When
Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden there were several physical
consequences for each of them, like toil to produce food and labour in
childbirth.
However, this did not match God's original consequence that they would die.
Given that they didn't physically die the moment they disobeyed God, the death God was meaning had to be spiritual.
Yes,
they immediately became mortal having lost their immortality, their
God-likeness, their means of close fellowship/friendship with God, with
which they were originally created.
So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female,
[Genesis 1 : 27 GNB]
In the New Testament, the Greek word for sin means "missing the mark" or "missing the target".
So
their sin of disobeying God missed the target of obeying their Creator
which resulted in the sin of spiritual death, thus missing the target of
immortality, God-likeness, and close fellowship/friendship with God.
Consequently, all humans since that time have inherited Adam's death, his mortality, his loss of God-likeness.
Therefore,
just as sin entered into the cosmos through one man, and death through
sin, so also death pervaded all humanity, whereupon all sinned.
[Romans 5 : 12 DBH]
We (all humanity) have inherited immortality (death); consequently (whereupon) we have all missed the target (sinned).
Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth, as a human, to fix the condition Adam inflicted upon us.
Although
He was sinless and lived in relationship with and dependence on God,
the sins of all of us were placed on the innocent Jesus, and He did the
dying on our behalf.
How do we know?
From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.
About
three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema
sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me?").
[Matthew 27 : 45, 46 NIV]
Jesus so carried humanity's sin of immortality, estrangement from God, that He experienced it in full measure on the cross.
Consequently,
fellowship/friendship is restored for all through Jesus, and we become
aware of it as God enables us to hear and believe this good news and
implants His Spirit in us.
The Apostle John describing his time on earth with Jesus says:
That
which we have seen and heard we are reporting to you also, that you too
may be having fellowship with us, and yet this fellowship of ours is
with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ."
[1 John 1 : 3 CLV]
And to demonstrate the job has been completed?
Jesus came to life showing mortality and death had been conquered.
He then ascended to heaven demonstrating the estrangement with God had been completely resolved.
His death did it all; and his resurrection showed that it had been done.
Jesus died for us, so we no longer need to.
Accordingly:.
All are now reconciled to God, whether everyone knows it or not.
All must include everyone, not just believers as much of the institutional church regularly preaches.
And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone.
[1 John 2 : 2 GNB]
So
pagans, Hindus, Muslims,and atheists are all included in the rescue
operation, not because of what they currently believe or do, but because
of what Jesus has done, which they will eventually discover and be
given the faith to believe later in their time on earth or later beyond
that time.
Some Christians who meet a person of another faith, or of no faith, see them as a "lost cause".
However,
knowing what Jesus has done for all should prompt them to remember that
Jesus died for these "lost causes" too and will eventually be saved
from their estrangement from God, as they were.
God's unconditional love is unstoppable - it is that great!
Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail.
[1 Corinthians 13 : 7 GNB]
Blessings, Barry
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Other published Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au
