In the Power of His Might

LESSON 4 Thou Shalt Surely Die

What was the nature and consequence of the original sin?

On the sixth day of creation, the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground.

God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Gen 2:7).

The soul brings the body to life.

It is the breath of life (Gen 2:7) the life of the flesh (Lev 17:11) the spirit of man (Zech 12:1)

So long as there is life in his body, a person both has a soul and is a living soul.

Next, God created Adam and Eve in his image.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

The image of God is not a physical form Adam and Eve already had a form.

The image of God is Spirit.

Having God s Spirit made Adam and Eve holy and righteous. It also made them immortal.

But this gift was not given unconditionally. God made a covenant with Adam in Eden:

Genesis 2:16b-17 16 Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

Genesis 2:16b-17 16 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.

Sad to say, the devil was also in the garden, his wickedness hidden by a beautiful disguise:

Ezekiel 28:13a Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold...

The serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty (2 Cor 11:3).

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die (Gen 3:4).

Genesis 3:6 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.

Adam and Eve were immediately aware that something terrible had occurred:

Genesis 3:7a And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked...

Genesis 3:7a And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked... But why should this bother them?

Genesis 3:7a And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked... But why should this bother them? Genesis 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Adam and Eve knew they were naked spiritually. Without the covering of God s righteousness, they could no longer stand in God s holy presence.

Adam and Eve did not go to the grave that day. But having lost their spiritual covering, they were now dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1 ).

They had been body, soul, and spirit.

Now they were only body and soul flesh and blood with a revoked passport to God s kingdom.

1 Corinthians 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Adam and Eve were now doomed to live out their days in bondage to the fear of death.

Even worse, all of Adam s children (and Adam is father of all humanity) would now be born in his image, mortal and separate from God.

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

Mankind s separation from God has never been simply a morality problem. It is also a mortality problem.

Even if it were possible for someone to live a spotless existence, he would still lose the battle to time, and God is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Matt 22:32).

Man was powerless to find his way back to God. Only God could intervene on his behalf.

1. What is the image of God? Test Your Understanding of Lesson 4

Test Your Understanding of Lesson 4 1. What is the image of God? 2. What was the condition of the covenant God made in Eden with Adam?

Test Your Understanding of Lesson 4 1. What is the image of God? 2. What was the condition of the covenant God made in Eden with Adam? 3. In what way did Adam and Eve die on the day of their transgression? 4. In whose image were Adam s children born?