Lesson 5A ─ The Two Deaths

Correspondence_____________________________________________________
Environment _______________________________________________________

We might take a simple illustration from nature. A tree, when alive, is in constant touch with its environment. It is ever taking in from the air the carbon dioxide so essential to its own development. It utilizes the carbon and then sends out the purified oxygen into the atmosphere for the benefit of man and animal. Through its roots, it is continually drawing up moisture and then sending it out in an invisible spray from the many thousands of mouths located on the underside of each leaf. From the sun it draws in the light for its color and the warmth so essential to its growth and fruitfulness. Even the wind in early Spring is so useful to the tree, bending its branches and thus inducing the sap to rise from the roots where it has lodged through the winter. The movement of the branches brings the needed sap to the furthermost tips of each twig to feed the buds which are so soon to burst forth.
On the other hand, when a tree is dead it ceases to correspond with its environment─heat, light, moisture, air and storm. These same elements which minister life to the living tree, but hasten destruction and decay to the dead tree. This is the reason for so prompt a burial for the human corpse. The elements which before ministered to its life, now will very quickly cause deterioration and decay.
When God created man, He made him to possess two levels or two kinds of life. He was in correspondence with two complete and separate environments. Let us now consider these two environments.

1. The environment of nature. His eyes saw the beauty of the mountains and rivers, the glow of sunset, the grace of animal and tree. His nostrils sniffed the scent-laden air, and could discern between the perfume of flower and the aroma of grasses and fruit. With his mouth he could taste the abundance and variety of the fruit of the garden. With his hands he could handle and touch the various forms of animal and vegetable life. With his ears he could catch the murmur of the river, the cadence of the bird song, the wide range that the human voice was capable of communicating in speech and song. And finally his social instincts were satisfied by that other creature, so similar to himself and yet so unlike─the woman God had brought to him.
With life more complicated now than it was in the beginning, man corresponds with an infinitely wider world─the scientific world, the business world, the social world, the educational and political set-up. The prince of this world has seen to it that the seen world of which he is the ruler and god, shall be so attractive, entrancing and seductive that man shall be absorbed in material and passing things and so never desire to regain his lost environment in God.

2. The Divine environment. God had made man like unto Himself in one very important respect. He had created him a spirit. No animal could commune with God. With no mere beast did God desire to walk through Eden in the cool of the day. But God and man, as spirits, communed and walked together; they enjoyed each other’s spiritual company. God was literally the environment of man’s spirit. Adam and Eve could say as St. Paul wrote later:
“In him we _______ and _______ and __________________” (Acts 17:28).

To Adam there must have been no limit to the potential growth and expansion of his spirit in God. Thus we see that when God breathed in the very beginning into man’s nostrils, “man became a living soul.” He enjoyed two environments. He became doubly alive─physically toward this earth and spiritually toward God.
As a part of this higher spiritual life, our first parents possessed a power unique in creation─the ability to make a moral choice. God’s loving desire was that man should know and love Him, not because he was obliged to, but because he wished to do so.
In the accompanying illustration, we see man likened to a three-story building. On the lower floor is the physical body with its five gateways through which he, through the five senses, can communicate with his physical environment. These five senses he has in common with all animals. The animal can see, hear, taste, smell and touch and so can keep in contact with the physical world.
A very excellent Bible teacher, A. T. Pierson, explains this three-storied construction called “man.” “The body is lowermost, the spirit is uppermost, and the soul is intermediate. The body rests upon the earth of which it is composed; the soul is next above the body, as its animating principle and intelligence, using its bodily senses as its agents in the exploration of the phenomena of matter, and the bodily organs and faculties for its self-expression and communion with the outside world.
“The soul is shut in a dark chamber. It cannot explore eternal nature except through the bodily organs and senses. We may think of it as coming down to the lower level, to go out through these sense gates for purposes of exploration and observation; then, as returning to its secret chambers (on the second floor) for the elaboration of sense impressions.

Death to God

“Sin closed all the windows and darkened all the chambers of the spirit, and it became as a death chamber, until the Lord once more breathed into this chamber of death His own life-giving Spirit, and once more flooded it with divine illumination and pervaded it with vitality.
“Had man remained innocent of evil and loyal to God, he would have had open doors of access to heavenly chambers of mystery. But sin closed all windows of the spirit and darkened and blinded the spirit’s facilities; so that all conceptions of higher verities became dependent upon physical observation through the senses, and physical processes of reasoning. This we take to be the real teaching of such marvelous chapters as 1 Cor. 2.”

“But the ___________ man receiveth not the things of the _________ of God: for they are _________________________: neither can he _______ them because they are ___________________________” (1 Cor. 2:14).
“______ hath not seen, nor ______ heard, neither have entered into the _________ of man, the things which God hath _____________ for them that love him. But God hath ____________ them unto us by his __________: for the Spirit _____________ all things, yea the ________ things of God” (1 Cor. 2:9-10).

So we see in the foregoing Scriptures that because our spirit is dark and dead nothing save a divine ray of light shining again into our spirit can bring the knowledge of the full provision of Calvary. Jesus took the penalty for our sin upon Himself, which was death.

“But we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the _______________________, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should ________________ for ____________” (Heb. 2:9).

We have already dwelt at length on the new birth which results when we as sinners see that Christ tasted death for us and rose again that we might have His life. The new- born child of God usually at first experiences such a burst of new life and love that he walks in the upper regions for weeks and even months. It is so wonderful to be alive and in a dimension never before realized. It is wonderful to have a new love for all mankind. So overwhelming are his experiences that often the spiritual babe does not think of another future temptation, let alone a life with anything sinful or savoring of defeat.
And, then it may begin suddenly, or it may come gradually, but he commences to feel impulses and reactions which bring anything but satisfaction to him. His best efforts to please God may include an intrusion of proud self even in the sanctuary or the pulpit. Or he may see another new member of the family of God being especially blessed and used, and he cannot completely and fully rejoice as he knows he ought to. The new child in Christ may feel when corrected or warned, an inner reaction unlike what he knows to be the true nature of the Christ life. He may feel tempted to defend himself and talk back, but another part of him is appalled at such a reaction. He is aware of another principle within him which wars against the new life of Christ─two life principles within his own nature opposing one another and retarding rapid development in the Christian life.
Robert Aitken, an evangelist tremendously used of God in the conversion of thousands, had painful discoveries made to him about the condition of his heart. As you read, remember that these are the words of a vicar of the Church of England, a man who had been mightily used of God: “The discoveries that were made to me of my thorough selfishness were awfully appalling. My mind appeared a complete thoroughfare for the uncircumcised and the unclean, and crowds of thoughts without my leave or control were constantly passing to and fro.”
Let us now enter into the discoveries made to Frances Havergal, a fine-living Christian poetess and hymn writer: “I want to make the most of my life and to do the best with it, but here I feel my desires and motives need much purifying. For even where all would sound fair enough in words, an element of self, of lurking pride, may be detected. Oh, that He would indeed purify me and make me white at any cost.”

Two Natures Within Us─One Must Die

We see in the accompanying illustration, the happy new-born child shackled by his old nature derived from Adam and chaining him to this old world. The new Adam in him feels like exulting and reaching out to heavenly things, but he is conscious of being attached to that which drags him downward. If he continues striving to develop the new life, he will become more and more aware of how closely he is bound up with his old Adamic nature which the Bible terms the “old man.”
This old man is condemned to death through the provision of the cross; we could not otherwise be condemned if there were no promise of deliverance. And would not God, our heavenly Father, provide an ample deliverance within the atonement of Christ? This He has done and so, therefore, there is no excuse. No amount of trying to obey the commandments, which the Bible terms the Law, will avail anything. All trying does is to make us so desperate that we turn in our despair to Christ’s full and complete salvation.

“For what the law __________________, in that it was _______ through the _________, God sending his own Son in the ________________________________, and (by a sacrifice─marginal reading) for sin, _____________ sin in the _________” (Rom. 8:3).

In the accompanying illustration, the artist has depicted opposing drives or pulls which operate in the life of a born-again believer. The new nature aspires heavenward; the old Adamic nature of sin and death anchors him to this old world order. With his mind he desires God, but the flesh desires sin. All the time and energy of the new child of God will be spent in internal strife and struggle. St. Paul describes this state when he says:
“O ____________ man that I am! Who shall ___________ me from the _________ ___________________? I thank God through _________________ our Lord. So then with the mind ___________________ the law of God; but with ______________ the law of ______. There is therefore now ____________________ to them which are in _________________, who walk not after ______________ but after _______________. For the law of the Spirit of _______ in Christ Jesus hath made me ________ from the law of ___________________” (Rom. 7:24-25, 8:1-2).

Jesus, early in His ministry, graphically describes and vehemently condemns a mixture of good and evil contained within one living organism. For the sake of His hearers, He uses the picture of a tree. Doubtless He is referring to the confusing mixture which the serpent introduced to man when he tempted him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Little wonder that when John the Baptist, Christ’s forerunner, came, he announced Him as the axe which was “laid unto the root of the tree.” The second Adam became the Vine and we were to be engrafted into that new tree.

“And now also ____________ is laid unto ____________ of the trees: therefore ________ tree which bringeth not forth _______ fruit is _______ down, and _______ into the _______” (Matt. 3:10).

Indeed, Christ shows that it is impossible for a tree to bear both good and evil fruit. It is only because man, by the Fall, imbibed the deceit of the serpent that he is enabled to appear good, though evil. Let us closely study these important words of our Savior. The false prophets were inwardly evil, but in order to deceive, they had an appearance of good.

“Beware of _________ prophets, which come to you in _____________________, but ____________ they are _____________________. Ye shall know them by their __________. Do men gather __________ of __________, or ________ of _____________? Even so every _______ tree bringeth forth _______ fruit; but a ___________ tree bringeth forth _______ fruit. A good tree ___________ bring forth _______________, neither can a ___________ tree bring forth _______ fruit. ________ ________ that bringeth not forth _______________ is ______________ and cast into the _______. Wherefore by their __________ shall ye ________ them” (Matt. 7:15-20).

Again when Jesus was accused by the Pharisees of casting out devils by Beelzebub the prince of devils, Jesus rebuked this generation of vipers, showing them how impossible it would be for Infinite Goodness to do the work of the devil.

“Either make the tree ­­­_______, and his fruit _______; or else make the tree ___________, and his fruit ___________: for the _______ is _________ by his _______. O __________________________, how can ye, _______________, speak ________ things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A _______ man out of the ____________ of the heart bringeth forth ________ things: and an _______ man out of the _______ treasure bringeth forth _______ things” (Matt. 12:33-35).

A well-known evangelist and holiness preacher was once accused of wrongly judging professing Christians and he replied, “I am not a judge. I am a fruit inspector.”
James asks a question which we do well to ponder. It answers those who would tolerate a mixture and plead that that is all the Christian can hope for in his lifetime.

“Doth a _____________ send forth at the _______ place ________ water and _________? Can the ______ tree, my brethren, bear _________ berries? Either a vine, ________? So can no fountain both yield _______________ and ________” (James 3:11-12).

Double-mindedness Condemned

Many Christians speaking of their true spiritual state have to admit of variableness and instability. They are on the mountain top one day, and plunged into the depths the next. They are up and then down. They are double-minded. The mind of Christ within them and, at the same time, the carnal mind create conflict. Paul advised the Philippian Christians to have the mind of Christ. Below we state Scriptures showing the two minds─the mind of Christ and the fleshly or carnal mind.

“Let this _______ be in ______, which was _______ in _________________” (Phil. 2:5).
“For to be _____________________ is ________; but to be ________________ __________ is life and peace. Because the ________________ (the minding of the flesh) is __________ against ______, for it is not ___________ to the law of God, neither indeed ___________” (Rom. 8:6-7).
“A ___________________ man is ____________ in all his ways” (James 1:8).
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and __________ your __________, ye ___________________” (James 4:8).

The age-long conflict is strikingly portrayed in the story of Abraham’s household. It is retold again by St. Paul in the fourth chapter of Galatians. Inner discord never occurred until Isaac, the supernaturally-born child, came into the home where Ishmael, the child born after the flesh, had already been established as heir. The disruption became so intense that one would have to go if harmony was to be restored and the well-being and health of the true heir insured.

“Now _____, brethren, as _________ was, are the _________________________. But as then he that was _______ after the ______________________ him that was _______ after the __________, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? _____________ the bondwoman and ___________: for ___________ of the bondwoman shall not be _______ with the ____________________________. So then, brethren, _______________ children of the bondwoman, but _________________” (Gal. 4:28-31).

It was hard for Abraham to see his son in the flesh sent away. He pled with God, “O let Ishmael live before thee.” This rending away of all that we have gendered in the flesh is very difficult. We are attached deeply to that which has meant our own life-blood expended in working for God, our church going, our giving, our religious reputation and our former carnal attachments. But the life of Jesus Christ cannot grow to its full stature in our house of clay until we send forth the product of our own efforts─our Ishmael.

Seth Rees, formerly a Quaker and later the founder of a movement, experienced this severe conflict within his own heart. He testified:

“But it was not long before I found the actions of evil within me. I was not a little surprised to discover that there was a sin-principle remaining in my breast, which mocked, persecuted and threatened the new life. It required great devotion and much prayer to remain in victory. I had seasons of great depression of spirit and sometimes suffered temporary defeat. At other times I would ascend to mounts of rapture and ecstasy.
“I was led to profess sanctification when I did not possess that blessed grace. I said, ‘I have taken Christ as my Sanctifier. I just claim it by faith. The altar sanctifies the gift.’ But I had never had a real funeral. Under ordinary preaching I felt fairly comfortable, and could stand up to all the tests put to the congregation. But under the search-light of the ministry of such men as David Updegraff or Dr. Dougan Clark, I would feel keenly conscious of a shortage in my experience.
Again and again have I rushed from the meeting into the woods or open country, by day or by night, to weep and cry to God for hours. I really reached a state of conviction even after I had preached for years, when the wretchedness and anguish of my heart was often inconceivable. My suffering under conviction for inbred sin greatly surpassed anything I had endured when an awakened sinner. I had been in the ministry for ten years and, incongruous and presumptuous as it may seem, I had dreamed of places of prominence and honor in my church. To give up my reputation and renounce my ambition for place and die out completely to what might be said or thought about me, seemed more than I could possibly do. But the Holy Ghost had ‘harpooned’ me, and I found no rest day or night, until I gave up entirely.

“If therefore thine ______ be __________, thy whole body shall be _______ of _________. But if thine eye be _______, thy whole body shall be full of ____________. If therefore the _________ that is in thee be ____________, how great is that _____________!” (Matt. 6:22-23).

It is what the new convert does with such discoveries of this double nature within him that will determine his advance toward the full stature in Christ, or his remaining a carnal baby as pictured by Paul of the Corinthian Christians.

“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto ______________, but as unto __________, even as unto _____________________. I have ______ you with ________, and not with ________: for hitherto ye were not able to _____________, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet __________: for whereas there is among you ____________ and __________ and ______________, are ye not __________ and walk as ______?” (1 Cor. 3:1-3).

The writer to the Hebrews met the same difficulty among the professed followers who had failed to go on to perfection, instead of becoming teachers and helpers of others. The Church is crippled because she has so many babies and so few mature men and women.

“For when for the time ye _________ to be _____________, ye have ________ that one _____________________ which be the ______________________ of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of ________, and not of ________________. For every one that useth ________ is _______________ in the word of righteousness: for he is a ________. But _________________ belongeth to them that are of _____________, even those who by reason of ______ have their ___________________ to ____________ both ________ and ________. Therefore ___________ the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us ____________________________” (Heb. 5:12-14, 6:1).

In our next lesson, we propose studying the Scriptural teaching regarding this death to our old Adam nature, namely co-crucifixion with Christ.

Testing Time

1. Explain how spiritual death entered the human family.
2. If an enquirer were to come to you bewailing his deadness spiritually, how would you explain Christ’s having “tasted death for every man”?
3. Explain the problems of a double-minded Christian.
4. Here are three verses which refer to heart purity. Read these and show in which way they are related to one another. Matt. 5:8; Acts 15:8-9; James 4:8.
5. Read over carefully the personal testimony of Seth Rees and list the number of points which convicted him of his need for a death to his old Adam nature.

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