BS6C - RESTORATION
When a branch is cut off from its source it lives for a while, but soon enough it shrivels and dies. So, it was with us when God’s Spirit departed from our spirit. We were cut off from God, our source, causing us to die spiritually. And like the tree branch, it was only a matter of time before we also died physically.
Romans 5:12
This was a definite departure from God’s original intention. He wanted us to live forever – with Him. But God knowing Adam and Eve would sin, had a plan already in place to restore us to the way we were meant to be.
The main actor of that plan was to be His only begotten Son, Jesus.
Romans 5:18-19
When God’s Spirit left man’s spirit, man found himself turned inside out. He was still on the earth; he still had a spirit (now empty of God’s spirit) – AND -- He still had the commission to rule and reign over the earth.
Genesis 1:28
But the earth was now dominating him. In losing God’s Spirit, he had lost the inner power to reign over life and his circumstances.
Almost against his will, man became a slave to his passions and lusts. He became subject to the very things he was supposed to rule over.
John 8:34
When Christ arrived on earth it was the first time since “the fall of man” that God’s Spirit was back on earth and dwelling within one man (Jesus). The Bible tells us that Jesus was full of God’s Spirit….
Luke 4:1
….. and it was evident by the words he spoke, the things he claimed…and the miracles he performed. Jesus had a power that other men and women simply did not have.
The first part of Christ’s mission was to restore our right-standing with God so that we would again be a fit dwelling place for God’s Spirit to live. This meant He needed to deal with our sins: past, present and even future.
Romans 3:25 / Romans 5:6-11 / 1 Peter 3:18 / 1 John 2:2
The second part of Christ’s mission was to give us His Spirit so we could again be reconnected with the Father, as well as retrained.
Romans 8:9-11
You see, our stay in the Kingdom of Darkness has taught us to think like nobodies. Therefore, most of us have mental damage from feeding on a lifetime of negativity and impossible thinking. We have been slaves so long that even after we have come to Christ, we don’t know how to handle our new freedom. Therefore, renewing our minds is important. We need to return to the original mindset that man had before the fall------a mind that loved and honored God.
Romans 12:2
It was also a mind that understood our rightful place as rulers on earth --- under God’s rulership.
In coming to earth Jesus showed us what the Father was like and modeled what we should be as sons of God.
John 14:9 / John 17:25-26
But just try doing some of the things Jesus did in your own strength. You’ll be flat on your face in no time. That’s why all of us need the return of God’s Spirit into our lives. You might say that God’s Spirit is our live-in tutor to remind us of what Jesus taught and to give us the power to carry it out.
John 16:13-15
So that was Christ’s mission. He came to die so we could live again – according to God’s original plan for us – cleansed, forgiven, and once again full of God’s Spirit to help us to rule and reign with Christ.
Let’s continue in the next study to discuss how Jesus was able to reverse the fall of man.
Next Study: BS6D - God's Plan to Reverse the Fall of Man