PART ONE

"And God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness'." (Gen 1:26)
  1. The Nature of God
    1. His attributes
      2.
      ATTRIBUTE MEANING SATAN'S COUNTERFEIT
      Omnipresent Everywhere at the same time Astral Projection
      Omniscient All-Knowing Astrology/Tarot
      Omnipotent All-Powerful Sorcery/Witchcraft
      Immortal Eternally existing Reincarnation
      Infallible Incapable of error Secular Humanism
      Transcendent Existing outstide and controlling creation
      Immanent Present throughout creation
      Holy Absolutely Pure
      Grace Umerited favor
      Mercy Grace in action
      Just Fair and righteous in judgement
      Love Vulnerable and giving
    2. The trinity of the Godhead (three distinct persons in one unified being
      3.
      1. Same in essence and purpose
      2. Different in function and personality
      3. Implied in the Old Testament(Gen 1:26, et al)
      4. Clearly taught in the New Testament(Matt 3:16-17;28:19; Jn 16:13-15; 17:1)
    3. The personalities and functions
      1. God, the Father
        2.
        1. The WILL of the Godhead
        2. Nothing takes place unless the Father WILLS it.(Eph 1:5; Jn 4:34; 5:30; Rom 12:2; 2 Corin 1:1)
      2. God, the Holy Spirit
        3.
        1. The LIFE-FORCE of the Godhead(Gen 1:2; 2 Corin 3:18)
        2. The Father WILLS it, the Holy Spirit DOES it.
          3.
      3. God, the Son
        1. The VISIBLE EXPRESSION of the Godhead(Jn 1:1-3; Rev 2)
        2. The Father WILLS it, the Son SPEAKS it and the Holy Spirit DOES it.
  2. The Nature of Man("In Our Image")
    1. Just as the Godhead is a tri-unity, so is the natural man.

      2. Body, Soul and Spirit - from Strong's
      1. Soul - essence of life
        1. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew words "nephesh" and "lebab" are used nearly synonymously.
          1. "nephesh" is translated 475 times in the KJV as "soul" and 15 times as "heart". (Gen 2:7, 19; 9:4-5; Num 30:12)
          2. "lebab" is translated 231 times as "heart".
        2. The common meaning in these words is "the seat of appetites, emotions and passions; activity or determination of the will".
        3. In the New Testament, the word most often use is "psuche". It is the word from which we get "psychology", "psycho" and "psychotic". It has as its principle meaning "the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions". (Matt 10:28)
        4. The immortal soul of the natural man is used in the scriptures primarily to denote that faculty of the human being best described as the determining factor or the "will".
        5. The natural man's soul corresponds exactly with the function of God, the Father - the WILL of the Godhead.
      2. Spirit - source of life
        1. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word "ruwach" (also Aramaic "ruwach" in Daniel) is translated in English versions most often as spirit, either divine or human. It is seldom translated or used in the context of the human will.
        2. The Old Testament theology did not consider man to be a three-part being. In thought, though not in usage, the soul (ruwach) and spirit (nephesh) were considered nearly interchangeable.
        3. The Greek word translated "spirit" is "pneuma", whether speaking of God or man. It is the force that animates man; what scientists call "the spark of life".
        4. The natural man's spirit corresponds to God, the Holy Spirit, the executor of the Godhead.
        5. The spirit of the natural man corresponds exactly to the function of God, the Holy Spirit - the Life-Force of the Godhead. In the natural man, the spirit dies with the body.
      3. Body
        1. The Hebrew word used is "basar" and is most often translated "flesh". It is easy to understand this word if we think simply of "flesh and blood" or of a meat market. It applies to man and animal alike. (Gen 9:4,11)
        2. In the New Testament, the word most often translated "body" is the word "soma". It has exactly the same connotation as the Hebrew word, "basar", but is more inclusive and is sometimes used metaphorically. (Matt 10:28; Rom 6:6; 12:4-5)
        3. The natural man's body corresponds to God, the Son, the visible expression of the Godhead
        The Greek word, "sarx" (or sarchikos), normally rendered as "flesh" ("fleshly") in english translations, is apparently a force (to the Jewish Rabbis an "evil inclination"), a combination of the impetus of the soul and body.
    2. Man's nature is corrupted by original and active sin.
    3. The flesh (soul and body) of the natural man is in servitude to Satan due to sin and will always tend to follow his ways.
      1. As red-headed parents normally produce red-headed kids
      2. As Dachshunds produce Dachshunds and Collies produce Collies.
  3. The New Birth
    4.
    1. The necessity
      1. Flesh is corrupted. It will not and can not please God. (Rom 8:7,8)
      2. The natural man cannot be made righteous nor reformed. (1 Corin 2:14)
      3. God still desires an intimate relationship with man.(Jn 3:16;Eph 2:8,9)
    2. The means? A totally new creation (1 Corin 5:17; Eph 3:17)

      DISCUSSION QUESTION: Is water baptism essential for salvation? What does John 3:5 mean?
    3. Made in the image of God (Rom 5:14,15; 1 Corin 15:20-24, 45-48)
      1. First Adam - man
        1. God breathed breath of life into him.
        2. Made in the image of God (Gen 1:26, 27; 2:7)
        3. Conversant with God (Gen 2:19; 3:8-19)
        4. Given responsibilities (Gen 1:28)
          1. Take dominion
          2. Multiply
        5. Failed through pride and disobedience
      2. Second Adam - Christ
        1. Holy Spirit breathed life into Him
        2. Made in the image of man (Phil 2:5-8)
        3. Conversant with God (Jn 3:30; 8:18, 10:30)
        4. Given responsibilities
          1. Take dominion(1 Corin 15:21-28)
          2. Multiply (Rom 8:29)
        5. Succeeded through humility and obedience.

    For note on God's re-creation plan, click here!

  4. The Spiritual Man
    5.
    1. Who is the "Spiritual Man"?
      2.
      1. Christ being formed in the believer(Col 1:27; Gal 4:19; Eph 3:16-19)
        1. The Holy Spirit(Rom 8:9-13; 1 Corin 3:16; Gal 5:25)
        2. A child of God
          1. By Birth (Jn 1:12,13; Gal 3:26) - Blood born to be natural heirs
          2. By adoption (a legal term) (Gal 4:1-5) - Adopted so as to be legal heirs
      2. A future heavenly being
        1. Sharing the nature of God (royal blood) (1 Pet 1:23; 1 Jn 3:9)
        2. A citizen of Heaven(Phil 3:20; Heb 10:34; 1 Pet 1:4)
      3. The natural enemy of the natural man (Rom 8:7; Gal 5:17)
    2. His Nature (This section is based on 1 Corin 13)
      As God and man are triune beings, so is the Spiritual Man.
      Characteristic The Godhead Natural Man Spiritual Man
      Will
      		 Father Soul Hope
      (Heb 6:7; 1 Tim 1:1;1 Thess 5:8;1 Jn 3:3)
      Life-Force
      		 Holy Spirit Spirit Faith
      Gal 2:20;3:11; 2 Thess 1:11; Heb 10:38; 11:1; Jas 2:17,26)
      Visible Expression
      		Son Body Love
      (Jn 13:35; Eph 4:16; 5:2; 1 Jn 4:7)
  5. Biology 101
    6.
    1. The conception and birth of Jesus was a real-life analogy of the new birth
      2.
      1. Natural womb
      2. Ova
      3. Seed of the Spirit(Lk 8:11)
    2. Physiology
      3.
      1. Womb or uterus
        1. Natural organ in woman
        2. Soul of natural man (Eph 2:1,5; Col 2:13
      2. Ova
        1. Produced regularly by the woman
        2. Faith; man's natural ability to believe. (Rom 12:3)
      3. Seed
        1. Supplied by the male
        2. Word of God
    3. Conception
      4.
      1. In the natural, the male seed fertilizes the ova of the female
      2. In the spiritual, the Seed of the Spirit (Word of God) fertilizes (activates) the faith in the natural man.

      (The parable of the Sower and the Seed)

    4. Barriers to conception
      5.
      1. Contraception
        1. All forms have as their purpose either the
          1. barrier to the sperm or seed
          2. Destruction of the sperm or seed
        2. The fleshly nature is antipathetic to the seed of the Spirit and will always attempt to impede it. (Rom 8:7; Gal 5:17)
        3. The will of the natural man or satanic intervention will try to destroy the Seed before conception can occur.
      2. Sometimes the natural man's womb (soul) is barren, due to:
        1. The "unpardonable sin"
        2. False teaching
    5. Gestation
      6.
      1. In the natural, normally nine months
      2. In the spiritual, can be seconds, minutes, hours, weeks, months or years
      3. Dangers during
        1. Miscarriage:
          • The involuntary rejection of the fetus.
          • In the natural happens due to a number of factors:
            • Problems with the blood
            • Trauma
          • In the spiritual, it can be caused by
            • False or bad teaching
            • Neglect: Cares of the world distract the natural man from the gospel and the fetus dies.
        2. Abortion:
          • The voluntary rejection of the fetus
          • In the natural, it is always deliberate
          • In the spiritual, can be due to:
            • False or bad teaching
            • Satan
            • The rebellion of the Natural Man
        3. Deformities
          • In the natural, caused by factors in the mother's blood or the father's genes
          • In the spiritual, caused by false teaching.
        4. False Labor
          • In the natural, doctors can tell by certain physiological signs.
          • In the spiritual, signs can also be detected.
          NOTE: Simply because a person does not immediately totally change, even though certain habits or propensities continue, this does not, in and of itself, constitute false labor. Since God, alone, knows the heart, we should not be quick to judge. Except for instances when the Holy Spirit might enlighten us with the Word of Knowledge, only time and observation will tell if the experience is real or feigned.
      4. Visible signs
        1. The longer the period of gestation, the more the woman's body becomes "deformed", her appetites become strange and her emotional stability becomes marginal.
        2. If the spiritual gestation lingers, the natural man also may appear deformed: Negative actions and speech may become more pronounced and uncharacteristic behavior is common.
      5. Dependency
        1. In the natural, the fetus is totally dependent upon the host mother for sustenance and protection.
        2. This is also applicable to the spiritual: Those who are already born again must hold up the gestating natural man in prayer.
    6. Prenatal Care
      7.
      1. Although it is possible for a woman of reasonable health to carry an infant to full-term without too much difficulty (except waddling a lot) and give birth safely, prenatal care - especially in our day of unhealthy eating habits, bad air and water, etc - has become more and more an advantageous circumstance, if not a necessity. Such care usually includes such things as:
        1. Knowledge
        2. Diet
        3. Exercise
        4. Love (Every expectant father will testify to the need and difficulty of this)
      2. The same is just as valid in the spiritual realm. As the gestation period continues in the natural man, it is necessary for the "spiritual men" around him or her to ensure proper prenatal care.
        1. Knowledge: There should always be gentle but persistent informing as to the need for and benefits of the new birth.
        2. Diet: As much as possible, those around the natural man should try to monitor the "intake" from the media and outside influences.
        3. Exercise: As much as possible the natural man should be kept active in attendance at church and other suitable religious functions.
        4. Sometimes nothing can be more difficult then showing love and kindness to someone who is on their way to being born again. They can become very unlovable.
    7. The "Blessed Event"
      8.
      1. In natural childbirth, the fetus is normally ejected by the woman's body.
      2. In the spiritual sense, the Spiritual Man is brought into independent life in the spirit of the Natural Man.
      3. Birth Defects
        1. Types
          • Vision ("eyes but see not")
            • Lack of spiritual insight
            • Lack of discernment (general)
          • Hearing ("ears...but hear not"; "dull of hearing")(Symptom: "God doesn't talk to me!")
          • Speech
            • Spiritual gifts
            • Sanctified communication
          • Movement (faith in action)
        2. Causes
          • Lack of prenatal care
          • Trauma
            • False teaching
            • Distractions
        3. Can be remedied through:
          • Prayer
            • For the new believer
            • With the new believer
          • Care
            • Feeding
            • Grooming
          • Therapy
            • Teaching
            • Training
    8. Post-birth Deformities
      9.
      1. Types
        1. Vision
        2. Hearing
        3. Speech
        4. Movement
      2. Caused by
        1. Malnutrition
        2. Distraction
        3. Trauma
        4. Disease
      3. More difficult to correct then birth defects but correctable.
      4. Requires intensive body ministry

    You can go back to the Table of Contents or go to PART TWO