BACK TO THE GARDEN

In the Law of God all of man's responsibility is carefully laid out - Jesus summed up the Law in Mark 12:29-31 (also in Matthew 22:37-40).

Mark 12:29-31 - And Jesus answered him, 'The first of all the commandments is, 'Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength' (Deut. 6:5): This is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self' (Lev. 19:18). There is none other commandment greater than these.

'Our Lord is one Lord':

1. The Hebrew word for one means united, ie. one or first - it comes from the root word that means to unify.
   
   
2. The Hebrew word for Lord means the self-existent or eternal - it comes from the root word that means to exist, ie. be or become (I AM).
   
   
3. Our God is triune - Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
   
   
   1. They are one unified existence - whole, complete, and not able to be divorced from each other.
      
      
   2. What is the unifier that holds them fast to each other? - LOVE.
      
      
   3. God desires man to be held together within himself by the same bond, held to other men, but especially held to God by the same bond.
      
      
   Colossians 3:14,15 - And above all these things put on charity (love), which is the bond of perfectness, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
   
   
4. The bottom line - 'God is love' (I John 4:8b).
   
   
   1. God loves man without measure - with the same love that THEY love Themselves with.
      
      
   2. God spoke to God to make man (Gen. 1:26,27) - Father sent the Son to buy back Their own essence - man's trapped eternal spirit.
      
      
   3. God's goal - man would grow up in love (Col. 3:14,15).
      
      
      1. Whole in his love of himself.
         
         
      2. Whole in his love of mankind.
         
         
      3. Whole in his love of his God.
         
         
      4. Ruled by the peace of God in his heart.
         

'Love God with all your heart' - perfection - realm of God the Father.

1. Heart:
   
   
   1. The Greek word for heart (Kardia) means the middle, center of being.
      
      
   2. The Hebrew word means the heart as the most interior organ - from the root word that means to be enclosed.
      
      
   3. We are to love God with all the center of our being.
      
      
2. II Chronicles 16:9 - The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.
   
   
   1. The word perfect (shalem) is related to the word for peace (shalom).
      
      
   2. Shalem means complete, friendly - a perfect heart is not only whole but 'user-friendly' to God.
      
      
      
3. Isaiah 26:3 - Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
   
   
   1. Perfect (shalem - complete) peace (shalom).
      
      
   2. The word for mind in Hebrew means a form - from the word that means to mould into a form (like a potter).
      
      
   3. Staying this 'form' on God produces complete peace.
      
      
4. Therefore the 'heart' and 'form' are the one and the same thing.
   
   
5. Loving God with all the heart cancels out the temptation 'ye shall be as God' (Genesis 3:5) putting man back under the dominion of God the Father.
   
   
   1. Satan's statements to Eve in Genesis 3:5 challenged the dominion of each member of the Trinity - the sin had to be against each one for it to be complete.
      

'Love God with all thy soul' - transformation - realm of God the Son - Jesus.

1. The Greek word for soul is psuche.
   
   
2. Both the Greek and the Hebrew words for soul mean breath, to be breathed upon.
   
   
   Genesis 2:7 - And the Lord God formed man (the body of man) of the dust of the ground. And breathed into his nostrils the breath of life: and man became a living soul.
   
   
3. When God breathed into man's body He fused the heart to the body producing a living soul (a living breath).
   
   
   Genesis 3:8 - And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day:
   
   
   1. It was the voice that walked - a good definition for Rhema.
      
      
   2. Man is a living breath like Jesus is the voice that walked.
      
      
4. The living breath is the seat of man's life - it is what he is to lay down.
   
   
   John 15:12,13 - This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this: that a man lay down his life (psuche) for his friends.
   
   
   Psalm 42:1 - As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul (breath) after thee, O God.
   
   
5. Neither Deuteronomy nor Matthew tell us what a living breath is - but Mark does.
   

'Love God with all thy mind'.

1. The Greek word for mind is nous - it means all understanding in thought (mind), feeling (emotions), and/or will - the conscious rational being - what we commonly call the soul.
   
   
2. Ephesians 1:8 - The eyes of your understanding be enlightened;...
   
   
   1. The word understanding is dianoia - which means deep thought.
      
      
   2. It comes from the root word nous (mind, will, emotions).
      
      
   3. When we love God with all our breath and mind our eyes are enlightened - we will see God through the eyes of light not the darkness of the eyes of flesh.
      
      
3. I John 1:5 - This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
   
   
   Matthew 6:22,23 - The light of the body is the eye: If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness how great is that darkness.
   
   
   1. Before the fall man's eyes were closed.
      
      
      1. A closed eye can see naturally the full spectrum of light - both spiritual and natural.
         
         
      2. It is closed like bright light closes the pupil of the natural eye.
         
         
      3. A 'closed eye' is a 'single eye'.
         
         
         1. Single means folded together, like braids, plaits, twine - similar to the Hebrew word one - unified.
            
            
      4. The light of love makes the eye single by braiding man's being together so that it is unified.
         
         
   2. After the fall man's whole being was fractured like a prism.
      
      
      1. His eye was opened - like the natural eye is opened, dilated by darkness.
         
         
      2. An 'open eye' is an 'evil eye'.
         
         
         1. Evil means hurtful, derelict, diseased, culpable, ill.
            
            
         2. It can only see some of light's spectrum - only the natural world.
            
            
         3. It is open to the darkness of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but closed to the tree of life.
            
            
         4. It is under the law of sin and death - therefore it produces death.
            
            
   3. When we love God with all our breath and mind, it cancels out the temptation 'your eyes will be opened' (Genesis 3:5) restoring the dominion of God the Son, Jesus.
      

'Love God with all thy strength' - sanctification - the realm of the Holy Spirit.

1. The Greek word for strength is ischus - it means force, ability, might.
   
   
2. The Hebrew word is might - it means vehemence, ie. vehement, wholly, speedily.
   
   
3. Romans 12:1 - I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
   Romans 6:19 - I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members (body parts) servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity: even so now yield your members (body parts) servants to righteousness unto holiness sanctification.
   
   
   1. Man is to yield his strength, his body and all its members, to the service of the Holy Spirit who works sanctification in man.
      
      
4. John 14:2b - But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name. He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
   1. The Holy Spirit teaches man all things (especially about Jesus).
      
      
   2. When we love God with all our strength, the temptation to know good and evil a part from God is cancelled and the dominion of the Holy Spirit over man is restored.
      

When God has worked His love in us so that we love God wholly, then the first commandment is fulfill.

1. Father longs for us to love Him wholly.
   
   
2. Love is not satisfied until it is reciprocated.
   
   
3. Until we love God with all of our being Father's heart remains in a longing state - searching 'to and fro throughout the whole earth', looking for that one 'whose heart is perfect to Him'.
   

The second is like, namely this, *'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.' (*Levitucus 19:18) Mark 12:31a

I John 4:7,12,16,17 - Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God: and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God...No man hath seen God at any time, If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us ... And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we.

1. We are to love God with our body, soul, and spirit.
   
   
2. We are to love ourselves wholly.
   
   
3. We are to love man as we love ourselves - wholly.
   
   
   1. We are to love man with our strength.
      
      
   2. We are to love man with our breath and mind.
      
      
   3. We are to love man with our hearts - Father's love extended to our world.
      
      
   4. Love so deep that it longs like Father longs for love to be known, revealed, shown.