Be Truly Alive!

In reading the first two chapters of Genesis we see our planet had a very beautiful beginning. We see God calling various aspects of creation into existence: trees, fish, birds and more. However, this “pattern" changed when He created humans. Humans were made in His image which included having a will and the ability to create.

The creation of humans is mentioned in Genesis 1 and again in Genesis 2. These are not two separate occurrences. They are not contradictory. The Holy Spirit by Moses was bringing different aspects of our creation into view. In this message we will start with

the Genesis 2 account which succinctly describes the creation of Adam, and shows God’s very personal involvement which mercifully continues even after Adam’s sin. As we go through various passages we will see we can have much more than life here, but we can have a very abundant life which can continue into eternity.

I. Consider Our Beautiful Start - Genesis 2:7

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

Previously in Genesis 1:31 we see that God declared all of His creation to be very good and now the perspective in chapter two presents the fact that the creation of man was very personal. He did not just speak man into existence but formed him from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils. Often in Holy Scripture in both Old and New Testaments a word is used that can mean breath or spirit. This is no fluke. God is showing that we are predominately spirit creatures.

So the wording of Genesis 2:7, “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being”, vividly points to the fact that man is a spiritual being. And, along with the fact that God personally formed him and breathed into him indicates God loves man {1} and personally takes interest in man. This is seen throughout the Holy Bible along with the fact that God is personally active with man. Another important truth this verse shows is that we constantly need God, and we constantly need the Spirit of God because we are spiritual creatures.

II. Consider Our Battered Being - Genesis 2:17

“from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

God communed with the man and the woman and in doing so He gave them various instructions, like what they may eat. Our first parents were to trust God, trust what He said, and lovingly obey Him. If we have children we do the same thing with them. We let them know what things are fine to do, and what things are wrong, even dangerous, to do.

God warned them about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He said “in the day you eat of it you shall surely die.” Before we continue it needs to be said that the Hebrew word translated here as “day” is like our word “day” having somewhat a broad range of definitions. It can mean daylight time, a rotation of the earth on its axis, or a general time period.

“Die” is another term we need to address. Death is never cessation of existence {2}. Basically in the Biblical sense death is a separation, sometimes meaning the spirit separated from the body, the spirit of a person being separated in aspects from God, or both. One is physical death. The other is spiritual death.

It is true that Adam and Eve physically lived hundreds of years after disobeying God, but we can be assured the process of physical death somehow began with their act of disobedience. Evidence of their spiritual death is immediately seen in Genesis 3, because they hid themselves from God. Genesis 3 contains the final record of YHVH God meeting with Adam and Eve in a personal way. For the generations soon to follow mankind’s ability to recognize enjoy the presence of God would be diminished.

Man fell into a depraved state upon sinning. They had eaten of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and their decision making was no longer God-centered but self-centered. Instead of needing God’s loving direction love of self offered direction to them. Continued yielding to sin led to greater spiritual degradation.

III. Receive Redemption - Genesis 3:15, 21, and 1 Peter 3:18 

God could have destroyed Adam and Eve but He did not, partly because He saw you and me within them, and also loved us. Instead, in Genesis 3:15 He pointed to the future (at that time) redemptive work of the Son. In verse 21 we see He made coats of skin for our first parents to cover their nakedness. While the text does not say so, many of us feel He killed an animal in front of them while telling them of His future work of redemption.

When we come to the New Testament, the Gospels relate to us the victorious life of Christ and then how He died to redeem us. The redemptive work is further elaborated by the Holy Spirit throughout the other books of the New Testament. We can definitely cite scores, if not hundreds of verses that speak of the redemption provided for us, but for this message we will just consider 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;”

God has directed me to use this verse in order to make a connection with the truths we have mentioned from the Genesis verses. For one thing, as mentioned, spiritual and physical death entered the world when Adam disobeyed God. In 1 Peter 3:18 we see Christ died for our sins, but then was “made alive in the spirit.” “Made alive” is from a Greek word {4} that can mean . . .

And, of course, “in the spirit”, is highly significant because people are spiritual beings. In fact, we might look at ourselves as a spirit within a body. We are completely damaged, physically and spiritually, before we permit ourselves to be regenerated by God through His Holy Spirit. But a most spectacular thing occurs when we accept the redemption in Christ that He has lovingly provided for us. Christ being quickened, made alive, in the spirit means that He is well able to meet our spiritual need.

IV. Receive The Living Spirit Of Christ - 1 Corinthians 15:45

“So also it is written, "The first

man, Adam, became a living soul." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”

The context of 1 Corinthians 15:45 shows “the last Adam” is Jesus Christ. This verse brings out a great blessing that brings us back to Genesis 2:7. “Spirit” in the New Testament is the Greek word “pneuma” which can also mean breath! In a way, when one receives Christ as their Lord and Savior we might look at it as God breathing in to them. We could also say it this way: God offers to breathe into people again.

We also see the term “life-giving” again in 1 Corinthians 15:45. The finished work of Jesus Christ is completely able to bring each person back to life spiritually, no matter how ruined they are. No longer do any of us have to be bound by sin and undergo its degrading affects. As it is written in Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

Those that truly trust God through Christ are not only tremendously blessed spiritually, but if they remain in Him they will also physically live forever. However, it will not be with the type of body that we now have. Instead, as it is written in 1 John 3:1, anyone that is truly in Christ will have a body like He currently has.

V. Keep On Breathing - John 6:63 

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”

It is highly significant that the terms “Spirit”, “gives life” (quickens), “words”, “spirit”, and “life” are spoken of by Christ in this verse. The Holy Spirit Himself regenerates and revives dead souls -- dead spiritually and physically! “Words that I have spoken” connected with “spirit” reminds me of 2 Timothy 3:16 which states that all Holy Scripture is inspired by God, and the phrase “is given by the inspiration of God” does not mean normal inspiration, but it is a compound word of “pneuma” and “Theos” (God) and thus means supernaturally God-breathed.

The written Word of God is God-breathed because we as spirit creatures need God to breathe into us. When someone turns to God through Christ it could be said that God quickens them by His Spirit (or we could also use “breath”) entering into them. They become alive and so the Holy Bible comes alive to them, resonating with their spirit within. One’s flesh might not like that for a time, but as we grown in Him the old nature continues to undergo death and our spirit becomes stronger because of His Spirit.

At the end of the verse Jesus mentions “life”. This particular word is “zoe” and often stands in contrast with another word translated life, “bios”. Bios could be described as just basic day-to-day living: eating, drinking, working, sleeping, etc. While there is basically nothing wrong with that, someone who commits to God through Christ is given the zoe of Christ. Zoe can mean in part vibrant life with definite purpose. This is certainly “life abundantly” as stated by Christ in John 10:10.

As you might know, Christ points us to, and is, Eternal Life. If we are truly saved we are exhorted to remain in Him, John 15:1-5 being one of the many passages that so instructs us. We are to receive and enjoy His written and spoken Word. 1 John 2:24-25 states, "As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.”

There are more Holy Scriptures similar to the ones mentioned under this last point. A truly blessed, full life is offered to any and all who would willing surrender to God through Christ, receiving Christ and, in a way, breathing Him in. Once we do so we should continuously breathe the Spirit of Christ into us, enabling us to be truly alive now and, if we remain in Him, forever.

Notes:

{1} Used in the proper traditional sensible sense, denoting all people, male and female. I could not care less about being politically correct.

{2} For additional information please read You Still Exist After Death located at http://thesureword.expertscolumn.com/article/you-still-exist-after-death .

{3) For further insight into aspects of Genesis 3 pleas read Garden Encounter at http://holybibletreasures.expertscolumn.com/article/garden-encounter .

{4} From an electronic version of Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance by James Strong incorporated in the Online Bible program, and so throughout the article whenever the ancient language is referred to and no other authority is cited.

This article was written in the form of a sermon (message) outline with comments. God willing by October 12, 2017 (hopefully much sooner), you should be able to hear the actual message (sermon) by selecting a link at http://www.sapphirestreams.com/life/audioM.html#M468 .

Unless otherwise noted all Holy Scripture is from the New American Standard Bible changing LORD to YHVH as it rightly should be when the text so indicates and adding “(The Existing One)” to readily express the meaning of His Name without making repeated explanations in articles. * = For other versions the spelling of some words is updated for our time in addition to changing LORD to YHVH as it rightly should be when the text so indicates.

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