Article of the Month
January 2008

Our Choice

Wade E Taylor

“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

For a very important reason, God “formed” man from dust, and then “breathed” into him.  This speaks of an “impartation” of Spirit that caused the cohesion of the dust from which he had been formed.  Thus, man is not complete within himself.  By divine intention, Adam was uniquely made to be dependent upon his Creator.

Man was created to live and function in two realms.  Therefore, the Lord imparted into him the breath of “lives.” (in the original, this word is plural).  On the earth level, He was “formed” (soul-life).  On the spirit level, he was “breathed into” (spirit-life).

In transgression, when Adam partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, this “spirit” level of life died, and only the “soul” realm remained.  In redemption, we become a “new creation” and that which Adam had lost is restored, and we find within us a new awareness of each of these two realms.

The first, the earthly soul-realm, relates to our natural life, as “we have borne the image of the earthly” (I Corinthians 15:49a).  For us to live and function in our earth environment, we must be compatible with it.  We relate to and communicate with our earthly environment through five physical senses (taste, touch, sight, hearing, smell).  Should we lose one of these, the others become more sensitive and we would still be able to communicate with our environment, but if all five senses were lost, there would be no means of communication whatsoever.

The second, the heavenly Spirit-realm, relates to our spiritual life, as “we shall also bear the image of the heavenly” (I Corinthians 15:49b).  We were created not only to live and function in the earthly, but also in the heavenly realm.

The senses that function in the earthly realm are functional in both the natural man and the redeemed man.  But there is a higher order of life that is available to the redeemed man alone.  In our redemptive makeup, we are given “spiritual” senses.  These are a counterpart of our five natural senses and are just as real as natural taste, touch, sight, hearing, or smell.

“While we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen; for the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”  II Corinthians 4:18 Worrell translation

The spiritual person also has gifts or abilities in his new creation makeup.  These are counterparts of natural giftings and abilities, and are given to be cultivated and used.

“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.”  I Corinthians 12:1

The word “gifts” is in italics because it was added by the translators.  This word should be dropped and the plural form transferred to the word “spiritual.”  Thus, we are to be aware of “spirituals” - the realm of the Spirit, rather than to spiritual gifts alone.

“And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion ...”  Genesis 1:26a

In this verse we note three areas: the “image” of God, the “likeness” of God, and “dominion.”  The created potential within us (image) must, through a time of probation, be tested.  This results in the development of our spirituality (likeness) and produces spiritual maturity and authority (dominion).

The Word tells us that we have the “mind of Christ” (I Corinthians 2:16).  This “mind” is His life being expressed through our lives.  However, we do not receive the benefits of this just because we have been redeemed.  As we spend “time” in His presence, we partake of new creation life and develop a mature expression of His presence and will - the “mind of Christ” functioning through both our natural and our spiritual senses.

As the Lord tested Adam by placing the “Tree of Life” and the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” in the midst of his environment, so also, we must face a process in which we are tested to determine the outworking of God’s purpose for us.  Therefore, these two “trees” in various forms are placed in our spiritual pathway.

The tree of life (spirit) represents our utter dependence upon and trust in, His provision for us.  The tree of the knowledge of good and evil (soul) represents our desire to be independent to choose for ourselves what is right or wrong.  Therefore, we must make a choice concerning these opposite “pulls” upon our being.  We can choose to satisfy our soulish, sensual desires, as expressed in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Or, we can choose the higher realm of spiritual identity with our Lord, as expressed in the tree of life.

If we think more of our “soulish” desires, which are very appealing to our earthly realm of life, and choose to satisfy these rather than taking up our cross and dying to self, the development of our spiritual perception and life will suffer loss.

In these last days, the Lord is restoring His glory.

“When He shall come to be glorified in His saints.”  II Thessalonians 1:10

He greatly desires to demonstrate this through the lives of those who have rejected the downward pull of their soul by taking up their cross, and have chosen the higher realm of spiritual life (overcomers).

The Lord will have “overcomers” who will walk with Him in the covering of His Shekinah glory, and who will reveal His manifest presence and power to a lost and dying world, in this last day.

“Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you … and His glory shall be seen upon you. And the Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”  Isaiah 60:1, 2b-3

In this New Year, may we rightly choose to become more sensitive to our Lord’s presence and voice, so this also can be said of us.