Title: 13
Author: Joe G
Last saved by: PJD-SymCast
Company: GDC

© 2004 Joe Griffin		04-04-29.CC02-278 /

Paul’s Behavior Problem: Categories of Life Defined in Scripture: Timeless: Eternal, Forever, & Never-Ending; Temporal: Biological, Soul, & Spiritual

1.	Man sinned in Eden and in so doing acquired a body of corruption which was contaminated by sinful-nature genes in the DNA of every cell.
2.	Up to the point of original sin the souls of both Adam and Ishah were pure and they consequently enjoyed an unbroken fellowship with God.
3.	When the volitional decision was made to eat the forbidden fruit, both Adam and Ishah committed a spiritual ménage à trios with an external temptation offered by Lucifer.
4.	Thus was created the sinful nature in the flesh and its simultaneous control over their souls.
5.	This broke their fellowship with God and brought about total depravity and spiritual death which corrupted their souls.  This fall brought an end to our original parents’ perfect life.
6.	It would be helpful if we took the time to review the several categories of life revealed in the Bible:
Doctrine of the Categories of Life Defined in Scripture
A.	There are three categories of life which are timeless:
1.	Eternal Life.	a„ènioj, aiōnios: An attribute of God which He imputed to angels at their creation in eternity past and, in human history, to the human spirit of believers in Jesus Christ at the moment of salvation for whom it becomes operational at (1) physical death or (2) the resurrection of saints at (a.) the rapture of the Church and (b.) at the conclusion of the two eschatological dispensations of the Tribulation and Millennium.  
John 3:15 -		Whoever believes may in Him have eternal life.
v. 16 -	For God unconditionally loved the world so much that it resulted in Him giving His Son—the uniquely-born One—for the purpose of assuring that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life [ zw¾n a„ènion, zōēn aiōnion ].
2.	Forever Life.	The idiom: a„înaj tèn a„înwn, aiōnas tōn aiōnōn: “forever and ever.”  Refers to the timeless future of the Beast, False Prophet, and all unbelievers in the lake of fire with Lucifer and his fallen angels.  
Revelation 20:10 -	And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever [ a„înaj tèn a„înwn, aiōnas tōn aiōnōn ].
v. 14 -	And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.  This is the second death, the lake of fire.
v. 15 -	And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
3.	Never-Ending Life.	Refers to the human soul which never dies.  It is united with the body at selection forming the human personality of the individual.  This term does not distinguish between the soul of the believer or unbeliever but refers to the fact that soul life continues endlessly following physical death.
	In the case of the believer his soul goes directly to heaven at physical death:
2 Corinthians 5:8 -	We are of good courage, I say, and prefer to be absent from the body and at home face to face with the Lord [ prÕj plus the accusative of tÕn kÚrion, pros ton kurion ]. 
	In the case of the unbeliever his soul goes directly to the Torments compartment of Hades:  
Luke 16:23 -	And in Hades he [ the “certain rich man” (see v. 19) ] lifted up his eyes, being in torment [ b£sanoj, basanos ], and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.

B.	There are three categories of life associated with mankind in time:
1.	Biological Life.	s£rx, sarx: “flesh.”   Consists of cell tissue, genetic makeup, and the functions necessary to sustain living material.  Biological life is corporeal and material and does not include a soul, which is incorporeal and immaterial.  Biological life is not human life.
Genesis 2:7a -	Then the Lord God [ Jesus Christ ] formed [ rx^y* yasar: to create from existing materials ] the man of the dust from the ground [ biological life ] …
Ecclesiastes 12:7a -	Then the dust [ biological life ] shall return to the earth as it was …
a.	Biological life is the means of transmitting the sinful nature genetically.
b.	Biological life is the product of human procreation and does not contain soul life.  Consequently, God is not the author of sin.
c.	Biological life is mother dependent until physical birth at which point the child becomes God dependent.
d.	If God chooses to select the child into human life then He creates a soul and imputes it to his biological life.
2.	Soul Life.	yuc», psuchē: the incorporeal and immaterial part of man. The Never-Ending Life created by God and imputed immediately to the fetus at physical birth.
Genesis 2:7b -	… and breathed [ jp^n* naphach ] into his nostrils the breath of life [ yj^ hm*v*n= neshamah hay: soul life ] and man became a living being [ vp#n\ yj^ hay nephesh: a soul having life, i.e., human life ].
Ecclesiastes 12:7b -	… and the breath of life [ j^Wr ruach: human life ] shall return to God who gave it.
Isaiah 42:5 -	Thus says God the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath [ hm*v*n= neshamah: soul life ] to the people on it, and spirit [ j^Wr ruach: human life ] to those who walk in it. 
	The word immediately refers to the fact that the soul is created by God at the moment of His selection of a newly born fetus in contradistinction to mediately which is the assertion of those who contend that all souls were created in eternity past and distributed to individuals in time.
3.	Human Life.	vp#n\ yj^ hay nephesh: “a soul having life.”  When soul life is imputed to biological life at selection it results in human life: body plus soul, or a dichotomous individual.  See Genesis 2:7.  Simultaneous with this imputation is that of Adam’s original sin to the genetically formed sinful nature.
Romans 5:12 -	Just as through one man, Adam, the original sin of Adam entered into the world and so spiritual death through the original sin of Adam, consequently, spiritual death spread to all men because all sinned with Adam sinned.
	This results in the person being born physically alive but spiritually dead.  At physical death the soul is separated from the body.  See Ecclesiastes 12:7.
4.	Spiritual Life.	gennhqÁnai ¥nwqen, gennēthēnai anōthen: “to be born from above.”  (Also translated: “to be born again.”)  When anyone believes in Christ, the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit performs the ministry of regeneration by creating a human spirit to which God imputes Eternal Life.  The person becomes trichotomous and passes from spiritual death to spiritual life.
John 3:7 -	“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again [ gennhqÁnai ¥nwqen, gennēthēnai anōthen ].’”

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