Book 2 of Musings The Contest

The contest is between our fleshly, sinful nature, and the Holy Spirit of God

If our soul, our character, chooses to obey our sinful nature, our soul will be changed into the image of sin and rebellion. If our soul chooses to obey the Spirit of God, our soul will be changed into a life-giving Spirit.

Sin has come to maturity, both in the demon-filled environment in which we live, and also in our fleshly, sinful nature.

The Lord Jesus stated that many who are last shall be first. This may mean that during the time in which we are living there are opportunities to gain the highest thrones in the Kingdom of God. I would not be surprised if this were true.

God is creating rulers. As in any other lofty goal, the path to fulfillment is difficult-very difficult, as anyone who is attempting to serve God today is aware.

I don't know how it is in the rest of the world but in America there is a multitude of opportunities and distractions. Our culture is colorful and appealing. It is a rare Christian who is willing to turn his or her back on the call of the world and give his attention to what the Lord is doing in our time.

The contest is between our fleshly nature and the Spirit of God. Our soul, our character, is the one who makes the decision. Jesus said we gain our soul by our endurance.

Now the following is very important to understand: if our soul chooses to follow the various appetites and desires of the sinful nature, which dwells in the members of our body, our soul will be conformed to the image of the corruption of the flesh. If we continue to yield long enough to our sinful nature, we will lose our soul. This means our soul no longer will be able to respond to the Spirit of God but will have become as an animal.

If, however, our soul chooses to obey the Spirit of God, the soul will be transformed into a life-giving Spirit. In this case our spirit will become one with the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Tree of Life, a life-giving Spirit. As we obey the Spirit diligently He changes us into a tree of life.

There shall be many trees of life in the future, all growing out from the main Tree of Life, who will give the Life of God to the nations of people whom the Lord is going to save.

When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. He said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh. ..Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. (Ezekiel 47:7-9)

It is a battle all the day long. But if we consistently choose to obey the Spirit we will find ourselves in the rest of God: at rest in the Person and will of God; transformed in character into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ; changed into the image of Christ's body in the Day of Resurrection; and receiving the nations and the earth for our inheritance.

All depends on our choosing the Spirit of God rather than our sinful appetites and desires.

So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45)