________ WHY NOT ________
Spiritually Dead, Now What?
We left Adam and Eve (A/E) in the Garden of Eden trying to cover their shame with fig leaves and attempting to hide from God out of fear. Then when God “found” them, they played the oldest game known to man – the blame game (actually, “hide-and-go-seek” may be just slightly older).
Separated from the Source of Life
As a result of eating from the forbidden tree, A/E were now spiritually “dead to God” (separated from the life of God). Rather than being influenced by God, they were now influenced and energized by Satan.
God had been their source for life and all that they would ever need. But they bought the lie that they could live independently of God, i.e., be their own “god”, and decide what was best for their lives. Do you ever believe that lie?
As I’ve said, we are all born spiritually dead to God, thus, prior to receiving Christ, all that we do is done independently of God (in/according to our flesh). Furthermore, we all have a sense that we are missing something (we feel empty), but don’t know what it is. Truth is, we are missing something. This emptiness is often what leads a person to Christ.
Question - What is the greatest need of a dead person?
Answer - LIFE!
Question – What (who) is the only source of life?
Answer – GOD (JESUS)!
Get This – A dead person cannot bring himself back to life! Said another way, a spiritually dead person cannot get spiritual life by the works of his flesh!
The good news is that by the grace of God, Jesus came to give us what we were missing - life – his life. We just receive it by faith – no performance required!
We Need to Shed Some Light on a Few Things
Before we go on, let me clarify a few things.
Last time I mentioned that Adam’s sin affected all of the life functions of man - spiritual (spirit), psychological (soul), and physical (body), i.e., the entire person. We are created spirit, soul, and body. Let me briefly explain these.
Our spirit is essentially who we are. We are a spirit that has a soul and lives in a body. Each of these “parts” of man has a life function and thus, has certain needs.
Functions and Needs
We all know that our body has needs, and it demands that we pay attention to these needs. It has a very effective way of getting our attention through hunger, thirst, pain, fatigue, etc. And just like our bodies, our soul and spirit also have needs that must be met in order for us to function as God intended.
Body – Interacts with the physical environment. Expresses what the soul is experiencing. It needs oxygen, nutrition, water, sleep, etc. to maintain its life.
Soul – Consists of our mind (thinking), emotions (feelings), and our will (choosing). Our soul is the seat of our unique personality. It is where we experience either life or death at any given moment. Our soul needs to know our identity and purpose. It also needs to experience love, acceptance, security, significance, and adequacy. These are what give a person a sense of value and purpose, i.e., a sense of fullness, a sense of life!
Spirit – Determines our true identity. Our spirit is where we worship and commune with God. It needs life from God. We are all created as vessels where the life of God can dwell so that we might experience his life and then express his life in our behavior.
To help you better understand this, please read God’s Design for Man on this website.
Looking for LIFE in All the Wrong Places
As I continue to say, we all show up on earth spiritually dead to God, therefore our soul is experiencing death – shame, guilt, self-consciousness, insecurity, i.e., emptiness!
Just like A/E, mankind has been deceived into believing that the way to fill up this emptiness, is by our “doing”. The world’s way is to seek after fame, money, power, sex, glamor, etc. to fill this void. At best, these can only temporarily seem to fill up one’s emptiness. Oftentimes, people never figure out that spiritual life cannot be produced by human effort. It is a gift and can only be received.
When a person is separated from the life of God (spiritually dead), he cannot get his God-given inner needs met so that he can function as God intended. But, when we receive the life of Jesus, all our needs are met. We are complete in him. Amen!
If I’m Complete in Christ, Why Do I Still Feel Empty at Times?
That is a good question! And I will answer it ... next time. But I will leave you with a hint. God has always given mankind the freedom to choose for himself. Exhibit A – A/E in the garden. Every moment of every day we make a choice that results in either life or death. Think about it.
Ask yourself (and God) – “When I feel empty, what am I believing?”
My Struggle – When I feel empty or feel like I’m missing something, I’m learning to immediately ask God to reveal the lie(s) that I’m believing. The feeling of emptiness, or sometimes it’s a lack of peace, serves like a red light on a car’s dashboard. It tells me something is wrong; I’m not trusting Jesus in some areas of my life.
Scripture References – Genesis chapters 1-3; John 4:24; 2 Cor 4; Eph 2:1-3; Eph 2:8-9; Col. 2.
Back Next – If I’m Complete in Christ, Why Do I Still Feel Empty at Times?