spiritual death is separation from God At first blush, “spiritual death” may seem to be a nebulous academic theological term, difficult to comprehend, and of little practical value. It is a theological term all right, but it’s neither nebulous nor difficult to comprehend, and understanding it is of practical value in our daily lives as we move among and relate to the lost. Just as we need clarity in knowing who the lost are, we need clarity in knowing the meaning and significance of their condition of spiritual death. So far I’ve described spiritual death as being separated from God,…
The lost are spiritually dead The central feature of the nature of the lost is that they’re spiritually dead. Unlike those of us who’ve been born-again through faith in Jesus Christ, they’re still in the position they were born, dead in sin, and thus unable to relate to God, fellowship with him, or understand the things of God. Their spiritual father is Satan, not God. He holds them captive and uses them to advance his earthly kingdom. In this section we’ll examine the meaning and significance of spiritual death, and then consider it’s practical outworking in the lives and thought…
God calls us. Why would anyone would choose eternal separation from God over eternal glory with God, particularly when the only requirement for the latter is to place one’s faith in Jesus Christ? The answer brings us back to Adam and Eve’s first need after they sinned, and our first need as their spiritual children, who come into this world spiritually dead. When Adam and Eve sinned they lost fellowship with God and hid from Him. They needed Him to seek them out and draw them back. Because of their new fallen nature and dead spirits they would have never…
God has come to our rescue. Consider the significance of the condition in which we come into this world, not only bearing Adam’s guilt but also spiritually dead and with a sin nature. We’re not only unable to relate to God spiritually, but also, because of our sin nature, reject God and constantly seek after evil. Like Adam and Eve, our natural inclination is to hide from God and go our own way, relying on ourselves. Our focus is on ourselves, and we are driven by greed, lust, pride, and selfishness. Since we come into the world in the same…
We Inherit Adam and Eve’s Sin Nature Though created without sin and spiritually alive, their sin changed the default condition of man. They corrupted not only themselves, but us as well. Man is now born with a sin nature, bearing the guilt of sin, and spiritually dead. Though both sinned, Adam was the one officially held responsible. God created Adam, the first man, as His vice-regent on earth and the titular head of the human race. When Adam acted, he acted for all his future descendents. When he sinned, he brought all of us down with him. His sin was…
God Rescued Adam and Eve God could have left them in that state of spiritual death, and would have remained perfectly righteous and just if He had done so. He owed them nothing. He had created them as marvelous creatures in His own image and placed them over all the earth and every living thing upon it. He’d given them the opportunity to live forever, united with Him in perfect spiritual fellowship. And, he’d given them only one command: He forbade them to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They had rebelled and violated that…
Who are the Lost? Who are the lost? They are those who are in the original state we all come into the world, dead in sin, unable to be in fellowship with God. The only way out of that state is to be born again spiritually by placing one’s faith in Christ. In the beginning there was no such thing as being lost. Adam and Eve were created as children of God, in full fellowship with Him. They broke that fellowship for both themselves and us when they sinned. Now, natural man doesn’t come into the world as a child…
Satan’s Human Helpers The Christian can’t understand the nature of evil or the proper response to it without knowing and accepting the Bible’s teaching regarding Satan and his demons. Paradoxically, though all this is critical information in order to avoid confusion and error about Satan and his activity, it all occurs in the unseen world. We’ll never knowingly converse with a demon or recongnize demon possesion with certainty. Though we will come under Satanic attack, we won’t likely know with certainty, as the Apostle Paul knew in at least some cases, when that occurs. That’s not always the case when…