From a Living Soul to a Life-Giving Spirit from The Coming Day of Redemption
From a Living Soul to a Life-Giving Spirit from The Coming Day of Redemption
The Lord Jesus must live in a continual baptism with the Holy Spirit, in that He is filled with all the Fullness of God. It may be true that we eventually will live in the same manner. Can you imagine that!
It appears to me that the Father, the Son, and each member of the Body of Christ will live together for eternity in one grand shining coalescence of the Spirit of God. We will continue to be baptized with the Spirit for eternity.
Our salvation has been completed when we are converted into a life-giving spirit. Salvation includes total deliverance from the person and works of Satan. Salvation has nothing to do with going to Heaven; although there is a Heaven where God and Christ are.
Our spirit, soul, and body are to be made one with the Spirit of God and created from the Spirit of God.
But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. (I Corinthians 6:17)
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It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening [life-giving] spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. (I Corinthians 15:44-49)
I wonder why I have not preached more often that we are to be changed into a life-giving spirit. I have mentioned the change several times in my writings, but this afternoon it suddenly was emphasized in my mind.
After all, this is a radical change in us. It is a thumbnail description of the Divine redemption.
Over the past few days the Spirit of God cleared up in my mind something that has puzzled me for years---that is, the difference between our soul and our spirit. As I studied the Scriptures it seemed to me that in some instances the terms were used interchangeably. Yet I know they can't be the same because we all understand that we children of Adam are in three parts—spirit, soul, and body.
We have been created in the image of God. God has a Soul, a Spirit, and, in Christ, a Body. "In Christ" includes the Head and Body of Christ.
I gathered from what I seemed to be hearing from the Spirit that our soul is our character, from which spring our desires, our will, the choices we make. Our spirit is a reflection of our soul. The soul appears to be stationary, in contrast with the spirit, that can travel.
For example, our soul is here on the earth. But when we are born again, our spirit rises to be with Christ at the right hand of the Father. Yet our soul remains here. And I think our spirit is here also. So our spirit is capable of multiple presence.
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)
We all know what our body is, so I won't go into that, except to say that the life-giving spirit includes a body fashioned from the Spirit of God.
Let's consider: the Apostle Paul says, "You died." Now we know Paul is not saying our body died. Our spirit, our life, did not die. It is hidden with Christ in God.
So it must be our soul that died.
We know that the New Testament speaks of the crucifixion of the old adamic nature, most likely of the soul.
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. (Romans 6:8)
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
We died with Christ.
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live.
It is quite clear, isn't it. Our body did not die. Our spirit did not die, yet "we" died. So it must be our soul that died.
But this death of our soul does not happen instantly, as we all can testify. Our task is to count it as dead, and to live our discipleship in that manner.
Our personal cross does its work in our personality. We are denied our most fervent desires for years—sometimes for our whole life; so we have to place our treasures in Heaven.
Or, we may be forced to endure a miserable situation for years on end. We are to pray that our circumstances will change. But we must not break out of our "prison" until the Lord says "enough."
As I said, our soul is our character from which proceed our will, our desires. It is the source of our choices. Our spirit is a reflection of our soul. Our soul is who we are, we might say, our unique personality. A person's will is a clear portrayal of his or her uniqueness. Our spirit is a reflection of our will, as I see it.
Our personal cross works throughout our lifetime putting our soul to death. But that is not the end of the story. As our adamic nature dies, the resurrection Life of the Lord Jesus takes its place.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6:5)
Our soul is the source of our choices. So as we pursue Christ our soul is choosing to die with Christ and live with Christ. It is contributing to its own demise.
What then should be taking place in the Christian as he or she grows to maturity?
Christ should be taking control of our thinking, our speaking, and our acting. We should be learning to live by the Life of the Lord Jesus.
The only time I know of that Christ spoke about His soul was in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. (Matthew 26:38)
Let's think about this for a minute.
The verse above is stating that Christ had a soul, or was a soul.
The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening [life-giving] spirit.
Now I may be incorrect here, but it seems to me that Christ was perfectly human to begin with. He was composed of spirit, soul, and body. The Bible states He was tempted in all points like as we. But He was without sin. He did not have a sinful nature, because His Father is God.
But at what point did Christ change from a living soul to a life-giving Spirit?
I would say, when He was resurrected. I think Romans bears this out.
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. (Romans 6:5)
The verse above implies to me that Christ actually died in Gethsemane and on the cross. His soul died as well as His body. We die in the same way. But first it is our soul over a period of time; and then later our physical body dies.
What sort of death is this that Christ died? I believe it was temporary separation from the Father's Presence.
What sort of death does our soul die? First of all, it is death to sin, the renouncing of sin and separation from it. We put sin to death through the Spirit.
Second, it is death to our will. Christ may have experienced this death, as He cried out, "Not My will but Yours be done." The death of our will is the most important death we die.
Christ learned obedience by the things He suffered, Hebrews tells us. So do we. Little by little we learn to obey Christ in every detail of our life. Mastering such obedience means we "die" to our own desires.
If we are to attain to a life-giving spirit, we must die to sin, and die to self-will. In this manner a significant part of our soul is removed. Can you see that?
Our character is changed as our arrogance and unbelief, for example, are removed. Our spirit reflects this change. So does our body, being prepared in Heaven, reflect the changes that are taking place in us.
This is the negative aspect of our transformation into a life-giving spirit. The positive aspect occurs as the Nature of Christ replaces what has been removed.
Each of us has many good aspects of our character and many bad aspects. The Bible says that in some, the Seed of God is planted in an honest and good heart. Some people have an honest and good heart. But such honesty and goodness are adamic, and thus temporary. The Divine Seed must transform the adamic honesty and goodness until they are the honesty and goodness of the Seed, Christ.
But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. (Luke 8:15)
Also there may be cowardice, hatred, bitterness, misery in our character. Christ removes these and replaces them with courage, love, forgiveness and peace.
This change of our character is the fruit of the Spirit of God, as we become one spirit with Christ.
This is why Paul exhorted us to live in the Spirit.
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)
Every time we choose to turn away from temptation and do what we feel God would want, we are fed in the spirit world with the body and blood of Christ. Christ's body and blood are our resurrection life.
Each time we are given Christ's body and blood we have more strength to turn away from temptation on the next occasion. This Divine nourishment continues until Christ is fully formed in us.
You know what this reminds me of? The Ark of the Covenant was constructed from acacia wood. Wood symbolizes humanity. To begin with, the Ark was a wooden chest.
But then it was covered outside and inside with gold. Gold symbolizes Divinity. The wood was still there but it could not be seen. Only that which testifies of God was seen in the Ark.
The same is true of us, as we travel the road from a living soul to a life-giving spirit. We always will be who we are, a unique person. But people will see only Christ, as was true in the life of the Apostle Paul.
Thus we have been planted together in the likeness of His death. Christ died to His desire to live in fellowship with His Father. All Christ really cared about was temporarily removed from Him. No doubt Satan threatened Christ that if He was willing to die on the cross, He forever would be separated from God.
We understand that Christ is stronger than any of us. So it must have been an agonizing decision—far worse than that of Abraham contemplating offering Isaac as a burnt offering—if God had to send an angel to support the mighty Christ!
So it is with us. In order to be transformed into a life-giving spirit we must temporarily lose things we care about deeply. We will be taunted with the idea that we never will have our treasures again. Thus to make the change into a life-giving spirit we have to put our treasures in Heaven.
Christ had only the Word of the Father that He would be delivered from Hell. We have only the promise of Christ that our treasures are intact in Heaven.
So we have been planted together in the likeness of His death.
But it does not stop there . . .
We shall be in the likeness of His resurrection!
All that Christ was afraid of losing was restored to Him—and infinitely more!
All that we have given to Christ, that is of eternal value, shall be restored to us—and infinitely more!
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. (Psalms 16:11)
The promise is that we shall not remain in death, neither in that part of us that makes choices, nor in our body.
It may be true that Christ went to the cross as a living Soul. Christ came forth from the grave as a life-giving Spirit. As we bear our personal cross, our soul is crucified. When the Lord next appears, He shall raise us as a life-giving spirit and clothe us with a body like His.
Now, right here is the point of this article. Unless we faithfully have carried our cross after the Master, our adamic nature, with its sins and self-will, remains alive. Therefore we neither are qualified nor competent to experience the resurrection as a life-giving spirit.
In simple terms, when the trumpet sounds we will not be caught up!
It seems that not many Christian people are actually bearing their personal cross after Jesus. They have been told that if they will "accept Christ," that is all they are required to do. Jesus has done everything else for them.
So when Jesus returns. He may be ready to change their body into incorruptible life.
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (I Corinthians 15:52,53)
But their inward nature has not been crucified. It still is the same old sinful, self-seeking nature. It has not been changed into a life-giving spirit to any extent. The Lord Jesus cannot put an incorruptible body on this untransformed soul!
What Paul wrote in the fourth chapter of the Book of First Thessalonians sounds like most or all Christians will be made alive at the coming of Christ and then be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.
But Paul wrote also, in the third chapter of the Book of Philippians that he had laid everything of this world aside, counting it all garbage, that he might attain to the resurrection from the dead. Paul exhorted each of us to have the same attitude.
Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. (Philippians 3:15)
Our current Christian teaching comes in many instances from people who have not read the whole counsel of God. They have seized on a few traditions and are preaching those as the way of salvation.
How many times have you heard about salvation being a change from a living soul to a life-giving spirit? You probably have heard only that if you "accept Christ" (not a scriptural expression) you will go to Heaven when you die. You do not have to do anything further because Jesus has done it all for you.
Unless God does a remarkable work in America and the rest of the world in the next few years, there are not many people who will be ready to become a life-giving spirit when the Lord Jesus next appears.
Not one word of the Scripture shall be changed in any manner. We shall reap what we are sowing. We shall be rewarded according to the choices we have made, and mercy and grace do not change this in any manner!
You might wonder why God is intent on creating life-giving spirits. The answer is found in the Book of Ezekiel.
And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. (Ezekiel 47:3-9)
The passage above describes our journey from the living soul to the life-giving spirit. The four stages refer to our increasing possession of the Spirit of God.
I will take a little liberty at this point.
We might think of water to the ankles as representing our born-again experience, when our spirit rises to be with Christ in God. By the way, this makes us a member of the heavenly Zion.
We might think of water to the knees as representing our "Pentecostal" experience, as we learn to live in the Spirit and minister by the Spirit.
Notice that we are judged every time we move forward (we keep being "measured").
We might think of water to our waist as representing our death and resurrection with Christ. Prior to this point we pretty much had control of our life, our thinking, our speaking, our acting. But as we keep moving further in the Spirit of God the Spirit has increasing control over us.
The waters to swim in speak of our total abandonment to the will and Spirit of God. Such complete consecration qualifies us as a tree of life.
We will have been fed with the body and blood of Christ until those who come to us can receive eternal life. "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.'"
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. (Isaiah 12:2,3)
This shall be our role for eternity.
God has determined that His Glory shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. The method God will use to accomplish His goal is to perfect a royal priesthood, creating His Throne in each priest. Then the Spirit of God will flow out from the members of the Royal Priesthood to the people living on the earth.
Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. (Ezekiel 47:1)
The "house" is Christ. It is the same "house" spoken of in the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John. There are many rooms in God's House in which the saints live. The "house" faces "eastward," because it is at the return of Christ that the Day of the Lord will commence and the whole earth shall be filled with God's Glory.
The lesson we can learn from this briefest of essays is that there is infinitely more for us in Christ than currently is preached.
Down the middle of the broad street of the city. The tree of life was on both sides of the river, bearing 12 kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations. (Revelation 22:2—Holman)