Spiritually dead people Need to be Made Alive (Born Again, Regenerated)

Greeting, brethren in Christ and those seeking a relationship with the living Creator God! When God created man, he created him body, soul & spirit. We were created in His image, according to His likeness.

Zechariah 12:1 Thus declares the LORD, Who stretches out the heavens & lays the foundation of the earth, Who forms the spirit of man within him:
I Thess 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit & soul & body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is alive & powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul & spirit, between joint & marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts & desires.

Prov 20:27 The human spirit is the lamp of the LORD that sheds light on one’s inmost being.
Job 32:8 But it is the spirit in a person— the breath from the Almighty— that gives anyone understanding.
Ex 28:3 You are to instruct all the skilled artisans, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make Aaron’s garments for consecrating him to serve me as priest.
Job 20:3 “I have heard the reproof which insults me, but the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.
1 Cor 15:45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living soul”; the last Adam a life-giving spirit.
Numbers 27:16 Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation...

When the Almighty Elohim (plural) created man in the beginning, He breathed into Him lives (chayyim, plural)--spiritual & physical life--and man became a living soul/person. The one breath gave him a human spirit that had the life of God & gave man spiritual understanding & wisdom, as in Job 32:8 & Ex 28:3 above, making him a distinct, unique, original creation. He also breathed physical breath into his inert physical body & he became physically alive. Life came not as the result of man's bodily organisation, nor as derived by evolution from any other animal, but as a gift direct from God. Man was created by the Divine word, in the Divine image with the Divine life.

Gen 2:7 SLT And Jehovah (YHWH) God (Elohim-plural) will form man of the dust from the earth & will blow into his nostrils the breath of lives (chayyim-plural) & man shall be for a living soul.

Benson Commentary: He breathed into his nostrils — And thereby into his head & whole man; the breath of life — Hebrew, the soul of lives, that is, both natural and spiritual, both temporal and eternal life.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary: the breath of life—literally, of lives, not only animal (physical) but spiritual life.
Pulpit Commentary: And (the Lord God) breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Literally, the breath of lives.

The human spirit is the deepest part of a person, part of the inner person, the incorporeal part of a human being. It is invisible to the human eye but visible as a form in the invisible or spiritual realm. By means of our spirit made alive, we can contact God in the spiritual realm. This is how God can be realized by us. God didn’t create any other creature with a spirit; this makes human beings unique from every other physically living thing that has a soul.

The Hebrew word ייצר, jitzer, here rendered 'he formed', is not used concerning any other creature & implies a gradual process in the work, with great accuracy & exactness. It is properly used of potters forming vessels on the wheel. Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

“The soul is our very self (cf. Matt. 16:26; Luke 9:25), a medium between our spirit & our body, possessing self-consciousness, that we may have our personality.”
Our soul perceives things in the psychological realm. In Greek, the original language of the NT, the word for soul is psuche, which is the root word of psychology.
Our soul is our personality, who we are. With our soul we think, reason, consider, remember & wonder. We experience emotions like happiness, love, sorrow, anger, relief & compassion. And we’re able to resolve, choose & make decisions. All of this takes place in our soul. It is also incorporeal & like the human spirit, the human soul, the human person departs from the physical body when a person physically dies.

I Kings 17:20-22 “O LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy on this widow who has opened her home to me, by causing her son to die?” Then he stretched himself out over the child 3 times & cried out to YHWH, “O LORD my God, please let this boy’s soul return to him!” And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah & the soul of the child came back to him & he revived.

James 2:26 For just as the body apart from (without) the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.
Gen 35:18 Now it happened as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.
Job 34:14-16 If He put His mind to it & withdrew the spirit AND breath He gave, all flesh would perish together & man would turn again to dust. If you have understanding, hear this; listen to my words.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 ...Before the dust returns to the ground from which it came & the spirit returns to God who gave it.
Psalm 146:4 When his spirit departs, he returns to the ground...

Isa 42:5 He who created the heavens & stretched them out, who spread out the earth & its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it AND life to those who walk in it...
2 Cor 5:8 We are confident, then & would prefer to be away from the body & at home with the Lord.
Phil 1:23 I am torn between the two. I desire to depart & be with Christ, which is far better indeed.
1 Thess 4:14 For since we believe that Jesus died & rose again, we also believe that God will bring WITH Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.
Job 33:30 ...To bring back their souls from the Pit (Sheol/Hades), so that they may see the light of life.

Jesus is our example in illustrating the whole nature of man & what happens when a human being dies. Incarnated as a human being, when Jesus died, He committed His human spirit into the hands of his Father & yielded it up. Once He did that, then He breathed His last breath. His physically dead body was placed in a tomb.
And Jesus' soul, to where did it depart? Jesus' soul, before the resurrection & ascension, departed to the place where all the souls of all people departed (both believers & unbelievers), the spiritual abode of the dead, called Sheol in the OT, Hades in the NT. It was also called the Pit, the abyss, the abode of darkness, the temporary hell, in the depths of the earth, in the lower parts of the earth, Tartarus a compartment in the lowest part of Sheol for fallen angels, Abraham's bosom/paradise/abode of bliss/ Gan Eden (another compartment in Sheol where the believers went).

Luke 23:46 Then Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” And when He had said this, He breathed His last.
Mt 27:50 Then Jesus shouted out again & He released (yielded up) his spirit.
John 19:30 He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.

Psalm 16:10 Because You will not abandon MY SOUL to the realm of the dead (Sheol), nor will You let your Faithful One see decay.
Acts 2:27 Because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay
Romans 6:9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.
Acts 2:24 But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep Him in its grip.
Psalm 30:3 O LORD, You pulled me up from Sheol; You spared me from descending into the Pit.
Hosea 13:14 I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from Death. Where, O Death, are your plagues? Where, O Sheol, is your sting?
Mt 12:40 For as Jonah was three days & three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days & three nights in the heart of the earth.
Jonah 2:2 “In my distress I called to the LORD & He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice.
Romans 10:7 ‘Who will descend into the Abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”
Eph 4:9-10 What does “He ascended” mean, except that He also descended to the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the very One who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.

Luke 10:15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades!
Rev 1:17,18 Do not be afraid. I am the First & the Last, the Living One. I was dead & behold, now I am alive forever & ever! And I hold the keys of Death & of Hades.
John 20:9 For they still did not understand from the Scripture that Jesus had to rise out from among the dead.
Isaiah 59:10 We grope for the wall like the blind & we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday like the night; in desolate places LIKE DEAD MEN.

Ps 139:7-10 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning & dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me & Your right hand shall hold me.
Job 26:6 Sheol is naked before God & Abaddon has no covering.
Proverbs 15:11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD—how much more the hearts of men!
Isaiah 7:11 “Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.”
Job 11:8 They are higher than the heavens—what can you do? They are deeper than Sheol—what can you know?

Amos 9:2 Ampl “Though they dig into Sheol [to hide in the deepest pit], from there My hand will take them [for judgment] & though they climb up to heaven [to hide in the realm of light], From there will I bring them down [for judgment].

Ezek 32:18,19,23 Son of man, wail for the multitudes of Egypt & consign her & the daughters of the mighty nations to the depths of the earth with those who descend to the Pit..Mighty chiefs will speak from the midst of Sheol about Egypt & her allies: ‘They have come down & lie with the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword.’ Their graves have been placed in the lowest parts of the pit. And his multitude was stationed on all sides of his grave: all of the slain & those who fell by the sword, who formerly spread terror in the land of the living.

It signifies a place of humiliation & defeat, contrasting with the heights of power & pride they once held. The imagery of graves in the depths underscores the totality of their downfall & the permanence of their judgment.

Job 38:17,19-21 Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death? Where is the way to the home of light?
Do you know where darkness resides, so you can lead it back to its border? Do you know the paths to its home? Surely you know, for you were already born!

Job 10:21-22 Before I go, never to return, to a land of darkness & gloom, to a land of utter darkness, of deep shadow & disorder, where even the light is like darkness.”

Ezek 26:20 Then I will bring you down with those who go down to the Pit, to the people of long ago. I will make you dwell in the earth below, as in ancient ruins, with those who go down to the pit (enter the world of the dead NLT) & you will not return or take your place in the land of the living.
Isaiah 14:15 But you will be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it & death & Hades delivered up the dead which were in them & they were judged every man according to their works.

It was essential to seek to establish what the Scripture actually SAYS about the nature of man, how he was created & what happens to him when he dies & using Jesus' as an example. There are many more passages concerning this but there is much to digest here. My next post will discuss the fall of man in disobedience & what happened to the body, soul & spirit of a person & how does a person become spiritually dead while still living physically & how a person is born a second time in this life from above by God, being regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Thank you for any thoughts might add or have & any questions. May the Lord bless & keep you & give you His peace.

The last posts summarized how God originally created man with a human body, a human soul & a human spirit. The body is mortal & will go to decay & back to dust. The human spirit and soul are incorporeal & continue to exist after one physically dies. God breathed into the body the breath of 'lives', both physical life & spiritual life & man became a unique person or soul with the capacity to share in the life of God.

Mt 10:27-30 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light & what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul & body in 'Gehenna.' 29Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Jesus told His disciples to speak what He taught in the light & one of those truths is that people can kill the physical body but they CANNOT KILL THE SOUL. The soul departs from the body at physical death & continues to consciously exist. The spirit departs from the body at physical death & continues to exist. At the resurrection (of the dead & the living), the soul & spirit re-unite with a new immortal, imperishable body, both for believers in Christ & unbelievers. Both groups have their bodies resurrected & both groups have their soul & their spirit re-united with this new resurrected spiritual body.

Ezek 37:3-5 Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?” “O Sovereign LORD,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.” And He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones & tell them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says to these bones: I will cause breath (Heb: 'ruach') to ENTER YOU & make you live (Heb. 'chayah'--SINGULAR) again!

Notice here that the 'ruach' will enter them. Ruach is the Hebrew word for spirit, breath. Notice also that when their bodies are made alive again in the resurrection, that the life given again after the resurrection is in the SINGULAR NOT THE PLURAL, as in Gen 2:7. And coupled with the verses below in I Corinthians 15, it becomes evident that when all bodies of both the believing & unbelieving are resurrected, they receive an imperishable, uncorruptible spiritual body, that can now exist in both the physical & spiritual realms, the visible & the invisible. But the unbelieving do not have their spirit & soul regenerated, they are still spiritually dead in their trespasses & sins. Those saved by faith in the promised Messiah & Savior of the world for the forgiveness of sins already had their soul & spirit regenerated. So now Mt 10:28 makes common, spiritual sense. Since the human soul cannot be killed LIKE the physical body is killed, going back to dust & corruption, how then does the soul & spirit die?

They die spiritually! Now we are exhorted to fear Him who can destroy & cast into Gehenna, the second Death, the final, eternal hell. Unbelievers are resurrected with an imperishable new body but are united in that body with their continuing, conscious dead soul & spirit. That is WHY they will experience the eternal second death in Gehenna, for ever and ever. There is no Scriptural precedence for annihilation or an unconscious 'soul sleep' or the soul being obliterated & miraculously recreated. The body is recreated but not the soul & spirit of an unbeliever. Only the believer becomes a new, regenerated creation in Christ by the Holy Spirit.

I Cor 15:35, But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?”
I Cor 15:42-49 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The BODY is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, 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. There is a natural body & there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

46However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural & afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust & as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the IMAGE OF THE MAN OF DUST, we shall also bear THE IMAGE OF THE HEAVENLY MAN.

I Cor 15:52,53 For the trumpet will sound & the dead will be raised incorruptible & we shall be changed. For this corruptible (body) must put on incorruption & this mortal (body) must put on immortality.

So how did man become SPIRITUALLY dead in both soul & spirit? Just as we went back to the book of beginnings, Genesis, to see how man was originally created alive in both spirit & body, so we are told how many became both physically AND SPIRITUALLY DEAD & this truth of Scripture is progressively revealed in the rest of the Bible.

Gen 1:27-31 So God CREATED man IN His OWN IMAGE, in the image of God He created him; male & female He created them.
28And God BLESSED them.

And God said to them, “Be fruitful & multiply & fill the earth & subdue it & HAVE DOMINION OVER the fish of the sea & over the birds of the heavens & over every living thing that moves on the earth...And to every beast of the earth & to every bird of the heavens & to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has THE BREATH (Heb. 'nephesh'--soul, living being) OF LIFE (Heb. 'hayah'--SINGULAR), I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made & behold, it was very good. And there was evening & there was morning, the 6th day.

The "breath of life" signifies the divine spark or life force given by God, distinguishing living beings from inanimate objects. Yet here again in vs 30, the breath or soul of life is in the singular NOT in the plural as in Gen 2:7. Animals were given physical life & a soul, but they didn't receive spiritual life. That is why man's ORIGINAL creation was unique. God ORIGINALLY blessed them. God ORIGINALLY gave them both physical & spiritual life. And He ORIGINALLY gave man to have dominion over the earth & all that moved upon it.

So what happened that man suddenly found himself UNDER A CURSE & not blessed & LOST his dominion to someone else? I have run out of time so I will address that in the next post. Blessings IN CHRIST (Eph 1:3).

Gen 3:20 And Adam named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother OF ALL THE LIVING.
Acts 17:24-26 The God who made the world & everything in it is the Lord of heaven & earth & does not live in temples made by human hands. Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life AND breath & everything else. FROM ONE MAN He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth & He determined their appointed times & the boundaries of their lands.

Mal 2:10 Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

From one man & one woman came came every nation down through history since the beginning. No aliens are mentioned nor 'other creatures' before Adam & Eve nor did people evolve from other species. Jesus' geneaology goes all the way back to Adam.

The book of Genesis shows us the generations of people at various times (these are called toledoths) & documents the generations of mankind that tie directly into Christ's lineage as a man, demonstrating His credentials to be of the tribe of Judah in the lineage of Abraham king David & fulfilling prophecy as the promised Messiah, Redeemer & Mediator of a new covenant & new priesthood.

Gen 2:4 These are the generations (records, accounts, histories) of the heavens & the earth, concerning their creation...These are births of the heavens & of the earth in their being prepared, in the day of Jehovah God's making earth & heavens. YLT

Gen 5:1-3 This is the book of the generations of Adam. On the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 2He created them male & female & He blessed them & named them “mankind” on the day when they were created. When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image & named him Seth.

Luke 3:38 ...the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. (Question: why isn't Cain & his descendants mentioned in Christ's lineage? See Gen 4:3-25, Jude 1:5,10-13; I Jn 3:12; Heb 11:4; I Sam 15:22,23)
Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord vs. To Seth also a son was born...At that time people began to call upon YHWH'S name.

Gen 6:8,9 These are the generations (record of, account of, history of) of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among those in his generations; Noah walked with God. Gen 5:24 Enoch walked with God & then he was no more, because God had taken him away.
Gen 10:1 These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham & Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.
Gen 11:10 These are (the records of) the generations of Shem.
Gen 37:2 These are the generations of Jacob.
Isa 52:1 Look to Abraham your father & to Sarah who bore you; for when he was but one I called him & I blessed him & made him many.

So what happened to the first man & woman that led to their spiritual & physical death?

Gen 2:8,9,15-17 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east & there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight & good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden & the tree of the knowledge of good & evil...The Lord God took the man & put him in the garden of Eden to work it & keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may FREELY EAT (H398: 'akal' from every tree of the garden, but from the tree of the knowledge of good & evil, you (Heb: 2nd person, masculine singular) shall not eat from it; for in the day that you eat from it you will SURELY DIE.” (H4191: 'muth' --

H398: 'akal'-- The Hebrew verb "akal" primarily means in a normal sense "to eat" or "to consume food." It is used in a literal sense to describe the act of eating food unless the context shows otherwise. The term can also imply partaking in a meal or feast & it is often used in contexts involving sustenance, nourishment & survival.

The context above shows every tree in the garden IN EDEN (including the tree of life & the tree of the knowledge of good & evil) was pleasant to the sight AND was good for food. The trees are real & are good for real food & man was to work in the garden & keep up real trees & derive their sustenance from the fruit of the trees.

Note also that God said they may eat FREELY from every tree in the garden. God made the eating unconditional--freely eat, I have made them just for you to enjoy & enjoy gazing upon their pleasantness. This would include the tree of life. They must have been delicious. God was their Provider (Jehovah jireh Gen 22:14) & taking care of them. It appears from Gen 3 that Adam & Eve walked with God in the garden of Eden as they heard the sound of God walking in the garden & looking for & calling out for them, since they had hidden themselves among the trees.

However, God then gave one prohibition: you shall not eat fruit FROM the tree of the knowledge of good & evil.
Gen 2:17 SLT But from the tree to know good & evil thou shalt not eat from it, for IN THE DAY of thy eating from it, (in) dying, thou shalt die.
Gen 2:17 YLT And of the tree of knowledge of good & evil, thou dost not eat of it, for in the day of thine eating of it -- dying thou dost die.'

This commandment was given to Adam BEFORE Eve was created. He was the one responsible before God to teach Eve this commandment as the one given dominion over the earth, which Eve later shared with Adam when she was created & before the fall.

God warned Adam that there would be consequences of his eating fruit from that particular tree. God said it emphatically in the Hebrew: in the day of your (Adam's) eating of the fruit from that tree, you (Adam) would DIE DIE. The verb in the first instance is an infinitive (-ing ending) absolute (Heb. 'mowoot' -- in the English: 'in dying'. The intensification is seen here. The second die is in the Imperfect 'taymoot') -- will die. Its in the second person masculine singular. The emphasis of the progressive imperfect is action that is moving forward in a progressive manner. At times progressive imperfects are joined whereby they present a sequential order of events.

It literally means in dying he will die. When he actually ate the fruit on that particular day, he was in an absolute state of dying AND in being in that state, he will die again sequentially.

Num 26:65 For Jehovah said to them, Dying, they shall die in the desert & there was not left from them a man but Caleb, son of Jephunneh & Joshua, son of Nun. [physical death--all will physically die within a 40 year period.]

Heb 3:13,15-19 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God...15As it is said, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who were those who heard & yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17And with whom was He provoked for 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. [spiritual death--all those in the wilderness who physically died will not enter into God's rest of faith, because of their evil, unbelieving hearts bent on progressive disobedience that hardened their hearts]

Here we see death of the two lives given to Adam: spiritual death to Adam's spirit & soul because of rebellion & disobedience AND physical death at the age of 930 years (Gen 5:5).

As Martin Luther said: 'Born once, die twice; born twice, die only once.'
John 3:3-8 Jesus answered & said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb & be born?”Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water & the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh & that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8The wind blows where it wishes & you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from & where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Titus 3:5 He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth & renewal by the Holy Spirit.

Isa 59:1,2 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your wrongdoings have caused a separation between you & your God & your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

Ezek 36:25,26 I will also sprinkle clean water on you & you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities & all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you...

Isa 64:6 Each of us has become like something unclean & all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf & our iniquities carry us away like the wind.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Eph 2:12 Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel & strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope & without God in the world.
Mt 16:26 What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet loses his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Ezek 18:17,18,20 Such a man will not die for his father’s iniquity. He will surely live. As for his father, he will die for his own iniquity, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother & did what was wrong among his people.

Jude 1:12 They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit & uprooted—twice dead. (2 Pet 2:17)

Berean Study Bible: you will surely die.”
The consequence of eating from the tree is death, which is both physical & spiritual. The certainty of death ("surely die") underscores the severity of disobedience & the holiness of God. This death is not immediate physical death but rather the introduction of mortality & spiritual separation from God. Theologically, this introduces the concept of original sin & the fallen state of humanity. The promise of death contrasts with the life offered by the tree of life, highlighting the choice between life & death, obedience & rebellion. This consequence sets the stage for the need for redemption, which is fulfilled in the NT through Jesus Christ, who conquers death & offers eternal life. The theme of death & resurrection is central to Christian theology, with this verse serving as an early indication of humanity's need for a sinless Savior.

Luke 9:59,60 Amplified Bible He said to another, “Follow Me [accepting Me as Master & Teacher].” But he said, “Lord, allow me first to go & bury my father.”But He said to him, “Allow the [spiritually] dead to bury their own [physically] dead; but as for you, go & spread the news about the kingdom of God.” (Mt 8:22)

Luke 15:32 It was meet that we should make merry & be glad: for this thy brother was dead & is alive again & was lost & is found.
I Tim 5:6 But the widow who lives only for pleasure is spiritually dead even while she lives.

Rev 3:1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of the One who holds the 7 spirits of God & the 7 stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation for being alive, yet you are dead.

Rom 8:6 The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life & peace,
Col 2:13 When you were dead in your trespasses & in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our trespasses...

2 Cor 5:14,15 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
Rom 8:10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.

Eph 2:1-5 And you were dead in your trespasses & sins, in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world & of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience. All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh & indulging its desires & thoughts. Like the rest of mankind, we were by nature children of wrath.

Romans 6:13 Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life & present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.

John 5:24 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word & believes Him who sent Me has eternal life & will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.
1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection & the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives & believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

God's commands are given for our protection & well-being. They are not arbitrary but rooted in His perfect wisdom & love. Obedience to God is a demonstration of trust & faith in His goodness & sovereignty. It is essential for maintaining a right relationship with Him. Disobedience to God's commands leads to spiritual & physical death. Understanding the gravity of sin helps us appreciate the need for redemption.

Job 38:19,20 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light & where is the place of darkness? Can you take each to its home? Do you know how to get there?

Did spiritual & physical death pass on to Adam's descendants & how did that happen?
Scripture makes a distinction between the first Adam of the original creation & the last Adam, Jesus Christ, bringing the new creation.
I have run out of time. I will post again when I can.

I left my last post with this question: did spiritual & physical death pass on to Adam's descendants & how did that happen? I will seek to show from Scripture how this happened.

We have already established the nature of man as being composed of a temporal physical body & of a soul & spirit that are incorporeal & depart from the physical body at physical death. Both spiritual life & physical life were given to the first man, Adam, in the original creation. All other human beings (except the incarnated Christ) came by descent from the first man & women, Adam & Eve.

In the first creation, everything was good & very good. There was no death or chaos or ruin nor any gap theory nor millions of years. These are the lies of the devil. God created a literal earth & heavens in 6 literal days & GOD RESTED on the 7th day. The 7th day is unique in that there is no 'there was evening & there was morning, day 7. Much can be unpacked there but that would be for another time. No command was given for mankind to keep the 7th day, the Sabbath day until the time of the nation of Israel & the giving of the 10 commandments as a covenant for that nation. It was not given to the Gentile nations.

Gen 2:7 Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground & breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Heb. 'chayyim' plural) & the man became a living soul.

Gen 2:8,9 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east & there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight & good for food.

We see our Creator originally made the first human being, Adam, from dust. God then planted a beautiful garden for the man & placed him in the garden to cultivate & keep it. This garden was IN a specific place called Eden. Adam was placed there, in a geographic location east of where Adam was originally created.

Gen 2:10-14 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden & there it divided & became four rivers. 11The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium & onyx stone are there. The name of the 2nd river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the 3rd river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.



Eden (H5731: ay-den -- Derived from the Hebrew root, adan, meaning "to be soft or pleasant." The term "Eden" is primarily used in the Bible to refer to the "Garden of Eden," a paradisiacal location created by God as the dwelling place for the first humans, Adam & Eve. It symbolizes a state of perfect harmony, abundance & communion with God. This is the first time & place where God walked among mankind & He was their God & they were His people. He would guide them. He was their Provider & Shepherd, in a perfect, pleasant environment. This was the first dwelling place of God in the Spirit. This has always been God's loving desire, to dwell among a holy & righteous people, walking in fellowship with Him. Adam & Eve were separated unto God for His loving purposes.

Lev 26:3-13 IF you follow My statutes & carefully keep My commandments, I will give you rains in their season & the land will yield its produce & the trees of the field will bear their fruit. Your threshing will continue until the grape harvest & the grape harvest will continue until sowing time; you will have your fill of food to eat & will dwell securely in your land. And I will give peace to the land & you will lie down with nothing to fear. I will rid the land of dangerous animals & no sword will pass through your land. You will pursue your enemies & they will fall by the sword before you. Five of you will pursue a 100 & a 100 of you will pursue 10,000 & your enemies will fall by the sword before you. I will turn toward you & make you fruitful & multiply you & I will establish My covenant with you. You will still be eating the old supply of grain when you need to clear it out to make room for the new. And I will make My dwelling place among you & My soul will not despise you. I will walk among you & be your God & you will be My people. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians. I broke the bars of your yoke & enabled you to walk in uprightness.

Ex 29:45 I will dwell among the children of Israel & will be their God.
Ezek 14:11 That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be My people & I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 36:28 And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers & you shall be My people & I will be your God.
Ezek 37:27 My dwelling place (tabernacle) will be with them; I will be their God & they will be My people.

Ezek 11:19,20 And I will give them singleness of heart & put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone & give them a heart of flesh, so that they may follow My statutes, keep My ordinances & practice them. THEN they will be My people & I will be their God.

Jer 30:22 And you shall be My people & I will be your God.
Jer 31:1 At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel & they shall be My people.
Jer 31:33 “But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds & inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God & they will be My people.

Jer 32:39-41 I will give them one heart & one way, so that they will always fear Me for their own good & for the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never turn away from doing good to them & I will put My fear in their hearts, so that they will never turn away from Me. Yes, I will rejoice in doing them good & I will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart & with all My soul.

Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds & inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God & they will be My people.

2 Cor 6:14-18 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ & Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement can exist between the temple of God & idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will dwell in them & walk among them & I will be their God & they will be My people. Therefore come out from among them & be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing & I will receive you.” And: “I will be a Father to you & you will be My sons & daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

This has been God’s heart since the very beginning. Praise His holy name!

Mathetes66 said:

I left my last post with this question: did spiritual & physical death pass on to Adam's descendants & how did that happen? I will seek to show from Scripture how this happened.

SNIP

Click to expand...

Hello Mathetes66,

I am sorry, but I did not take the time to read through your 6 posts. So I did not see where you showed from scripture how spiritual and physical death is passed to Adam's descendants.

First, I am pretty sure we agree, the consequence of Adam's volitional sin was applied by God to his descendants. And the consequence of sin is death. But, at this point we may part company.

First, lets try to define "death." Physical death is pretty clear, the spirit departs and the body becomes non-responsive and undergoes decay such that it returns to "dust" or inanimate material. Also the bible says without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin, so again it seems the consequence of sin is physical death.

Second lets try to define spiritual "death." If we are spiritually united with God we are alive, but if separated from God, we are spiritually dead. Ephesians 2:5

And what are the consequences of being separated from God, spiritually dead? Are we able to relocate ourselves into God in our unholy sinful state of separation? Nope. Can we undo the consequence of being "made sinners? (Romans 5:19) Nope!

All those spiritually dead, need to be "regenerated" made alive together with Christ. We need to undergo the washing of regeneration, where our sin burden, what God holds against us, is removed, nailed to the cross so to speak.

Lastly some claim this "sin consequence" is passed biologically, but this speculation is unbiblical. Note when Eve's eyes were opened (imposing the consequence of Adam's sin). She had already been created and so the consequence was passed spiritually, her human spirit was corrupted and she became separated, spirituality dead.

Thank you Van, for your thoughtful response & taking the time to read a portion of my posts. I had not yet fully answered my question that you quoted, first simply laying down a Scriptural study, starting from Genesis, the book of beginnings, of what is the nature of man as God created Him originally & working toward the fall of man & when & how that happened & how it affected the human race. Much of what you shared I agree with. However, I sought by Scripture to show that the 'life' that God gave Adam was both spiritual life & physical life & that the consequences of his disobedience to God in breaking His commandment was both spiritual death & physical death (if you have time, please read my prior posts to see the progression in Scripture from Genesis onward).

I Thess 5:23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely & may your whole spirit & soul & body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Isa 26:9 With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Luke 1:46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord & my spirit rejoices in God my Savior...
Ps 42: 4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me:
Mt 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul & body in Gehenna.
Gen 38:18 And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin
James 2:26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
Ps 131:2 Surely I have soothed & quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.

These are just a sampling of Scriptures that show the tri-part, complete & whole nature of man: body (outward part of man, temporal, corporeal), soul & spirit (inward parts of man, incorporeal, including the heart & mind)

Jesus is our example: His physical body died on the cross & was put in a tomb. Jesus committed into the hands of His Father, His human spirit AND THEN He breathed (physically) His last breath. And where did the soul of Jesus go? The same place all souls went: the realm of the conscious dead, Sheol (OT) or Hades (NT), only Jesus went into the special compartment in Sheol/Hades called Paradise, Abraham's Bosom, Gan Eden, the abode of bliss, where all the OT believers went. His soul was not abandoned in Hades. Jesus conquered death, rose out from among the conscious dead in Sheol/Hades & was resurrected. When He ascended to heaven, He took Paradise & those believers in it up to the third heaven where He is seated at the right hand of the Father.

Jesus taught that you can physically kill the body, which decays & returns to dust but you cannot kill the soul or the spirit like you can the body, when they DEPART from the dead body & continue to exist separate from the body in another form, in the spiritual or invisible realm. So how do the soul & the spirit die? They die spiritually when someone sins. Let the spiritually dead bury their own physically dead. If someone doesn't repent & turn to Christ to forgive & save them in the physical realm before they die physically, their spiritually dead soul & spirit will experience, the SECOND DEATH, the eternal Gehenna.

Ezek 18:4,20 The soul that SINS will die.
Luke 9:60 But Jesus told him, “Let THE DEAD BURY THEIR OWN DEAD. You, however, go & proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Eph 2:1-4 And you were dead in your trespasses & sins, in which you used to walk WHEN you conformed to the ways of this world & of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience. All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh & indulging its desires & thoughts. Like the rest (of mankind), we were by nature children of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ EVEN WHEN we were dead in our trespasses.

1 Pet 1:23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living & enduring word of God.

John 3:4-7 Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a 2nd time & be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water AND Spirit, he CANNOT ENTER the kingdom of God. That which has been born of the flesh is flesh & that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Notice the death here mentioned is focusing primarily on spiritual death (although physical death eventually came, too,, because of Adam's sin) because it is CONTRASTED in the context with eternal life, not physical life & the gift is spiritual not physical.

I have tried to briefly reiterate with much agreement with you concerning my previous posts (with additional verses). I will go into more Scriptural detail in the future on how Adam's corrupted nature or old self/man was passed on to all mankind.

There is SO MUCH to unpack here in Genesis, the book of beginnings!

We are prone to be guilty of not taking the time to seek God & CRY OUT for His understanding —to make careful OBSERVATION of what the text actually SAYS—IN CONTEXT—paying attention to the details (who written to, when written, the background historical & cultural indicators, along with the grammar & word meanings) & meditatively reflecting upon all these things BEFORE coming to interpretive conclusions. The Holy Spirit GUIDES US into all the truth.

However, the enemy of our souls wants us to hastily rush into false conclusions based on prior presuppositions—without being GUIDED INTO THE TRUTH. He wants us to focus on our own insight & heart —leaning on our own understanding (Prov 3:5,6)—thus leaving ourselves open to his deceptive thoughts & lies. Am I more interested in seeking God & knowing Him & experiencing His abundant & rich eternal life—than finding out answers & simply gaining knowledge about God's Word? The Lord wants to CHANGE us to be like Him through the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, not simply gain knowledge for knowledge sake.

Prov 2:1-12 My son, if you RECEIVE MY WORDS & TREASURE UP up my commandments with you, MAKING YOUR EAR attentive to wisdom & INCLINING YOUR HEART to understanding; yes, if you CALL OUT for insight & RAISE YOUR VOICE for understanding, if you SEEK IT like silver & SEARCH FOR IT as for hidden treasures, THEN you will UNDERSTAND the fear of the Lord & FIND the knowledge of God.

6FOR THE LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge & understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, GUARDING the paths of justice & WATCHING OVER the way of HIS SAINTS. THEN you will understand righteousness & justice & equity, every good path; for wisdom will come INTO YOUR HEART & knowledge will be PLEASANT TO YOUR SOUL; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, DELIVERING YOU FROM THE WAY OF EVIL...

Gen 2:8,9 The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden & there He PUT the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is PLEASANT TO THE SIGHT & GOOD FOR FOOD. The tree of life was also in the MIDST of the garden & the tree of the knowledge of good & evil...Now a RIVER went out of Eden to water the garden & from there it parted & became four riverheads.

Gen 2:15-17 Then the Lord God TOOK the man & PUT HIM IN the garden of Eden to tend & keep it. And the Lord God commanded THE MAN, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may FREELY EAT; but FROM the tree of the knowledge of good & evil you shall NOT EAT, for IN THE DAY that you eat from it you shall SURELY DIE.” (literally die die; in dying, you will die; see prior posts for grammatical details).

The choice was given to pursue: life or death. The seeking is ours if we will pursue it until we find Him; the revealing & light to see is God's sovereign desire so that we might find Him.

This phrase introduces the consequence of disobedience to God, emphasizing the immediacy & certainty of the outcome & emphasizing the necessity of God's swift judgment.

Gen 3:22-24 “...Behold, the man HAS BECOME LIKE one of us in knowing good & evil. NOW—UNLESS HE REACH OUT HIS HAND & TAKE ALSO FROM the tree of life AND EAT—AND LIVE FOREVER [in a fallen state]—THEREFORE— the LORD God SENT HIM OUT FROM the garden of Eden to work the ground FROM WHICH HE WAS TAKEN. He DROVE OUT the man & at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim & a flaming sword that turned every way to GUARD THE WAY TO the tree of life.

This repeated prohibition precludes any allegorical or symbolic meaning, leaving only a plain, literal, actual reaching out with a hand & plucking the fruit OFF the tree & REMOVING it from the tree, so that it could be eaten for food. This is historical narrative. This is what actually happened with Adam & Eve in the garden of Eden on that day.

The immediacy highlights the gravity of sin & the breach & violence TO the RELATIONSHIP between man & God & between husband & wife & eventually children. It brings in the devastating fall & entrance of sin, death, suffering & chaos into the once perfect & pleasant world. This is not an allegorical or SYMBOLIC MYTH but actual narrative history. We actually all came from one man & one woman, NOT evolved from some amoeba that came from nothing & by chance. Scripture verifies this.

Gen 3:20 The man named his wife Eve ('life spring, life giver'), because she was the mother of all the living.
Acts 17:24-27 The God who made the world & everything in it, being Lord of heaven & earth, does not live in temples made by man...(but) gives to ALL mankind LIFE AND BREATH & everything. And He made FROM ONE MAN EVERY NATION OF MANKIND TO LIVE ON ALL THE FACE OF THE EARTH

...God did this (purposed, intended this) so that THEY SHOULD SEEK GOD & PERHAPS FEEL THEIR WAY TOWARD HIM & FIND HIM.

Perhaps: G687 ar'-ah: meaning then, therefore, so, thus, consequently. Usage: The Greek particle "ἄρα" is used to denote a logical conclusion or inference. It often appears in contexts where a deduction is being made from previous statements or events. In the NT, it serves to connect thoughts, indicating a result or consequence that follows from what has been previously stated. In ancient Greek literature, particles like "ἄρα" were essential for constructing logical arguments & narratives. They helped to guide the reader or listener through the reasoning process, making the connections between ideas explicit.

Feel their way toward Him: G5584: psay-laf-ah'-o; Meaning: To touch, feel, handle, feel after, grope & reach out for. Usage: It is used 4X in the NT to describe the act of touching or feeling something with the hands, often to determine its reality or gain understanding through tactile experience. It conveys a sense of careful investigation by touch. In the ancient world, touching was a primary means of verifying the authenticity of objects or persons. In a time when written documents & visual media were not prevalent, it served as a crucial method for confirming truth & reality. This cultural context underscores the significance of it in biblical narratives, where physical interaction often symbolizes deeper spiritual truths.

Berean Study Bible: The imagery of reaching out suggests a groping or feeling after God, akin to a blind person searching for something in the dark. This reflects the spiritual blindness of humanity due to sin, as described in 2 Cor 4:4. Despite this blindness, God has made Himself known within each heart, through His creation (Rom 1:20) & through the faithful witnessing of His Word. The use of "perhaps" indicates human choice & the possibility of rejection, yet it also underscores God's grace in making Himself accessible. This reaching out is an act of faith, [a mustard seed of reaching toward God] as seen in Heb 11:6, which states that God rewards those who earnestly seek Him. This phrase highlights God's sovereign purpose in creation & history. The idea that God desires humanity to seek Him is rooted in the biblical narrative, beginning with the creation of man in Genesis. The fall of man introduced a separation from God, but throughout Scripture, God consistently calls His people to return to Him. This seeking is not merely a passive acknowledgment but an active pursuit, as seen in Deut 4:29. The intention & desire of God is that all nations & peoples would come to know Him. Finding God is the culmination of the seeking & reaching out process. This emphasizes the immanence of God, contrasting with the deistic view that God is distant & uninvolved.

Pulpit Commentary: vs 27. Ψηλαφάω is "to touch, feel, or handle," as Luke 24:39; Heb 12:18; 1 John 1:1. But it is especially used of the action of the blind groping or feeling their way by their hands in default of sight. So Homer describes Polyphemus as 'feeling his way' to the mouth of the cave with his hands after he was blinded by Ulysses ('Odyssey,' 9:416). Deut 28:29 we read, "Thou shall grope at noonday as the blind gropes in darkness." The teaching, therefore, of the passage is that, though God was very near to every man & had not left Himself without abundant witness in His manifold gifts & works, yet, through the blindness of the nations, they had to feel their way uncertainly toward God. In this fact lies the need of a revelation, as it follows ver. 30, etc. & hence part at least of the significance of such passages as, "Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord" (Eph 5:8); "Who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Pet 2:9 ); "God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cors 4:6)'.

Jer 29:13 You will seek Me & find Me WHEN you search for Me with all your heart.
Rom 1:19-21 ...What may be known of God is manifest (revealed, made plain) IN THEM, BECAUSE God has SHOWN IT TO THEM. For since the creation of the world His INVISIBLE ATTRIBUTES ARE PLAINLY (clearly) SEEN, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power & Godhead (Deity), so that THEY ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE—BECAUSE—although they KNEW God, they did not glorify Him AS GOD, nor were THANKFUL, but BECAME FUTILE IN their thoughts & their FOOLISH hearts were DARKENED...

God gives witness within a person that He exists & that man should 'feel toward Him' even though he is like a blind person, feeling their way along in the dark. If they continue to search, He gives the witness of the immensity/complexity of the universe that He created, further revealing His omnipotence & Deity. IF PERHAPS (the possibility remains) they further seek (rather than hardening their hearts) in perceiving the goodness & patience of God, the Lord brings His witnesses, sharing His revelation of the gospel in the Word of God. If they further respond & continue to seek, 'God may PERHAPS grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth' (2 Tim 2:24-26) & they trust in Christ to save them.

God reveals, man seeks. God brings trials to create a need & further reveals & man further seeks, groping in the dark. How can a man 'feel after God', to touch Him & find Him when He is incorporeal, nonphysical, invisible? This is the dilemma! Thomas had that dilemma: UNLESS I see & TOUCH the nailprints & scar of the spear thrust in His side.

1 John 4:14 And we have SEEN & do TESTIFY that the Father sent the Son TO BE THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD.
Col 1:15 NLT Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
Luke 24:39 Look at My hands & My feet. It is I Myself. Touch Me & see—for a spirit does not have flesh & bones, as you see I have.”

I John 1:1,2 That which was from the beginning, which we have HEARD, which we have SEEN WITH OUR EYES, which we looked upon & HAVE TOUCHED WITH OUR HANDS, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest & we have seen it & testify to it & proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father & was made manifest to us...

Theologically, this introduces the concept of original sin & the fallen state of humanity. The promise of death contrasts with the life offered by the tree of life, highlighting the choice between life & death, obedience & rebellion. This consequence sets the stage for redemption. This is promised in the OT & fulfilled in the NT through Jesus Christ. His shed blood brings forgiveness of sins, cancels our debt of sin, cancels our being under a curse, breaks our bondage to spiritual & physical death & brings the gift of eternal life, eating of the tree of life.

Rom 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom & knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments & His ways past finding out!

Matthew 18:3, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Thank you, 37818, for your gracious input! I will put that verse in its' context & include other gospel accounts of this incidence for a fuller development of it; or as Paul Harvey used to say, 'And this is the rest of the story.'

Matt 18:1-6 At that time the disciples came to Jesus & asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

What a powerful question to ask our Lord, our Rock & Redeemer! He is the King of the kingdom of heaven. There is no better person to Whom to ask that question! Prior to this, three of the disciples had been with Jesus on the Mt. of Transfiguration! What an experience of seeing unveiled, for a brief moment, the brilliance & effulgence of the Lord of glory! Hallelujah!

They came back down & were heading again toward Capernaum. They then come upon the rest of the disciples below, that stayed behind, who were arguing with the scribes in a large crowd (Mark 9:14:29; Luke 9:37-43) A man told Jesus that he has asked his other disciples to heal his boy who had a demon & would convulse him but they couldn't heal him.

Jesus upbraids them as a faithless generation, then in Mark's & Luke's accounts, Jesus questions the father about what happens to the boy & he tells Jesus & the father asks for Him to help. Jesus then challenges the father, "If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out & said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”(Mark 9:18-24) ...Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit & healed the boy & gave him back to his father. And all were astonished at the majesty of God. (Luke 9:42,43) Jesus used it as a teaching lesson with His disciples privately when they asked Him why they couldn't cast it out & He said that that demon can only come out by prayer & fasting. Then He taught them, “Because you have so little faith...For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ & it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matt 17:20,21)

As they traveled again & came to Capernaum, the disciples had been arguing on the way & Jesus asked them what they had been arguing about. (Mark 9:33,34) They had been arguing as to which of them was the greatest. (Luke 9:46) They were silent at first, yet Jesus knew the reasoning of their hearts (Luke 9:47). He began teaching them by all sitting down & started by saying, "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all & servant of all.” (Mark 9:35). Then He invited a little child to stand among them when they asked the powerful question above. While he talked He placed the child by His side & as He continued to speak, He took the child in his arms & furthur said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives Me & whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.” (Luke 9:47,48; Mark 9:36,37) He continued: verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted & become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck & to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off & throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands & two feet & be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out & throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes & be thrown into the fire of Gehnna.

10See that you do not look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven.
What do you think? If a man has a 100 sheep & one of them goes astray, will he not leave the 99 on the hills & go out to search for the one that is lost? 3And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the 99 that did not go astray. In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. (Matt 18:4-14)

Jesus did something amazing. Instead of answering the question right away, He invites a little child to be among them & teaches crucial characteristics of the simple faith & trust of a child that is necessary to be converted in order to enter the kingdom of heaven & how a child-like attitude of humility makes one great in Christ's kingdom. Welcoming a child like this is welcoming Him & His Father, who has angels protecting these faithful children. (Luke 15:1-7; 17:1–4)

That verse is a great one for the redemption aspect of what key things are highlighted in someone being converted, someone being regenerated, someone being born a second time in this life from above by God's Spirit. That is the simple faith of a child, that child-like faith that cries out, 'Abba!' It is that humble, contrite heart that easily responds to the Savior's call to be reconciled to Him & turns from self to the Savior.

Isa 66:2 Has not My hand made all these things & so they came into being?” declares the LORD. “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble & contrite in spirit & who tremble at my word.

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken & a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
James 4:6 But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Psalm 34:18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.
Zephaniah 3:12 But I will leave within you a meek & humble people & they will trust in the name of the LORD.

Later on the disciples AGAIN have a dispute as to which of them is the greatest & two disciples & their mother wanted to sit on each side of Jesus in His kingdom. Jesus further taught them.

Luke 22: 25-30 “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them & those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest & the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves. “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials & I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, so that you may eat & drink at my table in my kingdom & sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

I am continuing again in Genesis on the fall of man & the effects & results of that fall in separating mankind from a 'living' relationship with their Creator. This initial disobedience led to both spiritual death & physical death. In the original creation God made separation to be good. In the fall of man, man made separation to be horrific & an alienation from God & what He created.

Sin & disobedience to God leads to separation from the 'life' of God & a relationship with Him, separation & alienation in man from other human beings & separation & loss of dominion over the earth & all that was on it. Sin & disobedience leads to corruption of our soul & spirit, our inner man, our old self, our natural man under Adam. Sin & disobedience lead to the corruption & ruin of the original creation & the running down of the universe, causing it to groan, as we ourselves groan under the bondage of sin & death. In the original creation that was good, God made separations.

Gen 1:1-4 IN THE BEGINNING, God created the heavens & the earth. The earth was WITHOUT FORM [yet to be fully formed] & VOID [unfilled, not yet inhabited] & darkness was over the face of the ABYSS. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters And God said, “Let there be light” & there was light. And God saw that THE LIGHT WAS GOOD. And God SEPARATED the light from the darkness.

Isa 45:18 For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is God!), who formed the earth & made it (He established it; He did NOT create it TO BE EMPTY, He FORMED it to be INHABITED!): “I am the LORD & there is no other.

Gen 1:7,8 And God made the expanse & SEPARATED the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God CALLED THE EXPANSE HEAVEN.

Gen 1:10 God called the dry land Earth & the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. God SEPARATED the oceans from the land & it was GOOD.

Gen 1:12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN KINDS & trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, EACH ACCORDING TO ITS KIND. And God saw that it was GOOD.

Gen 1:14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to SEPARATE the day from the night.

Gen 1:16-18 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day & the lesser light to rule the night—& the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day & over the night & to SEPARATE THE LIGHT FROM THE DARKNESS. And God saw that it was GOOD.

Gen 1:21,22 So God created the great sea creatures & every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, ACCORDING TO THEIR KINDS & every winged bird ACCORDING TO ITS KIND. And God saw that it was GOOD. 22And GOD BLESSED THEM...

Gen 1:25 And God made the beasts of the earth ACCORDING TO THEIR KINDS & the livestock ACCORDING TO THEIR KINDS & everything that creeps on the ground ACCORDING TO ITS KIND. And God saw that it was GOOD.

Gen 1:26,31 Then God said, “Let us make man IN OUR IMAGE, after OUR LIKENESS. And let them have dominion over...all the earth...And God saw everything that he had made & behold, it was VERY GOOD. Mankind's original creation was unique from the rest of creation.

Ps 115:16 The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He has given to MANKIND.
Isa 45:12 It is I who made the earth & created man upon it. It was My hands that stretched out the heavens & I ordained all their host.
Jer 10:12 He has MADE the earth by His POWER, He has ESTABLISHED the world by His WISDOM & has STRETCHED OUT the heavens by His DISCRETION.

The original created universe was not created in chaos & ruin; it was originally unformed & unfilled UNTIL God formed & filled it to be inhabited in the original six days of creation. There is no gap theory in Scripture, this is man's foolish invention. There was no chaos & ruin & death in God's original creation; again another of man's vain speculations. Chaos & ruin, sin & death came ONLY after Adam & Eve disobeyed God & fell into the law of sin & death, cursing & bondage.

Originally man was created in God's image, after His likeness. After the fall of Adam & Eve, how was the rest of mankind made & multiplied?

Gen 5:1-4 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in His own likeness. Male & female He created them & He blessed them. And in the day they were created, He called them “man.” When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son IN HIS OWN LIKENESS, after HIS OWN IMAGE & he named him Seth. 4And after he had become the father of Seth, Adam lived 800 years & had OTHER SONS & DAUGHTERS.

Eph 4:22-24 You were taught with reference to your FORMER WAY OF LIFE to lay aside THE OLD MAN (SELF) WHO IS BEING CORRUPTED in accordance with DECEITFUL DESIRES & to be renewed in the spirit of your mind & to PUT ON THE NEW SELF (MAN), created AFTER THE LIKENESS OF GOD IN TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS & HOLINESS.

Col 3:9-10 Do not lie to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices & have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Mark 7:15-23 “All of you, listen to Me & understand: NOTHING that enters a man from the outside can defile him; but the things that come out of a man, these are what defile him...” His disciples inquired about the parable. “Are you still so dull?” He asked. “Do you not understand? Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him, because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach & then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.) He continued: “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him. For FROM WITHIN THE HEARTS OF MEN COME EVIL THOUGHTS, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance & foolishness. 3All these evils come from within & these are what defile a man.”

Rom 5:12-14,16-18 Therefore, just as sin ENTERED the world THROUGH ONE MAN & death through sin, so also DEATH WAS PASSED ON TO ALL MEN, BECAUSE ALL SINNED. 13For sin was in the world before the law was given; but sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, EVEN OVER THOSE WHO DID NOT SIN IN THE WAY THAT ADAM TRANSGRESSED.

16Again, the gift is NOT like the RESULT of the ONE MAN’S SIN. The judgment that followed ONE SIN BROUGHT CONDEMNATION, but the gift that followed many trespasses brought justification. 17For if, BY THE TRESPASS OF THE ONE MAN, death reigned THROUGH THAT ONE MAN, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace & of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! So then, just as ONE TRESPASS BROUGHT CONDEMNATION FOR ALL MEN, so also one act of righteousness brought justification & life for all men. 19For just as through the DISOBEDIENCE OF THE ONE MAN the many WERE MADE SINNERS, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

Job 31:33 “Have I concealed my transgressions LIKE ADAM (like other men), by hiding MY WICKEDNESS IN MY HEART...

Gen 3:17,18 To Adam He said, “Because you have LISTENED to your wife’s voice & have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You will not eat of it, CURSED is the ground BECAUSE OF YOU; in pain you will eat of it all your life’s days; thorns & thistles it shall bring forth for you;

1 Sam 15:24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; I have transgressed the LORD’s commandment & your instructions, BECAUSE I FEARED THE PEOPLE & OBEYED THEIR VOICE.

Gen 3:13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent DECEIVED ME & I ate.”

Col 2:11 In Him you were also circumcised, in the PUTTING OFF OF YOUR SINFUL NATURE (BODY OF THE FLESH), with the circumcision performed by Christ & not by human hands.

Rom 6:6 We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

Titus 3:3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts & pleasures, spending our life in malice & envy, hateful, hating one another.

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!

1 John 3:12 Do not be like Cain, who BELONGED TO THE EVIL ONE & murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because HIS OWN DEEDS WERE EVIL, while those of his brother were righteous.

Job 15:14-17 Ampl “What is man, that he should be pure & clean, or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous & just? Behold, God puts no trust in His holy ones (angels); indeed, the heavens are not pure in His sight--how much less [pure & clean is] the one who is repulsive & corrupt, man, who drinks unrighteousness & injustice like water!

Rom 3:23 ...For all have sinned & [all] fall short of the glory of God.
2 Chron 6:36 “When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—& you become angry with them & give them over to the enemy who takes them captive to a land far away or near;
Gen 6:5 YHWH saw how wicked everyone on earth was, with every inclination of people's thoughts becoming only evil on a continuous basis.
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things & it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?
Gen 6:12 God observed all this CORRUPTION IN THE WORLD, for EVERYONE ON EARTH WAS CORRUPT.

Hosea 6:7 But they, LIKE ADAM, have transgressed the covenant; there they were unfaithful to Me.
Isa 53:6 WE ALL like sheep have gone astray, EACH ONE HAS TURNED TO HIS OWN WAY & YHWH has laid upon Him the iniquity OF US ALL.
Rom 7:18 I know that nothing good LIVES IN ME, that is, in my flesh…
Ps 58:3 The wicked are estranged FROM THE WOMB; the liars go astray from birth.
Rom 8:7 ...the mind OF THE FLESH is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.

I John 1:8,10 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves & the truth is not in us. If we say we have NOT sinned, we make Him out to be a LIAR & His word is not in us.

James 1:14-15 But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away & enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin & sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Eccl 9:3 This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun: There is one fate for everyone. Furthermore, the hearts of men are full of evil & madness WHILE THEY ARE ALIVE & afterward they join the dead.

We truly need a Savior, Who can ransom us from sin & death, Who can reconcile us back to Himself & give us peace with God, Who can justify us as the Just One & the Justifier, Who can forgive us of all our sins. Who can set us free from the PENALTY of sin & the Second Death, Who can empower us to be free from the POWER of sin daily so we can grow up into our salvation, working it out & maturing more & more to be like our Lord by His Spirit & Who will set us free from the PRESENCE of sin one day! Hallelujah!

1 Thess 5:21 But TEST ALL THINGS. Hold fast to what is GOOD.
Ps 119:11 I have hidden Your word in my heart SO THAT I might not sin against You.
Isaiah 8:20 To the law & to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God IS LIVING & ACTIVE. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul & spirit, joints & marrow. It judges the thoughts & intentions of the heart.

Acts 7:38 “This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mt Sinai & with our fathers, the one who received the LIVING ORACLES to give to us...

Heb 5:12-14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; & you have come to need milk & not solid food. For everyone who PARTAKES only of milk IS UNSKILLED IN THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, for he is A BABE. But SOLID FOOD belongs to those who are MATURE (of full age), that is, those who by reason of PRACTICE have their senses EXERCISED TO DISCERN BOTH GOOD & EVIL.

2 Pet 1:3-11 His divine power has GRANTED TO US all things that pertain to life & godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to His own glory & excellence, by which he has GRANTED TO US His precious & very great promises, so that THROUGH THEM YOU MAY BECOME PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE, having escaped from the CORRUPTION that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, MAKE EVERY EFFORT to supplement your faith with virtue & virtue with knowledge & knowledge with self-control & self-control with steadfastness & steadfastness with godliness & godliness with brotherly affection & brotherly affection with love. For IF THESE QUALITIES ARE YOURS & ARE INCREASING, they keep you from being INEFFECTIVE OR UNFRUITFUL in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is BLIND, HAVING FORGOTTEN THAT HE WAS CLEANSED FROM HIS FORMER SINS. Therefore, BRETHREN, be all the more diligent to CONFIRM your calling AND election, for if you PRACTICE THESE QUALITIES you will never fall. For in this way there will be RICHLY PROVIDED FOR YOU an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but TEST THE SPIRITS to see whether they are from God. For MANY FALSE PROPHETS have gone out into the world.

2 Pet 1:16-21 For we did NOT FOLLOW CLEVERLY DEVISED MYTHS when we made known to you the power & coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty... And we have THE PROPHETIC WORD more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a LAMP SHINING IN A DARK PLACE, until the day dawns & the morning star rises in your hearts, KNOWING THIS FIRST OF ALL, that no prophecy of Scripture COMES FROM SOMEONE'S OWN INTERPRETATION. For no prophecy was EVER PRODUCED BY THE WILL OF MAN, but men SPOKE FROM GOD as they were carried along BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.

If the Holy Spirit influenced both the writers & the writings of scripture, then our hermeneutical focus should be directed there as well.
Eccl 12:11 The words of wise men are LIKE GOADS & masters of these collections are LIKE WELL-DRIVEN NAILS; they are GIVEN BY 1 SHEPHERD.

Back to Genesis once again to bring out further spiritual truths that the living Word of life reveals in His written word. Let us be good Bereans!

Acts 17:11,12 And the people of Berea were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, because they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul & Silas were teaching the truth. AS A RESULT, MANY OF THEM BELIEVED, along with quite a few prominent Greek women & men.

What are the primary reasons why Adam & Eve fell in a perfect environment & in the presence of God Himself & what can we learn from this in our own lives, to safeguard us, in being transformed by His Word & His Spirit into the very image & likeness of our Lord & Savior? Let us begin to examine carefully the Scripture in context & detail in Genesis 3. What a powerful revelation of God to us, for our instruction! (Rom 15:4; I Cor 10:11; James 5:10,11)

As always, we should seek to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us & lead us into all the truth. We obviously cannot exhaust the wisdom & insights of God's LIVING Word as we only have finite knowledge. What each one of us should be seeking to do is to understand the intent of the author by what he wrote as God spoke His very words--as to what he wrote this for & to whom & in what setting it was written, communicated by chosen words to convey meaning.

To look at Gen 3, let us briefly look at the ending of chapter 2, to see the context of what happened in chapter 3, which frames the picture.

Gen 2:18 The LORD God also said, “It is NOT GOOD for the man to be ALONE. I will make for him a SUITABLE HELPER.”

Alone: H905 (201X in OT)-- 'bahd': part, portion, alone, apart, branch, linen. Meaning: separation, a part of the body, branch of a, tree, bar for, carrying, chief of. It derives from an unused root meaning 'to separate.' The use of "bahd" to denote separation or being alone also reflects the cultural importance of community & the distinct roles within it.

Berean Study Bible:
The word "suitable" (H5048: 'neged'--150X in OT) -- before, in front of, opposite, against, in the presence of. Meaning: a front, part opposite, a counterpart, mate, over against, before. Word Origin: From the root נָגַד (nagad), meaning "to be conspicuous" or "to declare." It suggests a counterpart who corresponds to the man, highlighting equality as to being & mutuality as to purpose & roles. This creation of woman prefigures the unity & interdependence seen in the body of Christ, as seen in the NT. The use of "neged" in the Hebrew Bible reflects the importance of positioning in social, religious & military contexts. For example, standing "before" the Lord or "in the presence of" others often carried connotations of accountability or witness.

The term "helper" (H5828 'ezer' -- 21X in OT) -- help, helper, support, aid. lt is derived from the root עָזַר (azar), meaning "to help" or "to support." In ancient Hebrew culture, the concept of "ezer" was significant in understanding relationships, both divine & human. The term is famously used in Gen 2:18, where God declares that it is not good for man to be alone & decides to make a "helper" suitable for him. This usage underscores the complementary partnership between man & woman, rather than implying a hierarchy. In the broader biblical context, "ezer" often describes God's providential care & intervention on behalf of His people, highlighting His role as a reliable & powerful helper (33:20).

I have run out of time so will continue next time. Grace, mercy & peace from our Lord Jesus Christ.