The Ceremonial Laws Pointed to Aspects of God's Salvation Program

Let us look first at the record of the ceremonial laws. These are one major way God has hidden the salvation message. For exam- ple, in the Old Testament God instituted the Passover Feast. This was first observed at the time that Israel went out of Egypt, when the angel of death killed the firstborn in the homes that did not have the lamb's blood placed on the doorpost. The blood of that lamb provided salvation from physical death for the firstborn of that home. The Bible teaches very clearly that that historical event was a picture of the salvation which is provided through Jesus Christ. He is our Passover. He is the Lamb which was slain so that we would not come into eternal damnation.

Besides the observance of feast days which anticipated the com- ing of the Lord Jesus Christ, the ceremonial laws also included offerings, sacrifices, food laws, planting laws, and a whole host of regulations which the Bible presents as types or figures or representations of spiritual truths which relate to some aspect of the salvation message. We see, therefore, that by means of the ceremonial laws God has hidden the salvation message within the Scriptures. As we begin to understand the spiritual meaning of each aspect of the ceremonial laws, our understanding of the salvation message is enhanced.

But now let us look at another biblical means of understanding the salvation message. When Christ was on earth He declared from time to time that He was about to speak a parable. He then pro- ceeded to give the parable, concluding His presentation with the spiritual meaning. By means of these parables Christ was presenting an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. The fact is, these parables paralleled the ceremonial observances of the Old Testa- ment, which themselves were earthly observances with a heavenly meaning. The ceremonial laws, therefore, were actually historical parables. That is, they were actual earthly experiences of the Israelites, each pointing to a heavenly or spiritual meaning relating to some aspect of salvation.

In addition to the ceremonial laws and the parables, God also used a third method to teach heavenly lessons by means of earthly events. This was by the use of historical events. God shows us very carefully in the Scriptures that certain historical events were recorded in the Bible so that we might understand through them spiritual truth relating to salvation.

For example, in Genesis we read of Abraham bearing Ishmael by Hagar and the subsequent expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael from the home of Abraham and Sarah. In Galatians 4, God calls attention to this historical event in order to teach the spiritual truth that we either have a salvation that leads to spiritual bondage (typified by Hagar and Ishmael), or a salvation program that leads to spiritual freedom (typified by Sarah and Isaac). It isn't our purpose in this present study to develop this particular truth, but you can read about it in Genesis 21:9-14 and Galatians 4:21-31.

Likewise, in Malachi 4 God calls attention to the coming of Elijah, and in Matthew 11:11-14 our Lord shows us that the Elijah He was referring to was actually John the Baptist. Therefore, God is indicating that Elijah typified John the Baptist.

By means of these very pertinent biblical illustrations we should be able to see that God Himself teaches that the message of salvation is greatly expanded throughout the Scriptures, far beyond such clear declarations of salvation as those found in John 3:16, Isaiah 53, and the epistles.

But now we must face a very serious question. When God clear- ly indicates that He is speaking in parables, or when He clearly indicates that this or that historical event or person is a type of some aspect of the salvation message, or when He indicates that the ceremonial law is pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ, we know that we are on very safe ground in developing spiritual salvation truth from these specific accounts of the Scriptures. But do we dare to go beyond this and surmise that other historical events and personalities and concepts might also have spiritual dimension to them? In other words, are they also types and figures of some aspect of the salvation proclamation? Let the Bible guide us to an answer on this.

In Mark 4 God informs us that "without a parable spake He not unto them....'' The usage of parables was a common teaching method of the Lord Jesus. Indeed, when we study the four Gospels, we find that sometimes Jesus made a point of indicating that He was speaking in a parable. He did this, for example, in presenting the parable of the sower in Luke 8.

But many other times He made statements without especially emphasizing that these were parables. Repeatedly He would say "The Kingdom of Heaven is...'' and then proceed to give a story. When we look at such a statement, we know that it was a parable even though Jesus did not specifically call it that.

Another example is the story He told of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16. It isn't pointed out as being a parable in the Bible. Yet, when we study it carefully, we discover that it must be a parable. If it were merely an historical event, it would be full of contradictions. For example, we're told that the rich man dies and is buried, and yet in the next few verses we find that in hell he is described as having both eyes and a tongue. However, when his body was buried, he was buried with his eyes and tongue. How then did his eyes and tongue get into Hell?

Likewise, there are many other such contradictions in this story if we assume it was an actual historical event. But once we begin looking at it as a parable (an earthly story with a heavenly meaning), then all these contradictions disappear. Through this story, we begin to realize that Christ is not giving us a chronological outline of what happens when we die. Rather, He is bringing out some very important spiritual concepts concerning what happens when someone dies without Christ.

From these examples we see that there are additional statements in the Bible that definitely show us that God does not necessarily tell us in a specific way that the passage in question is a parable or is meant to indicate spiritual truth relating to salvation.

As we have seen, God has given pertinent examples of the Bible's teaching methods by specifically indicating that either a parable is in view or that a historical event is actually pointing to spiritual truth. These examples show us the path we ought to follow. They direct us to see that this is God's teaching method. And it is up to us to apply this teaching method to our continuing study of the Bible.

But do we really have additional biblical validation to proceed in this fashion? Can we really search for the salvation message in passages that appear to be historical in nature only?

We might approach these questions in this way: in John 20, Jesus speaks of the miracles He did, and then He declares in verse 31:

But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Notice that Jesus is specifying that these miracles were done in order that through the record of them we might come to salvation. But when Jesus actually performed these miracles, they were in themselves just historical events that appeared unrelated to the salvation program.

The healing of a sick man in itself has nothing to do with the salvation program. But, based on the principle set forth in John 20:31, Christ is insisting that He performed this miracle in order that we might know about salvation. In view of the fact that the Bible declares that without a parable Jesus did not speak to them (Mark 4:34), we can see that these miracles were actually historical parables. They are earthly stories, that is, actual historical events with a heavenly or spiritual meaning, in the same way that the parable of the sower is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. This conclusion agrees altogether with the principle set forth in Mark 4:34, that "without a parable spake He not unto them....''

But a question still persists. True, Jesus did miracles and now we can see that they can be regarded as historical parables; but what about the Old Testament? We have looked at the Lord Jesus Christ, seeing that He always taught with parables. We know from Scripture that this was His teaching method. But we have a whole Bible filled with records of historical events, phrases, and concepts. What about all these?

As we seek for an answer to this question, let me draw our at- tention to I Peter 1:11 where we read that the Spirit of Christ spoke through the Old Testament prophets.


Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. In other words, this verse is saying that the Old Testament is just as much the Word of Christ as is the New Testament. We aren't surprised at this because John 1 openly declares that Christ is the Word. While Jesus spoke very directly when He was on earth, He also spoke very directly throughout the whole Bible because He is the very Word of God. Thus the declaration of Mark 4:34 that "without a parable spake He not unto them'' in truth applies to the whole Bible.


To reinforce this God declares, for example, in Psalm 78:1-3:

Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:

Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.


And in Proverbs 1:5-6 God furthermore informs us:

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

These sayings are parallel to what we have read concerning Jesus' teaching method being the usage of parables, so that we can now begin to understand somewhat of how God has presented truth to us in the Bible.

On every page of the entire Bible God declares to us the Gospel of salvation. At times the presentation of the salvation message is very clear. But at other times (and this is very frequent) God has hidden the salvation message within the record of the historical events and concepts presented in the Scriptures. God teaches through the usage of parables. Thus we must understand that even the historical events are effectively historical parables.

We must remember that God had at His command literally millions of historical events and concepts which He could have chosen to write about. But out of all that He could have written, these particular events are written that we might know that Jesus is the Christ, and that through Him we might have salvation.

To assist us in understanding God's teaching method, the Bible gives us examples.
For instance, at times Jesus would say, "This is a parable.'' At times the Bible actually declares that a particular historical event has deeper spiritual meaning. But we must remember that these are only examples. God is intimating that in similar fashion we are to attempt to find the salvation message in all the Scriptures.

I am aware that many pastors have been taught in their seminaries that we should never look for deeper spiritual meaning unless the Bible expressly indicates that we may do so. However, without realizing it, these pastors to some degree inevitably find that God's teaching method employs the usage of parables far beyond what He expressly has declared to be parables.

For example, many do not hesitate to acknowledge that New Testament statements such as "the Kingdom of Heaven is...'' are parabolic statements, even though the Bible itself does not expressly call them parables. Neither do they hesitate to look at Boaz in the story of Ruth as a figure of Christ, the Redeemer. This is so even though nowhere in the Bible is there a declaration that Boaz is to be considered as a figure of Christ.

They may also see in Joseph, who became prime minister of Egypt, many reasons for considering him to be a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. They do this even though nowhere in the Bible is Joseph expressly declared to be a type or figure of our Savior. Likewise, they may see in the leprosy of Naaman the Syrian a figure or type of sin, etc. Without realizing it, these pastors are moving in the direction of correct biblical interpretation.

But if Boaz is a representation of Christ, then we must also decide who Ruth and Naomi represent, and who or what is represented by the other kinsmen, the cities, and all the other historical elements contained in the written account. If Joseph is a figure of the Lord Jesus Christ, what about all the other elements that are interwoven in the historical account of Joseph as recorded in the Old Testament? What do they represent in Scripture? Indeed the answer to such questions must be the pursuit of each beof each believer as he attempts to unravel the salvation story from these historical events.

Indeed, we can begin to see that whenever we find a statement of the Bible that at face value has no direct bearing on salvation teaching, we should look for a deeper spiritual meaning that relates to salvation. Many times we may not be able to discover what the salvation teaching is, but that does not mean that it is not hidden within the account of the historical event.

I truly believe that throughout the Bible we will find numerous historical conversations, events, and personalities that were actully types or figures pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ or to some other aspect of God's salvation program. These historical personalities and events are like parables. Millions and millions of conversations and historical events could have been incorporated in the Bible account that were not. God specifically chose the ones that are written in the Bible because they are related to and teach some aspect of His salvation program.

We must realize, of course, that many passages do not easily reveal the wealth of truth hidden within them. The diligent student of the Bible may spend many hours with one verse or passage suspecting that there is deeper spiritual meaning hidden within it but still not discovering what it might be. This is God's way of keeping us very humble as we study the Bible. Many times we will have to admit that we do not know the full teaching of a particular passage. But perhaps another student at another time will receive the insights we sought in that difficult passage. But like the Bereans, the child of God will continue to search the Scriptures in order to find the nuggets of truth God in His grace might reveal to him.

The Bible is God's message of salvation to the human race. The golden thread that runs through every page of the Bible is the wonderful declaration that there is a way of escape from damnation. God has selected each conversation and historical event recorded in the Bible for the purpose of setting forth some aspect of this marvelous redemption plan. But many times, the message of salvation is hidden deeply within the biblical language. It is the task and joy of the believer to search out this message.

Generally speaking, if a Bible statement relates directly to some aspect of the message of salvation, most likely there is no deeper spiritual meaning to be sought. For example, when the Bible speaks directly of salvation, the spiritual rule in the church, the obedience of believers to Christ, the return of Christ, or Judgment Day etc., we are not to look for deeper meaning. These subjects are in themselves the basic message of the Bible.

But when the Bible gives us information like Abraham seeking a wife for Isaac, or David fleeing from Saul, or Jesus healing the sick, or the shipwreck of the Apostle Paul, we can be certain that such messages were included in the Bible for the purpose of teaching us about some aspect of salvation. We can discover this by regarding these accounts as historical parables--earthly stories with a hidden spiritual or heavenly meaning.

The more diligently we study the Bible to understand the fundamental doctrines of God's salvation plan, the better equipped we will become to search out the deeper spiritual meanings hidden within the historical events.

Wonderfully, we will find a beautiful harmony existing between the deeper spiritual meaning of a passage on the one hand and the message of salvation on the other. This will appear in the measure that our interpretation harmonizes with the truth of the Gospel message.

Unfortunately, many theologians and pastors have inadequate knowledge of the message of salvation. Thus they have extreme difficulty in finding the heavenly meaning hidden within the earthly stories. Consequently many of them ridicule the principle that God has hidden the salvation message within the historical statements.

Such criticism, however, does not invalidate the principle that the salvation message can be found in the deeper spiritual meaning of an event.

But isn't it dangerous to attempt to discover deeper spiritual meaning within the Bible? Won't this lead to all kinds of fanciful interpretations? Wouldn't it be far better to leave this whole idea alone and cease from any attempt to find the Gospel declaration on every page of the Scriptures?

These are serious questions. Indeed, we never want to read anything into the Scriptures which God never put there Himself. That is why it is so important to remember, as we seek out this third level of meaning within the biblical account, that three rules must always be kept clearly in mind:

1. The spiritual meaning must relate to the Gospel of Salvation.

Salvation is the message of the Bible. It won't work to look at a historical account and try to identify it with certain political nations or some contemporary phenomenon taking place in the world. The spiritual meaning always relates to the Gospel program. We can see this both in the parables of Jesus and in the Old Testament presentation of the ceremonial laws.

While many theologians realize that the 10 horns of the dragon of Revelation 13 or Revelation 17 must represent something, they have decided that they represent the 10 nations of the European Common Market. Are they on the right path in their understanding?

We can know immediately that their conclusion is quite er- roneous. Political nations of Europe and the economic factors in our world have nothing to do with salvation. If nations are involved in God's salvation plan, there are only two nations that can be in view. On the one hand there is the nation that is called the kingdom of God, and on the other hand there is the kingdom of Satan, which includes all of the political nations of the world.

Since we know that the 10 horns of the dragon in Revelation 13 and 17 cannot be referring to the kingdom of Christ, they must be referring to the dominion of Satan. The number ten spiritually signifies completeness. So in this instance it signifies the completeness of Satan's rule in the world just prior to Judgment Day.

Once this is understood, all of the biblical passages con- cerning the ten horns can be harmonized.

2. To identify words or concepts found within a historical situation with spiritual truth, we must have biblical validation.

For example, we frequently find the words "stone'' or "rock'' in the Bible. Due to the fact that in many verses a stone or rock is identified with the Lord Jesus Christ, we can attempt to make this application in a historical situation. Likewise, we have seen in the Bible that a "sower'' can be identified with one who brings the Gospel, and "seed'' can be identified with the Word of God.

3. If we have good reason to believe we see this third level of meaning within a particular historical statement, such that it can apply spiritually to the Gospel, the conclusions we derive from our analysis of that historical situation must be in agreement with everything else the Bible teaches concerning the nature of salvation.

If, in our analysis, we have come to a conclusion contrary to the teaching of the rest of the Bible concerning salvation, we immediately would know that we have not correctly understood the spiritual meaning of the passage in question.

I believe If the above three rules are observed carefully, we will be on safe ground as we study the Bible to discover its deeper spiritual meaning.

But questions like these still must be faced: Aren't we running grave risks in attempting to spiritualize the statements of the Bible? Haven't there been those who have done this and who have ended up with wrong teachings altogether concerning the message of salvation? These are fair questions. We must be exceedingly careful in how we deal with the Holy Scriptures. They are the Word of God and are never to be considered the mere playthings of men.

Many have expressed the fear that "spiritualizing'' the Bible will lead people away from the true Gospel. But this can happen only when we violate the three rules outlined above. If these rules are followed strictly, there is no way in which the understanding of the Gospel of salvation can be changed into something other than what the Bible teaches.

Moreover, as we have already noted, we must realize that not a single theologian or Bible teacher or preacher living today does not look for the deeper spiritual meaning whenever he is able to do so. Anyone, for example, who attempts to analyze the ceremonial laws in order to understand the character of the coming Messiah and His salvation program is doing this very thing. Anyone who suggests that Joseph (who was sold by his brothers into Egypt and who eventually become the prime minister of Egypt and saved his family from starvation) was a great type of Christ has begun to find the deeper spiritual meaning within the historical context. I really do not think that anyone can biblically fault the idea that we are to look for the deeper spiritual meaning within the historical context.

There are those who say they accept the Bible literally as it stands and thus would not dare to spiritualize (that is, look for a deeper spiritual meaning relating to salvation). But, as we have already seen, they actually do spiritualize when it is convenient. It is my belief that we have no other choice but to examine every passage of the Bible to discover a deeper spiritual truth. This requires long hours of exceedingly diligent work because God has written the Bible in such a way that we are encouraged to search the Scriptures. We receive our wonderful reward, however, when we find that a particular historical account unfolds into a dramatic and beautiful picture of salvation.

Sometimes we find this third, spiritual level of meaning set forth clearly in passages such as Isaiah 53, the Gospel of John, or the Epistles. Sometimes it is hidden within parables, such as those set forth by our Lord in Matthew 13. Sometimes we find it hidden in the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament. And other times it is buried more deeply in the historical accounts of the events and conversations of the Bible. We must remember that these historical events were chosen by God for inclusion within the Bible because of the deeper spiritual truths concerning salvation which are hidden within them.

Clearly, the dominant message of the Bible is salvation. But sometimes we find that the biblical writing appears to be awkward. That is, the record of the earthly story appears to be awkward when in fact this particular language is actually necessary in order to reveal the beautiful truth of the heavenly meaning.

For example, we read in Deuteronomy 34 that God buried Moses and no one ever discovered his sepulcher. But no one else in the entire Bible was treated in this peculiar fashion. And we are puzzled by the fact that, because Moses struck the rock when God had commanded him to speak to it, he would not be permitted to enter into the land of Canaan. Doesn't this seem like a very cruel punishment for such a faithful leader as Moses? But both of these events can be clearly understood once we grasp the fact that in these passages God is presenting Moses as a figure or representative of the Law. On the other hand, the land of Canaan is a picture of salvation. Joshua, who led the children of Israel into the land of Canaan, is presented as a figure of the Lord Jesus Christ, who brings us into salvation. The Law ends when salvation begins. Even as Moses, who typified the Law in this context, died without entering into the Promised Land, so the keeping of the Law can not bring us into salvation. The end of the Law (the death of Moses) was handled altogether by God in Christ. This is picutred by the fact that God buried Moses (a figure of the law).

Likewise, the account of Moses striking the rock (so that water came forth to satisfy the thirst of the Israelites) can be understood if we see Moses as a figure of the Law. The rock is a figure of Christ. The water is the Gospel that flows from Christ. Because Moses (the Law) struck the rock (that is, the Law brought judgment on Christ), therefore, water (the Gospel of salvation) could flow from the rock (from Christ) to satisfy the thirst (the spiritual thirst) of those who drank the water.

Another example concerns Ruth and Orpah, the daughters-in-law of Naomi. They said to Naomi in Ruth 1:10, "surely we will return with thee unto thy people." In the historical context they ordinarily would not have used the word "return," because this word implies that they had been there before. However, God used this word because in this story these two women are a picture of the human race. They began with God in the Garden of Eden and through the Lord Jesus Christ, returned to God.

An awareness of the principle that within the historical record God has hidden deep spiritual truths concerning the nature of salvation should cause a translator of the Bible to be exceedingly careful about the words he uses. He should never substitute a word used in the original with some other word that appears to him to be more convenient or salutory. For example, in the original language God frequently used the word "blood" in phrases such as "the shedding of blood." But some translations have actually substitued the word "death" for the phrase "shedding of blood." While shedding of blood does emphasize death, nevertheless the word "blood" has implications beyond the word "death," and therefore no translator should make this kind of a substitution.

We should expect throughout the Bible to find numerous historical conversations, events, and personalities that are types or figures pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ or some aspect of the salvation program. In other words, we should look at these historical personalities and events as we would look at parables.

Since the Bible's historical events were chosen by God to hide within them deeper spiritual truths concerning salvation, it is quite understandable that the biblical account frequently seems awkward. But through this awkwardness, God provides the message of salvation. Since historical events are actually types or shadows of God's salvation program, these historical events are in effect historical parables.

Let us continue our study by actually examining a few historical personalities and events that have hidden within them this third level of meaning which relates to the Gospel of salvation.

Historical personalities and Events and the Gospel of salvation.

Some of the events and personalities which point to Christ and the salvation message are very obvious. Moses, who in some parts of the Bible is presented as a figure of the Law ("Moses and the prophets"), is also presented in other places as a figure of our Saviour. When he led the children of Israel out of Egypt, he was shown to be a type of Christ, who leads us out of the bondage of sin into the security of salvation. In Deuteronomy 18:15 Moses, uder the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, declared, "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto Him ye shall hearken." That Prophet was the Lord Jesus Christ, who was "like unto" or typified by Moses.

David is another type of Christ. Both as shepherd and as king, he was a figure of Christ, who is the Good Shepherd, as well as the King who rules over the Kingdom we enter when we are saved. Similarly, when David penned the words of Psalm 69, he was speaking of his own personal experiences, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he was anticipating the sufferings of Christ, who spiritually and to a much greater degree, would go through the same experiences.

Joshua, who led the children of Israel out of the wilderness and into the land of Canaan, is another type of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is shown to us particularly in Hebrews 4. Canaan was the land of physical rest for the nation of Israel who were those who followed Joshua. Just so, citizenship in heaven (salvation) is the land of spiritual rest for those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Even the name Joshua (Hebrew) is identical to the name Jesus (Greek) in the New Testament.

The nation of Israel is frequently presented to us in the Bible as a type of those who were to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is clearly seen in the language of Galatians 3 where God delares in verse 7, "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham,'' and again, in verse 29, "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.'' Israel in the flesh, also called national Israel, is the physical seed of Abraham. But in Galatians 3 God is indicating that the eternal Israel consists of those who are in Christ, regardless of their nationality in the flesh.

The list of types and shadows displayed throughout the Old Testament is a very long one. Egypt, for example, is presented as a figure of being in bondage to sin, the way we are before we are saved. The passage of Israel through the Red Sea under the leadership of Moses is a beautiful picture of the redemption that is provided for us through the Lord Jesus Christ.

The wilderness sojourn of Israel is a dramatic picture of the sojourn of believers in the wilderness of this world as they travel towards the completion of salvation - the return of Christ on the last day. The entrance of Israel into the land of Canaan is a marvelous picture of our entrance into the fulness of salvation when we receive our resurrected bodies on the last day.

In the New Testament God continues to provide numerous types and figures that appeared throughout history which pointed to aspects of the salvation program. The Bible declares in John 20:30-31:

And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God;....

Here God is declaring that certain miracles were recorded in the Bible in order that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. They provide us with insights into the nature of salvation. Jesus' healing of the blind is a good example. This information conveyed the fact that, even as Jesus brought physical eyesight to the physically blind, so He came to give spiritual eyesight to the spiritually blind. The Gospel in the Raising of Lazarus

One of the most significant and marvelous miracles Jesus did was to raise Lazarus from the dead. In this miracle, recorded for us in John 11, the Bible tells us that Jesus stood outside the tomb of Lazarus and "cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth." Lazarus, who had been dead for four days, whose body had no will or life of its own, mysteriously, marvelously, incomprehensibly responded to the command to come forth to physical life.

In like manner, Jesus commands us to be saved, to come forth into spiritual, eternal life. When we are unsaved, we are as spiritually dead as Lazarus was physically dead. And, as Lazarus had no will or capability of his own to respond to the command of Jesus, so we have no desire or will within our lost souls to respond to His command to be saved.

The Bible teaches us in Romans 3:11 that "...there is none that seeketh after God." Ephesians 2:1 indicates that we"...were dead in trepasses and sins." So how can a spiritual corpse respond to the Gospel call?

Mysteriously, marvelously, and incomprehensibly, there are those who hear the Gospel and do respond, who do believe. Even as Lazarus was raised from physical death, so we are "risen with Christ" (Colossians 3:1). In Christ we have been raised from spiritual death into spiritual life.