Principles and the Believer, going back to the basics- What did you receive by being saved?

Background

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“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. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 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.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭KJV‬‬

A man of God once asked his church, what did you receive when you gave your life to Christ? The congregation gave the answers many of us might also consider. Blessings, fruits of the Spirit, gifts etcetera. But answering this correctly is significant for our foundation. Beloved let’s dive into the Word…

There is a statement I have heard many times by believers, about the fact that the Spirit of God was already dwelling in man but was dormant. As I pondered upon the Word this morning I gained an understanding of the confusion in that statement. Seen in the background of our study today in Romans 8, Paul said if any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. This is clear then that the Spirit of God does not automatically dwell in all men. Now the nature by which man was created is as seen in Genesis 2:7 when God formed man out of dust and gave him breath, the Bible describes here that man became a living soul. Hear this, the Bible said the man became a living soul, not a Spirit but a living soul. One may argue, “but we were made in the likeness and image of God”? Yes we were made in his likeness and image, we bear a body, a soul (I Thessalonians 5:23, Mathew 10:28) and a Spirit just as the truine God( God the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit). But we became corrupt when we disobeyed the command of God, and the fact is, man had an immature Spirit. After the fall of man in Genesis 3, realize that God had to guard the tree of life after man ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. You may ask why could God not allow man access to the tree of life? This is because after man had become corrupted and still in immaturity, the tree of life would be destructible to man and man was unable to handle Godly wisdom in that nature.

In 1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭45‬-‭49‬ ‭Paul explains this,‬‬ the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. He further explains that the natural man was first created and the Spiritual. So then the first thing that was operative and alive in man was the soul, representing the mind, emotions and feelings of man. This does not mean man does not have a Spirit, but confirms more what the Bible says, that there is a Spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding (Job 32:8). So then in order for man to operate in the way of God, man needed saving. He goes on further by saying that the first man is of the earth but the second is the Lord from heaven. Here then comes the need for salvation. And as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.” You were made in God’s image, but received His very own Spirit through salvation with the purpose of birthing man with an incorruptible nature(1Peter 1:3-4) and to save man from the destruction of the flesh. So then Paul continues in Romans 8 that the body is dead due to sin but the Spirit is alive by righteousness. Then beloved what we received by salvation is the Spirit of God, granting us access into the divine nature of God.

A new year is upon us and as you made your resolutions, I pray you made studying the Word of God top on that list. As we continue our studies, dig into the Word personally and allow the Holy Spirit guide and teach you, for He is the Spirit of Truth.
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