The Great Exchange

Interesting, isn’t it, how the Greek word for soul, psuche, is also translated "life" in certain instances. Another term for the soul is psuchikos, or "natural". I Corinthians 2:14 "But the natural man (psuchikos) receiveth not the things of the Spirit of G-d/YHWH: for they are foolishness unto Him: neither can He know them because they are spiritually (pneumatikos) discerned".

This verse tells us two things about the psuchikos man: he can not receive the things of the Spirit, and he can not know them. The natural man is soul controlled and soul ruled. The particular kind of person mentioned here is an unregenerate man, yet through further study of the word psuchikos and psuche, we find that the same characteristic can be involved in the life of the "Bride", the assembly. She also can be ruled by her psuche. That is why the word admonishes the saving of the soul so Adam...antly.

Now, let’s consider some things about Adam and Eve. Much of theology is based around a concept of man having two natures. That doctrine was developed by man in order to explain why people sin after they are born again, but the truth is seen in Adam and in what G-d/YHWH gave him. Genesis 2:7 "And the L-rd G-d/YHWH formed man of the dust of the ground (body), and breathed into his nostrils, the breath of life (spirit); and man became a living soul". When G-d/YHWH imparted the spirit into Adam’s body, he became a living soul which means a living personality, an individual unique in character, style, etc. In proper perspective, this uniqueness is the beauty of G-d/YHWH’s creativity, not something for which we can, or should, take credit to ourselves.

The soul is the seat of man’s personality and each of us is different yet the same. We live through our will, intellect and emotions, our soul. Therefore the ends justify the means, which is to say there is nothing wrong with that unless you get over into self-exaltation, the area of developing self image, self adoration, self love, and worst of all, finding your higher self, which ultimately leads to a SERPENT that speaks "ye shall be as god" (Genesis 3:5).

Before Adam sinned, he had one nature, the nature of G-d/YHWH, divine nature, but he had two lives/ the life of the spirit (zoe) and the life of the soul (psuche. self life). Yeshua said that in the day you seek to save your psuche, you will lose it. Did Adam go with the psuche or the zoe? He went with a self-ruled life. When he sought to save it, he lost his psuche. In the process of choosing his soulish lifestyle he lost. The zoe life of G-d/YHWH left his spirit.

Before sin, Adam had one nature and two lives. He sinned and exchanged the divine nature for a sin nature. Adam still had one nature, but then he lost one life, zoe. The result was that Adam had only one life, self-life. By concept, Adam and Eve became dualistic/ they had a sin nature and self-ruled lifestyle. Selfishness motivated every decision, sin became their nature, and psuche became their life. This was still the condition of humanity when Yeshua came.

Yeshua came as the GREAT EXCHANGE. He was going to exchange life for life and nature for nature. He had to get back into man the divine nature and remove the sin nature. He had to get back into man the zoe or the life of the spirit, but he could not do that unless an exchange took place. We understand what he did. He bore our sins, our sickness, diseases and anything else that went along with them. In fact, the reality is found in John 10:

"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life (psuche) for the sheep."
"As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down may life (psuche) for the sheep."
"Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life (psuche), that I might take it again,"
--John 10:11,15,17

                                                   What life did he give?

"Yet it pleased the L-rd to bruise him (this is prophetically referring to Yeshua); he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul (nephesh/Hebrew: psuche/Greek) an offering for sin…" (Isaiah 53:10). What became an offering for sin? His soul. Did he sin? No. He was made an offering for sin. The lamb in the Old Testament did not die because of its sin, nor did the lamb of the New Testament…

"Thou shalt make his soul (not his spirit) an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the L-rd shall prosper in his hands."

"He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities".

"Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul (nephesh) unto death….."
--Isaiah 53:10-12

The life of the flesh is in the blood, according to Leviticus 17:11 "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the alter to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul." The word "life" used here is nephesh. The soulish life is in the blood, and it was His blood that was poured out. When you start looking at redemption, you find the terms blood and soul are synonymous.

Yeshua said that He would lay down His life, psuche, self-life:

"Even as the son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life (psuche) a ransom for many."
--Matthew 20:28

"Hereby perceive we the love of G-d/YHWH, because he laid down his life (psuche) for us: and we ought to lay down our lives (psuche) for the brethren."
--I John 3:16

So what did He give, His pneuma-spirit or his psuche-soul as an offering for sin? According to the Word, He laid down His psuche. Why? He laid down His self-life because that is what Adam took up in the Garden of Eden. When Adam choose the self-life, he lost the zoe-life of G-d/YHWH. But when Yeshua laid down his self-life, He brought back to mankind the zoe -life. He had to give up his psuche that you might have zoe.

"I am come that they might have life (zoe), and that they might have it more abundantly."
--John 10:10b

"And He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."
--Isaiah 53:12d

When Adam sinned, he lost the zoe-life; all he had left was a self-life and a sin nature. When Yeshua came and paid the price in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46), and then went on to Calvary, he provided righteousness for us WITH a new nature. Instantly, the ASSEMBLY would become born again to receive the divine nature of YHWH.  YESHUA DESTROYED SIN, THE WORD/TORAH DEALS WITH SELF. At the moment of becoming born again, the Israelite/soul goes into a double-minded lifestyle. THEREFORE PARTAKE OF THE TREE OF LIFE/YESHUA.

Observation: 
In life/BIOS there are three things you can do with anything, faint, endure or despise. So lets all endure.....ONE NATION 2 HOUSES....ONE NATURE 2 LIVES.