According to the creation account, “The Lord formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (2:7). This combination of dust (natural) and divine breath (spiritual) is what constituted the nature of Adam who was created in the image of God.
Conservative theologians have never come to perfect agreement over the basic nature of humanity. Those who believe we are composed of body, soul, and spirit are said to be trichotomous. The soul includes the mind, will, and emotion. Others are dichotomous and understand the human soul and spirit to be essentially the same. There is general agreement that we have material and immaterial components, possessing an inner person and an outer person. Functionally, we can think, feel, and make choices and we relate to the external world through our five senses.
The heart is more difficult to define, although there is general consensus that the heart is the core of our inner being. “As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man” (Proverbs 27:19). We are not the source of our own life. We are dependent creatures who by nature look outside ourselves for life and for our purpose for being here. What the heart takes in also becomes its master, stamping the heart with its character. In the original creation, God was at the center of Adam and Eve’s life and they naturally took on His character. The heart and soul of humanity was never designed by God to function as master.
Only in the heart does the mind, emotion and will converge. It is possible to mentally acknowledge and know the truth and not touch the heart. We have all seen Christians obtain knowledge, but it doesn’t transform their lives. Paul says that such love makes a person arrogant, but love edifies. The goal of Christian instruction is love, which is the character of God. If the truth touches our hearts, which is the core of our being, there will be an emotional response, which drives our wills.
Adam was created to be both physically and spiritually alive. To be physically alive means that our soul/spirit is in union with our bodies. In the Bible, the idea of being alive means to be “in union with,” and to die means to be “separated from.” We will remain physically alive as long as our souls are in union with our bodies. When Christians die physically, they will be absent from their bodies and present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6). We are spiritually alive when our soul/spirit is in union with God, and we are spiritually dead when we are separated from Him.
In the presence of God, Adam and Eve’s needs were provided for. They didn’t have to search for significance. Their divine purpose was to rule over the birds of the sky, the beasts of the field, and the fish of the sea. They had a sense of belonging, not only to God but to each other. They were safe and secure in the presence of God and could have lived forever had they not chosen to live independently from Him. God said they would surely die on the very day they chose to act independently from Him. Eve was deceived by the devil, Adam sinned, and they both died. They died spiritually and their souls were instantly separated from God. Physical death would also be a consequence of sin for them and for us, but for Adam that happened over 900 years after the fall.
Before the fall they were naked and unashamed. God had created them to be sexual beings. There was nothing sinful about having a sexual relationship with each other in the presence of God, and their bodies had no parts that they wanted or needed to hide or cover up. After they died spiritually, their insecurity, shame and guilt was immediately evident. Now they wanted to hide and cover up, frightened like most people today that others may find out what is going on inside. The fall had an immediate emotional impact on Adam and his descendants. Adam said, “I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” Fear was the first emotion expressed by Adam, and to this day anxiety disorders are the number one mental health problem in the world. Cain became angry and depressed. Depression is the common cold of mental illness and the second most common mental health problem (Genesis 4:6f). The world is presently experiencing a blues epidemic in an age of anxiety, and explosive anger is pandemic.
Something also happened to the mind of Adam. His knowledge and ability to understand was impaired. Adam thought he could hide from an omnipresent and omniscient God. Rebellion against God resulted in Adam being a natural man who could not discern the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). Paul explained the nature of every unregenerate person, “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts” (Ephesians 4:18, emphasis added). The unregenerate mind cannot function properly without the life of Christ. “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). The mental and emotional consequences that Adam experienced after the fall can be attributed to only one factor; Adam and Eve died spiritually, because of their sin.
After the fall every descendent of Adam is born dead (spiritually) in their trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). We were all born physically alive, but spiritually dead and separated from God. In such a state, we are not children of God, we are children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3), and we cannot fulfill the original purpose for which we were created. Therefore the natural person has to establish their own identity and determine their own purpose for living in the natural order of this fallen world. As a result of the fall their hearts became deceitful and desperately sick (Jeremiah 17:9), because it was now being influenced by the nature of the fallen world rather than God. Satan became the rebel holder of authority, the god of this world after Adam and Eve forfeited their spiritual position and calling when they sinned.
Secular psychology makes sense if all you are doing is studying the nature of fallen humanity. Scientific research studies and categorizes flesh patterns and with the intention of helping people cope. The goal of secular counseling is to explain people’s difficulties based on their life experiences, help them make better choices, and learn to live a more responsible life. They would need to relay on their own strengths and resources and the support of others, and take medication when deemed appropriate. The is the best the natural person can do if there is no gospel.
