Total Depravity and the Bottom of the Food Pyramid

Have you ever look at the bottom of the Food Pyramid? The U.S.D.A has determined that in order for a person to have a well balanced diet, they must have 6 to 11 servings of the "The Cereal Group" It is to be the most significant part of our diet, as fiber is important to the proper running of our digestive/excretory system.....
Now, Surely this is good information to know, but after reading the title to this blog entry, you might be wondering, "What does this have to do with man's Spiritual Condition?

The Word "Perhaps"

First of all, Before we go on, I would like to make it clear that this is not meant to be taken dogmatically. It is just an interesting observation to spark conversation. That is why the word "Perhaps " will figure in to the writing as needed to show that I do not consider this to be doctrinal . It is just one of those things that make you go "Hmmmmmm"

Imago dei

Man Before the fall was created in the image of God. There has been much speculation and debate concerning exactly what is meant by "image and likeness." For the sake of avoiding a Long lesson on the theology of Imago Dei, Let us examine the most common of the teachings.

The Tri-Unity of Man- Genesis 1

Let us First establish the common belief among most of Christianity, that the Hebrew word "Elohim," A plural of the of the word "EL" meaning God, and all the plurals in the creation account, allow for the New Testament revelation of the Holy Trinity... In other words, God The Father, The Pre-incarnate Christ and The Holy Spirit were all present in the act of creation.
In this scene, perhaps we can look at the Imago Dei, as refering to the triune nature of man. (See Image to the left)
Just as God exists in three personages, so there are three aspects to the nature of man. This is dismissed by many theologians, in favor of a human dichotomy, that is, man as body and soul.
I personally happen to lean to the former, holding to the fact that God is not only triune in nature, but is consistently seen, throughout The Bible as dwelling with man in buildings of three rooms, each room being an aspect of the nature of man.
For instance, both the Temple and the tabernacle consisted of three areas, 1. The outer court, the place of sacrifice that represents the physical , or the body, 2. The Holy Place, the place of fellowship, that is represented by the soul, (as the soul is identified as being in connection with fellow man) and 3. The Holy Of Holies a place of personal intimate communication with God, that is represented as the Spirit.

" And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."- Genesis 1:7

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."- 1 Thessalonians 5: 23

There is scriptural support for the trichotomy of man as you can see, also. This is the State of Man BEFORE the fall.

Adam and Animals

If you look at the creation account you will see that there is a fundamental difference between the way God formed man and Created the animals. that difference is seen in the above verse. (Genesis 1:7.) In that verse it is well known that God formed the body of man from the dust of the ground, and then .. He Breathed into it's nostrils... And lump of earth became a living soul. That piece of human shaped clay received something that no other part of creation was blessed with, the very Breath of God. When you consider all that sprung forth as a result of that divine act, it begs to question. What Did Man receive From God during that moment of creation?
Perhaps, The Breath of God had something to do with the formation of the Spirit of man...
Years later The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to his scared disciples, huddled in a closed room, afraid of the Jews... and performed an act that not only parallels to this creation account, but also testifies of His Deity:

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, "Peace be unto you."
And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
Then said Jesus to them again, "Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them,"Receive ye the Holy Ghost."- John 20: 19-22

The Greek word translated "Breathe" is Emphusao and is used only once in the Septuagint, (Greek translation of the Old Testament).... and that is in Genesis 1 verse7
Man, apart from all other creatures received the Spirit of God. Of all of God's Creation, only Man was given the ability to have a intimate relationship with his Creator. Plants have a body, but they have no soul or spirit. Animals have a Body and they Have soul and they have a animating spirit, but they have no connection to God. no capacity to worship. Adam had a body, and a soul,
and a Spirit. and the very presence of God dwelt within him. A human building, with three rooms.
Now that we have "chased that rabbit," Lets get back to the point of the lesson

"Chowing Down in Eden"

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so." -Genesis 1: 29-30

Now As God Came to the completion of the creative act, we can see he assigned the nutritional guidelines for Both man and animals. they had separate diets, yet they were both vegetarian.
Man was Given the herbs bearing seed and the fruit of the tree yielding seed... Fruit, and seed-bearing vegetables. He was free to eat anything he wanted of this, with one exception

"Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." -Genesis 2: 16-17

As for the animals, they were given every green herb ... The Grass of the field and vegetables. Why was there a distinction in their diet? Was there a reason why the diets of man and beast differ? If there was, the difference did not last.

The Fall

Form Genesis 2: 16-17 we see that Adam was Given Every tree to eat in the Garden except one.
In Genesis 3: 1-2, we can see that Adam Conveyed the warning to Eve.

" We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." -Genesis 3: 2-3

The message was more than clear, Adam and Eve had Access to any tree in the garden, including the "Tree of Life," Yet they were to avoid the tree in the center... the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil... Without going into a long lesson on the fall, The Serpent beguiled Eve into eating, Eve ate, She brought it to Adam, he ate.... And they Died

Diet of a Dead Man

The day Ye eat there of, ye shall die... What exactly did that death entail? First the death was Spiritual. As seen earlier, Adam, had the Spirit of God dwelling in him. yet that relationship ended with his disobedience. As Sin Entered into the Life of Adam, the Spirit, which was tabernacled in Adam (and Eve,) departed. Instead of Fellowship with God, Adam and his wife were reduced to hiding in the trees. They feared to meet God. (Genesis3:8) and were ashamed of themselves. They became "Spiritually dead, " and this curse that was passed down to every man that would ever exist.

" Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" -Roman 5:12.

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins"-Ephesians 2:1

Spiritual death entailed the departure of the Spirit of God from man. He had a body, a soul, and an animating spirit, but the capacity to fellowship was lost, as the Spirit of God no longer dwelling in him.

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear."- Isaiah59:1-2

When the Spirit of God Left man, he became separate from God, and in that separation, man had nothing distinguishing himself from the rest of creation. Guided by natural desires, instead of the will of God, Man in a sense became as the animals.

Perhaps this was reflected in the dietary revision that God gave to Adam as punishment
for his part in the the sin of disobedience.

"And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

As Adam's punishment God cursed the ground, and gave him, in addition to their diet of Fruit, the diet of the animals., the herbs of the field...Perhaps in the increasing toil of man's quest for food, God sent another clear message... Fallen man is no better than an animal. Should you doubt this, take a look at how far we have come to prove the point

Notice at the end of the above passage that God has also proclaimed physical death. The body that He formed from the earth, and blessed with life, will return to the earth, as it is cursed in death. This was accomplished when man was removed from Eden, and denied the Tree of Life.
(Genesis3:22-24)

Closing... FINALLY!

Since the Fall we have come a long way. Man and beast became carnivores, and God added (and relaxed) many dietary laws For his chosen people, Yet I will often think back as I choke down my bowel of oat meal and thank Adam for facilitating the addition of The cereal group to our diet... as now the least enjoyable of our food sources, (in my opinion) have now become the most beneficial to our health. Fin