THE HOLY SPIRIT – THE TREE OF LIFE

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From the very beginning, God’s divine plan has been to dwell in humanity, to fully possess them with the indwelling of His Spirit. This is God’s purpose for us. This is the reason why He created us. It reflects the profound reality that without God’s indwelling, there is only destruction and death. Man’s full potential, security, and purpose can only be realized through this indwelling of God within him.

Rev. 21:3 “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”

In Revelation 21:3, we see this promise fulfilled: “God tabernacled among men.” This is the ultimate realization of God’s desire—to live among His people, to be their God, and for them to become His people. In Revelation 21:22, we further learn that in the New Jerusalem, there will be no temple because the Lord Jesus Himself is the temple. The Holy Spirit becomes the very atmosphere, the indwelling presence of God.

Satan has always known that God’s ultimate desire was to dwell in man. This is why he has made relentless attempts to prevent this indwelling from coming to fruition. He introduced the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the very opposite of the Tree of Life. Instead of the Tree of Life dwelling in Man, Satan wanted it to be the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil to dwell in Man. While the Tree of Life represents the Spirit of God that will indwelt man through man’s spirit, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil on the other hand represents the Serpent (Gen 3:1), the instrument of Satan that can indwell in the flesh of Man.

The sin of Adam and Eve wasn’t just an act of disobedience—it was an act to rebel against God’s purpose for them, a desire not to be indwelt by God but by sin. In essence, choosing the Tree of Knowledge was humanity’s way of saying, “We don’t want God to control us. We don’t want God to indwelt us.” Instead, they wanted to be indwelt by sin. They wanted to be controlled by it. This rebellion is still present today. Instead of living the leading of the Spirit in us, we live our own life out of our own will. To live outside the purpose of God for us is to embrace the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil which leads only to death. This is why God’s eternal plan centers on drawing humanity back to the Tree of Life which is His Holy Spirit.

Though the body and spirit will be changed, the soul remains the same. It can only be transformed depending which among the spirit or the flesh influences it. The soul is influenced either by the desires of the flesh or the empowerment of the spirit. Romans 7:18 emphasizes that sin dwells in the flesh, not in the soul. When the body dies, the soul is released from the influence of sin.

Rom. 7:18 “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.”

The apostle Paul speaks of the struggle between the flesh and the spirit in Romans 7:22-24. Even though sin is at work in our bodies, we find freedom in Christ when our bodies are put to death. Romans 7:5 explains that the sinful passions at work in our bodies result in death, but Romans 8:5-9 tells us that setting our minds on the Spirit brings life and peace.

Neh. 4:7 “But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth.”

According to Nehemiah 4:7, there are three primary influences that seek to corrupt the soul:

Sanballat – representing Satan.
Tobiah – representing the flesh.
The Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites – representing the world.

Just as these negative forces attack the soul, there are positive influences that strengthen the soul:

God – The ultimate source of truth, peace, and life.
Our Spirit – When indwelt by the Holy Spirit, our spirit becomes a guiding light for our soul.
The Church – The body of believers serves as a support system for spiritual growth and accountability.

Rom. 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

In Romans 12:2, Paul urges believers to be transformed by the renewing of their minds. The battle for the soul is often fought in the mind, where thoughts and desires influence our spiritual condition. 2 Corinthians 10:5 calls us to bring every thought captive to Christ. This is why the fivefold ministry should focus on feeding the flock with the Word of God, which strengthens the spirit and equips believers to live victorious lives.

Isa. 11:1-2 “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.”

Isaiah 11:1-2 describes the sevenfold Spirit of God, which corresponds to the Tree of Life. Here are the seven attribute of the Spirit of God:

The Spirit of the LORD – The nature of God Himself.
The Spirit of Wisdom – Can be found in Christ, in whom all wisdom is hidden (Colossians 2:2-3).
The Spirit of Understanding – Providing discernment in spiritual matters (Mark 2:8, John 2:24).
The Spirit of Counsel – The wisdom and understanding of God make believers effective counselors.
The Spirit of Power – The ability to heal, raise the dead, and do God’s will.
The Spirit of Knowledge – A deeper understanding of God (Philippians 3:8, 10; 1 Corinthians 2:10-16).
The Spirit of the Fear of the LORD – Putting God in His rightful place, first in our lives.

The Lord Jesus Christ exemplifies the perfect life of a man. Our Lord embodies a perfect man. There are seven remarkable traits of our Lord that demonstrate His perfection:

He never changed His mind.
He never made a mistake.
He never performed a selfish miracle.
He never confessed a sin.
He never apologized for anything.
He was never in a hurry.
He never denied a request of faith.

In this life, we are called to live by the Spirit, continually influenced by the Tree of Life. We must reject the independence and rebellion symbolized by the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and embrace the life that comes through the Holy Spirit. As we journey through the stages of salvation, we can rest in the promise that God will ultimately tabernacle with us, and we will be glorified in His presence. Until then, let us strengthen our spirit, renew our minds, and walk in the fullness of the Tree of Life—the Holy Spirit.