And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 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. Genesis 2:15-17
The educated man of modern society has been taught from his childhood that the human species is in the process of evolving from a lower to a higher form of life. This is both taught and accepted almost without question. The teacher presents the ideas of evolution as already proved and fully established scientific facts, and the pupil receives the information without question. And neither the teacher nor the student has the slightest thought that perhaps the fantastic scheme being presented to him has absolutely no basis in the facts of the real world in which he actually lives.
It has been said that a man will believe almost anything as long as it is a lie. The more fantastic the tale is, the more readily will it be believed, even by the most educated of men. On the other hand, no matter how simple, plain, and direct that the truth is, it will almost always be rejected. As an ex-scientist, being well acquainted with the theory of evolution, I can say that I have seen first hand that this saying is true. For although that theory is utterly fantastic and not in the least verified in the laboratory or in real life experience, almost the totality of the scientific community accepts it without question and considers anyone to be a fool that believes the simple declarations of the Bible about creation.
The theory of evolution says that man began as a little glob of protoplasm or some such thing in some primeval sea of slime and that over millions and millions of years he has progressively evolved through some unknown but fantastic process into higher and higher forms of life, culminating in the wonderful, awesome, and miraculous creature that he is presently found to be. However, the Scriptures tell us simply that God created the world and that He then created Adam and Eve, who were perfect in holiness and righteousness. It further tells us that they sinned against the known will of God and that they fell from their exalted state of perfection and that their progeny have inherited from them this fallen and perverted state.
Modern science teaches us that there is no need of a Saviour; we are evolving from a lower more imperfect form and we will all, by and by, evolve into perfection. It says that we are not fallen creatures needing redemption and that we have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about because we are merely evolving creatures doing the best that we can do at this stage of our upward journey. On the other hand, the Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that wrath is determined against all sinners. But the Scriptures also offer us hope of deliverance, not just from the wrath but also from the sin that brings the wrath. For the Scriptures tell us of a means of restoration out of our fall, not just back up into that state of perfection from which Adam fell originally but into a far more exalted state, even into the very stature of Christ.
The theory of evolution gives no explanation for the evil that permeates man and all that he touches. By this theory there is no accounting for the evil and cruelty that almost completely fill the pages of the history of mankind because evil is a spiritual entity and not physical. As far back in time as one can search, all that can be found in relation to man and his doings is war, robbery, slaughter, invasion, murder, torture, rape, etc. Science, with all of its touted wisdom and knowledge, can furnish us with no explanation nor any solution. The Bible alone reveals to us why man is the way that he is and what can be done about it. With this in mind let us search the Scriptures to see what they have to tell us about the past, the present, and the future of the human race. In the very first verse of the Bible and in all of the pages that follow we can see that, as opposed to the polytheism of the heathen, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is presented to us as one God. Yet, throughout the Old Testament one of the Hebrew words which is very often used for God is Elohim, which is a plural word. Thus, from the very first to the very last our God remains a mystery to the mind of man. In some mysterious way, that one God evidences a three-fold nature, all three of which may be manifested at the same time. This, of course, boggles the mind and if one is not careful, it can lead into dangerous speculations about the structure of God, leading ultimately to idolatry in one form or another.
In the first chapter of the Bible we are told about the creation of man:
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him... Genesis 1:26,27
Thus, we see that Adam was created in the image of God. Naturally, this does not mean that he was like God but only that he was created with qualities and characteristics like God. For instance, Adam was created in the likeness of God's infinite triune nature in that he is a trichotomy, i.e., he has three inseparable facets of his nature--body, soul, and spirit. In this sense, Adam was a unique creation. All other creatures are dichotomies, e.g., an angel has a soul and a spirit but no body and an animal has a soul and a body but no spirit. As far as we can see from the Bible, Adam alone in all of the universe was created in the image of God, a being with a three-fold nature, all three being manifest at one and the same time.
In addition to the above, Adam was created morally perfect. He was without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. He was created perfect in holiness and righteousness and was worthy to stand in the presence of the Almighty, being in His own image and likeness. There was not the slightest stain of sin or wickedness to be found in him in thought, word, or deed. Also, like God, he was a free will agent, for holiness and righteousness have no meaning without the exercise of free will.
Many will argue with me about this, but to me it is obvious that man was created in the image of the eternal appearance or likeness of the second Person of the Triune Godhead, the only begotten Son of God. God has an image or Adam could not have been created in His image. It seems to me that in order for Jesus to be incarnated as a man he must have had an image like a man and that man must have the likeness of Him in His pre-incarnate form. This, of course, I cannot prove except to point to two scriptures that seems to allude to it:
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person... Heb 1:1-3
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible God... Col 1:13-15
So God does have an image and that image is and forever was and forever shall be the likeness of the Son of God. And Adam was created in that image and likeness.
Finally, like God, Adam had the power to create in his own image and likeness. Again, Adam was unique in this regard because, although animals have the ability to procreate, as far as we can see from the Bible no other spirit in the universe could do so. Angels can never procreate in order to bring forth more angels; every angel is an individual act of creation by God Himself. Adam alone of all of God's creation is able to procreate eternal spiritual beings and in this manner he is in the likeness of God. Thus, we can see that Adam was not only unique but Adam was God's supreme creation since he is the only creature of God created in His own image.
This was Adam in his original state of perfection and purity. This is the man from whom every member of the human race is generated. God had restored the earth and had created Adam to be its new governor. He was placed in the garden to learn and to be proved and tested. Initially, he was given only one commandment to obey. Doubtless, there would have been more to follow. But God plainly warned him that in the day that he sinned he would surely die, or as the marginal reading in the Bible says, "in dying thou shalt die," that is, death will begin to take hold of him. If and when he were to prove himself worthy, he would replace Satan and would then take dominion over the whole earth. But Satan entered into the garden and tempted Adam so successfully that he wilfully sinned against his Creator.
In the fifth chapter of his letter to the Romans, Paul tells us that by the sin of one man death entered into the world. When Adam sinned, the death sentence passed upon him. And since all men were in Adam, that is, in his seed, death came upon all men. We see a similar thing in the case of King James II of England. When he was overthrown and fled into exile, he lost his crown. But not he alone, for all of the future first-born sons that issued forth from him and his lineage also lost the crown in him. His son and his son's son and his son's son's son, etc., also lost the crown of England when their father James II was deposed.
We can see this application to the human race in the following verse of Scripture:
And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a
son in his own likeness, after his image;
and he called his name Seth. Genesis 5:3
It is a law of nature that one can only beget in his own nature and likeness. Because Adam had become a sinner, he could only beget sinners. He had fallen from the image of God and could no longer pass that image on to his children. Death permeated his being, and he could do no other than pass that death on to the children that were in his loins.
What does death mean? Does it mean annihilation, i.e., the total destruction and non-existence of the person, as the Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses believe? No, it most assuredly does not. Then does it mean that the body dies and the soul and spirit are separated from it? Yes, it means that, but it also means more than that. We must remember that death was passed on the total man. And we must also remember that Adam was a trichotomy. Thus, death must lay hold on every facet of his nature, his body and his soul and his spirit.
Almost everyone is acquainted with physical death. We have seen our mothers and fathers, our brothers and sisters, and our aunts and uncles die and we know with certainty that we ourselves must one day go the way of all flesh. We understand that one day the life processes stop and the body begins to decay. We understand it, but we don't like it. Men often go to great efforts and expense to avoid it, but without success. When a baby is born into the world, we can be certain of only one thing about its future, one day it will die. In one sense, the child is born dead, for death is in its very being.
Just as every child is born with a physical corruption called death working in his members, he is also born with a moral corruption working death in his soul. When Adam sinned, an evil corruption or death entered into his soul. He was no longer in the image of God but fell into the corrupt and rebellious image of Satan. And all of the children of Adam have inherited this evil propensity of the mind and heart. It is for this reason that God looked down on the earth and said,
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:5
It is because of this universal soul death and corruption that the history of man is the history of evil and wickedness. This is why men, women, and children kill, lie, steal, and commit every sin imaginable; this is why unions, corporations, and nations cheat, lie, steal, and kill to gain their selfish ends; and this is why the world will destroy itself unless the Lord returns and sets up His Kingdom on the earth.
This soul death, this fallen state of the mind and will is also called the carnal mind in the Scriptures:
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be
spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for
it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Romans 8:6-7
The mind and will of the natural, unconverted man, whether he be religious or irreligious, is not subject to the mind and will of God, and by its very nature it can never be so. Man in his first birth may be religious, and he often is, but he can never desire the will of God because God's ways are not man's ways and God's thoughts are not man's thoughts.
Finally, we must consider the death of the third facet of Adam's nature, his spirit. When Adam sinned, his spirit suffered death, that is, he could no longer have natural communion with God who is a Spirit. God could commune with the fallen Adam, but He would always commune with Adam's animal nature. Paul speaks expressly about this:
And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein 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 children of disobedience; among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ... Ephesians 2:1-5
Let us examine this quotation carefully. First, we must notice that this letter is written to Christian believers, not to the people of the world, as is evidenced from the first verse of the epistle. Second, Paul tells them that they had been dead in trespasses and sins, but that they were now quickened or made alive. Third, he reminds them that they used to walk the way of the world, that is, according to the leadings of Satan who motivates all of the unconverted people of the whole world. Fourth, he reiterates that every man without conversion lives to fulfill the lusts of the flesh and mind and that they are one and all hell-bound creatures. And last, he says that when they were dead in their sins they were made alive in Christ.
Clearly, my friends, this death could not have been physical death. They were not dead in their bodies and raised up to life. They were dead in their spirits and separated from God and the wrath of God was determined against them. Paul tells us that all men in their natural state are following Satan and living according to their own lusts. It must be remembered that all men don't lust after the same things. Some men love power, some men love the brothel, and some men love the sanctuary. In some men the lusts of the flesh work very strongly and the lusts of the mind hardly at all. In other men the reverse is true; they feel a revulsion toward the gross sins of the flesh. But they will pursue the lusts of the mind in art, music, the sciences, or in religion with the same rebellious spirit and enthusiasm as the most renowned whore master.
This is the origin and the fall of Adam. And through him this is the origin and the fall of the whole human race. There is not one good thing in man. As the Scriptures say, every thought and imagination of his heart is evil and that continually. He can no more please God in his religiosity than he can please Him in his wickedness, for we are told that even the plowing and the praying of the wicked is sin. Man is born with his back toward God and with his mouth full of lies. He is by nature a rebellious creature of wrath. There is no sin of which he is not capable and there is no wickedness, the seed of which is not in his heart. Man is hopelessly, absolutely, and eternally lost. He must have a Redeemer.
That God has provided a redeemer in Jesus Christ has already been discussed at length in the booklet Jesus Christ, The Word of God. It has already been shown how Jesus Christ took upon Himself the seed of Abraham and offered up Himself a sacrifice to atone for the sins of the world, the just for the unjust. We saw how He worked out the legal aspects of salvation and redemption, and now we want to look at the way in which this redemption is worked in man in order to restore him from his awful fall.
Clearly, since death entered into all three aspects of his being, it follows that man must experience a three-fold restoration out of his fall. The Bible plainly teaches that this restoration is not accomplished in one fell swoop. Rather, we are told of three distinct works of God in man---justification, sanctification, and glorification. Each of these works is wrought in the individual by the power of the Holy Spirit and without Him there is nothing possible that man can do. Salvation is a work of God from beginning to end, and man can do nothing except believe in the appearance of Jesus Christ in his heart when He comes and obey Him in all things.
The work of justification is the first step in the restoration. There is both a legal and a practical side to this work. To be legally justified we must be forgiven of our sins so that we can stand before God without being condemned. But obviously this would do us no good if we were not made truly just so that we would not fall back into sin again. It should be clear that unless we are made really and truly just we would naturally continue in sin as before. Thus, the wrath of God would remain upon us because our continual sinning would continually bring His just condemnation upon us.
Very fortunately for us the work of justification is more than a mere reckoning of us to be just. God is not a pretender and He is not a liar. He hates sin and must forever hate sin. He does not impute Christ's righteousness to us, as is believed by a good portion of the sin-loving church world. The imputation of Christ's righteousness is not to be found in all of the Bible. What God does is just what we should expect that He would do if He really detests sin. God imparts Christ's righteousness to us. He forgives us of our sins, He breathes the Spirit of Christ into us, and He makes us alive in Him. He removes that spiritual death from us so that we become spiritually alive to God. We become a new creature in Christ through being born again by the Spirit of God.
This new birth is not just a legal concept. Old things pass away and all things become new because through Christ we are made conquerors over the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Communion with God is restored because the spirit of man is brought out of death. The result of the work of justification is that we pass from death unto life, from a state of condemnation to a state of acceptance with God.
This is indeed the first divine work of the Holy Spirit in a man in order to restore him out of the fall. Divine life is breathed into his dead spirit and he is born from above, a second birth, a spiritual birth, His spirit which was dead in trespasses and sins is resurrected. He has passed from death unto life and can now hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in his inward parts. For the first time in his life he is a spiritual man with spiritual longings and spiritual desires. For the first time in his life he can commune with the Almighty God. His spiritual eyes are opened so that he can now see, his spiritual ears are opened so that he can now hear, and his spiritual senses are now alive so that he can touch Him and taste Him and know that He is good. For the first time in his life he can actually do the will of God because the Holy Spirit works in him both to will and to do of God's good pleasure. This is the first work of God toward total redemption. And it is real.
The newly converted soul will almost always go through a time of rejoicing and great blessing. His heart is aflame with love for his Redeemer, and it seems as though there are no more enemies to be conquered. But this is not the case. After a time he finds that there is an enemy within his own soul, his old self-nature. He soon comes into conflict with the carnal mind which is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. He is a double minded man and unstable in all of his ways.
As the redeemed soul walks in the narrow way that leads to heaven, he finds that "the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye can not do the things that ye would." Galatians 5:17. He finds that there is a law working in his members, the law of sin and death, that he must continually guard against lest it slay him unawares. He is painfully aware that his soul is still twisted by the fall so that he can't always do the full will of God, even when he wants to do so with all of his heart. Man fear, self-seeking, and pride are not far below the surface and given an opportunity they will burst forth. But he also knows that "they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." Galatians 5:24
The problem is not that Justification failed in its work, but it is that Justification was not designed to deal with the death of the soul but only the death of the spirit. This death of the soul is that old man, the Adamic nature, the carnal mind, that so befouls the world. This is that death that entered into the soul of man, that twisted the mind and perverted the will. The only reason why the justified man may live above sin is because his spirit by God's grace is stronger than the carnal mind. But he finds that there is a continual war going on between them.
But God in mercy has provided a remedy for even this. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ has purchased a full salvation, salvation from wrath and salvation from sin, not just committed sin but also the nature or propensity to sin that is in the heart. The converted man may in this life have his heart purified from all sin so that his will is perfectly in harmony with the will of his Creator. This is the purpose of the Baptism with the Holy Ghost and fire, or what is also termed entire sanctification. This is part and parcel of the redemption that Jesus purchased by His shed Blood on the cross. He came to destroy the works of the devil, and I thank God that He can and will do it.
The water baptism of John may have purified the body ritually to symbolize the outward purification of ones life by sincere repentance, but John knew that his baptism was merely a symbol of that baptism which was to come. He himself said that he baptized with water, but that there would come another, even Christ, and He would baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire. This baptism with the Holy Ghost is the true Christian baptism and is the only way to be free from the carnal man of sin within. The actual meaning of the word baptism is a purification. And only the cleansing fire of the Holy Spirit can purify the soul of a man and free him from every taint of sin so that in thought, word, and deed he will be in harmony with the will of God.
God is love and man must be perfected in love if he is to be in perfect harmony with his Creator. Man in the unsanctified state can never love as God loves. His soul and mind are twisted and out of alignment with the mind of Christ. As long as the Adamic nature is clinging to his soul, he can never fulfill the command of Christ in the fifth chapter of Matthew where He says, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." But when the Holy Spirit falls on the believer and purifies his heart, the inward man will be perfectly restored and then the Spirit will take up His abode in His fulness in the cleansed temple of his heart. This is the second work of God in man. This is the work of entire sanctification. And it is real.
And last of all the body must be clothed with immortality. Our redemption can never be complete without the restoration of the body from death. Only ignorant people desire to be free from the body. Since we are created a trichotomy, we can never be happy unless we have a body. But this present body is tainted with death and, therefore, we can never be happy with it either. Sickness and suffering, birth defects and deformities, old age and wrinkles, they are all the result of the fall of Adam. And God has provided a remedy for that through the merits of the Blood of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul tells us about this final phase of the restoration:
But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: but God giveth it a body as it pleaseth him, and to every seed his own body...So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body...For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?I Corinthians 15:35-55
Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. I John 3:1-2
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Philippians 3:20-21
So then the final phase of redemption is wrought at the resurrection of the dead. Death is swallowed up in victory and Jesus Christ is triumphant over all of his enemies. Sin brought death to the body, death to the soul, and death to the spirit. But through Christ we can be more than conquerors. For Christ has purchased the New Birth which brings life to the dead spirit, the Baptism with the Holy Spirit which frees the soul from the sin nature, and Glorification at the resurrection which brings immortality to the body. And they are all very real.
Hallelujah!