist then you believe that there are two parts of man — material and immaterial thus you are a dichotomist. If you are a dichotomist then you believe that there are three parts to man — body, soul and spirit, thus you are a trichotomist. HA.
ON THE SERIOUS SIDE.
There are two parts of man — material and immaterial. There are three main aspects to man — body, soul and spirit. The soul and spirt are in the immaterial part of man.
Let's think about the body, soul and spirit for a few moments. What is the body? It is chemicals. It is conscious to it's environment. It is a vehicle for our soul and spirit. It is in a process of decay. It is our contact with other believers.
What is the soul? It is our self consciousness. It is our memories. It is our ego. It is our emotions. It is our reasoning. It has been put this way:
INTELLECT THE SOUL KNOWING
SENSIBILITY THE SOUL FEELING
WILL THE SOUL CHOOSING
CONSCIENCE THE SOUL JUDGING
MEMORY THE SOUL REFLECTING
We might illustrate this. A student knows via his intellect that it is wrong to bribe a teacher, especially with M&M's. He feels through his sensibility that he should not, but knows that he needs to, to get his grade up. He uses his will to choose to bribe the teacher and determine whether to get a package of plain, peanut or almond M&M's. He goes to the store and picks up a bag of M&M's and bribes the teacher. Naturally, immediately he feels bad because his conscience has said, "Hey you perverse person that was wrong." He sets all of this out of his mind for the day and goes on with his studies. The next day his memory brings what he has done to mind, and he feels bad again, so gives the teacher another bag of M&M's to make amends.
When speaking of the conscience we need to realize that the lost and the saved have a different type of conscience. I will list these for your further study.
THE LOST THE SAVED
Defiled Titus 1:15 Purged Hebrews 10:1,2
Evil Hebrews 10:22 Good 1 Peter 3:16.
Convicting John 8:9 Witnesses Romans 9:1
Seared 1 Timothy 4:2 Wounded 1 Corinthians 8:12
We might make mention here that the mind has two directions of flow. It can serve the Spirit or it can serve the flesh. It is the will that determines which.
To recap:
THE SOUL SELF CONSCIOUSNESS.
THE BODY WORLD CONSCIOUSNESS
THE SPIRIT GOD CONSCIOUSNESS
The body is the flesh and bone that moves and ultimately dies returning to the ground from which it came.
The soul is the part of man that thinks, remembers, feels and decides.
The spirit is the part of us that allows us to be conscious of God. Through it we can respond to our creator.
Intellect is the capacity to think. Ephesians 1:17-18 states, "...the eyes of your understanding being enlightened;". The term for understanding is
"kardia" or heart. Paul seems to think that understandings seat is in the heart which is usually accepted as the seat of the emotions as well.
The term heart is used 600 times in the Old Testament and 120 times in the New Testament. Anyone for a research paper?
Sensibility is an ".....awareness of and responsiveness toward something....." (By permission. From Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary copyright 1991 by Merriam-Webster Inc., publisher of the Merriam-Webster (registered) Dictionaries.) In short, if we can see someone and respond to them we have the quality of sensibility.
Will is defined by Chafer as follows: "Will is the soul's power to choose between motives and to direct its subsequent activity according to the motive thus chosen...." (Vol. II, p 193)
We have mentioned flesh and should probably look at the term briefly.
1. It can relate to the material part of man. The meat and skin.
2. It can relate to the human relationships and classifications. Both the meat and the immaterial part of man.
3. It can relate to the immaterial part of man. Only the moral and ethical meaning involved.
The body, as in the meat, is not ethically good or bad. The immaterial aspect of the flesh is bad. It opposes God and all right things of life. A related term is "carnal" which describes a believer that is living in, or is dominated by the flesh.
Victory can be had over the flesh. A couple of verses for your future reference on this are Romans 8:2-4 and Galatians 5:16-17. We won't spend time on this right now.
The soul of man consists of the intellect, man's knowing; Sensibility, man's feeling; will, man's choosing; conscience, man's judging. These make up life for man.
1. The soul is quite intricate in its make up. God has given man all the facilities by which to respond to God in a positive manner.
Anyone choosing to reject Christ when he hears the Gospel certainly condemns himself.
Intellect is knowing of the Savior.
Sensibility is feeling the need of a Savior — feeling the heaviness of sin.
Will is making the choice to accept Him as Savior.
Conscience, if the person is saved, it becomes your guide to the Christian walk; if the person is lost, it becomes seared.
2. How does the knowledge gained in this study apply to James 1:14-15? "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
Intellect: Soul knowing — temptation
Sensibility: Soul feeling — lust
Will: Soul making a choice — sin
Conscience: Soul judging
Note that the way to holiness is the same as to sin. The difference hinges on your decision of the will. It is just as easy to be holy as it is to sin.
3. Psalm 62:5-8 mentions, "My soul, wait thou only upon God;" The Psalmist seems to be addressing his soul. "Wait" ONLY upon God.
Your intellect — only thinking of God.
Your sensibility — feeling and sensing only God.
Your will — only deciding toward God.
Your conscience — always clear before God.
Wow. "My expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be Moved."
If your soul is centered on God you will not be moved.
The intellect and sensibility, however both need to be upon God, else Mark Will may stray.
4. I am responsible for all my actions.
5. I am body soul and spirit, and need to control all of them.
6. The immaterial man comes from God and only He can satisfy the spiritual hunger within. We are very complex beings, and only the Word can help us understand ourselves.
I trust that this section will be the stepping stone to the readers further study in this area. It should be a beginning point in understanding yourself and your relationship to your Creator.
MAN IN INNOCENCE
The Before, or the state of innocence.
Introduction: We have some friends that had two little boys. The oldest was out of diapers awhile and the younger was in training pants. The youngest had wet his pants and mom was doing her thing to try and train him. "Why did you wet your pants?" "No mom, he did it," referring to his older brother." We Are Always Innocent Aren't We Folks.
THE STATE OF INNOCENCE-THE ENVIRONMENT
Since we all know that the environment that we are raised in molds and shapes our thinking, and since we know that a poor environment tends to bring about wrong actions, decisions and attitudes in man, we can thus assume that the wrong actions of Adam were caused by the terrible conditions of the environment that God placed him in — namely, the garden of Eden. NO.
It is true that environment tends to bring about wrong behavior in lost man. In fact some judges operate on the principle that the environment can make a person into a criminal, thus the crime is not wrong. None of this relates to Adam, however for we know that the Garden was good and that the behavior of Adam was out of his own desire to go against what God had told him.
By the way, I recently saw the front page of a tabloid which declared that the Garden of Eden had been found. It was south of Denver, CO in case you want to see it. The paper also mentioned that they had found the remains of Adam and Eve. Amazing what man is doing these days. Sarcasm intended.
What do we know of Adam before the fall:
Adam's Environment: New heaven, new earth, and new wife. The garden was full of fruit trees. All trees were for their food except one. Result of eating from the one would result in knowing good and evil. Nakedness didn't bother Adam and Eve. Had dominion over creatures. He was created
in God's image. God blessed them (Genesis 1:28). Told to multiply and fill the earth (1:28). Told to subdue the earth (1:28). All of creation including man and woman were viewed as good in God's mind (1:3). Adam was to till and keep the garden (2:1). He had no sin. Evidently he had not been tempted. He had the possibility of continuing on in that state indefinitely. Obedience was the key. Not A Bad Environment.
God set Adam in the perfect environment and things went sour. Adam chose to disobey, and was no longer innocent.
God was somewhat specific when He told Adam about the prohibitions. "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." I suppose that God could have made it plainer, but I'm not sure how.
So why is man that way? If you tell them not to do something they have to do it just because it was forbidden. How come and why for? Even Christians do it. The state says 55 mph and many Christians have to do 60 mph.
God tells us lying is wrong, yet many Christians lie on a regular basis. They call it stretching the truth, or just not giving all the information but it is lying.
I think that mostly the answer is that man is self-centered to the end. We want to do what WE want to do. Along with self-centeredness there are many side effects that manifest themselves. I have to be right. I want to look good to others. I want to be a big name. I want ........... — you fill in the blank. All stem from our total self-centeredness — God can cure this if we allow Him the possibility.
God told Adam what He wanted and expected, but Adam went his own direction. God makes His will plain to all believers for their lives, but I fear many are going their own directions instead.
When it comes to God's will in general — the things that the Word tells us concerning right and wrong — we as humans usually concentrate on the Can't Do's Instead Of The Can Do's.
While teaching in a Bible Institute, it was very evident to me that the don'ts of the student handbook were the prime emphasis of dislike,
conversation, and gripping. There were worlds of freedoms allowed the students, yet the don'ts were the supreme threat to their Self.
It again, is the way of man. Even in economic things when we are short of cash, we dwell on what we can't do. I can't go to town to pick up that new pair of shoes that I Need. You could dwell on the fact that there are many things that are fun around town that you can do.
There are negative aspects to the will of God as it is presented in the Word, yet on the whole His will is positive for His children.
THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF ADAM
God told Adam to tend the garden. That indicates Work and that should be plugged into your memory banks. God expected man to work Even When Man Was In The State Of Innocence. Work is not a dirty word unless you are a gardener. We are to work in this life.
Chafer mentions that moral qualities can be active and passive. Adams moral qualities were not active before the fall. He had not needed to use them until the temptation. The fall called his moral qualities into question and into the activity. Our own moral qualities are passive when we are not faced with temptations, but they become active quickly.
Adam was mature so that he was without excuse in what he did. God held him responsible for his activity. God transmitted His will to Adam verbally while He transmits it to us through the Word.
Both Adam and we have the same situation. God told us things not to do and things we could do. It is our own choice between the two that gets us into trouble.
Some hold that the story of the fall is only a myth, while others see a realty mixed with allegory. We of course hold that this is an actual account of an actual event in the life of a real, literal man named Adam.
We might make brief mention of allegorical interpretation at this point. We will look at it in more detail in Eschatology. It is a "Symbolic representation of the truth" according to the Dictionary of Religious terms. (Kaufman, Donald T.; "The Dictionary Of Religious Terms"; Westwood, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company; 1967)
It is similar to a dump truck full of dirt. The truck would be the vehicle, or carrier of the real load, the dirt. The verses in the Bible are the vehicle, or story, or myth, that carry a deeper truth than the story presents. In short, you read a verse and throw it away when you find out what the real truth was.
The problem with this method of interpretation is that Allegorical interpretation can have as many "truths" as you have interpreters.
So, how do we know that this account of Adam and the fall are not just myths and fables?
a. The rest of scripture treats the occurrence as fact and true. Matthew 19:4-5; Exodus 20:11; 1 Chronicles 1:1; Psalm 8:3-6; Mark 10:6-7; Luke 3:38; Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 11:9; 15:21-22; 15:45-47; 1 Timothy 2:13-14; Jude. 14.
b. The Genesis account reads as if it is an account of history. There is no indication that it is a collection of myths or stories.
c. The Jews held to the account as being literal. II Esdras 3:4-7; 7:48; Wisdom 2:24; 10:1; Ecclesiasticus 17:1.
d. Christ held it as literal and true. Matthew 19:4-5,
"And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read that he who made them at the beginning, made them male and female; And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall be one flesh?"
Christ quoted Genesis 2:24 and this would show that he held that the creation account was a real occurrence.
e. It would cause some real problems with some of Paul's theology if there was no real literal Adam and Eve. See Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; 1 Corinthians 15:45-47; 1 Timothy 2:9ff.
f. Archaeologists have recovered two seals that depict the temptation scene. They were discovered in the 1930's near Nineveh. Even history seems to bear out the Genesis account.
THE TEMPTATION OF ADAM AND EVE
The temptation is not contradictory to what we know from the Scriptures that we have concerning Satan. It is well within his method of operation.
It was undoubtedly aimed at thwarting God's plan. All through Scripture it can be seen that the Devil is constantly striving to trip the Lord up. Naturally it is the Devil that keeps getting tripped up.
The thought of someone acting independently from God and God's desires is not new with Adam. The Devil had a good hand at it before Adam even considered it.
One is left to ponder the question of why did Adam decide to sin? Some suggestions might come to mind.
a. Covetousness. Not hardly. He had the run of the garden, that is unless he wanted to kick God the owner out, and build condos. No, there were no camaros, stereos, tvs, vcrs etc., so doubt that covetousness was involved.
b. Sexual immorality. Hardly. He had the only woman on earth.
c. Repudiation of God. Repudiation is to refuse to have dealings with someone, or the rejection of someone or something due to a belief that the person or truth is untrue. I don't think that Adam had in mind refusing God or rejecting Him, only disobeying Him.
A rejection of what God wanted him to do is the simplest explanation. The Devil tried to be like God we are told in Isaiah 14:14, "...like the most high....". He talked Eve into the same concept. "...ye shall be as God...." Genesis 3:5
It kind of reminds me of a little kid that has done something wrong and knows that he will be caught. He naturally tries to entice someone else into the same trouble. Misery loves company.
There were three forms of death involved in the sin of Adam and his punishment.
A. SPIRITUAL IMMEDIATE
B. PHYSICAL BECAME MORTAL AND
DYING
C. ETERNAL AT ONCE SUBJECT TO IT
WHEN THEY DIED
We won't cover these in any detail, because they come up later on in our study.
We might notice that the subject of the fruit did not bother Adam and Eve until the Devil came around. Might we dare apply this to the subject of regulations? Usually rules don't bother people until they are tempted to break them. Oft times in my early college days I noticed that there were no problems until someone began to complain about something. Then others would begin to think about it and the commiseration usually lead to trouble.
Keep the devil away and don't listen, be it he in person, or be it he in the tongue of someone that is disgruntled.
The devil wanted to be more than he was, or to be more than God. In a very real sense this is the sin of covetousness. He wanted more than he had. As we view our lives may we be careful not to fall into this trap of desiring to be someone we aren't, or to be better than someone else.
God made you according to the specifications that He wanted, so that you could serve Him as only YOU can serve Him. You may run into someone that is a much better preacher than you are. You may run into someone that is a much better singer than you are. You may run into someone that has more hair than you do. You may run into someone that has than you do.
Remember That God Made You The Way He Wanted You. He does not want you to preach like the other person. He does not want you to sing
like the other person. He does not want you to have more hair than you have.
Think of the glory that would be Satan's now had he left well enough alone.
God set Adam and Eve in the perfect environment, yet they sinned. Now, as you live life and you find yourself in different situations, don't assume that you will not sin. You will if your will finds the proper conditions in your being. Watch your situations. Keep them as safe as is possible. Don't allow yourself to enter into situations that give rise to improper thoughts and/or acts.
As we view God's don'ts we need to realize that His will is positive even though there are negatives with in it. His will is positive and we have no need to fear it.
It is Satan that tempts, but it is we who must choose to sin. He does not have the capacity to force us to sin. He can only set up the situation where we want to sin.
May we appreciate the Spirit's work within us to teach us and instruct us on the ways of god? He is that which every believer has, that allows them the freedom to say no to sin.
MAN'S FALL
Man was placed in the garden to serve God and to fellowship with God. He was given the run of things, with only one exception. Do not eat of the fruit of the tree of life.
He decided that this was an option rather than a command, and ate of the forbidden fruit. There was a drastic change in his relationship with God and we call that change of relationship the fall of man.
Before we move on, I might mention that there is an appendix that you might find of interest. I have toyed with the question of where the Garden of Eden was for many years. I think I mentioned in a previous section that the tabloids feel that it is south of Denver, Colorado, but I believe that there may be some evidence that might strongly indicate that it was in the area of Jerusalem. I have included this study for your interest and thought.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SATAN
AND MAN AFTER THE FALL
Under His Blinding: 2 Corinthians 4:3-4,
"But if our gospel be hidden it is hidden to them that are lost, in whom the god of this age hath blinded the minds of them who believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
Lost man has no power or understanding to come to God. God is a stranger to lost man. Satan has no desire for the lost person to learn of God nor for him to understand God.
Under His Control And Life Style: Ephesians 2:1-2,
"And you hath he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins; In which in times past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience;"
The normal life style of the lost is patterned after Satan's ways and means. Lost man seldom desires to live morally, nor properly, though there are those exceptions that desire to come to God under the power of their own works.
Under His Power: Colossians 1:13,
"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son;"
The verse shows the power of darkness which is the lost man's plight, yet gives the hope of something far better.
Under His Wickedness: 1 John 5:19, "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." This should help us understand why the lost are the way they are. They are in wickedness, so they will Naturally lie to you about the quality of the product that they desire to sell you. They will Naturally try to beat you at the stop signs. Understand them, and they should anger you less.
The condition of lost or fallen man is often termed the Total Depravity of man. It is the thought that man is totally corrupt and that he can do nothing to reach God.
Theissen mentions of total depravity, "By depravity we mean man's want of original righteousness and of holy affections toward God, and also the corruption of his moral nature and his bias toward evil."
He continues, "...it does mean, that every sinner is totally destitute of that love to God which is the fundamental requirement of the law...; that he is supremely given to a preference of himself to God (2 Timothy 3:4); that he has an aversion to God which on occasion becomes active enmity to Him (Romans 8:7); that his every faculty is disordered and corrupted (Ephesians 4:18); that he has no thought, feeling, or deed of which God can fully approve (Romans 7:18)." (Thiessen, Henry C.; "Lectures In Systematic Theology"; Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1949, pp, 267268)
Now that is a real statement of a condition that is not desirable, yet is the state of all lost people. Is it any wonder that they try to cheat us? Indeed, it is a wonder that the world is as it is, and not much worse in the area of
morals. I personally feel that the decline of the Church in this country is the direct cause of the increase in moral problems in the lost people. We, the Church have not been the restraint that we ought to be.
God placed before Adam and Eve a simple moral test. In this test was the potential for complete obedience, or complete depravity. This test was composed of two parts. The command not to eat the fruit in Genesis 2:17, and the temptation by Satan in Genesis 3:1.
God placed this test before Adam and Eve so that they could have the choice between good and evil, and to give them moral experience (James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:6-7). God does not create beings that must follow Him blindly, but beings that have the moral choice to follow or reject. He gave this choice to the angelic host, and some followed while others rejected.
The Devil used several tactics in his temptation:
1. He planted a question (Genesis 3:1). He asked Eve if God said, "Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"
2. He denied God's word (3:4). "Ye shall not surely die;" This might relate to the fact that he is called the father of lies in John 8:44.
3. He attributed evil motives to God (3:5). He indicated that God was covering up something, to keep them from being like God.
4. He promised personal benefit will come with their disobedience (3:5). They would be as God.
They bought the same lie and deception as the fallen angels. He placed himself as knowing as God knows, and proceeded to tell them that they could be like their Creator. What a falsehood. How can a created being be as the creator. How can a Ford car become the same as Henry Ford? Impossible.
He used different avenues to approach them in the temptation. He appealed to the aesthetic, or beauty of things. He also touched their intellect by promising things that were desirable.
There was nothing magical in the fruit, nor were there powers in the juices to give them the knowledge of good and evil. They knew of good and evil when they ate. It was the act of disobedience, rather than the fruit itself.
There were a number of consequences that came with the fall. Man was condemned by his own conscience. He hid in shame and guilt. Not unlike a small child that knows that they have done wrong. Even some of the animal world reacts to the simple, disobedience/penalty/hide activity. Our little dog began leaving food on the carpet. We began forcing him to eat it. He became very stubborn about eating the SINGLE piece of food. After a few rounds of this confrontation, he would leave the piece on the carpet and go to the bathroom, where we put him for punishment. He knew he had done wrong — he knew we would punish him — so why not get the punishment over with. We as believers, when we sin often attempt to hide from God by failing to have devotions, or quit going to church, etc.
God set penalties for all that were concerned. The serpent was to crawl on the belly and eat dust (3:14,15). Satan was to fall by the seed of the woman (3:15). The woman was to have pain in travail, and she was to be subject to her husband (3:16). The man was to find that the environment would be against him (3:17-19). The man and woman together were to suffer from spiritual and physical death, while being expelled from the garden. Mankind to come also was to suffer, not that they did anything wrong, but that they sinned in Adam. All of mankind would have sinned had we all been in the garden. Mankind is guilty before God (Romans 5:12,18), and he is totally depraved (Psalm 5:9; Romans 5:190.
Sin resulted in three types of death. My How Sin Multiplies. There came upon man physical, spiritual and eternal death in one act of disobedience. Physical death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body. Spiritual death is the separation of the soul and spirit from God. Eternal death is the separation of the soul and spirit from God eternally. Indeed, it is more than just separation. It involves eternal torment as well.
This eternal separation and torment are also called the second death in Revelation 20:14; 21:8.
Some might wonder what the difference is between spiritual death and eternal death? The basic difference is the length of time. The spiritual death is in this life (a period of years), while eternal death is for all of eternity. The spiritual death becomes eternal death at the point of physical death. There is little difference between spiritual and eternal, for spiritual becomes eternal. The distinction is that spiritual death may be overcome in
this life via salvation, while eternal death is permanent and cannot be overcome in the next life. Spiritual death would portray the person's condition in this life while eternal death would picture his condition in the next life.
The difference is in Adam and Eve. They at the point of sin suffered three deaths. Physical in that they began to die, spiritual in that they became dead spiritually, and eternal, in that, at that point they were facing eternity without God.
What is physical death to the body? A slow process of disintegration that begins at conception. Everything is downhill from that point on. We tend to think of aging as beginning at the point of birth, but actually we are dying from the moment of conception. It is all part of the maturing, and aging process.
Part of the post-fall condition is the conflict between what God wants and what man wants. 1 John 2:16 shows an overview of the life of man in his natural habitat so to speak.
Chafer relates the Genesis text to John's exposition on evil. This is a very good comparison. Take time to relate Genesis 2:15-17 to the three points of 1 John 2:16.
Lust Of The Flesh would cover such things as physical appetites and desires that we allow to rule our lives. This is a real problem to the believer in this day. We are bombarded by sex and its by-products on a daily basis. A number of years ago the family and I were driving in the mountains west of Denver. We had been gone from the city for most of the day. We were just coming down out of the foothills and a huge billboard of a young woman in a skimpy bathing suit was right in front of us. It dawned on me that we had gone all day with nothing of this sort to deal with. I was shocked to realize how much of this sort of thing we saw every day.
How can we combat this sort of thing? Avoid sources of enticing pictures and thoughts. If you watch some of the television today you will be constantly exposed to it. Shut it off. Keep your mind on spiritual things and pursuits. Have other believers over for fellowship. Do I dare suggest you have lost people over for witnessing?
Believers have been hardened to the trash and sleese that has been given to us on the Television screen. I talk with believers that allow Satan to fill their minds with this slime on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. How can you fill your mind with sex, immorality, lying, cheating and the like several hours a day and expect to overcome the effect in a couple of hours in church on Sunday? You are asking the impossible.
Lust Of The Eye would cover all that we see that we covet and desire. This may lead to lust of the flesh in some areas. We are constantly confronted with this as well. If you go to the mall to walk around you can find all sorts of things that "I Want."
While shopping with my wife, I spotted a real neat portable stereo. I called her over by saying that I wanted her to see something I needed. As she inspected the stereo she commented, "You need." I said, Yes, I Need it to satisfy my coveteousness."
Pride Of Life would relate to the thought of being proud of our way of life, or who we are, or what we are. I believe that Chafer refers this to an unholy love of pre-eminence. That sums it up well. We desire to be at the pentacle of focus, all eyes upon us, and what we are. This is not a good attitude to say the least.
We might see this in many ways in our lives. In being proud of whose church we go to, in being proud of our education. In being proud of what school we went to. In who designed our clothes (Halston, Calvin Klien etc.).
How do we as Christian leaders live our lives so that these things are not a hindrance to our lives and testimonies? Beware of our off time activities. Don't do anything that will endanger our testimony. Attempt to be satisfied with what God has given us. He promises to provide our needs — not our wants (Matthew 6:33). Control all of lifes situations so that you are never placed in a position where lust can take root in your life as action. Be aware that you may be lonely in this type of life.
We met a woman in Nebraska that was trying her best to live by faith and as she was doing it she was observing that no body in the church was living the way she was. Indeed, the church tended to not associate with her because of her frugality in life style. Her living by faith extended into all
areas of her life and she was very frustrated that no one else was living as the scripture commands us. Be Sure You Live Your Life As Unto The Lord And Don't Sweat The Other Guys.
The walk in these three areas, is typical of mankind's natural bent toward evil and away from God.
It is of interest that Humanism is perpetuating these thoughts in the philosophy that it teaches. Humanism tells us that man is all there is, and what man can do is all that can be done. We as man can make our own way — we can do as we feel we want to do. There is no authority except that which you are to yourself. If you desire a woman it is okay. If you desire to steal it is okay. You can do no wrong because you make the rules.
The ultimate to this thought is that each one has whatever rights he determines himself to have.
Naturally God Has No Place In This System Of Thought Which By The Way Is Actually A Religion In All Senses Of The Word.
James 1:14-15,
"But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
LET'S CHART THAT AND CONSIDER IT
INTELLECT the soul knowing TEMPTATION.
SENSIBILITY the soul feeling LUST
WILL the soul choosing SIN
CONSCIENCE the soul judging GUILT
MEMORY the soul reflecting SORROW
THAT COULD JUST AS EASILY BE A CHART
THAT LOOKS LIKE THIS . . .
INTELLECT the soul knowing TEMPTATION.
SENSIBILITY the soul feeling LUST
WILL the soul choosing PROPER ACTION
CONSCIENCE the soul judging PEACE
MEMORY the soul reflecting JOY
This is the same process that all of mankind has gone through in their sin. Adam was tempted — he desired — he sinned. The way to holiness is the same for that to sin. The will is the determinate factor.
Adam and Eve become sinners by sinning, while we become sinners by conception, but we all go through the same process of look, desire, lust, and action.
Some feel that man, in his lost state can present some holiness, however the total depravity of man contradicts that thought. The lost man has no hope of finding help for himself and is totally reliant upon the Lord to intervene. He is not depraved because he thinks so, but because God says
so. It is the estimation of God that total depravity is based on. I'm sure that our estimation of ourselves would not be that low.
We need to understand that spiritual death is universal in man. Psalm 51:5, "Behold, I was shaped in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." (See also Romans 3:9-18; Mark 7:15, 20-23)
All death will come to a final end during the end times. Revelation 21:4 mentions, "...there shall be no more death....". 1 Corinthians 15:26 also mentions something about death being no more.
APPLICATION OF THE DOCTRINE
1. The total depravity of man does not surprise us, but do we understand and live as if we do. Lost man is totally depraved. He can act no other way than he does, so we shouldn't get upset with him when he acts the way he does. Lost man is naturally going to be obnoxious and filthy by nature. This should move us to compassion not anger. This should move us to witness not reviling. This should move us to concern not contempt.
2. 1 Timothy 5:6 mentions of a widow, "She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth...." The widow in question is living in pleasures. We as believers are alive — So How Come Some Christians Can Live As If They Are Dead? When we continue to sin our conscience becomes dull and we go further into sin. We don't know sin quite as well as we should. There is the possibility that many "Christians" are not really Christians.
I believe that many put on a spiritual front so that they can operate in the "church" realm, and not be seen as an outsider.
When in Bible college a preacher preached a plain old salvation message and received a very large shock. An invitation was given and over 1/2 of the student body came forward for salvation. One was a senior and the student body president. They had put on a facade as children, and had never exercised a personal faith in Christ.
3. Can you imagine for a moment what Adam and Eve went through when they sinned and realized what was up? When I was eight or ten, I was somewhat into shoplifting. Only little things that I wanted — You Know The Lust Of The Eye. — I picked up candy and little rings — one had a
compass on top and a secret compartment underneath. One day I decided to lift a fat book. They were about two inches thick, and four by five in size. I hadn't contemplated the size of my pockets opening, nor its relative size to the book. As I struggled to get that fat thing into my tiny pocket the saleslady called my name. I Knew Something Was Up. I Had Had It... She didn't turn me in, but I did not steal again. Yes, I put the book back Very quickly.
When working in retail sales, my wife recounted to me the story of two teenage girls that had been caught shoplifting. They were being very flip about the whole thing. They were joking and laughing and having a fun time, until the police officer mentioned that she had called their parents to come and get them. The serious side of life reared its ugly head quickly.
4. The fall required God to cover Adam and Eve's nakedness. He killed animals for skins to cover them. He also provided the sacrifice needed when Abraham went to offer Isaac. It is neat that He sent Christ to be our sacrifice. He set the requirements, and then He sent the required sacrifice.
5. Adam's bent toward evil is evident in his posterity. Cain killed and there have been murderers, thieves, and immoral people ever since. The positive of this is that Adam through Seth also produced a posterity via following God's ways and means toward salvation.
6. We need to remember that we are no different than any other lost person except that the grace of God moved someone across our path to share the Gospel with us. We should be sensitive to the Lord's leading in witnessing. We may be the instruments through which God will lead others to Him.
7. One further step in looking at total depravity would be in the idea of pride. The New Testament is not really for the person being proud. Let's look at depravity and pride for a moment.
Pride is something that we are to have in our work. Pride is something that we have in relation to our children. RIGHT? Pride is an over high opinion of oneself and letting everyone know it.