Chapter 41 - From Death to Life

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Adam was the “first man.” (1 Corinthians 15:45) As the first man, he was created to fulfill a dual role. Adam was both the high priest of the renovated earth and the head of humanity. In his role of headship, Adam was both legally representative and organically representational of the entire human race.

Relative to Adam’s role of headship, the penalty for his original sin was both legally imputed (credited) and organically inherited by his descendants. Consequently, every human being throughout history has begun life on earth in a fallen state. It is legally unsuitable and organically incompatible with God.

For fallen humanity to be reconciled with God, it must not only be justified from all transgression of His “law of sin” but converted into a state of harmony with the perfections of His nature. It requires new life.

Etymology

The New Testament contains several Greek words translated into the English word “life.” Two of them are used most frequently; psuche (psoo-khay’) (103 times) and zoe (dzo-ay’) (135 times). The context of their usage serves to reveal an interesting relationship between the two words.

The Greek word psuche is most often translated as “life” and “soul” in the New Testament. When context warrants an interpretation of “life,” it generally refers to the temporal, earthly life of mankind that is shared in common with the animals. Psuche is interpreted as “soul” in the New Testament only when its context is more specifically related to the immaterial part of man, the seat of his personality. Regardless of whether interpreted as “life” or “soul,” psuche is commonly used in the New Testament to refer to man’s earthly, temporal, lower life.

Unlike psuche, the Greek word zoe is often used in the New Testament in reference to life in the absolute sense or life in the fullest. Therefore, relative to the context in which is it is used, it can refer to the perfect, eternal, higher life of God.

The Greek words psuche and zoe are sometimes used together in the New Testament in contrast to one another. For example, “He who loves his life (psuche) loses it, and he who hates his life (psuche) in this world will keep it to life (zoe) eternal.” (John 12:25)

The contrast between psuche and zoe can be distinguished as follows:

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Psuche	Zoe
Frequently used to refer to the life that man shares in common with the animals.	Frequently used to refer to the life of God.
Finite.	Infinite.
Temporal: Subject to the measure and limitation of time, therefore, inclusive of past, present, and future. Exists inside the boundaries of time. With beginning and end. Temporary.	Eternal: Not subject to the measure and limitation of time, therefore, inclusive only of the immediate present. Exists outside the boundaries of time. Without beginning or end. Perpetual.
Earthly.	Heavenly.
Lower quality of life; incomplete; empty.	Higher quality of life; absolute; full.
Awarded to mankind by divine grace.	Awarded to mankind by divine grace.
Inherited from Adam.	Imparted from Christ.
Realized through physical birth by human choice and effort.	Received through spiritual birth by divine election.
Matures progressively.	Fully mature.
Ends on the spatiotemporal earth with resurrection to a body suited for eternal existence apart from God.	Ends on the spatiotemporal earth with resurrection to a body suited for a glorified, eternal existence in the presence of God on the new, eternal earth.

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Message of Life

The Holy Bible unveils the eternal plan of God to establish His redemptive, living (zoe) presence on the degenerated earth. Its “message of…life (zoe)” is revealed throughout, from Genesis to Revelation. (cf. Acts 5:19-21)

In the book of Genesis, the biblical message of life reveals God intended to give more than physical, earthly life (psuche) to human beings. He also created mankind to exist in an intimate union of life (zoe) shared with Him.

In Genesis 1:26-27 Moses said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

When God said, “Let us make man in our image,” He used the Hebrew noun for “man” ('adam) in a collective sense. It provided a clear indication that He made mankind as one collective, covenantal entity. Therefore, it was not just Adam, the covenantal head of humanity, that was made to share life with God but also his covenantal body, the entire human race.

Relative to the creation of mankind, Moses did not use the words “image” and “likeness” to communicate two different concepts. Instead, he used them for the sake of emphasis.

The English word “image” is translated from the Hebrew word selem (tseh'-lem). It can refer to a copy, model, shadow, or representation. In contrast, the English word “likeness” is translated from the Hebrew word demuwth (dem-ooth'). It generally means shape, figure, form, or pattern. Rather than communicating a different idea, the word “likeness” (demuwth) was intended to amplify the word “image” (selem) and provide specificity of meaning. Being created in the “image” and “likeness” of God indicated that humanity was created as a “vessel” to accommodate the “treasure” of divine life (zoe) on earth. (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:7)

It is often presumed that the image-likeness of God in Adam was the manifestation of a few specific attributes of divine life (zoe). Concordant with the biblical “message of… life (zoe)”, however, the image-likeness of God in Adam was not indicative of a select number of divine attributes but the presence of divine life (zoe) in fullness.

Made in the image-likeness of God, Adam was not merely created to serve as a legal representative of God on earth. Accommodative of divine life (zoe), he was also made to be organically representational of God on earth.1

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Union of Life

God originally created Adam to share life with Him on earth. Consequently, he was provided with a functional awareness that was physical, spiritual, and personal.

“Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (LXX - zoe); and man became a living (zoe - LXX) being (psuche -LXX).” (Genesis 2:7)

God formed Adam from the “… of dust from the ground.” Therefore, he gained a physical body and the physical life function necessary for life (psuche) on earth. As a result, Adam could relate to the material world around him.

God also “… breathed into [Adam’s] nostrils the breath of life (LXX - zoe). As a result, he was equipped with spiritual life function by which he could share life with God and personal life function by which he became an independently functioning person with self-awareness. Consequently, Adam was more than just a natural “being (psuche -LXX).” He was a "living (zoe) being.” Indwelt by the living (zoe) God, Adam was created on earth to enjoy Him through intimate, shared life fellowship.

Adam was created with physical, spiritual, and personal life function. Therefore, he was perfectly designed to share life with God on earth. Thus, he was not only legally representative of God but also organically representational of God.

Separation of Life

When God created Adam to be a recipient of His shared life, He lovingly provided him with free will. Therefore, it was Adam’s choice whether to obey the stipulation of the Renovation Covenant.

The single stipulation of the Renovation Covenant was for Adam not to eat from a specific tree in the Garden of Eden. The biblical text states, “…from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:17) As indicated, the consequence of his disobedience would be significant. Adam would experience separation from God and consequently, spiritual death.

Recognizing an opportunity, Satan devised a scheme he believed would motivate God to lessen the severity of his punishment. By its success, Adam, the human creature that God had chosen to replace him, would also rebel against divine authority. As a result, the scheme would serve to demonstrate that none of the higher creatures of God, angelic or human, could obey the “law of sin” according to divine standard.

Foreknown by God, Adam, the progenitor and covenantal head of the human race, fell for the devilish scheme and ate from the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Like the fallen angels before, he also experienced legal alienation and organic separation from God, and therefore, banishment from His kingdom.

Because of his legal and organic separation from God, Adam experienced spiritual death. Therefore, his primary life source shifted from heaven to earth, God to self.

The degenerative effects of Adam’s spiritual death influenced every part of his being. His soul became utterly self-serving, characterized by a darkened mind, deceitful emotions, and perverse will, and His body became subject to disease and eventual physical death.

As the representative, representational head of humanity, the degenerative effects of Adam’s spiritual death also influenced his covenantal body. Thus, the human race experienced spiritual death and degeneration with Adam.

Positioned “in Adam,” the entire human race was guilty of his transgression. As a result, all mankind, past, present, and future, experienced separation from God and consequently, spiritual death and degeneration of soul and body.

Despite the rebellion and consequent fall of mankind, God graciously chose to pursue reconciliation with the human race. Rather than motivated by any apparent worthiness in the fallen, it was part of His eternal plan to vindicate the attributes of His nature from angelic accusation and repopulate His kingdom with willing citizens.

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Restoration of Life

The biblical message of life (zoe) not only reveals the need for fallen humanity to be redeemed from sin but also restored to shared life (zoe). While the message of life (zoe) is communicated in both Old and New Testaments, it is more specifically disclosed in the New Testament. Life (zoe) is unveiled in the Gospels, developed in Acts, and expounded in the Epistles.

The Apostle John unveils the biblical message of life (zoe) more fully than any other New Testament author. For example:

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Scripture Passage	Reference
“I came that they may have life (zoe), and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life (psuche) for the sheep”	John 10:10-11
“He who loves his life (psuche) loses it, and he who hates his life (psuche) in this world will keep it to life (zoe) eternal”	John 12:25
“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life (zoe) — and the life (zoe) was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life (zoe), which was with the Father and was manifested to us — what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.”	1 John 1:1-4
“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life (zoe), and this life (zoe) is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life (zoe); he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life (zoe).”	1 John 5:11-12

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The biblical message of life (zoe), unveiled in the Gospels, is developed in the Book of Acts. It traces the movement of heavenly life (zoe) in and through the early church as follows:

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Outline	Reference
The Promise of Life (zoe).	Acts 1
The Presence of Life (zoe).	Acts 2:1-13
The Power of Life (zoe).	Acts 2:14-41
The Practice of Life (zoe).	Acts 2:42-47
The Progression of Life (zoe).	Acts 3-28

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Providing more significant detail about the opportunity for restoration to shared life, the biblical message of life (zoe), unveiled in the gospels and developed in the Book of Acts, is expounded in the Epistles. For example:

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Scripture	Reference
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life (zoe) of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life (zoe) of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”	2 Corinthians 4:7-11
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives (zoe) in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live (zoe) by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”	Galatians 2:20
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive (zoe) together with Christ”	Ephesians 2:4-5
“For to me, to live (zoe) is Christ and to die is gain.”	Philippians 1:21
“When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive (zoe) together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions ...”	Colossians 2:13
“For you have died and your life (zoe) is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life (zoe), is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”	Colossians 3:3-4

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Fundamental Need

Considering its natural, lifeless (zoe) state, the fundamental need for humanity is not simply to perform better. Instead, it is new life (zoe).

God graciously sacrificed the life (psuche) of Christ so that mankind could receive new life, His resurrection life (zoe). It is an amazing gift.

Through the biblical message of life (zoe) God has communicated His desire to graciously share His life (zoe) with the fallen, dead. By grace through faith alone, it can be acquired only through instrumentality of the New Testament church.

© 2025 James Hiatt

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