Five Operations of the Holy Spirit Part 24
Sin is being destroyed from our personality and the fruit of righteousness, holiness, and obedience is maturing in us. We cannot emulate Christ by our own ability but the Holy Spirit is able to create the image of Christ in us.
If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. (I John 2:29)
The purpose of being saved, of being born again, is that we may be able to behave in a righteous and holy manner on the earth and in Heaven. Salvation includes much more than being "saved" in the sense of going to Heaven in spite of our unrighteous conduct, in spite of the hopelessness of our efforts to "walk even as he walked."
Salvation brings about the ability to act in a righteous manner. John teaches us in this epistle that if we are not growing in righteous conduct we are not of God no matter what we may claim.
Redemption is able to accomplish more than protecting ungodly people so they are shielded from the righteous judgment of God. Redemption has to do with our transformation from ungodly conduct to godly conduct, as our book is endeavouring to show.
Going to Heaven, as wonderful as the prospect is, is a secondary issue of the program of redemption. The program of redemption is directed toward the destruction of the works of Satan. All the works and influence of Satan in Heaven and on the earth are to be judged and abolished by the ministry of Christ and His Body.
Therefore, as John teaches us, if we say we have been born of Christ and are not moving along in the program of the destruction of our ungodly behavior, we have been deceived.
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (I John 3:1)
The reason the world does not know Christ is that the world is immersed in the spirit of lust, murder, sorcery, and covetousness—the behavior that characterizes the fleshly, soulish nature of mankind. Christ is immersed in the Spirit of Holiness. The world despises and rejects the Spirit of Holiness; therefore the true saint despises and rejects the spirit of the world.
The reason the world does not know us is not that we say we belong to Christ (although our confession of His name is an important step of salvation). The reason the world does not know us is that we are overcoming the spirit of lust, murder, sorcery, and covetousness.
The test of Christianity is not whether we attend a Christian church, it is whether we are escaping the lust of the world and are walking in the Spirit of Holiness. The world does not know the Holy Spirit and will not know us when we are walking in the Holy Spirit. The world recognizes its own members whether or not they claim to be Christians.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (I John 3:2)
This verse could be construed to mean that although we have failed on earth to walk in righteousness, yet, when Jesus comes, we will be caught away to Heaven and there be transformed into righteous conduct. If such were the case, the statements made throughout the Book of I John would be meaningless.
The change in us that will occur at the coming of Christ is in our body. It is, as Paul teaches, the redemption of our body. The prerequisite of the change in the body is the change in our character, the change that is occurring now. If we choose to continue walking in the appetites of the flesh we will die spiritually. We will not attain the first resurrection from the dead.
The change in our character is a process worked out over a period of time. It cannot be accomplished instantaneously. There are some things in God's creation that require time for their accomplishment. They cannot be hurried.
The creation of the saint in the image of Christ is one such time-consuming process. It is vain for us to believe we will be transformed into skilled warriors, victorious saints, at the appearing of Christ. This is not possible unless we are learning to overcome in battle now.
The change in our body, on the other hand, is instantaneous. It is not fashioned over a period of time. It will take place in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
We shall be like Christ in the body when He appears and we shall be able to behold Christ face to face. This is the reward of the Christian who gives himself to following the Holy Spirit every day of his life. The careless, lukewarm, half-hearted Christian will not receive the rewards promised to the overcomer. He may be saved as by fire, that is, he may be chastened severely by the Lord and then permitted to enter the Kingdom. Or he may not!
There is a hope, as John informs us. The hope is that we will be created in the image of our Lord Jesus Christ in spirit, soul, and body. This hope saves us.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (I John 3:3)
If we hope that Christ will transform our body into the likeness of His glorious body we must become pure as He is pure. This we can do through the wisdom and strength imparted to us by the Holy Spirit of God.
One of the problems of the Church today is that of unbelief in the area of sanctification. We have become convinced that Christ is unable to create righteousness in us while we yet are on the earth. Where did this lack of faith originate? Did it spring from an overemphasis on salvation by grace apart from godly living?