UNDERSTANDING GENESIS: GOD SAID IT WAS VERY GOOD; GOD WAS SAYING IT WAS EXACTLY AS HE INTENDED IT TO BE

What so many have been deceived to believe is a behavioral problem for mankind, is actually a spiritual problem. Because what people do is not what keeps them from heaven and eternal life. It's what and in whom they believe that does.

The fact that man was created natural and not spiritual is the issue. And this issue can only be remedied when we are made spiritual. In this message I will show you that it is because Adam was made a natural man, not a spiritual one that created man's need for Jesus. Because only in this way could God's plan that men would choose to love Him in return for His love by their own God given free will fill their need for Jesus.

This is why God made man in such a way that it would not be possible for him to have a personal relationship with Him… until man chose to.

And because man could only be held accountable for his choice when he knew right from wrong. Had the free will to choose one or the other. And is given the information to know what would happen when he made the choice. A plan was set in motion during creation week that would bring mankind to this end.

God did this purposely because He wanted fellowship with man. Knowing that true fellowship requires personal relationship. And not just simple obedience from a preprogrammed natural being who could do no other.

The likeness and image of God man was made in is not about spirit. We see what this means any time we look in the mirror. It's about what we look like. Spirit is a part of who we are on the inside. And is made possible only when we are born of God. And is not for those who have only been made by God. All things were made by God. But, not all things are spiritual like God.

The spiritual comes with the new birth. It does not come with the natural birth from our mother's womb. Because Jesus told us what is born of the flesh is only flesh. And only what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Beginning at the beginning we see God creating everything. And when He was finished He said it was very good. Some will say the good here means good in contrast to evil. But, there is nothing in the narrative that would lead to this kind of conclusion. So that idea comes from taking the verse out of context. And reading into it the preconceived ideas that come out of the Augustinian cult.

When we read what is in the creation story we see that God created. And much like when we make things, after completion we do not look at what we made and think this is good not evil. We think this is good because it came out exactly as we intended it to.

So this is what we should see when reading that God said all He created was very good. God was saying it was exactly as He intended it to be. And as we read further we see that only man, the pinnacle of God's creation, was made in His image and likeness and given dominion and the ability to choose. This is exactly as God intended it to be. So this is why it was very good.

In Gen.2 we see that God wants us to know some more details about how He made man. So He says He took from the elements to create his body. And then breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And man became a living soul.

So what we see here is that the “very good” man that God created meant that he was exactly as God intended him to be. A man with dominion and free will who was made to look like God. This is why God said it was very good. Because the man was exactly what God had intended him to be. A living soul.

And if we do a simple word search for the definition of living soul we will find that it means a living breathing creature. And does not mean anything spiritual at all. So we see from this verse alone that man was made flesh and blood and no spirit.

As we read further in Genesis we see man making choices. He chooses what the names of animals, birds, and creeping things will be. He also chooses what he will eat.

And again as we read further about man being made a living soul, when we get to Gen.7 we see that he was not alone in this. We see that God says all animals, birds, and creeping things were made living souls as well. Because here in vs15 and 22 God says that all of these also have the breath of life breathed into their nostrils.

So just as man was made out of the elements and given the breath of life. So all animals, birds, and creeping things were too. And this creates a problem for everyone who believes that man was made a spiritual being. Because if man was made a spiritual being then so were all animals, birds, and creeping things.

And this would mean that these were not only all made spiritual beings. But, they were made with the same spirit that Adam was made with. Because God had breathed into their nostrils the same breath of life. Breath that so many claim to have been the spirit breathed into Adam when God made him.

See the problem yet? Man is not the same as animals, birds, and creeping things. But, it's not because they don't all have the breath of life breathed into their nostrils. It's because none of them were made to look like God having dominion and free will.

So when did man become spiritual? Because Paul says he prayed that "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".

I'm glad you asked. Now that we are on the same page in Genesis we can look for other places the scripture speaks of how and when man becomes a spiritual being. One of those places is found in John3 where Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus about his need for being born again. Or born from above.

Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born again because what is born of the flesh through the water birth from his mother's womb is only flesh. And that only what is born of the Spirit is spirit. So here we see Jesus explaining why a man must be born again.

In another place Paul is speaking of the same thing when he is explaining the resurrection. He tells us that the resurrection is the receiving of a new body. Saying that the body we now have is not the body we will have.

And that this is made possible when we believe in Jesus. Because when we were born we were just like Adam was when he was made. A living soul that was not spiritual, but only natural. Only flesh and blood.

But, that when we believe in Jesus we are made a spiritual being just as Jesus was when He was here on earth. So that as a spiritual being we are made children of God and heirs to His kingdom. No longer only flesh and blood as the natural animals, birds, and creeping things are. But, spiritual like God is so that we can now worship Him in spirit and in truth. Just as Jesus said we must be to be able to worship and have fellowship with God.

So this is why Jesus had to die. Because in dying He joined with men in our death. So that by the resurrection, which only God could do because He alone possesses the power of life, He conquered death for us. So that if we will believe in Him we will have eternal life. By being born again to be made the spiritual beings that God desires for all men to be.

It is not God's will that anyone should perish. It is His will for all men to be saved. The only thing that stands in the way of your salvation is your choice to trust in Jesus. In God's sovereignty He chose to make salvation available through Jesus and our free will choice to trust in Him. Making our salvation the creation of a relationship that was never possible for Adam while he remained in the garden.

If you will do this you will have eternal life. If you will do this you will be a child of God and heir to His kingdom. If you will do this you will pass from mortality into immortality. If you will do this… I will see you there or in the air!

This message can also be heard at: https://rumble.com/v27uuzi-understanding-genesis-god-said-it-was-very-good.html