In the beginning God made man in his own image. He firstly prepared the earth, and then made He man. However let us consider the make up of this man he had created.

The following scripture outlines two main parts of man. The body was made from the dust of the ground however his soul was made from air. So far we know that man has a body and a soul. 

The scripture from Hebrews outlines that the Word of God is able to divide the soul from the spirit. Herein we know that man was a triune being, meaning he was made of 3 parts. He had a body (often called the outer man) and he had a soul and a human spirit (both collectively called the inner man). So we know that the outer man (body) was made from the dust and the inner man (soul and spirit) was made from the air.

These 3 parts make up a man. It is by the body we can identify a man. It is when we look upon or handle the shape and/or texture of a man that we can identify him as a man as opposed to an animal. 

Gen 1:31

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. 

It is important to note that God testified that everything he had made was very good. He is a God that makes all things perfect and sinless. Therefore Adam was made without sin, he was however given the ability of choice.

Before we go any further I would like to continue down the path of the make up of man. We established that man is 3 in 1 - body, soul and spirit. Let us look into the function of each.

BODY

- Made from the dust
- Visible
- Physical

- A vehicle of expression for the inner man

- Gives the inner man access to the earth

- The clothing of the soul
- Touches the earth

- Has no feelings, emotions, sentiments, likes or dislikes (the body feels no pain if there is no soul in it)

SOUL & SPIRIT

- Made from the air
- Invisible
- Spiritual
- Touches the body

- The real person

- The essential part of the man

- Houses all feelings, emotions, sentiments, likes, and dislikes and these are expressed through the body.

- Generates thoughts

- Houses the conscience

Adam was a soul that was given a body to express himself in a physical environment. Adam could feel the water, smell the flowers and taste fruits because his soul was given a body to do so. If Adam did not have a body he would not have had access to the earth, because the earth is a physical realm. Seeing that the inner-man is spiritual, Adam therefore needed a physical body to have access to the physical realm. The body however was strictly for that - access. It is the soul that is the real person, but the body gives the soul an opportunity to experience the earth. 

It is the soul that likes and dislikes not the body. Consider this, Julie and Timon are both human beings. Julie loves mangoes, however Timon doesn't. The difference between Julie and Timon is not the tongue per se, because the make-up of the tongue is the same for both. Rather it is the soul of Julie that loves mangoes and soul of Timon that doesn't. 

When a human dies, the body is left behind. If we go to a coffin and yell at the body, it will not be offended or hurt. If we try to seduce the body, it will not respond. If we try to inflict pain or harm to the body, it will not feel anything. It is the presence of the soul in the body that brings life to the body (James 2:26). The inverse is also true, it is the presence of the soul in a body that brings life to the soul here on earth. That is why Adam was made a living soul; his soul was made alive when it entered a body.

Adam was made as a holy man, there was no part of him that was sinful. His flesh was NOT sinful and neither was his inner-man.

I hope we can really see and understand the make up and function of the man. With all that said everything that God made was good. Adam's body was good and holy and so was his soul and spirit. He was however given the ability to choose.

Figure 1 - The Pure/Innocent Man/Adam

Part 2/8

http://stillsilentwhispers.blogspot.com/2015/11/salvation-series-i-part-2-fall-of-man.html

I hope you understood all of the principles explained in part 1 so that we can move on to the fall of man. 

We explained in part 1 that Adam was made perfect, he was however given the ability to choose to obey God or not. It was the heart of the Father that Adam obey him everyday of his life and also to teach his children to do the same. Jesus said if you love me you will obey my commandments (John 14:15), obedience therefore is man's expression of love for the Father. God is love and Adam was created to love him. It was his fellowship with God and his obedience to God that would manifest his love towards Him. 

The scriptures reads, in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 

What is this death?

The scripture says the day that they ate of the fruit they would die. However we know that they did not die the death that we usually refer to as death (meaning his soul didn't leave his body). We know they had not died yet, because they did not have any children yet (children take 9 months to develop). But the scripture declares that it would be in the day that they ate of the fruit they would die. Well God's Word cannot lie. They both died that day, but what is this death if it was not physical?

Death is separation from God.

Important to note also that the serpent too was made good, holy and perfect. However the serpent allowed the devil's seed in and therefore even the serpent had sinned against God (hence the serpent was cursed). 

Herein we see what happened here, the seed of the serpent was the devil that had entered it. Also importantly noted here is that the woman was given a seed by God. In nature we know that it is the male who has the seed and passes it to the woman, however God gave a seed to the woman in this verse above. The seed he spoke of was Christ that would be born of a virgin without any influence of a man. It was a prophecy done by the Father. Christ would bruise the head of the devil (He would destroy him) and the devil would bruise the heel of Christ (he would crucify Him).

However if it is by the disobedience of the serpent that caused the devil to enter the serpent, what do you think happened when Adam and Eve disobeyed?

We stated above that the day they ate of the fruit they died. We know that death not to be physical because they didn't die that day physically, we know therefore that the death was a spiritual death. The day they ate of the fruit the spirit of death entered their bodies.

Jn 8:39-44
39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 
40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God:this did not Abraham. 
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 
42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me:for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 
43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own:for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The above is a conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees. However look at verse 44. Jesus was not simply being disrespectful here, he was speaking the truth. The devil was truly their Father, why? Because he had entered the body of Adam and they came forth from Adam. The devil is the spirit of death, he is the spirit that works in the children of disobedience.

Eph 2:1-3
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Rom 8:14-15
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Just as the devil entered the serpent, the devil also entered Adam when he sinned. He is the spirit of bondage that all mankind received because of Adam's sin. Romans lets us know that God is our Father when we receive His Spirit, however before we received His Spirit we were the children of wrath/disobedience/of the devil.

The devil produced a law in the body of Adam called the law of sin and death (Rom 8:1-2). The law of gravity says anything that goes up must come down. The law of sin and death says as long as we are in these bodies we will sin and perish.

We learned in part 1, that the soul was positionally in the flesh (see Fig 1.). By the law of sin and death, sin worked in our bodies. Our souls were therefore left to live in sinful bodies until the day we die.

Rom 7:5
For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

Romans 7 is a chapter that has been butchered by many ministers, but we must see the perspective of God for this scripture. This chapter is often used to make reference to the Sons of God. THIS IS GROSS ERROR. Romans 7 is a chapter that mainly focuses on a man that does not have the Holy Ghost. We can see this clearly when we compare Rom 7:5 to the following chapter Rom 8:8-9.

Rom 8:8-9
So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

This is so plain and simple. Romans 7 is explaining the spiritual disposition of a person who does not have the Holy Ghost. Paul is explaining what happened to Adam after he sinned. The devil had entered his flesh and he kept Adam bound to sin. He would not allow Adam to do righteousness even if the soul of Adam desired to. However Romans 8:8-9 shows a great distinction between a Son and a sinner. They that are in the flesh cannot please God, but the Sons of God are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Holy Ghost is in our bodies. If the Spirit of God does not dwell in us, then we do not belong to God, we belong to the devil.

Do not be dismayed, there may be some things which we do not understand but that sidebar was necessary that we do not think that Romans 7 is speaking of the saved man, but it is speaking of the fallen man.

Rom 7:5-24
5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. 
6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law:for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 
8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. 
9 For I was alive without the law once:but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 
10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. 
11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. 
12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.
13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. 
14 For we know that the law is spiritual:but I am carnal, sold under sin. 
15 For that which I do I allow not:for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 
16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing:for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 
19 For the good that I would I do not:but the evil which I would not, that I do. 
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Let us remember that the scripture highlights the position of the soul in the unsaved man. The soul is in the flesh (verse 5).

Above I highlighted all the crucial points we must note in order to understand the scripture above. Here Paul speaks as an unsaved man who is under the law of Moses, trying to obey the law. The law is spiritual, it indeed points to God but because of the law of sin in him, he realizes that he cannot fulfill the law. Sin was in him. The purpose of the devil entering the body was to prevent the soul from being able to use its body to perform righteousness.

Remember we had learnt that the body gives the soul access to the earth, but it is the soul that is the real us. When the devil entered the body of Adam he held the soul captive. Let us not forget that before he was the devil he was Lucifer, an arch angel of God. However the soul was made from air. Lucifer is more powerful than the soul. Therefore when his spirit entered Adam he overpowered the soul of Adam and produced the law of sin and death in the body. This was so that Adam could never please God because his very means of expression (the body) was now by nature sinful.

Look at verse 24 of Rom 7, the body was now a body of death, because the devil lived in it. There was no way we could please God because the devil took residence in the body and would not leave till we die. He is the strongman that has taken over the house of Adam (Matt 12:29).

God made a law in the garden of Eden, every seed would produce after its kind. Well Adam had a seed, and his seed would also produce after its kind. Adam would not produce an elephant or a tree but he would produce a human. However when Satan entered, he corrupted the seed of Adam. Adam was now evil and so was his seed. Adam was sinful and so all that would ever be born from Adam would also be born in sin. Death reigned on all mankind by one man's sin.

Rom 5:12-19
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
13 (For until the law sin was in the world:but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. 
15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 
16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift:for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 
17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

I pray you are understanding the fall of mankind.

Summary

Satan had entered and took over the body and inner-man of mankind. He had taken over the very expression of man - the body. Once a man is in the body now he will sin because the devil lives in the body.

Fig 2. The fallen man, both the soul and body kept captive by the devil.

Part 3/8

http://stillsilentwhispers.blogspot.com/2015/11/salvation-series-i-part-3-save-me-oh.html

Rom 7:24 - O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

In part 2 we learned that the body and soul were overtaken by the devil when Adam sinned. All his offspring were in turn born just as he was - bound. 

We were without the strength to please God. We were in the flesh and our flesh was sinful. It was a body of death and a body of sin. We needed to be saved. Our souls needed to be saved from our bodies.

We all know the gospel, Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world. When Jesus was on the cross, all the sins of the world were placed upon his flesh and it was ripped to pieces. Jesus died for every sin that ever was and is and will be.

Oh what amazing grace!

He not only died on the cross for us all, but he also rose from the dead. It is because Jesus died, we are able to ask God for repentance, but because he rose, we can receive His Spirit.

Rom 5:10
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

His death paid the debt for our sins, but it is when we receive His spirit we are saved!

Save - to preserve, to keep from perishing.

Let us consider something, as the mystery continues to unravel. All human beings are born with human bodies, but whether we are saved or not, our bodies will return to the ground. Even those that will be alive in the rapture, the scripture says we shall put off corruptible (our fleshy bodies) and put on incorruptible (a spiritual body)(1 Cor 15:53). But it is the soul that will continue to live whether it is clothed with a spiritual body in heaven or left naked in hell. There is an eternal nature to the soul, however the natural body is for life here on earth.

Therefore it is the soul aspect of us that needs to be saved (preserved). The body will return to the dust whether we like it or not. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption (1Co 15:50). 

Psa 86:2
Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.

When we ask the Lord for salvation, we often say save my soul and that is exactly what he does. However there is another aspect to be considered, remember this verse?

Rom 7:24 - O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

The body was sinful, so the body also has to be saved. The soul has to be delivered from the body to be saved, but Jesus did not forget our bodies at salvation.

Come with me as we delve even deeper into the mystery of Christ.

Part 4/8
http://stillsilentwhispers.blogspot.com/2015/11/salvation-series-i-part-4-make-up-of.html

Gen 3:15

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

http://stillsilentwhispers.blogspot.com/2015/11/salvation-series-i-part-5-atonement.html

I am grateful that the Lord has taken us this far. My heart leaps for joy with the knowledge that you are understanding the mystery of Christ. And now we are at the core of the mystery - the atonement.

Before we delve into the divine atonement let us briefly go over some of the things God taught us above about our Lord and saviour as He walked this earth.

Jesus was the son of God and the son of man. He was the son of God because He had the seed of God in Him - God was His Father, and he was the son of man because Mary supplied him with a body, soul and spirit. He was born as man with the Holy Spirit in Him. His soul and spirit were hidden inside of God and God dwelt in the flesh.

We learnt that Jesus' flesh was not sinful like Adam's was after the fall. There was no devil in Jesus, in fact God was the power over His flesh. Jesus was able to live His whole life without sin because God was in His flesh.

We all know that Jesus died for the sins of the world but we must truly understand what God did at the arrest of Christ.

Luk 4:2&9-11
2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing:and when they were ended, he afterward hungered... 
 9 And he (the devil) brought him (Jesus) to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Jn 7:30
Then they sought to take him:but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.

Jesus was protected of God throughout His entire life. He could not see death until the time appointed. Many times in His ministry people attempted to harm him but God so had it that he would not be harmed until his arrest. Jesus lived 33 1/2 years untouched by the physical threats of the devil. However upon His arrest, He was beaten, spat upon, his beard plucked, he was whipped and abused. Do we see the sudden change in events? Consider the following

Is 53:1-12
1 Who hath believed our report?
and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant,
and as a root out of a dry ground:
he hath no form nor comeliness;
and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:
and we hid as it were our faces from him;
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Jesus moved from a position from being the great prophet and chosen Messiah, to being arrested beaten and scorned. He was beaten out of shape and no one desired to look upon Him.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs,
and carried our sorrows:
yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted.

He was seen as a cursed man, the crucifixion was the proof to Israel that he was cursed of God. Little did they know that He had taken on the curse of death for their sins and sake.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him;
and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way;
and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth:
he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb,
so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment:
and who shall declare his generation?
for he was cut off out of the land of the living:
for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death;
because he had done no violence,
neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief:when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied:
by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many;
for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he hath poured out his soul unto death:
and he was numbered with the transgressors;
and he bare the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

What amazing grace. Isaiah tells in detail all that our Lord went through upon his death. In following with the mystery we must understand this. Remember that we learnt that Jesus' flesh was not sinful? However we know that it was by His death that He paid for the sins of the world. The sins of the world were placed on His flesh and then His flesh was destroyed of the Father. Isaiah lets us know then that it was from the moment he was arrested (he was taken from prison and from judgment) unto his death (he was cut off out of the land of the living) that the sin was placed on his flesh.

God gave us a type/shadow of Christ in the Old Testament day of atonement. Let us look at this to help us to understand Jesus as the atonement for the world.

Lev 16:5-10
5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. 
6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. 
7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 
8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 
9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord 's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. 
10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
...
Lev 16:17-22
18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. 19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited:and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

Scapegoat - an innocent person or animal which takes on the sins of others.
Atonement - at-one-with.

God used the day of atonement to give a detailed depiction of Christ. We can see exactly how an atonement is performed. There were 3 goats, one was burnt, one was killed for sin and one was atoned and carried away. Christ is these 3 in 1.

THE 3 GOATS

1. The Scapegoat - Verses 21-22 outline how the atonement is performed. The high priest prays the sins of all Israel upon the live goat and then the goat is carried away into the wilderness, so far that it cannot find its way back. Likewise God placed the sins of the world upon Jesus Christ and by his death, burial and resurrection he took away the sins of the world, never to be returned.

2. The Sin Offering - His death was an offering for the sins of the world as portrayed in Isaiah above.

3. The Burnt Offering - Jesus' soul went to hell for 3 days and nights to end the transgression of mankind.

Jesus is our atonement. He was made at one with the sins of the world. God placed all the sins of the world upon His flesh, and tore it to pieces. By this God was ending sin. He was destroying sin once and for all, and so fulfilling the prophecy - His heel was bruised in death but also by death He bruised the head of the devil - He ended sin.

Dan 9:23-26
23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved:therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. 
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself:and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

This is an awesome plan of God. However there is an aspect that I would love for us to see and understand. If we do, we will see the amazing love of the Father.

Let us remind ourselves of the make-up of Christ. He testified in John 17 that the Father was in Him and He was in the Father. We know that to mean that God was in His flesh and His soul was in God. We know therefore that God was the one that was touching (in) his flesh, not his soul.

1Co 15:45
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Adam was a living soul, because his soul was made alive because it was in a body. In other words, it was the presence of the soul in the flesh that brought the soul alive. The soul was a living soul because he had a body to express himself through here on earth. However Jesus is a quickening spirit. The word quick means alive, and quickening means life-giving. Let us remember that it was not the soul of Jesus that was touching the flesh, but rather Jesus' soul was touching God (meaning it was inside of God); God however was touching the flesh. (see Fig 3.)

His body was not alive by the soul being in it, but it was God that had His body alive. On the other hand, the soul was not alive because it had a body to express itself in, but it was alive because it was in God and God is a Spirit of Life.

I hope you are following here.

Here we can understand the life of Jesus Christ.

Now we know why Jesus could be beaten beyond recognition, even unto the point where he could see all his bones but still carry the cross. His body could not die until God left it, because God is a Spirit of Life.

Luk 23:46
And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit:and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

The Holy Ghost had to leave his body in order for it to die.

Seeing that it was God who was in the flesh of Jesus all His life, the great love of the Father is revealed. God, who is invisible, was able to handle and love on man through the body of Jesus Christ.

The other aspect is this. Do we remember when sin had entered the flesh of Adam what happened to him? Because his soul was in a sinful body, he was susceptible to the sin that his soul was in. Now let us bring this knowledge over to the crucifixion. If God was not in the flesh of Jesus Christ, His soul would have been susceptible to the sin that was placed on His flesh; but rather it was the will of the Father to stay in the flesh of Jesus and bear the sins of the world, while keeping the soul of Jesus from sin. God cannot sin, so because he was in the flesh, even though the sins of the world were placed on the flesh, they had no effect on Him. Jesus' soul was therefore safe and preserved by His Father.

Jesus' holy body became a body of sins because the sins were placed upon the flesh; and the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23), he therefore died for us all.

Here is an image of Jesus' atoned flesh.

Fig 5. This is the make-up of Jesus from the moment He was arrested to the point of His crucifixion.

(Important to note, that God did not place the devil upon Jesus flesh, but rather he placed the sins of the world upon His flesh - sin is the strength of the devil) 

Fig 6. An image of Christ on the cross.

Part 6/8

http://stillsilentwhispers.blogspot.com/2015/11/salvation-series-i-part-6-death-burial.html

When Jesus died, His soul went to hell to suffer for 3 days and 3 nights, his body was however taken from the cross and laid in the tomb.

This is a great mystery. When Jesus went to hell, God promised not to leave his soul there, and that his body would not see corruption. It was the same body that was laid in the tomb that Jesus would be resurrected in. While His body was laid in the tomb his soul was being tormented in hell. It was the great intent of God that he would suffer for 3 days and nights, even as Jonah was in the belly of the whale, so would Jesus be in the depths of the earth. Also consider this, Lazarus' body began to stink after 4 days, which is a sign that his flesh began to decay (corruption). Jesus therefore could not stay in hell for longer than 3 days in order for his body not to decay. 

After 3 days and nights the transgression of sin was ended and the penalty for sin was paid for. However let us examine some things. When Jesus was on the cross, He had a body of sin, God was in the body, and Jesus' soul was in God (see Fig 5). However when He died, His body stayed on the cross, His soul went to hell and God returned to heaven.

The image above gives us a visual of what happened when Jesus died. Jesus said, into thy hands I commend my spirit:and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. The Holy Ghost went up to heaven, while His soul went down to suffer on our behalf. However the body on the cross was still a body of sin and it was that body that was laid in the tomb.

Rom 14:9
For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

HE DIED - (Both the soul and body of Jesus died)

Jesus died on the cross and his soul went to hell and the Holy Spirit returned to heaven. His body was placed in the tomb.

HE ROSE - (Jesus' soul)

After 3 days and nights, God went to hell and rescued His son. While Jesus' soul was in hell, God went down to hell, and placed Jesus' soul in Himself. Jesus was risen from the dead at this point because His soul was placed in a Spirit of Life.

At this point the meaning of the Holy Ghost is revealed. A ghost is the spirit of a person that lives on after death. Jesus died, however when his soul was risen from the dead by God, He became the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of God had caused Jesus' soul to live on, Jesus is therefore now a Ghost, the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of God with the risen soul of Christ in it.

HE REVIVED - (Jesus' body)

The Holy Ghost then went to the tomb and raised the dead body from the dead. The dead body was at that point revived. This means the body was alive before, then it died, then after 3 days it was revived by the Holy Ghost.

Jesus died, rose and revived.

Let us not forget that the body that laid in the tomb was a sinful one. It was still atoned with the sins of the world, so in order for the Holy Ghost to enter it, it had to be first sanctified. It was overshadowed even as Mary's was.

Luk 5:37-38
37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. 
38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.

The Holy Ghost is the new wine that was to be placed in the bottle of the body. The body had to therefore be made new first that the Holy Ghost could enter.

Jesus' body was revived, holy and righteous, even as it was before the sins of the world were placed upon it. He was now a holy sacrifice ready to be presented to the Father.

Jn 20:16-17
16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 
17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father:but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

I want to take this time out to emphasize the point that Jesus was revived in the same body that was in the tomb. It was a physical body. He was risen the Son of God but still the Son of man.

Luk 24:33-41
33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, 
34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. 
35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.
36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 
37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 
38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 
39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself:handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. 
40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?

He was risen a man with flesh and blood, and even had the ability to eat.

In our next part we will delve more into the process of sanctification which God did to the body of Jesus Christ, and not only His but ours also.

Fig 8.

Part 7/8
http://stillsilentwhispers.blogspot.com/2015/11/salvation-series-i-part-7-how-are-we.html

In part 2 we dealt with the fall of man. We know that the devil had entered the seed of man, and all men were born in sin and shapen in iniquity. All that came forth from Adam were destined for hell. But in the fullness of time Christ died for our sins.

Today we know of Jesus because He was preached to us. There was someone that ministered the gospel unto us, we heard and we believed. Someone told us that if we didn't receive the Holy Ghost we would die and go to hell. Someone told us that despite all our sins we were loved by God and he died for us. We felt the power and love of the Gospel and we desired God to save our souls.

We know that Jesus died and was risen from the dead. 40 days after His resurrection He ascended to the Father in the presence of His disciples. Listen to Jesus' prayer before His arrest.

Jn 17:1-5
1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 
4 I have glorified thee on the earth:I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 
5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

What was the glory which Jesus had before the world was?

Jn 1:1&14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

14 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.

Jesus was the Word of God who became flesh and dwelt among men. Jesus was the Word of God and this is the glory He had before the world was. The Word of God is an omnipresent Spirit, it therefore can be in more than one place at once. It was Jesus' desire to be the Word again, that he may be omnipresent once more.

While Jesus was on earth, he was in one body. He was limited to that body and could only do so much in it. However, Jesus was given power over all flesh, and if he became an omnipresent Spirit, he could now be in more than one place at a time. He would not have to be limited to one body but He could be in more than one body at a time. Well Jesus regained His glory when He ascended. He is the Word of God, who is the Holy Ghost. Now the soul of Christ can return to earth, in the form of the Holy Ghost so that we can be saved.

But how will Jesus save us?

We know that Jesus died for our sins however consider this scripture.

Rom 5:10
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

So at salvation the first thing God does is to remove the soul from the body. Let us not forget that the soul was alive because it was in the body and likewise the body was alive because it had a soul in it. Therefore when God removes the soul from the flesh both the soul and body dies, satisfying the law - the wages of sin is death.

Rom 6:6-7
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Romans causes us to understand what happens to the flesh when it dies. The body of sin which is also called the old man, is crucified with Jesus. This brings us back to the fact that our sins were upon Jesus' body. Considering the fact that the sins were not his own, when he had taken the sins of the world in his flesh his body became all human bodies in one.

I pray you understand this concept.

Sin was in our flesh, not His, so by way of the atonement when he took on our sin, His body became all the bodies of sin in the entire world, in one. Then that body was what was crucified on the cross. It is because Jesus paid the price for our bodies that he can remove our souls from the flesh in the operation of salvation. Because he now has the power over all flesh and intends to enter the flesh of the person he is about to save.

This is how we are crucified with Him. When the soul is removed from the flesh, the body of sin is destroyed, or it dies. Sin no longer has any strength because he that is dead is freed from sin.

Therefore our souls are freed from sin, when the Lord takes them from our bodies at salvation.

Therefore what we are left with is a soul that is freed from sin and a body that is dead.


CIRCUMCISION OF THE FLESH - The removal of the devil from the body of sins


The dead body then has to be sanctified by Jesus Christ.

Mat 12:28-29
28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 
29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

Jesus desires to spoil the house of the strongman. The house is the body and the strongman is the devil. If Jesus intends to take over the body, he must first bind the devil and evict him from the flesh, then the body will be free for His habitation.

Seeing that the body is dead, it can also be free from him, so Jesus by the circumcision of Christ sanctifies the body of sins. The body is therefore made clean and holy. It is simply a vessel once more, exactly the same as it was before the devil entered it.

This is what God did to Jesus' atoned body in the tomb. He circumcised it, meaning he cut the sin out of the flesh, and it was made pure again.

So now on this timeline of salvation we have: a dead body, which is now cleaned and we have cleaned soul, it is still however dead (because it has no means of expression). Both have been circumcised.

Fig 9. The Timeline of Salvation - The Circumcision of the Flesh. NB. The body may not fall when it dies during salvation. This is simply to help to depict death visually.

IN CHRIST

Many do not know that there is a literal death at salvation.

Jam 2:26
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

The body without the spirit is dead. When the soul and spirit are removed during salvation, the body dies, it is as a lump of clay, the same as we put in a casket. This will help us understand the church terms we commonly use, for eg. The old man is dead.

Rom 6:6-7
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

The old man is the body we had before salvation, i.e. the body of sins. It died at salvation that both the body and soul may be freed from sin.

Following the timeline so far we have been through:

1. The sinner asks for the Holy Ghost
2. God takes the soul out of the body. The soul is sanctified by this, because the unclean part (the body of sins) is removed. The body dies and the soul dies. The body dies because it has no soul in it, and the soul dies because it is not in a body.
3. God circumcises the flesh, by cutting out all the sin from out of the flesh. This sanctifies the flesh, the body is now pure and sinless even as Adam's was in the garden before his fall.

1Co 6:17
But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

Col 3:2-3
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Rom 8:8-9
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Eph 2:6
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

I hope you see where I am going with this. The Lord gave us a peak at what happens next in part 6 with this scripture.

Rom 14:9
For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

Parallel that scripture with this one.

Col 1:18

And he is the head of the body, the church:who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Jesus is the firstborn from the dead, so that he would have preeminence in all things. The scripture in Romans, tells us that he died, rose and revived that He might be Lord of dead and the living. Seeing that Jesus has preeminence in all things, it means that the Sons of God also must die, rise and revive.

In part 6 we learnt that while Jesus was in hell, after he had suffered 3 days and nights, God went for Jesus and placed His (Jesus') soul in Himself (God). It was at that point that Jesus rose from the dead because God is a Spirit of Life.

Well likewise in salvation, after our souls are taken out of the flesh, then God puts our souls in Christ Jesus. It is at that moment that our souls are made alive. We are changed from a living soul, to being a quickening spirit. We are now joint to the Lord and therefore we are one Spirit. The soul inside of the Holy Ghost is called the New Creature.

2Co 5:17
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

This gives the soul a divine nature. The Holy Ghost is sinless and therefore the soul is preserved in the Holy Ghost for safe keeping. This is the salvation of our souls, we are placed in the Holy Ghost.

The soul now receives a sinless nature, because it is literally in Jesus Christ. This is a gross distinction as compared to the devil. He was the spirit of sin that held us captive but now when we are placed in Jesus Christ we are made the righteousness of God.

Our souls are made to sit in the Holy Ghost, which is a heavenly place. This is the ascension that Jesus spoke of when He spoke to Nicodemus (Jn 3:13). We are no longer of the earth earthy, but now we are spiritual beings. It is because our souls are placed in God that we are now the children of God.

Rom 8:15-17
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint- heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

We did not receive the spirit of bondage, who is the devil, we received God's spirit. He has taken us from the Kingdom of darkness and placed us inside of His Son Jesus Christ.

Col 1:12-13
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Jesus is the Kingdom we are in, He is where our souls live. We are New Creatures because we are inside of the Holy Ghost.

Gal 5:25
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Fig 9.2 - The soul is placed in Christ, raising it from the dead and creating a new creature.

PUTTING ON THE NEW MAN

We are on the final aspect of this series, and personally my favourite part. So far we have been through:

1. The sinner asks for the Holy Ghost
2. Jesus takes the soul out of the body. The soul is sanctified by this, because the unclean part (the body of sins) is removed. The body dies and the soul dies. The body dies because it has no soul in it, and the soul dies because it is not in a body.
3. Jesus circumcises the flesh, by cutting out all the sin from out of the flesh. This sanctifies the flesh, the body is now pure and sinless even as Adam's was in the garden before his fall.
4. Jesus places the soul in Himself. The soul is brought alive, and is now a new creature. The flesh however remains dead.

Rom 14:9
For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

So far we see how we have died, and rose, the final thing to be done here is for us to be revived. After all this is done, the Holy Ghost, Himself enters the flesh. He however carries our souls with Him. It is when the Holy Ghost enters the flesh that we (our bodies) are quickened (made alive) in a new life.

Rom 8:8-11
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

This is what it means to be born again, you must first die and be born from the dead. You are however not born the same person but you are now born of the Spirit.

The scripture says that the Sons of God are not in the flesh, they are in the Spirit. It is however the Spirit that is in the flesh, and the flesh is raised from the dead just as how Jesus' was raised from the dead when he resurrected.

Lets us look into these scriptures.

Eph 4:22-24
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Col 3:9-10

9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

The scripture says that we have put off the old man. We know the old man to be the body of sins that our souls put off, when we died at salvation. The old man died with all its sins and lusts. It however says that we put on the new man which is righteous and holy. Well if the old man is a body, then the new man is a body too!

OLD MAN - Body with sin/devil in it. A body of sins
NEW MAN - Body with the Holy Ghost in it.

The new man is made. It is made when the Holy Ghost enters our flesh, we (our souls) are however in the Holy Ghost. Therefore in this case it is not we that are in the flesh, but the Holy Ghost is. Now we are in Christ and Christ is in us.

CHRIST IN YOU - Jesus is in your body
YOU IN CHRIST - Your soul is in Jesus.

Now we have the same make up as Jesus Christ. He was in God and God was in Him. That is how he is consider to us a brother - meaning he is of the same kind/specie.

Rom 8:29
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Jesus was simply the firstborn, but it was God's intention to have a whole race of persons who would be just like Jesus.

Jesus is now in our flesh and he remains there so that the devil will never get a chance to come in. Consider this scripture:

Mat 12:43-45
43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 
44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 
45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there:and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

The house Jesus speaks of here is the body. If when Jesus evicted the devil at salvation he placed only the soul back into the flesh, then the devil would have an opportunity to re-enter the flesh. However, this was not the intent of God for salvation. This is why He entered the flesh, with Him in the flesh the devil cannot re-enter the flesh.

Rom 8:15
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

We did not receive the Spirit of the devil again, so we dont have to be afraid of sinning against the Father. We don't have to fear that the devil can re-enter us and produce the law of sin and death in our flesh. Rather, God stays in the flesh and produces the law of the Spirit of Life, and that law keeps us in righteousness. However, a perspective must be set in place.

1Jo 3:8-9
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him:and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

This is a scripture that has brought much confusion to the Body of Christ. But let us apply what we have learnt.

Remember when the scripture speaks of us being in Christ it is speaking to the fact that our souls are in the Holy Ghost, however when it speaks to Christ being in us, it is referring to Christ being in the flesh. The scripture above said that whosoever is born of God cannot sin because the seed remaineth IN HIM. This means that the seed remains in the flesh.

What does this mean?

Well the answer is simple. When the devil was in the flesh he changed the nature of the body itself. The body became sinful and a body of sin. In the body itself was the law of sin, and evil concupiscence - which is an insatiable craving for sin. However, this scripture is letting us know that if you are born of God your body is not sinful, in fact it cannot sin. The seed of God remains in the flesh to prevent it from sinning. Let us remember that the body is also born again. So it is born of God and it cannot sin.

The Son of God is made just as Jesus was. In fact he is in Jesus Christ. He is therefore able to live a sinless life even as Jesus did. All he has to do is choose to.

Jam 1:13-14
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God:for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

The Sons have the ability to create our own lusts. Even though at salvation we died, God did not take our memory from us. So we remember sin and how to sin. It is now our choice not to sin even though we know how to. James establishes a principle here. He lets us know that God cannot sin, and he doesn't tempt any man to sin. We cannot blame our flesh as being sinful, because God is in the flesh and he cannot sin. Remember we learnt in part 1 that the body has no power of its own. The flesh can do nothing of itself, but the Spirit that is in it has the power and/or control over it. Well Jesus said in John 17 that he would have the power over our flesh. He remains in the flesh that it would not ever sin against us again, but that it would remain holy and blameless. WE CANNOT THEREFORE BLAME OUR FLESH/BODY FOR SIN, IF WE SIN IT IS THE SOUL THAT CREATES THE LUST AND DECIDES TO FULFILL SIN THROUGH THE BODY. THE BODY IS INNOCENT, IN FACT IT IS BLAMELESS

1Th 5:23
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God sanctified us wholly (entirely), he did not leave out the body when He sanctified us. God makes all things new, perfect, and sinless. He made us new creatures and gave us a new man. The body is therefore blameless, and Jesus remains in the flesh that it may be preserved in its blameless (sinless) state till He returns.

Fig 9.3 - Putting on the new man

THE REALITY OF THE MYSTERY

Here is where the root of the mystery is really seen.

Jesus is the Word, who is God, who is the Holy Ghost. When he enters our flesh at salvation (we put on the new man) he raises it alive. Therefore the Ghost of Christ has received a body to live in once more. The Word is made flesh again!

Where am I going with this.

Compare these scriptures.

Eph 4:24
And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Col 3:10
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Gal 3:27
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

1Co 1:30
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

THE NEW MAN IS JESUS CHRIST

When Jesus enters the flesh, His Spirit is given expression through the flesh. The scripture says we have put on the new man, but other scriptures say we have put on Christ. It is because Jesus Christ is in our bodies. He is the one that raises them alive. He is the one that has use for our bodies, he however carries us with him. These bodies are his not ours. When we handle these bodies we are literally handling Jesus Christ.

The new man is Christ in the flesh.

1Co 6:14-20
And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.
15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. 17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price:therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

This body is now Jesus'. These are literally his body parts.

Our souls are in the new man. This therefore means that our souls are in the man Jesus Christ. Jesus has taken on flesh again, through us.


THIS IS THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST UNVEILED

Christ is alive in our fleshy bodies.

Jn 17:20-21
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us:that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

Jesus prayed that we be made exactly like Him so that the world will know that He was sent. We had to be in God and God had to be in us. Jesus' prayer was answered.

Here is the gospel summed up in one verse.

Gal 2:20
I am crucified with Christ:nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

May the eyes of your understanding be enlightened, May God grant unto you the spirit of Wisdom, that you may understand the mystery of Christ.

- The Lord's Servant, Apostle Kareem Flowers

Col 1:27
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Fig 10.