1. Topic 6 of 10 Why Man Needs God's Plan of Salvation Pt. 1 Lesson 9 in the Series God’s Plan to Save Man

2. Man needs salvation. He needs it because he is lost. He’s lost because he sinned when he transgressed God’s command, and ate of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. This story is recorded in the Bible in Genesis 2:15 through 3:1-24. Sin the transgression of law. Since God was the only Lawgiver it was His law that sin transgressed. KJV 1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. (1Jo 3:4 KJV) KJV James 4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? (Jam 4:12 KJV)

3. God told man that if he ate of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, he would die. ESV Genesis 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Gen 2:16 ESV) Adam died the same day he ate of the forbidden fruit. He died “spiritually”. He died spiritually because he was separated from God, who is the source of all life. God could no longer have “fellowship with Adam” like He had with him before he sinned. But when Adam did eat of it, God immediately set about to help man by giving him a plan, the outcome of which, would more than undo the harm to humanity that Adam caused when he disobeyed God. This is the subject of this particular class.

4. In the NT book of Romans, God tells us why all people died. ESV Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned-- (Rom 5:12 ESV) Graphically, this appears similar to this: The one man through whom sin came was Adam. Death came into the world becaue of Adam’s sin. The aging process began its work and eventually Adam died, just as we all do.

5. That’s why He said to all the other Beings of the Deity, all of whom we call “the Godhead”. ESV Genesis 3:22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever-- " 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. (Gen 3:22 ESV) This separation of man from the tree of life allowed the mortal body God gave him to begin the ageing process by which man begins to die. ESV Hebrews 9:27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, (Heb 9:27 ESV)

6. So this brings us to the crux of “why man needs God’s plan to save him”. What is there about man that needs saving? What has he lost? How is he lost? What does it mean to be lost? Why can’t he save himself? These are good questions that need to be answered.

7. The Bible says that man is a being with three parts 1. Spirit 2. Soul 3. Body ESV 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1Th 5:23 ESV) Body was formed from dust: ASV Genesis 2:7 And Jehovah God 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 ASV) ESV Genesis 3:19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." (Gen 3:19 ESV) God breathed into man’ nostrils “the breath of life”. ESV Genesis 7:22-23 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. 23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. (Gen 7:22 ESV)

8. The Bible informs us that God put life into the blood. ASV Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood; (Lev 17:11 ASV) One’s properly functioning body is inhabited by his “spirit”, or faculties of intelligence, which reside in his brain. The Bible informs us that the body without the spirit is dead. KJV James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. So this second part of man is the physical life that animates one’s body, causing it to live. Every human being has these two parts, just as every living animal has these two parts. When this part of man leaves his body, his body is physically dead.

9. We saw in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 that man has a third part. This happened when God breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life and “man became a living soul”, Genesis 2:7. This third part of man makes human beings different from all other earthly creatures God created. He is the only being God created in His own image and His own likeness KJV Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Gen 1:26 KJV)

10. Being in God’s image and likeness means that man has a part that is eternal, like God is eternal. The Bible says that God put eternity in man’s heart. ESV Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. God did this for a purpose. He wanted man to have a longing that cannot be fulfilled in this earthly life. Since man was created in the image of his Creator, he is more than a physical being. He is also spiritual. Being spiritual, he must have more that what material things and physical accomplishments can give him, if he is to be completely satisfied and experience the wonderful feelings of self-gratification and fulfillment that God wants him to have. Man needs to recognize his yearnings and give free reign to his longing for eternity. It’s obvious that nothing is eternal in this life on earth, so broken by sin. Everything here is in constant need of repair. It’s all getting old and wearing out. So we should embrace the eternity that God put in our hearts. Long for it! Look for it! Grasp it and pursue it! That’s what this lesson is all about.

11. The eternal part of man, being like God, will never die in the sense that it loses consciousness. Thus, it will always be susceptible to joy or sorrow, pleasure or pain, longing or apathy, etc. And being eternal, it must have a place in which to exist, or inhabit.

12. The Bible informs us that when a person dies, his body returns to dust, but his spirit goes back to God. KJV Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. (Ecc 12:7 KJV) God has prepared a place called Sheol in the OT and Hades in the NT as a holding place for spirits that have no bodies. An incident in Jacob’s life informs us of some things about Sheol. ASV Genesis 37:35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning. And his father wept for him. (Gen 37:35 ASV) ASV 1 Samuel 2:6 Jehovah killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to Sheol, and bringeth up. (1Sa 2:6 ASV)

13. Study of Sheol and Hades continued: ASV Psalm 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol; Neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption. (Psa 16:10 ASV) This Psalm is quoted in the NT, ASV Acts 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul unto Hades, Neither wilt thou give thy Holy One to see corruption. ESV Acts 2:31 he (speaking of David) foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. These passages of scripture show us that the Hebrew word for Sheol and the Greek word of Hades are equivalent because the Holy Spirit used the Hebrew word for Sheol in Psalms 16:10, but used the Greek word of Hades in Acts 2:27 and 31.

14. We also learn that the Hadean realm has what we might call compartments. ASV Luke 23:43 And he said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise. ASV Luke 16:23-24 And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame. From all the biblical doctrine on death and what lies beyond, we know their souls are still there, awaiting the resurrection, which will happen at Jesus’ second coming. Since one’s departed soul does not have a body to inhabit, God has it wait for its body to be resurrected. It waits in hades. There was no way man could extract his eternal soul from this place. Satan had man’s soul trapped in the hadean realm.

15. If God had not had a just plan by which man’s eternal soul could be saved and extracted from hades, man would have been forever lost and destined for eternal torment in the hadean realm. This is exactly what Satan thought he had won!