Lesson 24 Sanctified Together in the Propitiation

                       Sanctified Together in the Propitiation

                                           Genesis 3:16-21

Having set the Son forth as the Propitiation before the foundation of the world, Jehovah Elohim could be just to justify and cover over the sins of anyone who would choose to believe God and receive the One in whom is the redemption. The sins were covered in the Propitiation until Jesus did actually come and ratify the Covenant in His blood. Everyone from Adam and Eve is covered in the Covenant of God, which is done in heaven. The Covenant is from eternity past. Anyone may become the righteousness of God through faith in the Anointed Covenant Son (see Rom.3:22-26; 4:25-5:21; 2 Tim.1:9-10; Tit.1:2; 2:11-14).

Having had the heart of mankind proved to them through their own experience of the lawlessness of their disobedience to God’s command, Adam and Eve had understanding in the very spirit of their being of the sin of man’s self-will. They immediately repented and set forth the Propitiation offered man in the Son of the Eternal Covenant. They understood the grace of God in the Eternal Covenant which must be clearly taught to their progeny, that Jehovah can fulfill His purpose to have man in His image - sons of God - born from above.

Adam and his wife, in their loyalty and submission to the will of Jehovah, proved they could not be lured away from the truth of the gospel of the coming Anointed Son of God. No fear would move them and no desire could move them from the faith in which they had been rooted and grounded. They had no other desire than the love of God and that His will be done. They had learned, through experience, the deceit of desire.

The judgment and consequences having been settled, Jehovah again addressed the woman. “Unto the woman He said, ‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception. In sorrow you shall bring forth children. And your desire shall be to your husband, and He shall rule over you’” (Gen.3:16).

Jehovah having His first two true prophets who will speak forth the truth for Him, Adam and his wife are ready to fulfill their purpose to multiply and fill the earth after their kind - mankind in human flesh, of the earth, earthy. Through the progeny of Adam and his wife Eve, Jehovah will have sons of God - those born of the flesh who choose to believe into the Anointed Son and receive the righteousness of God to be born again a son of God - born of water [the word] and of spirit life for the mortal body (see Jn.3:5-7; see 1 Cor.15:44).

As Moses recorded in Genesis chapter 1, when God had His initial thought in eternity past, “Elohim said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them” (Gen.1:26-27). What God has spoken, He will make good (Num.23:19; Prov.19:21; Eccl.3:14; Is.46:10-11; 55:11).

In time God did bring man into being. Jehovah Elohim formed the body from the dust of the ground, a figure of the coming Son of His Covenant (see Rom.5:14). Jehovah breathed man into the body which He had formed (Gen.2:7). Man came into being a soul of life - a living soul. The life of the soul shared by Jehovah is spirit. God is spirit - the life God is. God is eternal life - without beginning or end. When He shares His life with the person, there will be no end of the person being. It is eternal life for the personal being, the inner man living in the tent body, the outer man. Adam and Eve, having clear understanding of God’s purpose and of the One Way Jehovah could accomplish His purpose, would teach only the truth and would teach it straight, as they had received it from Jehovah Himself.

As we have seen, it takes a second birth to bear the image of God. Moses did not explain all this in “The Book of the Law.” “The Book of the Law” was written for a people who were being taught through “figures of the true,” that they might be brought to full understanding of God’s Eternal Covenant.

When Moses spoke of what God had initiated, he only used the word “created” (Gen.1:27). He was speaking of what God would bring into being when He had achieved His end goal - man in His image, after His likeness. In the end, God would have a Kingdom of sons of God. This was to be a new thing brought forth in the Resurrection of Life - man in God’s image - a body of flesh and bone of spirit life - immortal (see Lk.24:36-43; Jn.20:19-27; 1 Cor.15:44, 49-53; Phil.3:21).

The first step to the end goal was the man brought into being a figure of God’s birthed Son who would be sent from heaven (Rom.5:14). The first Adam and the last Adam would share the same likeness - a body of human flesh of the earth, earthy. First is the image of the earthy - the first birth. It takes a second birth to be born of spirit (Jn.3:3). Each one born of flesh must make a choice to be born from above and bear the image of the heavenly Lord from heaven - the image of God (see Jn.1:12-13; 1 Cor.15:45-57; Col.1:15; Heb.1:1-3). Adam and his wife, having believed into the coming Son and, with full understanding, received the Son to be their life. They will bear the image of God in The Resurrection of Life (Rev.20:6; Jn.5:28-29a).

As the first step in the Covenant plan was to have a creation of bodies of human flesh, God must have male and female to multiply and fill the earth. The female body was built of bone of the body formed by Jehovah from Adam (Gen.2:21-23). Adam and his wife were one flesh, equal in their likeness of flesh, each one bearing the image of the earthy body. They were dual - two bodies of one flesh, but different.

There was one purpose to fulfill - multiply and fill the earth (Gen.1:28). For this Adam and his wife were interdependent. The male had the seed to reproduce after their kind. The female body had a womb for the conception and gestation and birth of a child after their kind, a child of human flesh bearing the image of the earthy. The blessing of Jehovah and the dominion given to be shared was mutual.

Having had the eyes of their understanding opened, each one, Adam and his wife, was fully prepared to fulfill the privileged purpose of their having been brought into being. It was then that “Elohim blessed them, and Elohim said unto them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it. And have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ And Elohim said, ‘Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed. To you it shall be for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to every thing that creeps upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for food.’ And it was so” (Gen.1:28-30). All creation was prepared and all living beings provided for by Jehovah Elohim. All ready for man’s dominion.

Adam and his wife having been prepared for the purpose of their having been brought into being must then be instructed as to how to fulfill that purpose. Jehovah began with the woman’s part. Children will bring sorrow. They will cause the mother emotional pain. Jehovah will multiply Eve’s conception. She will have multiple births. Through the multiple births of many children and then grandchildren, etc., there will be multiplied emotional pain.

God’s design is always one of order. There must be a head of the household. Adam was created the progenitor of the race of man in human flesh. Adam was created first. He carries the seed for fruit of the womb. He plants the seed. He is the person responsible to provide and care for and protect and teach each child of his seed (see Deut.4:9; 6:7; 11:19). This will be passed down to the male in any marriage. It is God’s design and God’s order.

The husband is the head of the household (see Eph.5:22-23). The woman was brought into being as a helper to come alongside her husband and help him to fulfill his purpose (Gen.2:18-24). For this the wife must receive her instructions from the Lord. She is cast upon Jehovah as her Lord and Master as to the children and as to her husband.

If her husband is to rule, the wife must rank herself under him. Her desire is to her husband, to be helpful to him in his rule and in his care for the children. In her relationship with her Lord, the wife will be shown wisdom to fulfill her role. In their equality she will be free to share her thinking and to express her opinion. And it is not that the wife cannot have desires. She will have desires for the household and she will be free to express those desires, but her desires must be subjected to her husband’s rule, or she will be subverting her husband’s rule and God’s design for the household. Her husband is responsible to the true Head of the household - his Lord.

God has designed marriage for order and for the well-being of the household. In this way Adam and his wife would each one learn their absolute dependence upon Jehovah Elohim. To fulfill the responsibility to Jehovah in the charge given them, each one must have Jehovah’s wisdom in matters that will come up in a household of different personalities. A proper household will take recognition of and practice of the interdependency of the design for the husband and wife. In the recognition of the interdependency would be seen the need of the love of God for the submission to one another in their interdependency. Each one must learn from God how to fulfill his or her role.

Earlier in the narrative Moses had recorded Adam’s understanding of the necessity of a man leaving his father and mother and cleaving to his wife (Gen.2:24). As this was spoken when Jehovah brought to Adam his helper counterpart, we see that Adam had had some previous instruction concerning being the head of a household. Adam’s speaking of leaving father and mother would not have applied to Adam, as he did not have parents. This would be Adam’s instruction to his birthed sons.

Each son, upon taking a wife, would be establishing a new household over which he would be the head and have the rule. The head of the new household must cleave to his wife in the interdependency of the union. Together they would learn to submit to one another, that each one fulfill his or her role under the power and the authority of their God - Jehovah. Cleaving to his wife would apply to Adam.

And unto Adam Jehovah said, “Because you have hearkened unto the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it, cursed is the ground for your sake. In sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, until you return to the ground. For out of it were you taken, for dust you are, and to dust shall your return” (Gen.3:17-19).

In Jehovah’s rebuke of Adam hearkening to his wife, He shows Adam he was wrong to yield to his wife’s desire when it was disobedience to the command of Jehovah. Together they could have discussed Eve’s desire and traced her thinking to its source of leaning to her own understanding and, in so doing, deceiving herself. Together they could have gone to Jehovah and asked Him concerning the knowing of good and evil. Then they would be taught with understanding the sin of serving self rather than serving the will of the Creator-Redeemer who loved them. They would be taught to get understanding in His wisdom concerning any desire of the flesh or of the mind. The experience of the deceit of the heart being proved to them was a powerful lesson. It is necessary to know one’s own heart to have the wisdom and power to keep one’s heart with all diligence - for out of it are the issues of life (Prov.4:23; see also Prov.4:1-13).

As a consequence of surrendering to his wife’s desire, the ground has been cursed with the death which came by the sin of Adam having his will over the will of Jehovah. Adam and his household will be outside the garden. The ground will provide food needed to nourish and sustain the natural body of human flesh but tilling the ground of the field will not be the same as the pleasant work of tilling the garden. No longer will the mist go up to water the face of the ground. Man will be dependent upon the seasons of rain for the growing of crops (see Gen.2:4-6). And also now will come up thorns and thistles. These are aborted branches which should have borne fruit, but the life sap was cut off. Here is a constant reminder of the curse of death which came through the sin.

It will be hard work making provision for the family, causing sweat from the brow to run down over the face. Also in his livelihood man would have sorrow, emotional pain. There would be crop failure caused by drought and disease and storms, all natural causes of the curse of death. And the farmer’s animals will die. The sorrow will keep man cast upon Jehovah as his ever present Help in time of need (Ps.46:1). Man can learn from experience who he is - a creation of the living and true God, a creation dependent upon God for his very breath, and responsible to the power and authority of his sovereign Master. Man has a choice to learn through revelation, in having the eyes of His understanding opened to see what God is saying in His word.

“And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living” (Gen.3:20). Here is seen the understanding of Adam. The “living” are to be the ones who, having been born of the flesh, believe in the righteousness of God through faith in the Anointed Son to be born from above, born in a deathless body like unto the body of the glory of the coming Son, an immortal, imperishable body.

“Eve” has the meaning of “life-giver.” Eve will conceive of Adam’s seed and give life to all who are born of the seed of man, born of human flesh of the earth, earthy. Adam will be the father of all mankind born of human flesh (Gen.5:3). The life will be passed down through the sons of mankind. Sons of men will marry daughters of men, who will conceive of man’s seed and birth sons and daughters of human flesh. Of those born of Adam’s seed, whosoever will can choose to be born again and become a living son of God (Jn.1:12-13).

In the fullness of time, the Anointed Son would come to be of the nation Israel through the seed of Abraham, a son of Adam, and through the seed of David, a son of Adam (Gal.4:4; Mt.1:1). Through the seed of David, Heli was born of the flesh, a son of Adam. Through the seed of Heli was born the virgin to conceive the birthed Son of God, Jesus, the Anointed Son of Man (see Mt.1:18-25; Lk.1:26-35; 3:23-38). Through the Seed of the begotten Son out from the dead would come all the living sons of God, all having been born of God (Gal.3:26; 4:6).

Adam did not call himself the “father of all living,” as he understood the seed coat for the begotten Son of God must be holy. The seed of man would not be used for the holy body of Jesus. The body would be in the likeness of man, a mortal body of flesh and blood, but the life of the body would be prepared from living flesh of the virgin womb (see Ps.22:9; 139:13-14; Is.7:14; 49:5; Rom.8:3; Heb.2:9-17; 10:5-14). The body for the seed coat of Jesus was the work of God through His Spirit (Lk.1:34-35).

Jesus was the Son of Man through a special conception. He was not a son of Adam. The gospel of the Anointed Son declares this to be so. In the light of the knowledge of the glory of God one “sees” to understand God’s Way of salvation.

“For Adam also and for his wife did Jehovah Elohim make coats of skin, and clothed them” (Gen.3:21). Jehovah had just told Adam, “You will return to the dust of the ground. For out of it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust shall you return” (Gen.3:19b).

The living are those born of the flesh, of the earth, whose bodies will return to the dust of the ground. Having been born again, the living will be given new bodies of flesh and skin in The Resurrection of Life. Adam will have new skin in The Resurrection of Life and His wife will have new skin. Jehovah assured each one of them.

Each one will be among the living. Though neither Adam or his wife had been born of the flesh, each one, through faith in the coming Anointed Son, had been born again. Here is the proof. Jehovah has made provision for each of them to have a body with new skin.

In the Covenant of the gospel declared in the heavens in “The Heavenly Revelation of the Son of the Eternal Covenant” Jehovah had set before Adam and his wife His means of being just to justify those who lived before Jesus actually became flesh to die for our sins and be buried and raised up on the third day (Ps.19:1-6; 97:6; Rom.3:22-26; 1 Cor.15:3-4).

In Him is the redemption of the dead body of the seed coat of flesh. The Anointed Son was set forth as the Propitiation, the Man who put away sin once for all and who overcame death with eternal life to the satisfaction of the living and true God.

In choosing to receive the Propitiation set forth is the sanctification of the very being. The soul of life is set apart unto God as His to fulfill the purpose of his being to become a son of God. Sons of God bear the image of God. This will be consummated in the redemption of the body in The Resurrection of Life. Adam and his wife, having received the Propitiation set before them in the gospel of the Covenant Son, each had full hope of the eternal life promised in the Anointed Son and given before the foundation of the world (see Tit.1:2; 2 Tim.1:9-10). The God of peace Himself sanctifies completely one’s whole spirit, soul and body, preserved in the Propitiation, the One in whom is the redemption (1 Cor.1:30; 1 Thess.5:23).

In “The Book of the Law,” written that the kings of Israel might have the record, Moses - the prophet whom there was none like and whom Jehovah knew face to face - recorded certain facts for the record (Deut.31:24-26; 34:10-12). This is a record to preserve the history of man’s redemption and Israel’s forefathers and those who would be the ancestors of the birthed Anointed Son of Man. Moses was not keeping a specific time line but a written record of the facts.

This concludes our lesson.