A Complaint About A Lack of Logic

Shemei is not where one would go to explain dying in the context of the "image of God." He was a bi-partite man. Adam was a tri-partite man. For Adam to die takes a separation of God from the man. Shemei suffered a separation of body and soul which ended his ability to function in the physical realm. That is not what happened to Adam in the garden. He still functioned quite well after he died spiritually. I am told there are about 7 billion proofs living on the earth as we speak.

The only other man who ever lived on this earth between Adam and those disciples in John 20 whom our Lord Jesus breathed the Holy Ghost into,who were ever in the image of God, if one accepts that the image of God means trinitarian, is Jesus Christ, who, John the Baptist said was given the Spirit without measure from his beginning. These two also are the only men who were ever called "the son of God." John the apostles said this in his epistle;

1 Jn 3:1 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.

2 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 have a hard time understanding how some of you approach the words of scripture. It is like you don't see certain words in a text. A birth by the Spirit makes a son of Adam a son of God. This is the only way a man becomes a son of God. It really is a birth and it makes the person someone new and different than before.This is elementary.

If Adam had the Spirit after he sinned, why all this effort of God th renew a man through a "regeneration?"

Come and let us reason together, says God. Apply some logic. These truths are simple until religion gets a hold of them.

 

Romans 5 says "death" passed upon all men "because" all have sinned.Paul was dealing with all men born of Adam from Gen 3 until AD 58 when he wrote this letter. Standing back and observing it, he reported in three distinct time frames. Frame one - from Adam to Moses. Frame 2 - from Moses to Jesus Christ resurrected. Farme 3 - from Jesus Christ until AD 58.
The thing that Paul did not say is that "sin" passed upon all men because all died. That is the way it is often presented by Calvinists when they teach their original sin doctrine and other false doctrines. Paul said sin was in the world and ruled unto death as a king would rule over his subjects. We learn from the scriptures that men born in the image of Adam, those with a bi-partite nature, body and soul, do not have power to resist sin and all succumb to it. This is the image of the fallen Adam.

However, Jesus Christ was not born in the image of Adam. He was born in the image of God. He was God. He is God.He is also man.The testimony that we have of Jesus Christ is that in him, that is in his mortal body (it could die) was "life." We learn what life in this context is when we study our scriptures, written by men who communed with Jesus Christ for over 3 years.

John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

This is not written conversationally. This is the doctrines of life and salvation.What is said and how it is said is important.

Jesus Christ, our saviour, died just as Adam died and for the same reason. It was for sin. In Adam's case, it was for the sin of Eve, who is a picture of the church. Both of these men died spiritually first, meaning the Spirit departed their bodies. This is symbolized by the blood and water flowing from the pierced side of Jesus Christ when he was on the cross. The life of the flesh is in the blood, scripture tells us. The Spirit is life, the scripture says in Rom 8:9. The difference between Adam and Jesus is that Adam died for sins he committed and Jesus died for the sins of others, and God raised him from the dead, by the Spirit that he poured out.Anticipating this, that the Spirit that lived in him would give life after his resurrection from the dead, he said this to the Jews;

37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified)

Jesus said this to Martha in John 11:25

25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

Think about that. People before the resurrection of Jesus Christ are dead but that does not mean they are in a tomb somewhere covered up with dirt and unable to reason or to use logic. The idea is absurd.

Here is something Paul tells us that is true of Adam;

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Adam knew God face to face. He knew as he was known. He did not have partial knowledge of God. He knew that God was merciful and good. When Eve sinned Adam opted to participate in her sin in order to save her. He was not deceived about anything. He knew he would die. But he knew God would save them both. God has nothing bad in his bible to say about Adam. He is the type God gives us in the OT to typify his Son taking the sin of his bride, whom he had taken and fashioned from his body, upon himself in order to save her from it.

Greater love has no man than this, that a man would lay down his life for his friends.

The life that is in the glorified body of Jesus Christ is not blood. All his blood is on the mercy seat in heaven. The life that flows in the body of Jesus Christ is his Spirit and he has poured it out on humanity as water and in such abundance that whoever drinks will have eternal life.

Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven, we are told. One must have the Spirit of life. The Spirit of Christ. This is what it means to be in the image of Jesus Christ.

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

This is an invitation to all, not a few. Drinking is believing from the heart.

TYPES
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

 

Adam was not "sealed" with the Spirit, as believers today are.


Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Ep 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

 

Differentiate between these two statements;


Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.


Gen 5:3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth:

 

This is actually a very good question, and because I am a literalist in my hermeneutics, I am going to consider context first.

Those who are lost are the Jews in this context. I can prove that.

Please bear with me because in closing this post I am going to quote quite a bit of scripture to prove what I am about to say.

One cannot read the gospels and not understand that Israel's eyes were blinded and they could not see because they failed to believe in Jesus Christ when he came to them as their Messiah. What blinded Israel. It was the parables by which he addressed them after the first 12 chapters of Matthew. This included most of his ministry to them while he lived on earth.They would never understand these parables because it takes God to reveal their truths.

You might say, God should have spoken plainly to the Jews. I say he did speak plainly to them;


John 10:24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.

God spoke in parables to that generation of Jews because salvation for them nationally was now off the table.He would be dealing with individuals and giving them his truths through a spiritual means; parables.

Matt 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Here is a truth for you. Only those of Israel can be lost. Gentiles are unsaved. God has not lost them.

Paul, the apostle to the gentiles used this word "lost" one time, and you and I have been quoting it in 2 Cor 4. The context is Jews. Read all these verses following for proof;

2 Cor 3: Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?
2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
13 And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The next word is "THEREFORE"

2 Cor 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them
5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.
6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

The pronouns are important here.