Part I

And Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the

kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure

things new and old.” (Matt 13:52)

In The Beginning

There Was Nothing

But

GODAnd the Word was with GodAnd the Word was God(John 1:1)

Who is GOD?

And God said unto Moses,

I AM THAT I AM(Exodus 3:14)

The Self Existent OneThe Only “PERSON” in

the Universe

The Only One

Yet Three?God the Father

God the SonGod the Holy Spirit

How does that work?

God the Father is a Spirit (John

4:24)

The “Essence” or the “Nature” of God

Without Expression

The “WHO”

God (Spirit) Must Manifest Himself (Col 1:15)

Through God

the Son

Expression

Word

Physical

The “WHAT”

God Must Act

Action

Doer

The “HOW”

Through God the

Spirit

Three In One Person

COMPLETE

The COMPOSITION of GOD

WORD DEEDTHOUGHT

Who is This Person God?

. . . Love (1 John 4:8)

. . . Light (1 John 1:5)

. . . Wisdom (1Cor 1:30)

. . . Good (1 Tim 4:4)

. . . Strength (Hab 3:19)

. . . the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:16)

. . . longsuffering, merciful, gracious, righteousness

These Are Not JUST TRAITS

This is who God IS

God is a Person

God is Love

Love is God (Symmetric Axiom)

Love is a Person

Then Who Are We?

God Makes Up the ENTIRE Universe (Gen 1:1)

God is “All in All” (1 Cor 15:28; Col 3:11)

For in him we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28)

Then everything we see is a “manifestation, an expression, a derivative of God”

Only Man is Made In His Image (Gen 1:26)

Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I

said, Ye are gods? (John 10:34)

The COMPOSITION of MAN

In His Image (Gen 1:26)

WORD DEEDTHOUGHT

WITH ONE MAIN DIFFERENCE

God has life in himself (John 5:26)

Man does not

Man is a “Container”

Man is the Negative to God’s Positive

Man is a “Vessel”

His spirit is the Container

Like a “Cup”

The Question is:

What does it contain?

What does it mean?

There is a “Union” The analogy on a Physical level is Marriage:

“For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and

they two shall be one flesh.” (Eph 5:31)

So Also are We “Married” on a Spirit Level:

“Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.” (Rev19:9)

“For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church” (Eph 5:23)

We Are “Married” Spiritually

Our Spirit is “ONE” , in UNION with the contents

Referred to as our HEART in the Bible

The Big Question is:

To What or Whom are we Married?

Let’s go back to the “Beginning”

We were Childlike (Matt 19:24)

We had a “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink;” mindset

(Mat 6:25)

Everything was Good! “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Gen

1:31)

We saw everything with the “Single Eye” (Luke 11:34)

But ThenYes, we were enticed and deceived

And we started to think, to rationalize

We were told,“You surely will not die! . . . your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,

knowing good and evil.” (Gen 3:4-5)

And she “ . . .saw that the tree was good for food, . . . a delight to the eyes, and . . .

desirable to make one wise, she . . . ate;” (Gen 3:6)

What was wrong with wanting to be like God?

It Still Looks Pretty,. . .But it’s dead! The “Living” Dead

Cut off! No Root!

Knowing Good and Evil But with a Distorted and Divided View

With an Exaggerated Sense of Self-Awareness

Self-Centered; Self for Self

A Feeling of Independent Self

Separated from God

What Really Happened?

We were “Married” to, in Union with, GOD

When we died, we became “Married” to,

in Union with, ANOTHER

The “Container” does not change, just the

contents

The Ugly Truth IsSatan replaced God and infected our Spirit

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.” (John 8:44)

“Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the

desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath . . . “ (Eph 2:3)

Our “Nature” is fixed by the “Union”

But I’m Not THAT BadSure, I’ve been known to . . .

But I do a lot of good things too

“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, . . . “ (Matt 7:11)

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name

have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess

unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matt 7:22-23)

What is Your Image of Evil?Do we think of Satan? Hitler? Stalin?

Do we think in terms of reprehensible sinful deeds: murder, robbery, adultery, etc.?

Did you know Satan has no problem being Good? He is right at home.

Satan’s basic Nature is SELF for SELF

Whatever benefits and promotes SELF, that is what he is for

It’s all about Self Righteousness!

Remember Satan’s “I Wills?”For thou hast said in thine heart, . . .

I will ascend into heaven, . . .

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: . . .

I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: . . .

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; . . .

I will be like the most High (Isa 14:13-14)

Satan Has a Delusion

To be AS God

That he is Independent

That he has righteousness in himself, albeit in reverse

And Infects Mankind with the same Delusion

The Truth is:

We Are NOT Independent

We are a “SLAVE” to Whom we are in Union

“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom

ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Rom 6:16)

“Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of

sin.” (John 8:34)

You May Try to do Good

But You CAN’T

You May Try to Improve

But You CAN’T

“For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.” (Rom 7:19)

“Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” (Rom 7:20)

Which means:

We Have NO Nature of Our Own

Your Nature flows from your Center, your Heart

“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,”

(Mark 7:21)

“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Rom 7:24)

Does Anyone Really Deliver Us?

The answer is YES!

“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom 7:25)

HOW?

“You must be Born Again” (John 3:7)

“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

How is This Union Severed?

Through the LAW :

“Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has

jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning

the husband.” (Rom 7:1-2)

Romans 7 is NOT about Divorce

It’s about how the law frees us from the law

“So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an

adulteress . . . ”

“. . . but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she

is joined to another man.” (Romans 7:3)

“Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was

raised from the dead, . . .” (Romans 7:4)

What Really Happened?

What we were “Married” to . .

We are now free from

And are free to Marry ANOTHER

Again, the “Container” does not change, just

the contents

Symbolized by Baptism (Rom 6:3-4)

Remember When

Jesus Turned the Water

Into Wine?

See how scripture agrees?

the bottom lineThere is No Such Thing as Independent Self

Self Improvement is a Delusion

We have NO nature of our own

We have only ONE nature

That Nature is fixed by our “Union”

That “Union” is with Christ:

But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit (1 Cor 6:17)