Life or Death?

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Your human existence is literally a matter of life or death. Jesus said, “… I am come that they might have LIFE, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Yet, Paul wrote, “all have sinned” (Rom. 3:23) and “the wages of sin is DEATH” (Rom. 6:23). Remember, human beings do not have souls, they are souls (Gen. 2:7).

Man is not naturally headed toward eternal life, but rather toward DEATH!

Human beings live approximately 70 to 80 years, and in some parts of the world much less. A few manage to live longer than this, but eventually all die. Yet, it was never God’s original purpose that it be this way. God wants us to experience life for all eternity.

God intends that all human beings ultimately receive His Holy Spirit. He wants it to eventually enter all minds. Let’s learn further what role this SECOND spirit component plays in the process, and how it works with the spirit in man, described in Chapter Five. First review what Paul wrote: “The Spirit [the Holy Spirit] itself bears witness with our spirit [spirit in man], that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:16-17).

We saw two spirits are described here. Did you see that God’s Spirit works “with” the human spirit to bring human beings to salvation as “joint-heirs with Christ”? It is this Spirit that Adam was offered and would have received had he eaten of the Tree of Life!

In 1 Corinthians 2:1-16, Paul had also said, “But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14). This is an enormously important verse. It is simply not possible for human beings without God’s Spirit to understand spiritual knowledge—spiritual understanding. Such things can only seem “foolish” to a mind that cannot “spiritually discern.” No matter how intelligent or talented a person may be, without the Spirit of God, it can be said that they have a spiritual I.Q. of ZERO! None of the problems common to individuals or nations can be properly addressed and resolved without the involvement of the Holy Spirit at work in minds.

Even attempting to tell people that they lack this spiritual component is a useless exercise, if God is not opening their minds (John 6:44, 65). It will seem foolish to them, because even this information is “spiritually discerned.” And the more intelligent and self-reliant the person is, the more foolish it will probably seem to him to be told that his mind is incomplete.

If Adam had eaten of the Tree of Life, he would have received the Spirit of God. He would have learned the way of love—the “give” way—instead of the way of “get,” practiced by this world. Remember, the Bible teaches that “love is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom. 13:10), and that “love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 5:5).

Romans 8:6 states, “For to be carnally [physically] minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is LIFE and PEACE.” If Adam had received the Spirit of God, he would have received life inherent within him. He would have been an “heir” with Christ as much as any true Christian today. He would have also known the way to peace.

All of this is truly special, extraordinary knowledge—unknown to all but a tiny scattered few on Earth today. It has simply not been understood until our time!

Who Holds Sway Over Earth?

Let’s return momentarily to the garden. Satan was literally lying in wait there for “baby” Adam and Eve. They were created on the sixth day of the week, Friday, rested on the Sabbath, Saturday, and were probably seduced by Satan (Gen. 3:1-6) on Sunday—at the age of two days old.

Of course, no two-day-old child knows how to discern right from wrong. Adam and Eve just thought they were grown-up enough to make their own decisions. Like most children today, this couple chose not to listen to their Parent, God. Instead, they believed Satan’s lie that they would not “surely die.” And, cut off from God by sin (Isa. 59:1-2; Jer. 5:25), mankind has believed the lies of the god of this world since Creation. Under the influence of Satan, he has practiced sin and disobedience to God’s commands for all this time. He has then tried to treat and correct all of the ill effects instead of treating the cause—breaking God’s commandments. Thus, God is patiently letting man learn bitter lessons. The vast majority, who have never known the precious truth of God, have to learn that their own ways do not work!

World’s Churches Deceived

God is reproducing Himself by putting a little OF HIMSELF into each person that He begets. Through repentance and baptism, one receives the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38), after having been called by God to inherit the promise of salvation (Acts 2:39).

Peter, the one speaking in Acts 2:16-17, referred to the prophet Joel foretelling a time when God would “pour out [His] Spirit upon all flesh” (Joel 2:28). That began with the birth of the New Testament Church on Pentecost in AD 31.

The churches of this world do not understand anything of the true path to salvation. They do not even realize what true salvation is. Only the Church that Christ leads (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18) understands these points. Jesus did not come to save the world now. He has never been on the “soul-saving campaign” many have assumed.

The false Christianity of this world is blinded to God’s truth and plan. Instead of obeying God, millions have been deceived into accepting the ideas and traditions of men. Jesus said, “In vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the TRADITION of men” (Mark 7:7-8).

We have seen that human nature is hostile to God. It hates the truth, law, government, and way of God. It does not want to be ruled by anyone or anything. It wants the freedom to follow its own way—believe its own ideas, customs, and traditions—without interference from God.

If one is interested in obeying God, it is only because he has been “drawn” (John 6:44) by God’s Spirit and called (Matt. 22:14) to understand His marvellous truth. His eyes are opened to his incredible human potential. As a result, he wants to live a completely different way of life.

Judgment is now on the Church, not on the world. Peter wrote to the Church, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God [the Church]” (1 Pet. 4:17). Eventually, the entire world will learn the truth (Isa. 11:9), with all nations having access to the plan of salvation. But that time has not yet come for humanity at large. The focus of God’s plan of reconciliation, forgiveness of sins, overcoming, character development, and receiving the gift of eternal life is focused entirely on the Church in this age!

Those called at this time must overcome the devil, the pull of this world, and their human flesh, just as Christ did, in order to qualify to be part of the soon-coming kingdom of God—to be able to rule with Christ. We read earlier that they shall rule with Christ on His throne (in Jerusalem), when He calls all mankind to an opportunity for salvation—when the devil will have been removed from his earthly throne and cast into a bottomless pit where he will be “bound … a thousand years” (Rev. 20:2-3).

Those called later—during the Millennium or the time of judgment for all the billions who have ever lived—will not have to overcome either the devil or the pulls of his world. No doubt, very few of these will rebel against God and reject salvation. Of course, some few will choose this, and we saw that they will be destroyed in a molten lake of fire (2 Pet. 3:10-12). They will be turned to ashes (Mal. 4:3) because a just and merciful God will, quite literally, “put them out of their misery.” The Bible describes this as the “second death” (Rev. 20:6), because all human beings are “appointed” to die once as a result of Adam’s sin (Heb. 9:27; Gen. 2:17).

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