After
God had formed Adam from the dust of the ground and given him the breath of
life by breathing into his nostrils and made him a living soul, the next thing
He did was to plant a garden for him. After planting the garden, he took Adam
and put him into it to dress and keep it as his home. In this garden, Adam was
tested and prepared for higher life confirmed in righteousness and true
holiness. In the same garden, he was given a helpmate made with a rib from his
body- Gen.2;18-25.
The
gate of life ushers us into the path, and the path of life leads us into life
that we progress from one degree to another degree in Christ. Our souls are
made living souls because we are created in the image and likeness of God to
bear His life and character. We are formed to live and not to die; and we are
created for life not for death. It is not enough to be formed and made a living
soul, we are also called to enter into life in its various degrees of glory in Christ.
This
life has eternal existence and it is the very life of God in Christ who has
come to us through incarnation and virgin birth. It is the life existing in Him
who is from the beginning- Jn. 1:1-4. The believer must always be clothed in
the righteousness and holiness of Chris that he becomes separated from the
world and its pollution.
The
stages of entering into the new life in Christ are the stage of hearing-
Ability of hearing has a great deal of crucial role in the life of a Christian, his faith and growth- Isa. 42:19-23; Matt.
13:10-17; Mk. 4:21-25; Rom. 10:14-18. There is a measure of light and life we
receive when we hear the truth; the stage of seeing- There is a spiritual ear
and eyes which God has given us to see
and hear what He reveals to us- Eph. 1:17. The spiritual eyes and ears are
located in the heart, and they become opened through new birth and continuous
spiritual growth which only comes by the revelation of the word of life- 2 Pet.
1:5-10; the stage of looking upon- this is the stage of glorification and
manifestation. As we look or gaze upon
Jesus with unveiled face, we become transformed from one degree to another
degree of glory. At this stage, we manifest as matured and glorified sons of God
to the creation-2 Cor. 3:6-18, Heb. 12:1-2; the stage of handling or
touching-this is the spiritual stage where we are permanently settled in the
life of righteousness and holiness, a stage of life with God which Adam and Eve
failed to enter into- 1 Jn. 1:1-2, Gal. 2:20.
The
life of God is the source of light, and light brings true fellowship. Once this
is revealed and manifested in us, it must be demonstrated in a life of
fellowship. The message of the gospel f life is that God is light and He does
not mix with darkness. Genuine Christian fellowship results from the awareness
of one's communion with God in Christ which opens up opportunities for deep
communion-ship and brings about concerns for other Christians- 2 Cor. 13:11-14.
This is the identifying mark of all true people of God wherever they are found
on earth- Jn. 13:34-35; Eph. 5:8-14; 1 Jn. 2:6-11.
In
2 Cor. 2:14-17, apostle Paul is speaking of the manifestation of the life of
Christ in and through the believer. The manifestation of His life in and
through us is what guarantees our triumph over Satan, the world and sin. In
true essence, the manifestation of His life in and through us help us to become
trophies of His victory over sin and death- 2 Cor. 2:14. The only way the
believer is given the power to overcome death and the grave is through the
resurrection life of Christ. By this redemptive accomplishment and experience,
the believer is made to become the sweet fragrance of the life of Christ which
exhales unto God.
The
soul is the basket of human moral life containing the mind, the will and the
emotion. The mind is the intellect or the reasoning faculty of man. The will is
his power to make decision or choice. And the emotion is the department of his
affection, desire, and feeling- his expressive nature. These three departments
of human soul are the pillars of his moral life which have suffered terrible
damages through the fall. These damages came in disobedience, guilt and death-
Gen. 2:17; 3:1-11; Rom. 5:12.
The
first man, Adam became a living being- an individual personality. The last
Adam, Christ became a life-giving Spirit restoring the dead human spirit and
soul to life- 1 Cor. 15:45. The new birth is the divine restoration of life and
light to the dead and blinded spirit of man. The spirit is the factor in human
personality which serves as the Lamp of the Lord searching and permeating all
his innermost parts- Prov. 20:27; 1 Cor. 2:11. The believer is called, not only
to believe, but also to enter into higher life and fellowship in Christ. As the
believer progresses in the new life he has entered into in Christ, from one
stage to another, he begins to manifest and distribute the life of Christ to
all who stay around him. This is the result of a life that has been surrendered
to God and has been submitted to the circumcising knife of the Holy Spirit.
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