God’s original intention when He created man is to have a corporate expression and representation in man, so that man would corporately express God and deal with God’s enemy.
The way this can take place, as we have seen, is by man eating the tree of life and being filled with the life of God – God in man expresses God and deals with God’s enemy. But Satan hates the tree of life, and he did all he could to keep man away from eating from the tree of life! Therefore man fell and was estranged from the life of God…
Man fell and was cut off from the tree of life
We all know what happened in the garden of Eden – man was tempted by Satan and he took of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 3:1-6).
The result is that man was cast away from the garden of Eden and God closed the way to the tree of life temporarily until there is a way for man to be restored. Gen. 3:24 says that God placed a cherubim and a flaming sword before the tree of life so that man would not abuse the life of God.
God’s prohibiting the fallen man by the cherubim with the flaming sword indicates that God’s glory (as signified by the cherubim), God’s holiness (as signified by the flame), and God’s righteousness (as signified by the sword) do not allow the man who fell to abuse the life of God by taking in God’s life in a sinful state.
Man chose the way of independence from God by taking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, and they were cut off from the tree of life (Gen. 3:22-24).
Man is estranged from the life of God
In Eph. 4:17-19 we see that through man’s fall we were estranged and alienated from the life of God – God cannot dispense His life into a sinful man, He is stopped from doing so by His righteousness, holiness, and glory.
Man not only fell and disobeyed God, but an evil corrupting element entered into him, the element of Satan, which defiled him and corrupted his being. Now man is no longer pure but his whole being is in rebellion against God. His life cannot enter man unless there is the redemption of Christ!
Christ opened a new and living way through His blood
Even though man fell and became corrupted to the core, God as life still found a way to bring man back to Himself. Through the redemption of Christ on the cross, God opened a new and living way for man to come back to God.
Christ’s redemption satisfied all the requirements of God’s righteousness, holiness, and glory – now the way is open for man to come forward to God! We can now come forward with boldness to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace for timely help (Heb. 10:20).
When the Lord Jesus expired on the cross, the veil in the temple was split from top to bottom (Matt. 27:50-51) – typifying that Christ’s death removed / rent any separation between man and God, and now man can come to God through the perfect sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
Praise the Lord, now we fallen and sinful men have a new and living way (Heb. 10:20) to come back to God as the tree of life and eat Him! Blessed are those who wash their robes that they may have the right to the tree of life (Rev. 22:14)!
[sharing inspired from the book, Truth Lessons vol. 1, as quoted the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Four Great Pillars in the Lord’s Recovery. ]
Lord Jesus, how we love You! Thank You for opening the way back to God through Your perfect and all-inclusive redemption! We, sinful men, can come back to God through the blood of Jesus Christ to enjoy the life of God. Lord, may we use the blood and appreciate the blood as You do. Save us from remaining alienated from Your life. We come forward with boldness, Lord, to the throne of grace, to receive mercy and find grace! O, Lord, we come!
What used to condemn us and keep us away from God – His righteousness, holiness, and glory – is what we are becoming in Christ today! Just like the prodigal son in Luke 15 we can return to the Father and He qualifies us by putting on us a new robe, a ring in our finger, and sandals in our feet. Then, the Father feeds us with Christ as the fattened calf – so that both positionally and dispositionally we would be qualified to partake of the Father's riches! Christ is our righteousness, holiness, and glory – by enjoying the Lord and taking Him in regularly as the tree of life, He becomes our righteousness for the past, our holiness for the present, and our glory for the future.
This is also as the Lord Jesus said in John 10:10, I have come that they may have life (we may receive the divine life) and may have it abundantly (we continually and eternally eat Christ as the tree of life to have the abundance of life)! We are not only saved – but we are much more saved in His life, having been reconciled (Rom. 5:10, 17)
What used to condemn us and keep us away from God – His righteousness, holiness, and glory – is what we are becoming in Christ today! Just like the prodigal son in Luke 15 we can return to the Father and He qualifies us by putting on us a new robe, a ring in our finger, and sandals in our feet. Then, the Father feeds us with Christ as the fattened calf – so that both positionally and dispositionally we would be qualified to partake of the Father’s riches! Christ is our righteousness, holiness, and glory – by enjoying the Lord and taking Him in regularly as the tree of life, He becomes our righteousness for the past, our holiness for the present, and our glory for the future.
This is also as the Lord Jesus said in John 10:10, I have come that they may have life (we may receive the divine life) and may have it abundantly (we continually and eternally eat Christ as the tree of life to have the abundance of life)! We are not only saved – but we are much more saved in His life, having been reconciled (Rom. 5:10, 17)