The Two Trees - Part II
"the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them." (Genesis 3:21)
Before Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil they obviously were not wearing clothes, yet they also were not embarrassed or ashamed to be that way in front of God or each other. One reason may well be that they were, in a sense, clothed with light. Their spiritual bodies were filled with God's glory because His Holy Spirit was freely moving there, and their physical bodies were both projecting spiritual truth into the physical and reflecting God's glory by being in His presence during those evening walks. "God is light, in Him is no darkness at all." (1 Jn. 1:5) An example of the physical body reflecting light from God is found in the third chapter of 2 Corinthians, speaking of the condition of Moses after he had been in the presence of God (Edodus chapter 34), "the sons of Israel cound not look intently at the face of Moses, because of the glory of his face."
Moses wore a veil over his face until that glory faded because that glory was temporary. And the solution that God had for Adam and Eve by making garments of skin for them was also temporary. To provide leather garments God took an innocent animal and killed it, shedding it's blood, to provide a covering for the people who had sinned. This is a spiritual law for man that God first showed Adam, and which is carried on throughout the Old Testament. The solution was temporary because when God saw the blood mixed with the faith of the one making the blood sacrifice, He would withhold his judgment of the sin, but He did not restore the condition of the spirit of man.
The offspring of Adam and Eve, and all of their offspring, would be born with a spirit that was separated from God. God would, from time to time, inject into those spirits a gifting from His Holy Spirit to do a special work or ministry. Thus we see the OT prophets as well as the great persons of OT faith listed in Hebrews 11. But Jesus even said of John the Baptist, who was filled with the Spirit from the womb; among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he". (Matt. 11:11)
Getting into the kingdom of heaven was made possible by the shedding of Jesus's blood for all, from Adam to me and you. His sacrifice was not to cover sin, but to remove it. And He would remove it by doing something that would change the spirit of man. Sin caused a change in the condition of man's spirit. All are born with a nature that is in conflict with God because, thanks to Adam, all are born with a spirit that is separated from God. The solution then is not just the forgiveness of sin. It also requires a rebirth of the spirit.
Before Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil they obviously were not wearing clothes, yet they also were not embarrassed or ashamed to be that way in front of God or each other. One reason may well be that they were, in a sense, clothed with light. Their spiritual bodies were filled with God's glory because His Holy Spirit was freely moving there, and their physical bodies were both projecting spiritual truth into the physical and reflecting God's glory by being in His presence during those evening walks. "God is light, in Him is no darkness at all." (1 Jn. 1:5) An example of the physical body reflecting light from God is found in the third chapter of 2 Corinthians, speaking of the condition of Moses after he had been in the presence of God (Edodus chapter 34), "the sons of Israel cound not look intently at the face of Moses, because of the glory of his face."
Moses wore a veil over his face until that glory faded because that glory was temporary. And the solution that God had for Adam and Eve by making garments of skin for them was also temporary. To provide leather garments God took an innocent animal and killed it, shedding it's blood, to provide a covering for the people who had sinned. This is a spiritual law for man that God first showed Adam, and which is carried on throughout the Old Testament. The solution was temporary because when God saw the blood mixed with the faith of the one making the blood sacrifice, He would withhold his judgment of the sin, but He did not restore the condition of the spirit of man.
The offspring of Adam and Eve, and all of their offspring, would be born with a spirit that was separated from God. God would, from time to time, inject into those spirits a gifting from His Holy Spirit to do a special work or ministry. Thus we see the OT prophets as well as the great persons of OT faith listed in Hebrews 11. But Jesus even said of John the Baptist, who was filled with the Spirit from the womb; among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he". (Matt. 11:11)
Getting into the kingdom of heaven was made possible by the shedding of Jesus's blood for all, from Adam to me and you. His sacrifice was not to cover sin, but to remove it. And He would remove it by doing something that would change the spirit of man. Sin caused a change in the condition of man's spirit. All are born with a nature that is in conflict with God because, thanks to Adam, all are born with a spirit that is separated from God. The solution then is not just the forgiveness of sin. It also requires a rebirth of the spirit.
posted by Bob | 5:23 PM
1 Comments:
Dad, I really appreciate both of your "Two Trees" entries. They have definitely caused me to think. Please keep these posts coming.
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