LIFE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT�(KEY VERSES: ROMANS 8:14 AND GALATIANS 5:16)

SETTING THE MIND ON THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT

COLOSSIANS 1:1-3

RECAP

• For us to “Set our minds on the things of the Spirit” we must know what the MIND of man is, and what the SPIRIT is, we must examine the nature of man.
• To understand the nature of man, it is important we go to the beginning of all things to understand the Man as God created him.
• For us to live the life in the Holy Spirit, we must understand what is means to be born from above- because the life in the spirit is the life from above. Therefore, we are called to live from above

THE CONTROVERSIES

• The nature of man- was man created in the image of God?
• The fall of Adam- what really was the sin of man?
• Is the sin of Adam automatic? – are we sinners because Adam sinned?
• Is once Saved always saved? Can someone loose his salvation?

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THE NATURE OF MAN- WAS MAN CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD?

Genesis 1:26-27 KJV And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

• The phrase, “Let us” speaks of an intention, God is stating His plan for man. man in vs26, refers to Humanity. Therefore, in God’s plan, God wants to make Humanity in His image!
• That image would be what would make him have dominion

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SO, WE ASK 3 QUESTIONS?

1. WHAT IS THE IMAGE OF GOD?

2. THE FIRST MAN WHEN HE WAS CREATED, WAS HE CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD?

3.HOW DO MAN COME INTO THE IMAGE OF GOD?

let answer 2 first!

Genesis 2:7 KJV And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

• we see in Genesis 2:7, when God made the first man, he only became a living soul! Not in the image of God—that means Genesis 1:26-28, hasn’t happened in this first man. This brings to fore that, man created by God, doesn’t mean man is in his image. so, we ask question number

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Genesis 5:3 KJV And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat *a son in his own likeness, after his image*; and called his name Seth:

Adam bore a son in his own likeness and in his image not that of God.

So, NO IMAGE OF GOD IS SEEN!

Why?

Genesis 2 and 3

Genesis 2:8-9 KJV And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. (9) And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

NOTICE, JUST TWO TREES, don’t import your idea, every tree, is the two trees!

THE FALL OF ADAM

Genesis 2:16-17 KJV And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (17) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

• so, if there are only two trees, God gave an instruction, not to “eat of one and to eat of another”
• The tree of life, leads to life
• the tree of knowledge of good and evil leads to death
• it is important to note here, Moses is communicating God’s plan an adopt a figure of speech, to communicate God’s promise of life to the world, and the consequences of not choosing life, which is DEATH.
• Since it is an allegory, we must ask, what did Moses mean by eat of?

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WHAT IS "EAT OF”?

let’s go to the New Testament for interpretation of that

Jesus gives us a lead on the that. In looking at these words: “eat of”, we’d need to see what Jesus said in Matthew 15 and John 6.

Matthew 15:16-20 KJV

[16] And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? [17] Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? [18] But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. [19] For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: [20] These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

• Jesus explains that whatever a man eats, enters his belly and goes into the toilet later on. Jesus would explain further that eating does not defile a man. However, what defiles a man is what proceeds from his mouth which comes from his heart.
• This explanation takes down the idea that Adam ate a fruit and in eating the fruit he sinned against God.
• Moses was connoting something spiritual. Remember that Moses will be presenting God’s plan in his writings. (in types and shadows)

LET’S SEE JOHN:�

John 6:32-33 KJV

[32] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. [33] For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

• Jesus explains that he is the true bread. True here does not mean that there’s a fake bread. It means perfect.

John 6:35-36 KJV

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. [36] But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.

• Jesus explains here that he is the true bread and anyone that eats out of this true bread will never hunger.
• In verse 35 and 36, he’d introduce the word believe. The person who believes in him shall never hunger.

John 6:40 KJV

[40] And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

• He used the word believe again to explain that anyone that believes will receive everlasting life.

John 6:47-48 KJV

[47] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. [48] I am that bread of life.

John 6:50 KJV

• This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

The man who eats of this bread will have everlasting life.

John 6:51

John 6:51 KJV

[51] I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

• Jesus says that he’s the living bread and anyone who eats of the bread will have everlasting life.

John 6:52 KJV

[52] The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

These folks got it all wrong. They thought Jesus was talking about eating his flesh

John 6:53-58 KJV [53] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. [54] Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. [55] For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. [56] He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. [57] As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. [58] This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever.

• In verse 56, he speaks of identification. The man that eats is identified in Christ. He further explains in verse 58 that a man that eats of the living bread (Jesus) will live forever.
• This is eternal life which is found in Christ.

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John 6:61-64 KJV [61] When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? [62] What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? [63] It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. [64] But there are some of you that believe not...

• Many of them did not believe.
• Jesus would explain that eating his flesh and drinking his blood is believing in him; believing in his works.

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• So, since the scripture teaches "eat" has regards to believing.
• Moses also in his writing Genesis 2 would use “eat” to refer to believe.
• So, what was Adam to believe? He was to believe in God’s plan for man! The promise of Life.
• Adam believing in that, would come into God’s image, God’s image is based on his life!
• But sadly, Adam didn’t believe, he rejected God’s promise and was found in Death—another image—this rejection is unbelief!

That means, God’s image is come into by Faith!

WHAT IS THAT IMAGE ? �

Paul explains Moses for us

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2 Corinthians 4:4 KJV In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

• Paul calls Jesus Christ the image of God

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Colossians 1:14-15 KJV In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: (15) Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

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• Jesus is the image of the invisible God!

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The writer of Hebrews:

Hebrews 1:2-3 KJV Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; (3) Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

• Jesus is the express image of His person

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• Hence, when God said “Let us make man in our image and likeness” God was stating his intention for man to be found in Christ, His son! the image of GOD
• God’s plan was for man to be in his image; to be in Christ. That is, God wanted man to have everlasting life.
• What was presented to Adam for him to belief was the gospel which is the life of God, this is typified as the tree of life in Genesis. Adam on the other hand, showed unbelief towards the message.
• Therefore, the tree of life was a figurative expression or explanation of God’s plan of life in Christ for man of which Adam rejected as an act of his will.
• Adam disbelieved God.
• Adam’s sin was disbelief in what God told him not a behavioral misconduct. He rejected life (the tree of life). To not eat of the tree of life, is to reject what God said- His offering of Life!
• Hence, Genesis 1:26-28, didn’t come to pass, in the life of this Adam that was created in Genesis 2.

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So, did God ever fulfill that promise? yes, how? After man fell, God became a man—Jesus Christ, Paul calls Him the Last Adam, the second man

John 1:14 KJV And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

1 Corinthians 15:45-47 KJV And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. (46) Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. (47) The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

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• Paul says, this Last Adam, He is quickening Spirit, He is Lord from heaven, that means, He been the Last Adam, he would begin a new kind of Humanity, one in which anyone who believes takes on the image of God! the image of the son of God.

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So, Paul put it like this:

Romans 5:19 KJV For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

• So, the obedience of Christ, makes many righteous by faith! when we believe we come into God’s image and likeness, we become like Christ, in character and in Nature.
• Thus, Genesis 1:26-28 is fulfilled in Christ, the last Adam, the one that gives us His nature by faith and from there we walk in dominion!
• the male and female in Genesis now, would be male and female in Christ, Humanity in Christ in the Last Adam! the new creation, today and forever! found in God’s glorious image and likeness

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You gerrit?

🤣

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