Note: We have been pre-releasing excerpts from the upcoming book “Into the Abyss” by Mo Thomas. The following is a stunning articulation of our identity and essence… Get the full book Christmas 2020…

Creation is our original “sacred text,” the first raw and unfiltered testament of God as seen in the physical formation of all things. It is the first tangible evidence we have of God’s beauty and wisdom and creativity and love, expressed into the entire cosmos. We need to dive into this mystery with eyes and ears wide open, so that we can find ourselves as active participants in this Story . . . we the Body, Christ the Head.

Why did God create? Why risk ruining a perfect existence shared within the pre-Creation realm of the Trinity? It’s certainly not out of any need, because God has no needs or lack. God only has desire—and the desire born from the immensity of Their shared flow of love was to create.

As the Creation account reaches its culmination in Genesis, God-in-Three is about to extend Their fellowship by fashioning a creature made in Their very image and likeness. There’s too much Love to keep to Themselves! It’s about to overflow and become an extended family. The force of the Cosmos has initiated a love-driven trajectory moving the Story forward, and we will get a good glimpse in the opening scenes of how humanity enters this new realm of time and space . . . and choice.

Adam: Humanity is Born

It would serve us well to imagine this spectacular interaction. The final act of the Creation is before us. Lean in . . . draw close . . .

See God’s tenderness expressed as They affectionately fashion from dust the first one made for intimacy; the innocent one who would be hand-crafted in Their image and likeness. Savor the wonder of the Creator’s breath as They infuse Their very Spirit-life into Their masterpiece and animate it as a living being . . . the first human soul. Picture a universe-filling “gasp” as the Three-in-Love behold Their handiwork, Their self-sculpture  . . . and offer a blessing over it, declaring with joy that it is “very good.”  Take in Their joy unspeakable as man receives a role in the Creation, to care for his world, to multiply and fill it for the purpose of extending the Creator’s loving presence and oversight to the ends of the earth.

This is an amazing scene, the first time in Creation that the universe has become self-aware. God’s breath + dust of the ground = a Divine image-bearer that is aware of itself as a living, breathing soul.

Elements of Garden Life

When we see God for who They are, and visualize Their dream for Creation, we begin to discover more of who we truly are. Are we able to see the Divine Flow here and our inclusion into Their vision for the world? This is even more relevant for us when we see that “Adam” is from the Hebrew word representing humanity, and “Eve” is from the word meaning the mother of all living. Here were some of the dynamics taking place in the Garden:

• Intimate Union: Everything in the Original Paradise flowed from the intimacy of union that God shared with Adam and Eve.
• Lavish Provision: Every provision, every pleasure that man could desire was given freely to enjoy.
• Loving Prohibition: God clearly set a boundary around the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, prohibiting them to eat of it, to avoid the taste of pain and judgment that came from embracing a false identity.
• Meaningful Work: Man was given specific tasks as expressions of God, caring for and ruling over Their Creation.
•          Deep Sense of Purpose: The Story was heading somewhere, and mankind was given a key role in helping to move Creation forward toward its ultimate fulfillment.

Inside Adam, Inside Humanity

Let’s pause here and peer within the first man. After all, humanity in its entirety was in Adam’s loins at the time, so it’s helpful for us to explore this intimate interaction between Creator and created. True to form, God-in-Three fashions a three-part Creation, formed in Their own image and likeness. Just as They had dreamed, heaven kisses earth and we emerge from the dust.

Gen. 2:7 (NLT) Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground (body) and breathed into his nostrils the breath (spirit) of life, and man became a living being (soul).

Entire volumes have been written on this topic of spirit, soul, and body. That said, we’ll condense it down to the following as we frame the concept of man’s identity:

Image

The innermost being of every man (spirit) contains a black hole Singularity (a wormhole) that joins us directly to the Divine. These marvelous, magical realities of the galaxies are not only found in outer space, but in the deep, incredible inner universe within each of us. God’s very Spirit-breath is our life, the central reality that animates us and allows us to be aware of our own existence.

1 Cor. 6:17  (NLT) But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

We were created to live from the inside out, finding identity and life from the union our spirit shares with the infinite Spirit of Christ within. When we become aware of the infinite God (spirit) as the Source and Center of our being, we form our personality and core beliefs (soul) based on this awe-filled awareness of union with the Divine. Then, we can physically express this Reality to the world around us (body). In this way, we join the Creator in expressing Their love, joy, and peace toward the whole of Creation. This was the vision of God laid out in the first two chapters of Genesis.

If we look closely, we might see that Eden’s garden is also a picture of our human soul, the place where we can experience tangible communion with the Divine. Remember the Garden of Delights in the pre-Creation realm, where all of our interconnected spirits enjoyed union with God? Now, we see that when Spirit enters a body and a soul is formed, this inner soul-garden within us is where we can actually enjoy the reality that our spirits are continually experiencing in and with God. It’s where our mind, emotions, and will can participate in the Divine Flow taking place each moment deep within us, which can then overflow as Presence-based thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and decisions within our lives.

Eyes Wide Open

Consider the breathtaking image that the first man enjoyed when he opened his eyes for the very first time . . . God-of-All-Creation, kneeling before Adam in adoration and joy, beholding Their masterpiece after a life-giving kiss. This moment, this essential breath of life, signals the reality that all of humanity was designed to receive from its Maker. We are meant to “open our eyes” (so to speak) as we awaken for the first time and see the eternal eyes of God, beholding us with adoring love, affirming what They had made as “very good,” sharing Their own life-breath with us.

This . . . is Gospel. Good News. Original Blessing!

Can we picture Adam’s sheer amazement here?

Heaven kisses earth and Adam emerges from the dust . . . We emerge from the dust . . . wholly formed to find our life and sustenance within the sanctuary of God. The Divine fellowship is extended by one, soon to be two, with the intention for them to “multiply and fill the earth.” God and man enjoy fellowship in the cool of the day, walking in the deep intimacy available when there is One Source of love and life.

This is paradise in every tangible sense of the word. Man is gently drawn into the Divine Sanctuary of truth and love and freedom, hand-crafted and sent forth after God pronounces Their handiwork, Their masterpiece, to be very good. The original Hebrew text in Genesis 2 suggests that God kneels in adoration before Adam as though gazing into a mirror.

This is where we find the Source of our awe and our innocence.