A Sacrifice Prepared

When Adam disobeyed God’s commandment he violated the Law of the Spirit of Life. In other words, he disobeyed God’s commandment; this was lawlessness or sin and he became “sin in the flesh,” human, a man of the soil (Genesis 3:17-19 & 23-24). All mankind was in the loins of Adam when he sinned, thus all have sinned. Because of his unfaithfulness Adam was cut off from the favor of God---grace. Since all mankind is from the seed of Adam and thus all mankind is born in the likeness of sinful Adam---without a covenant and the spirit that is born of the word and Spirit of God. And so he is born under the penalty of the Law concerning sin, which is death, and into a world of darkness.

In the Scriptures we read,

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.”
(1^st Corinthians 15:56)

Death is eternal, thus, under the law of sin and death man is eternally bound. Only through fulfillment of the law, that is, payment in full of the sin debt, could the Law be rendered powerless and man released from death and restored to eternal life.

Divine love is the motivation behind all that God does. From His love flows His mercy and from His love and mercy comes grace (Ephesians 2:4-5). But since God is holy and righteous, and sin is an act of rebellion and a complete offense to Him, His love and mercy cannot provide grace until there is sufficient satisfaction for the penalty of sin. But there is no one likened unto man with a life to give for the satisfaction of such a penalty since all mankind is born in sin and is under the penalty of the law of sin and death. And since it was a man who sinned it would have to be a man to die to pay the sin debt; man was hopelessly doomed. Thus God, because of his great love of man, would have mercy and prepare for himself a sin offering satisfactory for the substitute death for man. Therefore mercy is the compassion of God that moved Him to provide a Savior for mankind through whom His wonderful grace could once again flow to all who would believe (John 3:16).

For man’s eternal life to be restored, his fellowship with God must be renewed. He must have the spirit that is from God. For man to receive the spirit that is from God there must be regeneration and renewing by the Spirit of God; his soul must be brought into life again by a new birth of the spirit through the word and the Spirit of God, the same way as it was in the beginning---and there must be a covenant of faith through which God’s grace could work.

For it is written,

“--- without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
(Hebrews 11:6 NAS)

Hence the covenant of faith is the very foundation of man’s successful relationship with his Creator. In keeping with His plan for mankind God turned to another Adam (1^st Corinthians 15:45), His Son, the Word of God, with whom He would make another covenant of faith.

The biblical meaning of the word “covenant” appears to indicate “a special bond”, which emphasizes the relationship of faith and trust that is the basic of all covenants. A divine covenant is not like a contract that involves a person or peoples’ special skills or talents and has a time limit. A divine covenant involves the whole being of the parties involved and is eternal---everlasting. A covenant is oneness, meaning in harmony, in full and complete agreement. The two parties are one. It is a covenant that involves faith, hope and love. The following is some (very likely not all) of such a covenant recorded in Scripture of God the Father and His Son as they make the covenant of faith between them concerning the salvation of man. These words were spoken through the mouths of God’s prophets long before our Lord Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us.

Note: Words in italics indicate words that have been added or have replaced other words to give understanding as to who is speaking to whom or to give clarity and understanding of who is speaking throughout the dialogue

The dialogue begins with the Father speaking, and He says,

“But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

And the Son says,

“I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord; My Father has said to Me, ‘Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee.’”
(Psalm 2:6-7)

And again the Father says,

“I will be a Father to Him, and He shall be a Son to Me.”
(Hebrews 1:5ff)

And the Father promises,

“Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Thy possessions.”
(Psalm 2:8)

”He will cry to Me, ‘Thou art My Father, My God, and the rock of My salvation.’ I also shall make Him My first born, the highest of the kings of the earth. My loving kindness I will keep for Him forever, and My covenant will be confirmed to Him. So I will establish His descendants forever, and His throne as the days of heaven.”
(Psalm 89:27-29 NAS)

The Father further declares,

“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold. My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him. He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break. And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish. He will faithfully bring forth justice, He will not be disheartened or crushed until He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”
(Isaiah 42:1-4)

And to His Son, He says,

”I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you. And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations. To open blind eyes. To bring out prisoners from the dungeon. And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.”
(Isaiah 42:5-7)

And the Son responds,

“My Father is the portion of My inheritance and My cup; Thou dost support My lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; indeed, My heritage is beautiful to Me. I will bless the Lord who has counseled Me; indeed, My mind instructs Me in the night; because He is at My right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore My heart is glad, and My glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. For Thou wilt not abandon My soul to Hell; Neither will Thou allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay. Thou wilt make known to Me the path of life; in Thy presence is fullness of joy; in Thy hand there are pleasures forever.”
(Psalm 16:5-11)

“--- Of the Son the Father says,

‘Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Thy kingdom.’”
(Hebrews 1:8 & Psalm 45:6)

“---If My Son would render Himself as a guilt offering, I will see My Son’s offspring, I will prolong My Son’s days, and My pleasure will prosper in My Son’s hand. As a result of the anguish of My Son’s soul, I will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant Jesus, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death. And was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.”
(Isaiah 53:10ff-12)

And the Son replies,

“Sacrifice and meal offering Thou hast not desired; My ears Thou hast opened; burnt offering and sin offering Thou hast not required. Then I said, ‘Behold, I come, in the scroll of the book it is written of me; I delight to do Thy will, O My God; Thy Law is within My heart (Psalm 40:6-8).” “I will proclaim Thy Name to My brethren in the mist of the congregation I will sing Thy praise. And again I will put My trust in My Father. And again, I and the children whom My Father has given Me.”
(Hebrews 2:12-13)

The Apostle John introduces this person, God’s man of faith with whom He has made covenant, in the following manner.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
(John 1:1-4 NAS)

And the 14^th verse tells us,

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
(John 1:14 NAS)

Matthew teaches that they called Him Jesus (Matthew 1:25ff); thus He was Immanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23).

In the Gospel of Luke is found the record of the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary and announcing the coming birth of Jesus. Mary is a virgin woman chosen of God to be the mother of His Son. Being a virgin speaks much about the pureness of the person and character of this woman chosen of God. First of all, it tells us that her father and mother were faithful to teach Mary God’s word. Apparently she was submissive and obedient to her father’s teaching, an act of love and faith. As we read the words spoken to her by Gabriel we will learn how the conception and the birth of the Child of God took place. We will also learn why it was necessary that He be born of virgin woman.

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, ‘Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be. And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end.’ And Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?' And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ And Mary said, ‘Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.”
(Luke 1:26-38)

Mary never questioned what her life would be like in the future, she trusted God. Now God’s word is His seed and as the angel spoke the word of God to Mary she listened intently and believed---His seed had fallen upon fertile soil. The moment she said, “Behold the bondslave of the Lord; be it done according to your word,” the power of the “Most High” through the Holy Spirit caused God’s seed, His Word, to spring forth in her womb, or in other words, she conceived. Mary was blessed more than all women; she was to bear the Savior of the world!!

In the book of Matthew we find the account of God’s revelations to Joseph preparing him for the birth of Jesus.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a son; and you shall call His name Jesus (meaning savior), for it is He who will save His people from their sins.’”
(Matthew 1:18-21)

And again God’s seed had fallen upon fertile ground, “And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife, and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus” (Matthew 1:24-25).

When man sinned his soul was no longer embodied in the spirit born of God, thus his soul became likened unto his material body; in other words, his soul took on the nature of his body---earthy (1^st Corinthians 15:47).

In the natural the perpetuation and multiplying of mankind is as follows. Within the woman is an egg, and within the man is the seed that is the source of natural life or “fertility” for the egg within the woman. Without the natural life that is of the seed of the male there is no offspring. Without the egg of the woman, likewise, there is no offspring for from the egg of the female grows the flesh and blood body. Thus the statement, “---neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman (1^st Corinthians 11:11).” Together man and woman are a complete reproductive seed of natural life.

Adam was the beginning of man. According to God’s election the male was created first and then the female. Adam was created from the dust of the earth. Woman was created from man; it is important to note that woman was not from the seed of man. It is also important to note that man is the progenitor of the human race; by God’s choice he is the source of natural life.

Why the virgin Birth? Again we note, when Adam sinned He became sin; all mankind was in Adam’s loins when he sinned and every descendant is born of his seed is born of sin and into sin and is the sin nature of Adam. Jesus could not be and was not born of the seed of a man because of sin.

Jesus, in accordance to God’s perfect plan, received His flesh and blood body from the dust of the earth, indirectly, His flesh or humanity was the “offspring” or “seed” of the woman (Genesis 3:15); He was grafted into the holy root of man (into Adam before he sinned). Thus he is called the “Son of Man.” He was in the “likeness of sinful flesh” but knew no sin (see Romans 8:3). His birth was not of a natural birth, but super-natural, His soul embodied in the spirit was born of the seed (the word and Spirit) of God in the same manner as if was with Adam in the beginning; thus He is also called the Son of God.

Therefore in this person Christ Jesus is the one likened unto man, yet He knew no sin; He had the perfect life to give. Thus He was the perfect body and soul prepared by His Heavenly Father to be the satisfactory sacrifice for man’s sin debt (Philippians 2:6-8).

James C Sanford

Man’s Plunge Into Chaos

As we further examine the tree of the knowledge of good and evil we must understand the name of the tree. It is not a tree or person of “all knowledge and wisdom” as Satan would have us to believe (See Genesis 3:5-6). The serpent is the teacher of only “good and evil” as Satan himself perceives it to be. He does not have any thing else to offer.

“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.’”
(Genesis 2:16-17)

God is making reference to the fruit of the trees when He says “you may eat freely” and again, “you shall not eat.” There are three words that we see as symbols as they relate to the tree of life and to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; these words are “fruit”, “seed” and “eat.” For a better understanding of the words “fruit” and “seed” used as symbols we look to Genesis 1:12.

And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and TREES BEARING FRUIT, WITH SEED IN THEM; after their kind; and God saw that it was good.” From this verse we understand the fruit is the product of the tree containing seed for the purpose of reproduction of another tree in its likeness To learn what kind of fruit and seed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil bears we must look at the root of the tree. We make use of the word “root” as a symbol for the word “source” or the source that makes the tree and determines what type of fruit it bears. As we examine the tree of the knowledge of good and evil we find that the root comes from the heart, the innermost being and the very soul of Satan.

There is not much written about the origin of Satan. But from what is written by faith we believe that Satan was an angel in the service of God (see Isaiah 14:12-15 & Ezekiel 28:11-19). These passages were addressed to the kings of Babylon and Tyre. But in their long-range implication, many scholars agree, they refer to Satan himself. We believe that since Satan was at one time a Cherubim in the service of God he had the knowledge of good, thus the doing of good was in him. There was no evil present in him and all that he did was good and pleasing to God. We believe God created him a perfect being with the ability to reason and choose. When he was in fellowship and obedience to his Creator he was pleasing to and in right standing with Him. When he was righteous all his deeds were righteous and good. Suddenly His thoughts became of himself, a conception of selfish soulful thinking; and when soulfulness was accomplished it gave birth to lust. The angel was “tempted and carried away and enticed by his lust” which was born of his own soulfulness. He desired in his heart to usurp God, to take God’s throne and rule over all of God’s creation. His thoughts were against his Creator; his thoughts were evil; thus, he now had the knowledge of evil; the doing of evil was now present in him also.

When lust had done its work it brought forth rebellion, disobedience, self-serving evil works or sin; the knowledge and doing of evil now present in him overcame the knowledge and doing of good. He would also now take the knowledge of good and pervert it to the doing of self-serving evil. There was no longer any goodness of God in him; his thoughts were no longer of the things of his Creator they were selfish thoughts. His thoughts were of himself and for himself, a total disregard for his Creator.

“Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin.”

The birth of sin was the beginning of evil; thus Satan became a being knowing “good and evil”.

“When sin is accomplished, it brings forth death;”

As a result of his sin he was cut off from the eternal Spirit of God. Thus, he became the “father,” the beginning and the source of soulful lust, sin and death. Satan is the enemy, and the tempter; he is the source for “the tree of the knowledge of good and of evil”. He is the liar and the father of lies. Fellowship with him is fellowship with death. The words of Satan are very deceptive and deadly; his words are the seed in the fruit of unrighteousness, sin, that the tree of the knowledge of good and of evil bears.

Thus we see in Satan the results of lust. When he carried out his rebellion he was cast away from his life source, his Creator; he became death. . Now we can see clearly the workings law of sin and of death.

“But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”
(James 1:14-15)

Satan is the father or source of or the root of lust. He is a spirit being having the knowledge of good and evil as he perceives them and lust springs forth from him and produces a tree ---or rather a person in his image or character. The tree, the serpent, is the image of Satan. The “fruit” the tree bears is sin (unrighteousness) and it has within it the “seed” to produce another tree in the image of Satan; for the seed within the fruit of unrighteousness is the word of Satan.

The word “eat” we see as a symbol for the words “listen to and believe.” Then what is God saying to Adam in Genesis 2:17? We interpret it to be something like the following,

Adam, if you listen to the words of the serpent and believe, you will take on the character of or be the image of the serpent who is in the image of Satan for “a pupil, when fully trained, becomes like his teacher.” You will have a constant source of lust straight from the heart of Satan. You will be doing “good” as Satan perceives good and you will see “evil” as Satan perceives evil. You will be so deceived you will think you are fulfilling your own desires when you are actually working to carry out his will. Further, you will be disobedient and rebellious toward Me; your fruit will be unrighteousness—you will be sin; and you will be cast away from Me as he is cast away and you will be dead as he is DEAD!!

Because man was created perfect he knew no lust, sin nor death. Therefore Satan had no fellowship with the spirit of man for life has no fellowship with death. Satan would attempt to destroy man’s fellowship with God by tempting him from the outside inward.

In the following we see Satan beginning to wage war against the word of God.

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’? And the woman said to the serpent, ‘From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, “you shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.’”
(Genesis 3:1-3)

Adam had taught the woman well!! She quoted the law and was in full knowledge of the results of disobedience. The serpent in a deliberate effort to beguile the woman continued,

“And the serpent said to the woman, ‘You surely shall not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
(Genesis 3:4-5)

Satan lied to her! He not only lied to her, he was tempting her to doubt that Adam had taught her the truth. He also was implying that God was selfish, and that he was withholding something from her. If he could convince her that God was withholding something from her she would not be focused upon what she already had. His intent was to get the woman to exchange God’s truth for his lie, to beguile her! Satan had no power or authority over the woman but he knew if he could get her to submit, that is to voluntarily subject herself to the fruit of his mouth, his word, she would obey him.

“When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, (“the lust of the flesh”) and that it was a delight to the eyes, (“the lust of the eyes”) and the tree was desirable to make one wise, (“the pride of life”), (1^st John 2:16) she took from its fruit and ate--- (Genesis 3:6f).”

Woman made a willful wrong decision. She exchanged the God’s sweet fruit of truth for the bitterness of the fruit of the serpent’s lips; she believed his lie; she was submissive to the word of the serpent; she was blinded to the fact that she already had good food, beauty and wisdom available from God.

Adam and Eve were one flesh; when the man in authority sinned both their eyes were opened and both had fleshly awareness (see Genesis 3:7). Adam voluntarily subjected himself to the voice (word) of the woman and he obeyed her. The woman was beguiled, what happened to Adam?? What caused him to partake of the forbidden fruit?

“Then to Adam God said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it (Genesis 3:17).’”

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife;”

Why did Adam listen to the voice of the woman?

“But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”
(James 1:14-15)

Adam knew God’s word, His laws, yet he turned his back on God’s love and His truth and turned to satisfy the lust of his flesh. Adam, being “carried away and enticed by his own lust,” became fleshly and was blinded to God’s love for him. Lust of the flesh had also robed him of his love for his wife and replaced it with selfish lust. No doubt the woman was beautiful to look upon (lust of the eyes) and she gave him pleasure (lust of the flesh), and he must have been proud of her (pride of life); Adam was confronted with the same temptation that his wife had encountered. But Adam was not deceived!

“And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into transgression.”
(1^st Timothy 2:14)

The lust of his eyes, lust of His flesh and the pride of life overcame his love for God. Adam’s sin was a departure form the truth and from God, an act of rebellion.

“But each one is tempted when he is CARRIED AWAY and enticed by his own lust.”
(James 1:14)

Adam had a problem with self-control,

“lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self control.”
(1^st Corinthians 7:5ff)

Because of lust Adam lost his righteousness; he lost his image of God. His soul was without hope.

Man is a three part being, spirit, soul, and body. His spirit is from God and has kindred ship to God. His soul, the seat of his intellect, is a creation of God and lives because of his fellowship with God through his spirit given to him by God. Man’s body is a creation by God from the dust of the earth. Man’s spirit desires fellowship with God because of its kindredship to God. His body, through the soul, desires things from the earth because it is from the earth. In other words, his body, through the soul, lust for things from the earth, it is earthy. The Soul is the decision maker. Adam and Eve, of their own will, decided to satisfy the desires (lust) of their five senses rather than the desires of their spirit. Their spirit was a victim of their soul.

“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.”
(Genesis 3:7)

The key word here is “knew”; both of them now had fleshly awareness. Adam’s spirit is now dead because of sin. He had lost the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God and was now dependant upon knowledge given to him by his five senses. He would now be led from the outside in rather than the inside out. He would now live according to the desires (lust) of his five senses. Man’s flesh had became an enemy to God and a veil between God and man; thus their soul became a victim of their bodies.

The word “worship” is derived from an old English word “worth-ship”. To worship is to contribute to or to praise something or someone for its or their value to the worshiper. Eve by the act of her “will” placed more value (worth) on what Satan offered her than she did what God had already given her. Therefore she worshiped Satan. When Adam, in the act of his “will,” “listened to the voice of the woman” he worshiped the woman. Adam had disobeyed God; but it was more than an act of disobedience, it was a change of allegiance. When He worshiped his wife he submitted to the words of the serpent through the deceived woman. He was no longer in the image of God; he was now in the image of the serpent. His identity was no longer with the spirit and soul of God, but his identity was now with that of the serpent, sinful-flesh, he had become sin in the flesh. He had forfeited his God given authority. Satan was now his god and ruler. Adam and Eve had, through sin, departed the kingdom of light and entered the kingdom of darkness.

DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND!! Rebelling against God through lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life, by an act of ones own will, is the SIN against God. MANY of man’s transgressions DO NOT EVEN INVOLVE A WOMAN.

“Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned IN THE LIKENESS OF THE OFFENCE of Adam---.”
(Romans 5:14f)

Adam’s sin involved a woman; but there are many sins that do not involve a woman, just as there are many sins that woman commit that does not involve a man. There are sins inside the body that does not involve the opposite sex and there are sins outside the body that does not involve the opposite sex.

“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ And he said, ‘I heard the sound of Thee in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself.”
(Genesis 3:8-10)

Adam’s love for God had been replaced by fear!! He now feared God’s holy presence.

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love cast out fear, because fear involves punishment and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”
(1^st John 4:18)

Adam and Eve’s disobedience caused them to feel guilt, shame, fear and condemnation!

As God began to question Adam he was giving Adam opportunity to confess his sin, repent and ask for forgiveness.

“And He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’ And the man said, ‘The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me; she gave me from the tree, and I ate.’”
(Genesis 3:11-12)

Instead of confessing his sin Adam began to testify against his wife in an effort to release him of any blame and to place it all upon God and “the woman.” He used the term “the woman” in an impersonal way to separate and distance himself from her and her sin. Adam did not accept responsibility for his own action, he blamed the woman and God!!

AS LONG AS MAN REFUSES TO LOOK WITHIN HIMSELF FOR THE SOURCE OF HIS PROBLEMS HE WILL NOT FIND THE SOLUTION, FOR THE SOURCE OF MOST OF MAN`S PROBLEMS ARE FROM WITHIN, THEREIN ALSO LIES THE SOLUTIONS.

Man has a need to take responsibility for his own action, not blame someone else. In his refusal to confess and accept responsibility he was also rejecting repentance.

“Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ And the woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
(Genesis 3:13)

Immediately Eve began to testify against the serpent in the same manner as her husband had testified against her. Adam’s wife had taken on his sin nature. Just as she at one time was in the likeness of God through Adam she was now in the likeness of Adam’s sin nature that was from Satan. She did not accept responsibility for her own actions either!! She refused to confess her sin and she rejected repentance also.

Then came the execution of judgment; the Law they had violated judged Adam and Eve. The execution of judgment is the process through which the purity of the kingdom of God is preserved. Sin is defined, judged, condemned and cast out by the word of God, there-by preserving the purity of the kingdom (see 1^st Corinthians 5 & 6). Thus execution of judgment is an act of love, mercy and grace protecting all that live in the kingdom from the destruction of sin. Because of God’s love for His children in his kingdom He has a zero tolerance for unrepentant sin. God’s creation and His children is His kingdom and His Word is His law. The Word of God is the “Corner Stone,” the “Rock” and foundation of the children of His kingdom and the destructive forces of sin will not prevail against them. All who live in His kingdom have been, by grace through faith, born of His law; and by grace through faith, live by the rule of His law; and by grace through faith, are protected by His law.

God is supreme, sovereign, just and righteous. Therefore He is the lawgiver, the judge and the enforcer of the law.

“And the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life; and I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”
(Genesis 3:14-15)

Here we see a new hope for mankind through God’s promise of redemption through the “seed” of the woman. He speaks of Jesus who would be conceived of His Spirit and born of a virgin woman. Through the seed of the woman He would destroy the liar thereby putting an end to the lie. He would lay the axe of truth to the root of the tree of knowledge of good and of evil and put an end to sin (see Matthew 3:10).

“To the woman He said, ‘I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain you shall bring forth children; yet your desire shall be for your husband.’ And he shall rule over you.”
(Genesis 3:16)

The woman would voluntarily subject herself to the husband and he would ”rule” over her. Man is still in authority over the woman.

“Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field; by the sweat of you face you shall eat bread, ‘till you return to the ground. Because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
(Genesis 3:17-19)

Without the Spirit of Life man’s body is no more than dust; his soul is a victim of his body and suffers eternal death. Man was no longer a spirit being housed in an earthen body, he had became totally earthy and to dust he would return; as punishment, his flesh would undergo decay.

“Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever;’ Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned ever direction, to guard the way to the tree of life.’”
(Genesis 3:22-24)

God and all the angelic beings, including Satan, are spirit; the word “us” used in verse 22 is not referring to the Holy Godhead alone, it is referring to all in the spirit realm. Certainly man was in the image of God before he sinned wasn’t he? But after he had rejected the truth he was no longer in the image of God; but in the image of the “one of us knowing good and evil;” namely Satan. When pre-conditioned thinking is set aside one can see that the Holy Scriptures clearly identifies Satan as the “one of us” man has become like. When God warned man not to partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil He knew the results of such knowledge, but evil is certainly not one of His attributes. God drove man from his presence for the same reason He had driven Satan away, life has no fellowship with death. Their sin would contaminate the environment around Him. They were no longer to partake of the tree of life.

Adam knew God’s laws, His truths, but he rejected them and turned to lust.

“So He drove the man out; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned ever direction, to guard the way to the tree of life.”
(Genesis 3:24ff)

“And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”
(2^nd Thessalonians 2;11-12)

“Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them; for they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
(Romans 1:24-25)

And so it is that man’s sin nature is passed from generation to generation until this present age.

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned--- for until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam---.”
(Romans 5:12-14f NAS)

All mankind has need of repentance!!

Man’s wickedness increased from Adam until the time of Noah and is recorded in Genesis, chapter 4 through chapter 6.

“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. And the Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky for I am sorry that I have made them (Genesis 6:5-7).” Man was doomed!!

“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”
(Genesis 6:8)

“Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did. Then the Lord said to Noah, ‘Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time.’”
(Genesis 6:22, 7:1)

Noah “alone” was found to be “righteous” before God. Thus, Noah, through faith, was a righteous man and God made a covenant with him that preserved mankind through the flood. By faith Noah built the Ark according to God’s instructions. The Ark was the sign of that covenant and all that entered received the sign. Those who laughed and mocked Noah did not receive the sign and they perished. Noah’s faith and God’s word (His promises) were the seal of God’s covenant with Noah. God closed and sealed the door to the Ark; thus Noah and his family were saved from the flood. A very important divine covenant principle to remember is that God makes His covenant with one man of faith; but all who are submissive, because of faith, to the man of faith, received the sign and is included in His covenant.

There were seven people other than Noah who entered the ark, Noah’s wife, his three sons and their wives. Seven indicates God’s perfect work. The seven people of Noah’s family were submissive and obedient to Noah and were preserved through his righteousness. Noah was the eighth person; the savior of his family, their new beginning. Noah was the savior of mankind at this time. Noah and the ark were a type and a foreshadowing of Jesus. Noah preserved mankind through faith toward God and obedience to His word and brought mankind from the old world into the new. God, through Noah, gave man a new beginning. Jesus is now mankind’s ark and eighth day; for all that are in Him, He is the safe passage to a new heaven and new earth and He is the new beginning and eternal life!!

James C Sanford

The Creation of Man

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and every creeping thing that creeps of the earth.’ And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them (Genesis 1:26-27).”

The use of the word “us” here indicates that man was to be created after the council of the Divine Godhead, or maybe even the whole host of heaven. It also appears evident that when God used the term “let us make man” that he intends to impress the mind of man with a sense of something extraordinary in the formation of his body and soul. The use of the word “Aadaam,” or “Adam,” which is translated “man,” is intended to set man apart from all other created “flesh” or “beast of the field.”

When He says, “Our image according to Our likeness,” it must be that He refers to man’s soul. Now, we know that the Divine Being is infinite, thus he is not limited, and therefore he can have no physical image after which he made the body of man. The image and likeness then must necessarily be intellectual, his soul, which is the seat of his intellect or mind, must have been formed after the nature and perfections of his God and his identity is with the spirit and soul of God, not the flesh body of man. Thus the mind of man coming forth out of the hands of its Creator was endowed with most extraordinary capacities; it was in the likeness of the mind of God.

Chapter 1 of the book of Genesis, verses 26-31 is a synopsis (a brief summary) of the sixth day creation. In Genesis chapter 2, verse 7 we find a more detailed account of the creation of man.

“Then the Lord God formed man of the dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being (soul).”

God is life; in Him there is no death; He has no beginning of days and no end of days, God is eternal life! Therefore, when God “breathed” into the man He gave man of His “Spirit of Life.” Man became an eternal being or soul. Thus God produced a spirit formed after the perfections of his own nature. God is the fountain whence man’s spirit issued, hence, the stream must resemble the spring which produced it. God is holy, just, wise, good, and perfect; so must the soul be that sprang from him: there could be in it nothing impure, unjust, ignorant, evil, low, base, mean, or vile. It was created after the image of God; and that image, the Apostle Paul tells us, consisted in righteousness, true holiness, and knowledge (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10). Hence, man was created wise in his mind, holy in his soul, and righteous in all his actions.

The heavens, cosmos, the universe, the earth and all that is in it serve a specific purpose in God’s plan. In the beginning God created all things according to His sacred purpose and in His perfect order. He first created a suitable environment for all that He would place upon the earth. He created the sky for the foul of the air and provided a source of food for them. He created water for the fish of the sea and provided a source of food for them also. He created the environment before He created the birds or the fish. When God created man, by His Spirit man became a living eternal soul and by the indwelling of God’s Spirit he continues to live. This is known as the “Law of the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:1).” Man was unique---he was born of God a living soul---thus he was created to live and function perfectly, not only in a created environment, but also in the environment of God’s presence; apart from God’s presence man malfunctions.

God’s glory is seen in His love, perfection, pureness, moral beauty, righteousness, power and authority. Man was to be God’s son, His “seed” or offspring and the image of His splendor and glory. A seed has within itself the ability to reproduce in the proper environment. Just as a seed of a tree has within its self the ability, when placed in the proper environment, to become a forest of beautiful trees, like so man was to live in the environment of God’s loving presence and “be fruitful and multiply” and fill the earth with all of God’s love, brilliance and glory.

Authority is derived from knowledge, God is an all knowing and wise God, therefore He is the source of all authority. Man’s authority is derived from God through faithful obedience to the revealed will of God. God’s word is His expressed authority; apart from knowledge, wisdom and obedience to His word, man has no authority from God. Man must first know, submit to and be disciplined by the word of God before he is granted authority. Adam would, through divine knowledge and wisdom, recognize the authority of His Father and in submission to God he would be a conduit and vessel of His Father’s glory. Through obedience to the revealed will of God (faith) He would exercise dominion, or control over God’s creation. He would be the king and high priest of the kingdom that God created for Him.

God loved man whom He had created, and He prepared a special place for him.

“Then the Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden and there He placed the man whom He had formed.”
(Genesis 2:8)

The word Eden in English means, ”delight.” Eden is translated from a Hebrew word Aden; the Hebrew meaning of Aden, in the context in which it is used in Genesis, chapter two, is the place (or spot) of the open door to the moment of God’s presence. In God’s loving presence is the perfect environment for man to be all that God created him to be. Eden was indeed a place of delight, a special place of the open door to Gods loving presence.

“And out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”
(Genesis 2:9)

There are two trees in the garden we see as symbols, not literally trees. One is the tree of life and the other is the tree of the knowledge of good and of evil. They are better understood if we view them as persons---persons who teach.

Now the “naachaash” or “serpent,” as this Hebrew word “naachaash” is popularly translated, was from among the beast of the field (Genesis 3:1). Whether the word “serpent” as used here is the proper translation, or if it is used symbolically, has been the subject of many a debate; correct translation or not---we cannot say---but we will remain consistent with the popular translation and use it as representing the “beast” that was overcome and possessed by the spirit of Satan and became “sin in the flesh” to be used against man. This “beast of the field” was apparently endowed with the gift of speech and other intellectual skills that became the tools of Satan’s evil schemes. Thus the tree of the knowledge of good and of evil, we see as the unrighteous person of the serpent or beast who had become the mouthpiece of Satan, thus he teaches the will and ways of Satan. In this so named serpent, who we believe to be “the tree of the knowledge of good and of evil,” we see “good” as Satan perceives good; and “evil” as Satan perceives evil. The fruit of the serpent’s lips is words of unrighteousness that subjects the hearer to the will of Satan and brings death to the total being of man when he listens to and believes him.

The tree of life is a righteous person, a teacher of the will and ways of God. The teacher is the Word of God in the person of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of His lips is love and true knowledge, wisdom, power and authority from the Father. In the Word of God we see love, life, peace and harmony or righteousness; a righteous fruit that sustains life for the total being of man when he listens to and believes Him.

God is the source of all that is good. Therefore the doing of good is in Him. God is aware of and can discern, and is able to judge evil, but He does not know or conceive evil. There is no evil thoughts in Him, thus the doing of evil is not present in Him. He is the foundation and the source of all truth, knowledge and wisdom. His wonderful attributes include joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and complete self-control.

“God is love---- (1^st John 4:16).”

The root of the tree of life is straight from the heart or soul of God; thus the root or source of the tree of life that makes the tree what it is and determines what kind of fruit it bears is divine love. The tree of life is in God’s image, thus the tree has all of His wonderful attributes and the fruit it bears is the sweet fruit of righteousness having in it the “seed” or “word” to bring forth another tree in its likeness.

Our Lord teaches;

“A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.”
(Luke 6:40)

If the pupil “eats” or rather “listens to and believes” the teachings of the tree of life he is “eating” the fruit of righteousness or rather he is partaking of the righteousness of the Word of God. Afterwards, when he is fully trained he will be like his teacher; he will be in His image having all His attributes.

In summary of the purpose of the two “trees” we understand that man, being created in the image of his Creator, has the ability to reason and choose. We see man has set before him two choices; one is the tree of life, which is the Word and the life giving Spirit of God; and the second choice is the tree of the knowledge of good and of evil. Both are teachers; the first teaches with authority and power the truth from a heart of love. The other is one who beguiles; he is a deceiver and a liar, teaching perversion from a heart of selfish lust. The first tree offers and inheritance of love, eternal life, peace and prosperity and all the treasures of God’s kingdom. The latter offers an inheritance of an earthy life of lust of the flesh; compared to the riches of the kingdom of God, lust offers a mere bowl of soup for the flesh of man (see Genesis 25:29-34). The end result of a life filled with lust is hate, strife, adversity and death, the destruction of the soul.

God desired Adam to demonstrate his love by acts of faith through his willingness to live ”by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4). Now the substance of faith is the word of God heard, believed and obeyed from a heart of love. If Adam would be submissive to God and live by the word of God he would demonstrate his love by faithfulness toward God and maintain his image, countenance and authority. To be submissive is to voluntarily subject ones self to the authority of another; it is an act of faith which is an expression of love. Failure to obey God’s word would demonstrate his lack of love and faith toward God and result in loss of image, countenance of glory, and authority. And again, the Holy Scripture teaches us “God is love;” and ”the one who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1^st John 4:8).”

And ”---without faith it is impossible to please Him (God)---.”
(Hebrews 12:6f)

Thus we can clearly see that without faith working from a heart of love there is no countenance, image or authority of God and no eternal life from God in man.

“Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.”
(Genesis 2:15)

God had created a kingdom and made Adam lord and king to rule and reign over it. Thus Adam became caretaker of the domain that God had prepared for him.

“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ’from any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.”
(Genesis 2:16-17)

God gave man all His commandments and the Law of sin and of death. God had made Adam a high priest and steward of His word and His law. Man was given full understanding that he had a choice, but a wrong choice would result in darkness and death. If Adam would listen to and believe God from a heart of love he would not be judged. But if he did not believe and obey he has been judged already (see John 3:18).

Note: Woman had not been created at this time; she was still a rib in man’s side.

In modern day thinking when we think of man we think in terms of male only. When we think of the female we think of her in terms of woman. According to God’s word when He created man He created them male and female. He first created man male; then He created man female. If man were male only, he would stand-alone; the seed would be incomplete.

”Then the Lord God said, ‘it is not good for the man to be alone, I will make him a helper suitable (corresponding to or in the image of) for him.’ And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a leaving creature, that was its name And the man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.”
(Genesis 2:19-20)

Of course God knew there was not a helper corresponding to or in Adam’s image among the beast of the field, but God wanted Adam to know, realize, and understand that his bride would be one taken from him and “fashioned or built” by God in the likeness of him. She would be perfect as he is perfect; a living soul as he is a living soul and have all his divine attributes.

“So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took of his ribs, closed up the flesh at that place. And the Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.”
(Genesis 2:21-22)

The seed was now complete. The man (male) now had a companion in his image. She had all of his divine attributes; therefore she was the glory of man.

James C Sanford

Who Is God

By faith we believe our God is an invincible, omnipresent living soul; an absolute sovereign intellect embodied in an invisible Spirit {Heb. 11:6}. His existence is declared in the first verse of His Holy Scriptures, "In the beginning God--- (Gen. 1:1).”

Also in Gen. 1:2 we read,

“----and the Spirit of God was moving (or hovering) over the surface of the waters.”

In the book of Exodus, chapter 3, verse 14, God declares,

“I AM that I AM (KJV).”

And again,

"Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born, or You did give birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God (Psalms 90:1-2).”

God is the indestructible, eternal Holy Supreme Being; He is the one and only God and eternal power; He is the absolute authority; there is no other. God is sacred, holy and divine in nature. He is eternal life and radiant light penetrating his creation with His healing love, mercy, grace, and peace. The fact that all He created still exist today is evidence of His everlasting love, mercy and grace. He is the substance of all that exist and by His word all things are created and hold together (See Heb. 11:3 and Col. 1:17).

His glory is expressed in the manifestation of His moral beauty, pureness, perfection, righteousness, power and authority. Since the beginning of creation all that is created is a manifestation of His splendor and glory (Rom. 1:20).

He is the unfaltering rightness, the unwavering straightness and the steadfast perfection by which all else is measured. He is the foundation rock and His Word is the corner stone of His eternal kingdom. God’s word is the exact expression of His love and thoughts of His invisible soul. His Son Jesus, The Word of God in the flesh, is the ultimate manifestation of the invisible God and Father of all creation.

In the Gospel According to John we read,

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men (John 1:1-4).”

[and the Word was God]

“Word,” as used in verse 1 and 14 is translated from the Greek word “Logos.” In verse 1 of chapter 1 of John’s gospel we see “The Word” as being the person of God.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us---- (John 1:14f).”

Here we see God, in the person of the Word, becomes flesh or man.

For it is written,

"BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL, which translated means, GOD WITH US (Matt. 1:23NASU).”

And it is written of Joseph, saying,

"----And he called His name Jesus (Matt. 1:25ff).”

The meaning of “word” is; a statement of or an expression of thought.

God’s soul is the seat of His intellect and is the seat of His thoughts. His Word is the expression of His thoughts and the person of His being that reveals the character and attributes of His invisible soul (see Heb. 1:3). The result of the works of His Word is an expression or a manifestation of the Father who is the invisible soul of God. Thus we have one God: God the Father (meaning source). God the Son, (The Word, the manifestation of the Father) and God the Holy Spirit (God is Spirit--John 4:24).

The Son of God is the Word of God and was in the beginning with God. He was the word spoken that commanded light. He is the One that spoke the word; therefore, He is the source of energy flow and is the light. Without Him the sun would be a smoldering ember in a vast universe of darkness.

“And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they (Heb. 1:3-4NASU).”

15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities —all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven (Col. 1:15-20NASU).”

8 “Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’ 9 Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me’ (John 14:8-10NASU)?”

“For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, (Col. 2:9NASU).”

Thus the Holy Spirit has taught us from the Holy Scriptures that Jesus is the word of God; He is the Creator; the image and glory of God; and He is Immanuel; God with us. He is God created in the image of man; and He is man created in the image of God. Thus we understand that in Adam God first created man in His image, then in Christ Jesus He became the image of man.

After our Lord’s death, burial and resurrection He appeared to Thomas and he declared of Him, “my Lord and my God! (John 20:28)”

James C Sanford

Ben Stein Expelled

Don't miss this movie! Coming out on April 18th EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed starring Ben Stein follows his journey around the globe where he proves that scientists, educators and philosophers are being persecuted in a modern day witch hunt because they dare to go against the theory of evolution. These pillars of education are being fired, ridiculed and ostracized for merely challenging Darwin's theory. Take a look at the movie trailer here. Kirk's Comments: "I saw EXPELLED and thought it was tremendous! The sheer intellect on the ID (Intelligent Design) side of the debate clears the notion of 'fairy tales' and the honesty of famous atheists like Richard Dawkins and his minions is shocking. Ben Stein does an excellent job using humor, tenacity, and personal passion to expose the anti-God, anti-American, Big Science agenda, linking Darwin's theory to the horrors of the Holocaust. A must see for every believer, agnostic, and atheist." Ray's Comments: "If you have felt frustrated by all the lies about Intelligent Design, you will be thrilled with this movie--especially the concluding interview with Richard Dawkins. Please, go to EXPELLED! Take your church, your youth group, your neighbors, your mother. It will spark interesting conversations." The secular media are going to ignore this movie. So what can you do to help promote it? You can call your local theater, speak to the manager and ask him to screen the movie. Tell him that you will push it through your church, and that you will bring a group of people. If he gets it in, make sure you keep your word. You can also visit the EXPELLED website for more information on making sure this movie is shown in your city.

Thanks Judypie for alerting us about this movie!