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

[Mathetes66]

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.

 

[Mathetes66]

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.

 

[Mathetes66]

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).

 

[Mathetes66]

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.

 

[Mathetes66]

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.