It is widely known that oil based solutions and water based (aqueous) solutions do not mix. Think about oil and vinegar salad dressing. You can shake the oil and vinegar together all you want, yet the two will never completely mix. And upon standing for only a short time, the oil and vinegar will separate into two distinct layers. The vinegar will form the bottom layer and the oil layer will float on the surface of the vinegar layer. The same is true of petroleum products and water. For example, some paints are made up of petroleum distillates. It is useless to try to wash your paint brush with water if you have been painting with oil base paint. The reason the two solutions do not mix is due to the chemical nature by which they exist.

Coexistence between God and man is like water and oil. The verses in Ephesians above describe the natural sinful life of all men. Contrary to man, God is holy. You can try to mix the two together all you want yet man in his fallen state of sin cannot fellowship with holy God. It is known that when God created Adam and Eve both were sinless. At this time, God and man could fellowship together. However, God told the two that if they did eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil they would die. Adam and Eve did eat of the tree and in that day they died spiritually and sin entered into the human race (Romans 5:12). When Adam and Eve ate of the fruit, they took on a sin nature that has been passed down to every human being since then that was born except Jesus. Just as water and oil have different chemical natures, man and God have different spiritual natures. Man, from birth, has a sin nature while God has a holy nature.

How then can man have a relationship with God? 2 Corinthians 5:14-17 reads, "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." The only way for the relationship between God and man to be restored is through death. Jesus, the perfect God-man, had to die on the cross for men's sin. Hebrews 9:22 says, "and without shedding of blood is no remission." Also, in Matthew 26:28 we read, "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Jesus, death was sufficient to cover all men's sins yet, not all men's sins will be covered. Why? Because, there is a second death. This death is for man. Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:24-26). In these verses we read that there is a spiritual death that man must undergo and must be made alive again in order to have a new life. That new life is one that has a new nature. No longer will that man have the old sin nature, but will be a new creature found in Christ and Christ in him. Notice the phrases "in Christ" and "Christ in him". Man and God can now interact in fellowship by the physical death and resurrection of Christ and the spiritual death and resurrection of the man.

Water and oil cannot by nature mix. However, if by some means the water could cease to have the chemical nature that it has as water and take the chemical nature of the oil, the two could then be intermixed. How can that happen? It is impossible for water to lose its natural properties and take on the properties of oil! And so it seems to be the case with man. How can sinful man be made to have coexistence with God? Jesus said, "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26).