The Revelation Genesis Link

From Gariel Ministries – November 24, 2007

            Part 1 – God Created Man As Spirit, Soul and Body

            Part 2 – Sin Enters The World Bringing Physical and Spiritual Death With It

Part 1 – God Created Man As Spirit, Soul and Body

God is Spirit.

“God is Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24      (KJV used throughout)

God created man as spirit, soul and body.

            The spirit is the supernatural part of man with an ability to communicate
            directly with God.

            The soul is the individual personality of man, his/her mind, will and emotions.

            The physical body was created to house the spirit with a soul.

Many people are confused about spirit and soul having been taught or simply have come to assume that spirit and soul refer to one and the same thing. This is not accurate. The following two Scripture passages provide clarification:  

“And the very God of peace, sanctify you wholly; And I pray (to) God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  1 Thess. 5:23

“For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow; and (the Word of God) is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do (must give account).  Hebrews 4:12-13

God created man in His own image. 

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” Genesis 1:27

At the time of creation, the spirit of man was created in the very image of God and the soul and body were able to reflect this image perfectly.                    

In the Garden of Eden, the spirits of Adam and Eve were in direct communion with God.  Adam and Eve talked directly with God and literally walked in the presence of God. Adam and Eve experienced (knew) first hand God’s love and His goodness.  They were fully holy and pure.  Complete harmony between man’s spirit, soul and body existed.  Every part of man could be and was in direct communion with God.

God gave mankind a soul that provided man with his own mind, free will and emotions.  God gave to man dominion over the earth.

“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish (means fill) the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.’  And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat (food).’” Genesis 1:28-29 

“And the Lord God took the man (Adam), and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.  And the Lord God commanded the man, saying ‘Of every tree in the garden thou mayest freely eat: But, of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.’ ”Genesis 2: 15-17

“And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air: and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.” Genesis 2:19

Part 2 – Sin Enters The World Bringing Physical and Spiritual Death With It

(Spiritual Death Means Separation From God)

God gave Adam and Eve only one command that was given in their best interest. Eve, deceived by Satan manifested in a serpent, exercised her will and ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Eve gave fruit to Adam and he, too, chose to eat. Thus, sin entered into the world and man became blemished, holiness and purity started eroding.  Living a “self” focused life instead of a God focused life was birthed on this tragic day.

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”  Genesis 2:6-7

Adam and Eve had now experienced (knew) evil, thus, God removed them from the garden of Eden.  Man surely did die in that day as the process of dying a physical death and the process of experiencing separation from God (spiritual death) began the moment they disobeyed God (put self will ahead of God’s will).

Because man experienced (came to know) evil God removed the ability for man to live forever.

“And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:  Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.  So He drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life (to prevent Adam and Eve and descendants from being able to get to the tree of life and eat from it).” Genesis 3:22-24

Physical and spiritual death came to all mankind through Adam’s sin.  Man is born into sin.  Every man, woman and child inherits the desire to sin (a sinful nature).  Thus, through Adam condemnation came to all mankind (physical and spiritual death).

“Wherefore as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so
death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Romans 5:12

“That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:21 

(Clarification-this is saying through the very righteousness of Jesus Christ who became the unblemished blood sacrifice for all of mans’ sin; people are again able to live for ever in the presence of God.  Each and every person can receive eternal life by receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior, because God has granted His grace (unmerited favor) through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.) Watch for future e-mails for further explanation.

“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”  I Corinthians 15:21-22

The harmony that existed at the time of creation between spirit, soul and body became muddled when sin entered the world. Man is no longer able to perfectly reflect the image of God.  Every part of man-spirit, soul and body-now operates in a state of confusion rather than in harmony.  Man was created to have a relationship with God, to commune and to fellowship with his/her creator.  Our spirit longs for and needs to be directly connected to God.  Our soul and body’s need is to come into harmony with our spirit. 

Born with a desire to sin, man’s sinful nature acts as a very strong barrier blocking the ability of man’s spirit to commune – walk and talk – directly with God.  Separation from God and His presence (spiritual death) can only be remedied when the spirit is quickened through being born again in Jesus Christ.