MY Beliefs ABout Mankind
THe Original State of Mankind
In the beginning, everything was good. We really had it going on.
Work was easy, and man was productive without ever having to break a sweat. All of the animals and every creeping thing was pleasant and subservient to man. The predatory nature did not exist. There were no fangs or thorns or spikes, nothing that would cut or poke. The sun did not scorch our faces and radiation from space did not damage out genes. Mutation and death were unknown.
Everything that we needed was readily available and delightfully assorted in the Garden of Eden.
Best of all, we had fellowship with the Creator, who visited the Garden.
Work was easy, and man was productive without ever having to break a sweat. All of the animals and every creeping thing was pleasant and subservient to man. The predatory nature did not exist. There were no fangs or thorns or spikes, nothing that would cut or poke. The sun did not scorch our faces and radiation from space did not damage out genes. Mutation and death were unknown.
Everything that we needed was readily available and delightfully assorted in the Garden of Eden.
Best of all, we had fellowship with the Creator, who visited the Garden.
"And they heard the sound of YHVH Elohiym walking in the garden in the cool of the day..." (Gen. 3:8)
At first, however, there was no "they." Only a single earthly creature was made in the image of Elohiym and placed in the Garden, and that creature was the man, Adam. He alone tended the Garden and had fellowship with Elohiym and the animals. He was incomplete, though, because Elohiym had designed him to need a companion of like kind. Therefore Adonai put the man into a deep sleep and fashioned a woman, Hawwah (English: Eve), to be his partner.
The first man and woman were innocent and pure. They had no understanding of good and evil, no thought of rebellion from God's precepts. Not that there were many precepts to worry about, anyway; the only rule that Elohiym issued was that the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil should not be eaten. Easy enough, right?
Evidently not so easy, at least after the Tempter showed up.
The first man and woman were innocent and pure. They had no understanding of good and evil, no thought of rebellion from God's precepts. Not that there were many precepts to worry about, anyway; the only rule that Elohiym issued was that the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil should not be eaten. Easy enough, right?
Evidently not so easy, at least after the Tempter showed up.
THe Fall
Life might have continued on joyfully if not for the Nachash. Unfortunatley, a rebellious serpent (more likely a serpentine angel) initiated a conversation with Eve and tempted her to take from the Tree of Knowledge. He lied to her, claiming that the restriction placed by YHVH was not what it seemed. They would not die if they ate the fruit, the Nachash assured her, but would instead become gods.
Eve was deceived. She ate what she had been commanded not to eat.
Adam, on the other hand, was not deceived. Satan targeted the woman because he knew that she was more vulnerable than the man, who had lived longer and knew YHVH more intimately. Eve was sold a bill of goods (Gen. 3:13), but the scriptures deny that Adam fell for the serpent's ruse.
Eve was deceived. She ate what she had been commanded not to eat.
Adam, on the other hand, was not deceived. Satan targeted the woman because he knew that she was more vulnerable than the man, who had lived longer and knew YHVH more intimately. Eve was sold a bill of goods (Gen. 3:13), but the scriptures deny that Adam fell for the serpent's ruse.
"Adam wasn't deceived, but the woman, being deceived, has fallen into disobedience..." (1 Tim. 2:14)
Even though he was not directly subverted, Adam willfully rebelled on account of Eve. In that moment, he loved his partnership with Eve more than he loved YHVH. Instead, he should have rebuked the sin and pled for mercy for Eve, being that she had been placed under his authority. But because Adam followed his wife into her sin, he also became culpable, and the entire human race became outcasts.
The Importance of Authority
Every being in the universe is under the authority of some higher being, save the Most High Elohiym. Like it or not, life is organized into hierarchies—there's no use railing against it, that's just how the system works. The actions of people in positions of authority dramatically affect everyone who lives under their authority, whether for good or for bad.
Adam was under the authority of YHVH, and Eve was under the authority of Adam. When Adam decided to obey the Nachash rather than Elohiym, he removed both himself and his wife from under the authority of YHVH and entered them into the kingdom of the Adversary. It was mutiny.
The penalty for rebellion had already been established and clearly communicated to Adam: he would die (Gen. 2:17). And die he did, not only physically, but spiritually.
Adam was under the authority of YHVH, and Eve was under the authority of Adam. When Adam decided to obey the Nachash rather than Elohiym, he removed both himself and his wife from under the authority of YHVH and entered them into the kingdom of the Adversary. It was mutiny.
The penalty for rebellion had already been established and clearly communicated to Adam: he would die (Gen. 2:17). And die he did, not only physically, but spiritually.
"You used to be dead because of your offenses and sins that you once practiced as you lived according to the ways of this present world and according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now active in those who are disobedient. Indeed, all of us once behaved like them in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of our flesh and senses. By nature we were destined for wrath, just like everyone else." (Eph. 2:1-3)
Paternal Spiritual LIneage
There is a spiritual component to reproduction. It isn't just the genes that are passed on.
YHVH did not breathe life into Eve or create her body from the dust; rather, part of Adam's flesh was split off and grown into a new body, and part of the breath of life (Hebrew: ruach, meaning "spirit") within Adam was likewise duplicated, so that one organism became two. A soul is generated at the union of flesh with a certain kind of spirit:
YHVH did not breathe life into Eve or create her body from the dust; rather, part of Adam's flesh was split off and grown into a new body, and part of the breath of life (Hebrew: ruach, meaning "spirit") within Adam was likewise duplicated, so that one organism became two. A soul is generated at the union of flesh with a certain kind of spirit:
"And YHVH Elohiym formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Gen. 2:7)
A similar process is occurring every time that a baby is conceived. However, instead of a part of the father's biology being used by itself to grow a new organism, cells from both parents are used. This is because a man and woman become “one flesh” when they are sexually united (Gen. 2:24). But YHVH never said that they become one spirit. Only one of the parents is allowed to contribute their spirit, and that function goes to the authority figure, the male, who was the original recipient of God's spirit. This is precisely why the Bible never states that a woman begot a child; only men are said to beget children.
The idea that the spirit is multiplied from the father alone is proven out in the writings of the apostle Paul, who tackles the theology of spiritual death and the second Adam. Everyone who has every lived, says Paul, inherited an inert spirit, or what is commonly called a sinful nature, from Adam. Paul writes that “sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned,” and he continues on to say that just as the trespass of one man led to condemnation for all, so the righteousness of one man makes available justification for all (Rom. 5:12-19). A goodly portion of the Book of Romans is based on the understanding that in all of history there have only been two biological sons of God: Adam and Yeshua. Those two men were hand-crafted by YHVH, while every other human being is multiplied from Adam. Yeshua was a son of God, and Adam was a son of God, but all others are sons of Adam unless they partake of the Messiah's life and become co-heirs with him.
The idea that the spirit is multiplied from the father alone is proven out in the writings of the apostle Paul, who tackles the theology of spiritual death and the second Adam. Everyone who has every lived, says Paul, inherited an inert spirit, or what is commonly called a sinful nature, from Adam. Paul writes that “sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned,” and he continues on to say that just as the trespass of one man led to condemnation for all, so the righteousness of one man makes available justification for all (Rom. 5:12-19). A goodly portion of the Book of Romans is based on the understanding that in all of history there have only been two biological sons of God: Adam and Yeshua. Those two men were hand-crafted by YHVH, while every other human being is multiplied from Adam. Yeshua was a son of God, and Adam was a son of God, but all others are sons of Adam unless they partake of the Messiah's life and become co-heirs with him.
The Doctrine of Paternal Spiritual Lineage states that children receive their spirits exclusively from their respective fathers.
This Doctrine of Paternal Spiritual Lineage adds another dimension to YHVH's promise to Adam and Eve that the Seed of the woman would redeem mankind. This focus on the maternal component of our ancestry is alien to the rest of Scripture, where we consistently find the patriarchy in view. When he finally arrived, the promised Seed repeatedly called himself “Son of Adam,” not “Son of Eve.” If Yeshua's focus was on his biological descent from Adam, why did YHVH put emphasis on the Seed of the woman? More to the point, why couldn't God have inserted his spirit into an egg that had been fertilized by male sperm? If, as many believe, God imbues each zygote with a spirit at the time of conception, and only biological material is contributed by the parents, then there should be nothing preventing God from putting the Holy Spirit into a particular zygote. Then the Messiah could have been the offspring of both the man and the woman. Doesn't that seem more fair? But that's not what happened, and it couldn't happen that way because there exists an immutable law whereby the spirit of the father is always passed to his child. The reproductive contribution of the man had to be subtracted before the spirit of God could be introduced.
THe Second Birth
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We know that Y'shua did not sin (Heb. 4:15). He could have sinned but chose otherwise, for he was not a slave to sin but a servant to God. Yet it is written that all men are slaves to sin (Rom. 6:16-22) and that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). How then did Y'shua, being a man, avoid sin? The answer is that his spirit was not the dead spirit of Adam but the living spirit of YHVH. The second Adam was human on account of the genetic code contributed by his mother, Mary, but he had no biological father to pass down the spirit of the first Adam. Instead, Matthew writes that Mary “was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit,” and it was that pure spirit of God which was multiplied into Y'shua. If it was the case that Mary contributed part of her spirit to her children, then Y'shua would have been shaped—as the psalmist said of himself—“in iniquity” (Psa. 51:5); but this was not the case.
Once Adam's spirit was dead, his offspring could only inherit a dead spirit from him, and so it is that every descendant of Adam needs to be quickened, or revived, spiritually before he or she can become part of God's family and receive an inheritance of eternal life. To theologians this is known as regeneration. Those who are in Christ become sons of God because they have received a living spirit from God (Gal. 3:26; cf. Luke 20:35-36). Thus Paul can write, “The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45, KJV). No one is born with sin already marring his or her soul, but because our spirits are disconnected from God, we are inherently selfish and inclined to sin. In our spiritual weakness we all inevitably sin, and we do it repeatedly. Through the disobedience of Adam we are effectively imprisoned in sin, and God allowed this so that he may have mercy on all who repent, to the everlasting glory of his name (Rom. 11:32). |
Repentance and Trust
Every person who desires to be rescued from the penalties of their sins must first be deeply convicted of his own guilt and complete helplessness to save himself. He must turn away from his lifestyle of transgressing Adonai's instructions, turn toward the living Elohiym with a contrite heart, confess his wickedness, and plead for mercy.
A supplicant must place his full trust in God, never again relying upon himself to gain favor with the Father, but instead gratefully receiving the finished work of the Son of God as sufficient to save him.
A supplicant must place his full trust in God, never again relying upon himself to gain favor with the Father, but instead gratefully receiving the finished work of the Son of God as sufficient to save him.
Baptism and Communion
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A truly repentant man will gladly and without delay participate in the sacred rites of baptism and communion. (This does not imply that every person who outwardly participates in those things is inwardly repentant.) These rites confirm our loyalty to the Kingdom and the oath.
Scriptural baptism (Hebrew: mikvah) is the act of full immersion for ritual cleansing. Christian baptism in particular is immersion in the name of Y'shua, as a public profession of identification with Messiah in his death, burial, and resurrection (Col. 2:12). It is also the pledge of a clean conscience toward Elohiym (1 Pet. 3:21). There can be no remission of sins without baptism (Acts 2:38), just as there could be no sacrifice of atonement for Israel if the priest did not first immerse in living water. The sacrament of Communion, a.k.a the Lord's Supper, is the very betrothal contract between Y'shua ha-Mashiach and his Bride (i.e., the Assembly of saints). The wine represents the blood of the covenant (Heb. 9:20) poured out by Messiah, as every covenant must be ratified with the shedding of blood. |
Sanctification
The regenerated and forgiven man will, if he stands firm in his faith, continue to destroy the dominion of the flesh by walking in the Spirit. He will experience progressive victory over carnal desires and unwholesome thinking. He will grow ever stronger in battle against the old nature and the unclean spirits who attempt to leverage it.
Whenever in the course of his journey a disciple of Messiah does fall into corruption, it is his duty to confess his failing, repent of it, and return to walking in holiness (1 John 1:9). His brethern must restore him to fellowship with all gentleness and compassion (Gal. 6:1-2).
If, on the other hand, a brother does not repent of evil-doing, yet claims to be a child of the light and guiltless, then he is a liar (1 John 1:6-8,10) and should be cut off from fellowship until such time as he genuinely repents.
Whenever in the course of his journey a disciple of Messiah does fall into corruption, it is his duty to confess his failing, repent of it, and return to walking in holiness (1 John 1:9). His brethern must restore him to fellowship with all gentleness and compassion (Gal. 6:1-2).
If, on the other hand, a brother does not repent of evil-doing, yet claims to be a child of the light and guiltless, then he is a liar (1 John 1:6-8,10) and should be cut off from fellowship until such time as he genuinely repents.
The Afterlife and Eternal Judgment
Upon the death of the material body, the immaterial body of a man descends to Sheol, the Underworld, where it remains until Judgement Day. Sheol is comprised of two dwelling-places separated by an abyss. One place is known as Torment, and it is where the souls of the unrepentant are kept. There is no rest in that place. The other place is called Paradise, and it is where the souls of the forgiven go to rest. The souls in Sheol exist in a dream-like state and are completely unaware of what is taking place upon the earth.
Everyone who has ever lived will be resurrected from the grave at the end of the age. We will receive the same forms that we had, but with different qualities. The Elect of YHVH will be resurrected first, at the return of the Messiah. The remainder of humanity will be resurrected after the Millennium, on the Day of Judgement (Rev. 20:5,12).
Elohiym has appointed a day wherein he will judge every word, deed, and motive (Rev. 20:11-13). The righteous will receive their just rewards and the wicked will receive their just punishments (2 Cor. 5:10). Therefore men should fear God and live lives of obedience (Eccl. 12:13; Rev. 14:7). There is no reincarnation, for "it is appointed unto men once to die, and then to face judgement" (Heb. 9:27).
Everything that is wrong with the world will be made right. Every corrupt thing will be removed. The proud will be humbled and the meek will be glorified. Death and Sheol will be thrown into the Lake of Fire along with Satan and everyone in his kingdom (Rev. 10:14-15).
After the judgment at the Great White Throne of Elohiym, the cosmos will enter the eternal state. The destinies of all mankind and all of the heavenly host will have been finalized.
Everyone who has ever lived will be resurrected from the grave at the end of the age. We will receive the same forms that we had, but with different qualities. The Elect of YHVH will be resurrected first, at the return of the Messiah. The remainder of humanity will be resurrected after the Millennium, on the Day of Judgement (Rev. 20:5,12).
Elohiym has appointed a day wherein he will judge every word, deed, and motive (Rev. 20:11-13). The righteous will receive their just rewards and the wicked will receive their just punishments (2 Cor. 5:10). Therefore men should fear God and live lives of obedience (Eccl. 12:13; Rev. 14:7). There is no reincarnation, for "it is appointed unto men once to die, and then to face judgement" (Heb. 9:27).
Everything that is wrong with the world will be made right. Every corrupt thing will be removed. The proud will be humbled and the meek will be glorified. Death and Sheol will be thrown into the Lake of Fire along with Satan and everyone in his kingdom (Rev. 10:14-15).
After the judgment at the Great White Throne of Elohiym, the cosmos will enter the eternal state. The destinies of all mankind and all of the heavenly host will have been finalized.
