Living Christ

We take an uncommon approach to the Book of Genesis, which is more commonly known as the book of creation. Genesis truly offers great insight to spiritual understanding of things to come. Here are just a few of those insights, may the Spirit open our understanding fully to hear the Lord: In Genesis chapters 1 and 2 we see God creating or calling forth the land, separating the waters, the earth’s atmosphere, plant life, animals, and the birds of the air and finally, He made man on the sixth day. On the seventh day God rested from all His work.
Insight 1. By making man last, God was making a defining statement that man should never be in bondage to anything, all things were to be subservient to man working to bring about God's ultimate purpose. Remember, 'all things work together for...His purpose’ Rom l8:28. Do you see this? Let ‘s look at the cycle provided in this picture. God made the heavens to supply the earth with all that is necessary for reproduction, growth and a healthy environment. The earth in turn supplies what is needful for man's life, i.e., eating, producing and reproducing and comfort. Man would supply what God needed, praise, worship and adoration, yet more than this… a place for His rest. Isa. 66:1.2
Insight 2. God rested for He was satisfied that His plan was fully set in motion. Was He aware of man's inevitable failure? Yes, of course. He was fully at rest for He knew that nothing and no one, not even satan on his best day of trickeries and deceptions, could alter His plan once it was in place. Jesus said ' I will build my Church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.’ Matt 16:18 NASB
Insight 3. Man's first day was on the seventh day. It follows that God's design for man’s life was complete and he was to enter into God’s rest. The Rest here is not one of a physical nature but the ceasing of labor of the soul life (the will, mind and emotions). "The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You." Isa 26:3
For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Heb 4: 10
If we are to benefit fully of the provision of God, we have to stop eating from our own table, the thing we have provided for ourselves, and eat from the table provided by the Lord. Jesus said in John 6:57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. If we are to please or fulfill the purpose of the Father we must eat and live by Christ.
The whole purpose of redemption was to reverse the damaging effect of the fall. It was the soul (mind, will, emotions) that was empowered by the will of satan (the serpent) in the garden of Eden. Genesis 3:6 gives us a clear picture of a soul fully activated and elevated ‘And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.’ In breaking this down some more ‘it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired’ is an act of the emotions; ‘to make one wise’ is an act of the mind; ‘’she took of the fruit therefore, and did eat’ this is an act of the will. The eating of the fruit was symbolic of taking in a forbidden thing, the nature of Satan, filled with rebellion and self-consciousness. You are what you eat. When we read the account of Satan’s rebellion against God in Isaiah 14 we find there a number of ‘I wills’ coming from Lucifer (Satan). When Christ came to earth His whole manner of living was in contrast to this very thing, He would say such words as these “Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does.” “Yet not my will, but yours be done.” This must become the pattern for our lives as well, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” Gal. 2:20. The “I” must die in order that the life of Christ have full reign. Phil. 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

GOD'S ORIGINAL INTENT

We have discovered that when God said ‘let us make man in our image’ that man would be made into the image of Christ, For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; Romans 8:29
What is the image of Christ? Such verses as Col 1:15 speaking of Christ states “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” And 2Cor. 4:4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Genesis is filled with many divine truths in which as the title of the book suggests are the origins, the beginnings and giving of birth, which can also be summarized in one word, seeds. It is a known fact that seed/s are not the final stage of a thing, but it holds the potentiality of what is to be produced, therefore the seed has to germinate, grow and develop to a matured state for harvest.
Understanding and observing this truth will help to diffuse any careless methods used to decipher or interpret scripture. In this book of Genesis we see many types and figures and symbols such as “the deep”, “dry land”, “man” just to name a few. The gross mistake that we can make here or any other part of scripture is to simply take the face value and seek to make a conclusion without going beyond the linguistic form of the text and gain the spiritual meaning.
From the standpoint that this was God’s initial intention, we can conclude that man was made to be a vessel
So, Man at a designated time would contain Christ. Read; 2Cor. 4:7, But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;
Romans 9:23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,
Image is an inner matter, when man possesses Christ; he is transformed into the image of God. 2Cor 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
The work of transformation can only commence when the approved mold (Christ the image of God) is deposited or dispensed into man.
‘Let us’
This points out that the Triune God purposed to dwell within man. There is no such thing as working alone in the Godhead. If one made a decision to make man His home; they would all dwell there.
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.
If image refers to the inner work then likeness refers to the outward work. God always begins His work from the inside and work to the outside.
Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Phil. 3:21Our God is complete in every thing He does, 1Thess. 5:23 and 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 Christ.
The above portion of scripture confirms that man was made a tripartite being.
Since man is found with three (3) perpetual needs, spiritual, psychological and natural, let‘s look more closely at this tripartite.
Spirit – consist of three parts: conscious, intuition and communion.
Soul – the mind, will and emotion.
Body – The natural body is a 3 dimensional figure that houses the soul and spirit.