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| | Although the Holy Spirit is prominent in the work of the ministry (notice above verse), the whole Godhead is involved in the edifying of the Body of Christ. Observe this fact in the following passage: | | Although the Holy Spirit is prominent in the work of the ministry (notice above verse), the whole Godhead is involved in the edifying of the Body of Christ. Observe this fact in the following passage: |
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| − | Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. (I Corinthians 12:4- 6)
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| − | It is the will of the Holy Spirit that there be variety in the Divine revelation that proceeds through the members of the Body of Christ. However, we always must keep in mind that although there is diversity in the gifts, in the services, and in the workings, these all come from the same Lord and it is the same Lord Jesus who is served by them.
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| − | But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. (I Corinthians 12:7)
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| − | Every believer, upon being baptized into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit, is given a gift, a service, a working of God, a ministry. There is no member of the Body of Christ who has not been assigned a ministry, a talent. If he or she were given no impartation of the Spirit's abilities, that person would be useless in the Body of Christ. The gifts are the "talents" of which Jesus spoke (Matthew, Chapter 25).
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| − | The word talent, as used in the English language, has come to mean an endowment in music, art or some other line of creativity. These are of the body and soul and cannot build up the Body of Christ. Music and art are not given at the time of baptism into the Body of Christ but at physical birth. The talents that build up the Body of Christ are the varied impartations of the Holy Spirit that the members of the Body of Christ receive at the time of their baptism with the Holy Spirit.
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| − | We would not be too strict with our definition of "talent," however. Any type of ability God has given us, whether natural or spiritual, is to be used in the Lord’s service as God directs. It is not the Lord’s way to waste anything.
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| − | To each of us is given one or more of the "talents" of the Holy Spirit. They are given us for "profit." Do you remember the story of the master of the household who, upon his return from a journey, required an accounting of the success with which his servants had invested the money he had entrusted to them? It is expected of us that we be diligent in the application of the gifts and ministries the Holy Spirit has assigned to us.
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| − | There are severe penalties for being lazy and careless with the talents of the Kingdom of God.
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| − | One of the greatest needs of the Body of Christ is for the members to be guided and helped in their personal ministries. The day is quickly passing when a Christian is to do nothing but sit in a pew and receive teaching. It is time now for the Body of Christ to be mobilized into a state of activity such that each Christian is using the spiritual endowments he received when he was baptized into the Body of Christ.
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| − | For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; . . . . (I Corinthians 12:8)
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| − | The Holy Spirit possesses the wisdom of God that resolves all problems and dilemmas. Often we Christians are hindered because we cannot figure out the best thing to do, the wisest course to take. The Holy Spirit has opened a channel in many believers through which the Divine wisdom can flow. The Christian gifted in wisdom is supposed to keep himself ready and available so that when the need arises the Holy Spirit can provide solutions through him. His fellow members of the Body will need his gift from time to time.
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| − | . . . to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; (I Corinthians 12:8)
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| − | The Body of Christ is not to be limited to the ordinary means of transmitting knowledge such as by the newspaper and television. Each local assembly has members whom the Holy Spirit will use to inform us of events that have taken place, are taking place, or will take place at some point in the future. There are examples in the Scripture of instances in which God's servants were informed of some fact by the Spirit of God (II Kings 2:3; Acts 27:34; etc.).
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| − | The Body of Christ is given supernaturally-derived knowledge by the Holy Spirit. It is time now for the gifted disciples to begin to wait on their ministries.
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| − | To another faith by the same Spirit; . . . . (I Corinthians 12:9)
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| − | This is not referring to the saving faith that is given to each Christian at the time of receiving Christ (Ephesians 2:8,9). Neither is it indicating the fruit of faithfulness that is the creation in us of rock-like confidence and trust in the Person of God and in His Word. Rather, the gift of faith is an extraordinary impartation of Divine Nature and virtue that comes to gifted Christians when an unusual need arises.
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| − | We find that special faith was given to Paul when a storm arose: "Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it will be even as it was told me" (Acts 27:25). The gift of faith brings "good cheer" and may be based, as in this case, on a special revelation of the will of God.
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| − | Perhaps the reader may recall an instance in his own life in which God imparted unusual faith in order to help him through some particular difficulty or to give assurance that his prayer had been answered, even though he had not as yet seen the answer materialize.
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| − | We do not mean to give the impression here that the disciple can exercise only one or two gifts or that the Holy Spirit assigns these without regard to the prayers and desires of the individual or that this is some kind of rigid design that we must discover and then act out inflexibly. Rather Paul instructs us to desire fervently the endowments of the Spirit.
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| − | It is the will of the Spirit that gifts and ministries be in thousandfold more evidence than is true today. He desires to come and rain righteousness on us. In such a day as the present, when God is ready to pour out on us the latter rain of His Glory and Presence, there is no limit to the blessing that the believer may receive if he continues in prayer and abides consistently in the place where he can be used by the Lord.
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| − | It is our belief that the return of the Master of the house to demand an accounting is not limited to the second coming of the Lord Jesus. There are seasons of refreshing that come periodically from the Presence of the Lord. We may be in one such season now. If we are diligently using what God has given us we ought to petition Him for more "talents" and expect to receive.
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| − | The Scripture teaches that to him who already possesses God's gifts and is flourishing in them will be given much more and he will have abundance. We have not because we ask not!
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| − | This is an hour in which to receive largely from the Lord. We expect exceedingly great endowments of ability from God—an abundance of gifts and ministries. In I Corinthians, Chapter 12 the Holy Spirit is informing us of the availability of gifts and ministries, not of restrictions on their operations.
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| − | God is not poor. He is more than willing to supply us richly with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Our part is to be diligent in the use of the gifts and ministries that we have no matter how important or unimportant our tasks may seem to be, and to covet, believe for, and expect a great many more.
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| − | Let us lay hold with all our strength on the Lord today so we may obtain an abundance of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Then, look at the table of good things we will be able to spread before the saints! They will be able to eat, drink and grow healthy and strong in the Presence of the King.
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| − | . . . to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; (I Corinthians 12:9)
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| − | The healing of the sick was one of the outstanding characteristics of the ministry on earth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Even with the increase of medical knowledge there seems to be just as much need for Divine healing today as there was two thousand years ago. Christ still heals today as He did then.
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| − | There are many tragic needs in the world and in the Church also. There is much suffering from bodily sickness. "By whose stripes ye were healed" (I Peter 2:24). On Calvary, Christ healed us in spirit, soul, and body. When we reach out to Him for healing He hears us, He heals us: sometimes instantaneously, sometimes over a period of time, sometimes by the hands of a doctor, sometimes without human assistance.
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| − | The Christian who walks in obedience to God and lives in the expectancy of Divine intervention in his life is a likely candidate for a miracle of healing to take place in him. Miracles of healing are occurring in the world today. You too can receive a miracle if you will keep on serving and seeking the Lord, continually giving praise and thanksgiving to Him.
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| − | The Holy Spirit desires to open the channel of healing in many members of the Body of Christ so that those with the need of physical healing can obtain relief and deliverance. There are few operations of the Holy Spirit that bring the Presence of the Lord Jesus Christ as does the healing of the sick. Truly, He comes to save the lost and to heal the sick.
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| − | To another the working of miracles; . . . . (I Corinthians 12:10)
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| − | Both Old and New Testaments describe the most astonishing miracles one could imagine. When we study the Scriptures we receive the impression that the Holy Spirit is able and willing to break through the laws of nature and put things together or take them apart according to the needs of the moment.
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| − | Perhaps the most spectacular miracle of the Old Testament was the forming of the heaven and the earth by the Word of God. The stopping of the rotation of the earth (or the moving of the sun and moon—whichever it was) at the word of Joshua was an operation of stupendous power.
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| − | There were so many instances of mastery over nature in the ministry of Jesus that one has only to read the Gospel accounts to realize that miracles were a common occurrence in the daily life of Christ. The raising of Lazarus from the dead after four days is one example of the power over the physical universe that Jesus demonstrated as He preached and taught the Kingdom of God.
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| − | Whenever Christ is active in His Church there will be mighty signs and wonders in evidence. The reason we do not see more miracles taking place is that our sins plus our pride of knowledge have hindered our faith until we do not expect the miraculous to occur.
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| − | In the day that we cease from our own works and turn to Christ with a pure heart, in that same day the working of miracles will return to the Church of Christ. There can be no testimony of the Church of Christ apart from the working of miracles, for the Kingdom of God is not in word but in power. Where Christ is there are miracles. Miracles are the way God states that the Gospel of Christ is from Him.
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| − | . . . to another prophecy; . . . . (I Corinthians 12:10)
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| − | There was a great amount of prophecy under the old covenant and there is supposed to be a great amount of prophecy under the new covenant. It is the will of the Holy Spirit that all Christians prophesy. "Ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted" (I Corinthians 14:31). "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:10).
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| − | When we are baptized into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit the burden of prophecy becomes part of our personality. Every Christian is a prophet, a priest, and a king in the sight of God. We have been called from the world so we may represent God in the earth. When we seek the Lord with a true heart and begin to walk and live in the Spirit, the burden of prophecy is as near to us as our physical breath. The burden is heightened when we assemble with other believers.
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| − | But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth. (I Corinthians 14:24,25)
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| − | The above passage from First Corinthians is a description of the desirable spiritual condition of the assemblies of the Christian believers. We can see that we still have a distance to go if we are to accomplish the restoration of the power and glory of Christ to the churches.
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| − | . . . to another discerning of spirits; . . . . (I Corinthians 12:10)
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| − | As the members of the Body of Christ push forward in the Lord they will discover that all kinds of spirits, clean and unclean, are active continually, not only in the heavens but also on the earth—both in the world and in the Christian churches. Although the spirit realm is invisible to us, yet much of what we see and experience is spiritual in origin. The universe itself, the visible creation, was brought into being by the invisible Word of God.
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| − | In many cases the churches labor in a mixture of holy and deluding spirits. We experience the effects of these spirits as pleasant and helpful or painful and destructive. Yet we cannot "see" well enough into the spirit realm to cope satisfactorily with the invisible forces.
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| − | It is the will of God that the Body of Christ be aware of what is taking place in the physical world and also in the spiritual world. It is the Lord's intention that the Body of Christ have a "nose" (the discerning of spirits) so it can "smell" what is happening and act accordingly.
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| − | . . . to another divers kinds of tongues; . . . . (I Corinthians 12:10)
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| − | One of the miracles in evidence as the Holy Spirit fell for the first time on the waiting disciples (Acts, Chapter Two) was the proclaiming of the wonderful works of God in the different languages of the Jews assembled in Jerusalem in observance of the feast of Weeks (Pentecost). The disciples who were speaking knew nothing of these languages.
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| − | On the occasion of the building of the Tower of Babel, God slowed down the rapid development of world culture by issuing several different languages, dividing the human race into competing factions. God was not ready at that time for mankind to destroy itself by developing a way of life apart from Himself.
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| − | When the Holy Spirit was sent into the earth, God enabled the members of the Body of Christ to overcome the problem of the language barrier. God was revealing that He will have a world culture that is ruled by Christ in the Church. The Body of Christ will speak the language of all peoples and will describe to them the wonderful works of God.
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| − | During the past hundred years there have been instances in which the disciples of the Lord have been moved to speak to an individual, or to a group of people, in a language unknown to the speaker but understood readily by the listener as his native tongue.
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| − | It is the opinion of this writer that during the unprecedented worldwide preaching of the Gospel with signs and wonders to the ends of the earth that will take place prior to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Christians will not be hindered by the language barrier. They will be enabled by the Holy Spirit to move out quickly to every city and village, announcing the Good News of the Kingdom of God that is at hand.
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| − | In the Pentecostal movement we have utterances that are referred to as "messages in tongues" and "interpretation of tongues." They consist of someone speaking a brief utterance in an unknown language, and the same person or another person following with an statement in English or in a language usually spoken by the assembled church members.
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| − | Of the many instances of this manifestation which we have witnessed, there is no doubt in our mind that the majority of these are sponsored by the Holy Spirit. Edification, exhortation, and comfort have resulted from these proclamations.
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| − | On such occasions one believer is giving voice to the present burden of the Holy Spirit by praying in the Spirit in a tongue unknown to himself, and then another believer picks up the burden by prophesying in the language native to the assembly. The prophecy is not a literal translation of the utterance in tongues but an independent expression of the current burden of the Holy Spirit.
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| − | Perhaps these are not what is referred to in I Corinthians, Chapter 12 as "kinds of tongues" and "interpretation of tongues."
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| − | There are occasions when a message is given to the assembly that is a direct pronouncement in a language, and then someone else in the Spirit translates the pronouncement word for word, neither speaker having command of the language under ordinary circumstances. Such instances of actual translation of a language of the world appear to be in the minority.
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| − | It may be true that "divers kinds of tongues" are Spirit-given abilities to speak from time to time in languages spoken currently or in time past on the earth or by angels in Heaven; and that "interpretation of tongues" is the Spirit-given ability to understand statements made in a foreign language, whether the speaker is "in the Spirit" or employing his native tongue. It is possible, too, that these gifts apply to writing as well as to speaking.
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| − | If a Christian were able to understand by hearing or by reading a communication presented in a language that he had never learned by study or sufficient exposure, that, to our way of thinking, would be an example of "interpretation of tongues."
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| − | Our understanding is that the Holy Spirit does not intend for us to regard the list of nine "gifts" of the Spirit as being an inflexible pattern for the manner in which He will enable members of the Body of Christ to communicate the Glory of God. Rather, the accent is on diversity. There should be an infinite array and assortment of spiritual talents and abilities, each believer being a unique expression of the ascended Christ.
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| − | The apostle, the prophet, the evangelist, and the pastor-teacher are major revelations of Christ. Mixed in with these are innumerable endowments, each being designed in terms of the ministry of the individual saint. The result of the multiplicity is the radiating of God's Word in a splendor of color and beauty.
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| − | Here we see the Lampstand, the many-sided revelation of God in Christ. Christ is the light of the world, and the Body of Christ is part of that light. Physical light is a composite of several colors that can be seen individually when part of the light is absorbed and part is reflected. So it is with the Holy Spirit. The shining of the Spirit from a saint is not a blinding white light but a beautiful "color" that is seen because part of the light is "absorbed" and part is "reflected."
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| − | There is no clearer symbol of Christ in the Scriptures than the Lampstand of the Holy Place of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. Christ is the Light—the communication of God to men. Apart from Him there is oppressive darkness. The Church, the Body of Christ, is portrayed by the six side-branches of the Lampstand that illuminate the central shaft. The central shaft of the Lampstand is Christ, the Light of the world.
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| − | Christ, Head and Body, will be the Light of the world forever. All the nations of the saved of the world will walk in that light. The Lampstand was pure gold hammered into shape. So it is that the revelation of God can never be mixed with natural ability. The Divine testimony is pure—wholly of God. This is why God is spending so much effort and time carefully perfecting the members of the Body of Christ, the six side- branches of the Lampstand.
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| − | But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. (I Corinthians 12:11)
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| − | Every member of the Body of Christ has an endowment of the Holy Spirit, a talent, that God intends for him to spend in the spiritual marketplace. The Body of Christ can be brought to maturity only by the variety of spiritual endowments. We saints must call on the Lord night and day, giving Him no rest until the assemblies of the disciples begin to operate as the Holy Spirit intends that they operate. Each church meeting should be full of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit as He moves through the assembled believers.
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| − | The Spirit gives ministries and gifts as He wills. Yet we are commanded to covet earnestly the endowments of the Spirit. God is pleased when we seek after spiritual abilities because it is by the gifts of the Spirit that we can strengthen our fellow members of the Body. We are not to be passive about the gifts of God but are to pursue them with our attention and strength. God never will give us an evil gift when we are seeking more of His Holy Spirit.
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| − | The Holy Spirit has been assigned the task of bringing a wife to the Lamb. He leads us in receiving and exercising the gifts and ministries.
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| − | For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. (I Corinthians 12:12)
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| − | Our physical body has eyes, hands, feet and numerous other parts, some visible and some internal. Yet the body lives and acts as a unit. So it is that Christ, the Anointed Deliverer of whom the Hebrew prophets spoke, has many parts. Christ is the Head of Christ. The Body of Christ still is being formed.
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| − | As soon as the Body has been prepared, the Head will descend from Heaven and the work of setting up the Kingdom of God will proceed with revolutionary power until the ends of the earth have been brought under the absolute rule of Christ.
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| − | For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (I Corinthians 12:13)
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| − | We were baptized by water into the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We were baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ. The baptism by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ is the beginning of the second death and second resurrection of redemption. The Body of Christ is the Church, the fulfillment of the Holy Place of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.
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| − | It is the same for Jew and Gentile. There is not one kind of Divine redemption for the Jews and another kind of Divine redemption for the Gentiles. There are not two churches.
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| − | We all have been baptized into one Body. We all have been made to drink of one Spirit. There is one Christ, one Vine, one Israel, one holy Jerusalem, one Servant of the Lord. He is Christ—Head and Body. We Gentiles have been grafted on the true Vine.
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| − | Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. (I Corinthians 12:27,28)
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| − | Notice that the four ascension ministries of Ephesians, Chapter Four (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor- teachers) are not repeated here in the same order, indicating that stress should not be placed on a certain pattern of ministry. The four ascension gifts are not to be considered superior ministries or heads of the Church. The most important ministry, the most important gift, is the one needed at the moment.
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| − | Works of power, gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues, are placed alongside of the ascension ministries. The Holy Spirit has not specified four rigorously defined ascension ministries and nine precisely ordered gifts. Rather, the concept is more general—that God has lovingly and bountifully placed in His Church, the Body of Christ, various endowments so that all the needs of the Body can be fulfilled.
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| − | There may appear in the churches in these days some ways of ministering that we have not known. We can recognize those that are from the Holy Spirit in that they will bring love, joy, peace, and blessing to us. Through them the Lord Jesus will be made so present, so real, that every need for body, soul and spirit will be met and we all will be inspired to seek the Lord with renewed determination and patience.
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| − | If the ministries bring us into depression, bondage, anxiety, straining, we must be on our guard in order to distinguish between the true and the false ministers of Christ.
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| − | Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. (I Corinthians 12:29-31)
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| − | It is obvious from reading the Gospel accounts and the Book of Acts that every believer in Christ was not an apostle (Acts 5:13). Every Christian of the first-century Church was not a prophet or teacher (James 3:1).
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| − | What, then, was Paul asking? He was summarizing his main point in I Corinthians, Chapter 12—that the Body of Christ is one and the Spirit of God is one, and the oneness is enhanced rather than weakened by the diversity of ministries and gifts.
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| − | There also is the exhortation that we should earnestly seek after the ministries and gifts of the Holy Spirit.
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| − | This line of thought is interrupted while Paul sets aside his discussion of means (gifts and ministries) and refers to the end product (love—the creation of the Nature of Christ in us and the flowing of that Nature through our motives, words, and deeds).
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| − | Then, having assured himself that his readers will not become so involved in the means the Holy Spirit uses that they forget that the end product is the possession of the Nature of Christ, the fruit of the Spirit, Paul continues with his teaching concerning the ministries and gifts of the Spirit of God.
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| − | Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. (I Corinthians 14:1)
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| − | Again we find Paul directing us to begin coveting spiritual ministries and gifts. Sometimes the saints are under the impression that if the Lord wants them to be busy in the work of the Body of Christ He will strike them down as He did Saul of Tarsus. Meanwhile they become so involved in secular pursuits there is little time left for prayer, the study of the Scripture, or assembling with the saints. We become entangled in secular pursuits when we are not fervent enough concerning the things of Christ.
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| − | God commands us to covet earnestly the gifts of the Spirit. If we will begin using the one talent we have, meanwhile coveting earnestly an enriched ministry in the Body of Christ, God will behold our desire to be of service and reward us with an enlargement of opportunity and responsibility.
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| − | If we adopt the passive attitude that if the Lord wants us to work in the Kingdom He will arrest us with a vision or dream, and we do not seek His face each day with intensity of purpose, desiring an expanded area of service, God will turn to someone who is more diligent. He will take away from us the ability that we do possess and give it to the more interested brother or sister.
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| − | The Scriptures speak concerning ministries and gifts. They are God's talents, God's money. We are to exercise great diligence and wisdom in the use of them. Every believer in Christ has one or more of these talents, these spiritual endowments, and they are to be used in the Kingdom of God.
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| − | Many of us need much help from our brothers and sisters in the Lord in order to grow in our ministry. If such guidance is not available in our local church we need to pray that God will raise up in our church some ways of helping us become more involved in the work of the Kingdom. If all else fails, the Holy Spirit may lead us to another group that is more interested in seeking the Lord with fervency of heart and mind.
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| − | What are the "greater gifts" of I Corinthians 12:31? Paul seems to answer this in the fourteenth chapter. First he points out that in the assemblies prophecy may be more useful than tongues. Then Paul proceeds to exhort us concerning using our gifts and ministries for the sole purpose of building up one another in the Lord. This is the purpose of gifts and ministries of the Spirit. Therefore, the "greater" gifts are those that build up the Body of Christ.
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| − | If we keep first in our hearts, when we are seeking ministries and gifts, that our purpose is to build up the members of the Body of Christ until we all come into the unity of the faith, to the measure of (maturity as measured by) the stature of the fullness of Christ, the question of what gifts are "greater" will be answered. The greater gifts are those that build the Body of Christ by supplying the pressing needs of the situation in which we find ourselves.
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| − | The purpose of the ministries and gifts of the Holy Spirit is that disciples can be obtained from every nation and that these disciples can be brought to perfection as the complete Body of Christ.
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| − | God's plan of redemption takes us from chaos of personality all the way to perfection in Christ. Salvation comes to us when we are lost and undone in sin. We hear the welcome of the Spirit of God and return to the Father's house, back to the fold, into the ark of safety.
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| − | Then there are ministries and gifts in the Body of Christ that move us forward toward a fuller grasp of the virtue that is in Christ. If we continue to abide in the Lord Jesus, ministries will arise before us that invite us to keep on moving forward. The end is the fullness of redemption in Christ.
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| − | It is all one plan of redemption but it operates at an infinite number of levels. Each member of the Body of Christ has a role to play in the process of the redemption of the believers. We are to keep people moving along in Christ. The Body of Christ is building itself up today. When it is finished it will be the light of the world, the complete revelation of God in Christ.
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| − | In the meantime, the Body of Christ holds forth the Word of life, guiding men and women, boys and girls, into the ark of safety. As soon as a person has been brought back to the Father's house, the various ministries and gifts in the Body of Christ will lead him further into the operations of redemption. Each member of the Body is to keep growing, and each member of the Body is to keep helping other members to grow.
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| − | The relationship of gifts and ministries to the growth of the Body of Christ can be studied in the fourth chapter of Ephesians.
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| − | But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. (Ephesians 4:7)
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| − | We found this same concept in I Corinthians, Chapter Twelve—that each saint has been endowed with a spiritual enablement. The Christian Church has suffered throughout the past centuries because only a relatively few Christians have made their unique contribution to the maturing of the Body of Christ. The unscriptural division of the Body of Christ into clergy and laity has no doubt added greatly to the inability on the part of many believers to function in their ministries.
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| − | Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Ephesians 4:8)
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| − | The ministries and gifts of the Body of Christ are expressions of the ascension Glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Each ministry and gift in the Body of Christ is a revealing of the fullness of the anointing that abides on Christ. Our gifts are an overflow of the extraordinary power that raised Christ from the power of Satan.
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| − |
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| − | And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (Ephesians 4:11)
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| − | Since this specific list and ordering is not repeated in the New Testament writings we cannot set it forth as an inflexible pattern of authoritative offices that are to govern the Christian Church. Yet it appears, as we study the account in Acts and reflect on the work of the Holy Spirit in the early Church, that these five offices (perhaps four offices, since pastor and teacher are closely related, not only in the punctuation of the above verse but also in practical experience) represent the main divisions of the ministry of the Christian Church.
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| − |
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| − | It may be helpful to keep in mind that Christ is the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, and Pastor-Teacher whom God has given, and that these offices on the earth are reflections of His ministry. When we maintain this viewpoint we are not as apt to fall into the trap of idolizing our fellow members in the Body of Christ.
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| − | For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (Ephesians 4:12)
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| − |
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| − | The ministries call out disciples from the peoples of the nations of the earth and baptize them in water. These disciples are then to be led onward to perfection in Christ by the variety of gifts and ministries that the Holy Spirit places and exercises in the members of the Body of Christ.
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| − |
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| − | The goal of the Christian ministry is to bring each saint to maturity in Christ. The Body of Christ is the composite of perfected saints—perfected in themselves in Christ and perfected in their unique places in the Body of Christ.
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| − | The sanctifying and maturing of the Body of Christ will result in our ability to impart Christ to the peoples of the earth, the establishment of the testimony of God as the basis for His judgment of His creatures, a wife for the Lamb, a temple for God, and finally, when Jesus returns, the imposition of Christ's rule on the peoples of the earth as God's judgment is administered through the Body of Christ.
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| − |
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| − | The Church always is moving toward its fullness of expression as the light of the world, radiating the complete revelation of God in Christ. This is the new Jerusalem, the holy city, of Revelation, Chapters 21 and 22.
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| − | Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (Ephesians 4:13)
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| − |
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| − | The Body of Christ will be perfect. A perfect body requires the perfection of each member. If one member is in any manner imperfect the whole body is imperfect. It is impossible to have a perfect body if there is one imperfect member.
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| − |
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| − | Through discouragement with what is seen in one's self and in other Christians, a believer can come to the conclusion that perfection in Christ will be attained by few if any Christians. Nothing could be further from the truth. Every member of the Body of Christ will be brought to perfection in Christ.
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| − |
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| − | This does not mean that each will be perfect because he is in Christ and Christ is perfect—an imputed (ascribed) perfection. The time for imputation (assigned righteousness) is when we first accept Christ, when His righteousness is imputed (ascribed) to us so that God can receive us and the Holy Spirit can proceed to perform the work of redemption in us.
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| − |
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| − | Imputed righteousness continues with us because of the blood of the Lord Jesus, by which we continually are being covered and forgiven all our sins while we are pressing on in the light of God's will (I John 1:7-9).
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| − |
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| − | The "unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God," the "perfect man," the "measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ," of Ephesians 4:13 have little to do with imputed (ascribed) perfection. Perfection is not imputed to us. It is righteousness that is imputed to us (Romans 4:22).
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| − |
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| − | The ministries do not labor to bring about imputed perfection in us. They labor to bring about actual perfection in us. This distinction must be kept firmly in mind or the disciple will retreat into an unreal world of ascribed perfection in which his sins and shortcomings are somehow turned into acceptable behavior by a magical "grace." Many continue in this mistaken understanding of the grace of God in spite of the numerous New Testament warnings to the contrary.
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| − |
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| − | The gifts and ministries given each member of the Body of Christ are for the purpose of bringing the saints, individually and collectively, to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
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| − |
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| − | It is ridiculous for us to maintain that God, having given birth to children, is not able to cause them to grow to maturity. We become discouraged by what we see in ourselves and in others, saying that God cannot bring us to maturity. We are looking in the wrong direction. If we dwell in the Scriptures, being full of faith in the things God has said, we will come to realize that God is abundantly able to bring us to full stature in Christ.
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| − |
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| − | Having brought each member to full stature (and we are hewn into shape before we are brought to the site of the construction of the Temple of God, to follow the symbolic significance of Solomon's Temple), God then will bring the Body together, as Jesus prayed in John, Chapter 17. If the work were of men we would despair. Because the plan and program is of God, and not of men, we know it will be brought to complete fulfillment.
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| − |
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| − | Our part is to believe what God has stated in His Word and to be full of faith and diligent in the exercise of our own gift and ministry. God's part is to bring the work to successful completion. He is perfecting us now. The days to come will reveal that out of the confusion of life on earth the perfect Body of Christ that God envisions will be formed, and the Head, Christ, will appear as the crowning Glory of the Body.
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| − |
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| − | If we measure our attainment by any standard other than the stature of the fullness of Christ we will not be able to bear the rigorous operations of God. We will come short of the Glory of God. We must learn to keep our eyes steadfastly on the goal that God has established—the fullness of Christ. If we will keep our eyes on that goal we will be able to cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He brings us to the goal. We overcome the world by faith in what God has said.
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| − | That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; (Ephesians 4:14)
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| − |
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| − | One wonders just what kind of opposition it was that Paul faced, for he refers several times to teachers who were destroying the flock. Apparently it was the same thing we experience today when God's people are kept in some little fold, having been made the prey of a teacher who is serving his own interests rather than the Spirit of God. The result of many little kingdoms of believers is that the members remain children. Their pastor-teacher is making merchandise of them without even realizing it. May God send to us teachers who will lead us on to the fullness of redemption.
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| − | But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: (Ephesians 4:15)
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| − |
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| − | We who are members of the Body of Christ must keep on speaking the truth, holding forth the Word of Life. This is our responsibility to the Church and to the world. We are a lighthouse by which souls in the darkness and confusion of the storm can make their way to the safety of the shore. We are to keep on presenting the Divine truth in the spirit of love and gentleness, just as Jesus did.
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| − | From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:16)
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| − |
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| − | The whole Body of Christ is to be "fitted together and compacted" by the virtue that each "joint" supplies. All the wisdom and energy flows down from the Head, and it is the Head into whom we grow up. Each part (each saint) is to perform its task. The Body of Christ not only holds out the Word of Life in the darkness of this age but also is continually building itself up.
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| − |
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| − | As the Holy Spirit leads us in the developing and enlarging of our ability to minister there comes to us a love for those to whom we are ministering. There is no effective ministry apart from love because when there is no love the people to whom the ministry is directed hear many words but do not feel the drawing of the Lord.
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| − |
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| − | When the Holy Spirit works through us He "salts" the food with love so that the Lord's sheep will eat. The sheep will not eat until they feel the love of the Shepherd, Jesus. The ministries and gifts that come to every Christian from the ascended Christ proceed from the love of the Shepherd for His flock. The love that flows from Christ must be ministered along with the grace that the "joint" is supplying.
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| − |
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| − | If the exercise of our gifts and ministries is such an important part of the work of the Holy Spirit in sanctification, how, then, do we go about finding out what our ministries are? How do we determine the mind of the Holy Spirit as to the use of them? The answers to those two questions can be found only as we consecrate ourselves to Christ.
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| − | I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1)
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| − |
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| − | The basis of our service to God is the presenting of our body a living sacrifice. It might be more pleasing to us if it were our soul and spirit that were to be offered up. The Lord requires the consecration of our body (and our spirit and soul also).
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| − |
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| − | Another difficulty is that God requires a "living sacrifice." If the Lord would just allow us to become robots, to flee from reality, enter a state of passivity, and let Him use us as He will, it would be easier. We then could "go into neutral" and forget everything.
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| − |
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| − | God requires a "living sacrifice." We must continue in the full power of our lives, allowing the Lord to blunt our motives as He chooses. We must "cooperate with the doctor during the operation."
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| − |
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| − | There were five kinds of animal sacrifices used in the Jewish Divine service, and they are set forth in the first seven chapters of Leviticus. Of these five, the first one mentioned is the burnt offering. The burnt offering is the offering of consecration to the Lord's purpose for our life. The bronze altar on which all animals were sacrificed derived its name from the first type of offering—the Altar of Burnt Offering.
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| − | Twice daily throughout the Jewish year a lamb was offered—the morning and the evening Lamb. The daily lambs were a whole burnt offering, a portrayal of the consecration of Christ to the will of the Father.
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| − | We are to present our bodies to God as a whole burnt offering, seeking His will for each of our motives, imaginations, words and deeds. We are to present ourselves every minute of every hour, seven days of every week of the year. This kind of offering of our body is the basis of the Christian discipleship and the source of all acceptable ministry. It also is one of the principal means by which we determine what our ministry is and how and when to exercise our ministry.
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| − |
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| − | Laying on of hands and prophecy compose another important means that God has given for determining the role of a believer.
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| − | Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. (I Timothy 4:14)
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| − |
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| − | Then too there are personal visitations such as dreams and visions.
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| − |
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| − | Sometimes a saint just "falls" into his ministry, so to speak, in the course of seeking the Lord's will on a daily basis, other Christians bearing witness that the person is in the ministry that the Holy Spirit has assigned to him or her.
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| − | It is our point of view, nevertheless, that the most important factor in bringing a saint into his gifts and ministry is the offering of himself as a whole burnt offering to God after the manner announced in Romans 12:1. It requires much strength on the part of our new nature in Christ in order to keep on holding up our body a living sacrifice. The strength comes to us as God "weaves bars of bronze" in our soul.
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| − | The Altar of Burnt Offering was a hollow wooden box covered with bronze and probably filled with earth. In order to strengthen it, a grating of bronze was added to it on the four sides, starting at the top just under the ledge and proceeding halfway down the sides, as we understand the Hebrew text in Exodus 27:4,5. Our interpretation of the grating of bronze straps is that it portrays the strength of the believer that is fashioned in him as he learns to work with God in rejecting evil and embracing righteousness, holiness, and obedience.
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| − |
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| − | The stronger and tougher the saint becomes the better able he is to hold up his own kicking, squirming, struggling body as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. If the saint weakens, the "altar collapses" and the "animal" comes down before the fire of the Lord is able to consume the sacrifice.
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| − | Are you spiritually tough enough to hold up your body to the Lord as a whole burnt offering? Or is your altar collapsing and your body coming down so that the self-life may be nourished for a while longer?
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| − |
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| − | If we consistently and continually maintain our body before the Holy Spirit as a whole burnt offering we remain in the place where we can receive from the Holy Spirit the knowledge of what, when, and how to minister. The ministry of our life flows naturally from our consecration to the Lord. Christian "ministry" that does not proceed from a crucified life is contrived and without eternal profit.
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| − |
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| − | . . . and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. (Leviticus 1:9)
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| − | When we hold ourselves steady as a whole burnt offering, consecrated to the Lord, a "sweet savour" arises to the Lord. Acceptable, rational, intelligent ministry proceeds from the believer who remains subject to the will of Christ every moment of every day.
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| − | There may be cheaper, easier routes to the exercising of gifts and ministries. There is no other way that will bring about the long-lasting, satisfying Presence of the Lord Jesus. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints"; and when we are willing to be offered to the Lord as a living sacrifice, God is well pleased with our service to Him.
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| − |
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| − | And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2)
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| − | We Christians are not to be shaped and fashioned according to the image of the people of the world. Worldly "believers" never can determine the will of God, never are able to serve God acceptably. We are to be changed from the world's image by the renewing of our mind. Our mind is renewed by the Word of God as it comes to us through our study of the Scriptures, through the Christian ministry, and through every other channel God has provided.
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| − |
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| − | The fleshly, sinful natural mind is the enemy of God and never can please God. The Holy Spirit is at war with our natural mind. If we will allow the Holy Spirit to bring to our mind the Word of God our fleshly thoughts will begin to disappear, being replaced by the thoughts of Christ. The mind of Christ loves the ways of God and is quick to perceive the will of God.
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| − |
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| − | The offering of our body brings us to the place where our human thinking is replaced by Christ's thinking. The mind of Christ enables us to determine what is good, acceptable, and perfect for us from God's point of view.
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| − | There is no way for us finally to determine God's precise desire other than to present our body a living sacrifice and to be transformed into righteousness, holiness and obedience by the renewing of our thinking processes. It is a day-to-day proving of the will of God, each small decision being tested in the fire of the circumstances into which the Holy Spirit leads us.
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| − | There is no easy, quick technique for discovering the will of God for one's life. It is a messy, confused, sometimes anxious way of the cross. The will of God emerges from the darkness, on many occasions, as we struggle determinedly, patiently, faithfully onward, climbing the steep, rugged slopes of Mount Zion.
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| − | Sometimes we break through into the light for a season. Much of the journey is a laborious, boring, vexing, plodding through the dust and heat of the wilderness. From this patient, self-controlled pilgrimage is forged the will of God for our life.
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| − | We uncover God's will for us, moment by moment, in the midst of the confusion. There may be seasons of clear revelation and understanding of the purposes of God in us and toward us. More often than not, it seems, the design of what is taking place is hidden from us.
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| − |
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| − | The picture of that into which we are being made, and how we are being utilized, is seen only by the Father. His way is to illumine only what is necessary for the moment. There always is grace and provision for the moment. Our personal unrest often is due to the fact that we cannot see into the future. This is where faith and trust are needed.
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| − |
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| − | We must prove the will of God for ourselves. Although God speaks to us by His Word, by the ministry of the Spirit, by the laying on of hands and prophecy, by dreams, visions and the still, small voice, these special leadings are exceptional interventions. Most of the time we hack our trail through the jungle of daily circumstances, as the Lord arranges our environment, so that the work that He desires is brought forth in us and through us.
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| − | It is our task to keep on looking to the Lord for His will several times each day, letting our needs and desires be made known to Him clearly. Meanwhile we are to offer up the sacrifice of adoration and thanksgiving to God for all things.
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| − |
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| − | It is God's task to carefully and diligently work out His will in us and through us, supplying everything we need to the last detail, and bringing about the parts of our desires that are in harmony with our ultimate good as He views our good.
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| − |
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| − | It is in the arena of turmoil and pressure that we come to the knowledge of our unique ministries and gifts and learn how and when to use them.
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| − | For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. (Romans 12:3)
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| − |
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| − | It is not our place to be presumptuous about our gifts and ministries but rather to appraise realistically our ability to contribute to the Body of Christ. We cannot minister what we have not been given. God has assigned a portion of faith to each saint—enough faith to receive the atonement of Christ and some additional faith for daily living and ministry.
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| − |
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| − | There is no member of the Body of Christ who does not have some faith for ministry. We are not to imagine we are a great prophet. Spiritual elders in the assembly or Christian friends can help us understand our strengths in the Lord.
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| − |
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| − | Perhaps the main problem in the Christian Church has not been that people have fancied themselves to have gifts they did not possess (although that may have happened on occasion); rather, in many instances the believers have never understood they were supposed to be ministering.
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| − | The division of the disciples into ministers and congregations has been one of the main causes of the ignorance of Christian people concerning their own gifts and ministries. Hopefully in the future the Holy Spirit will enable us to break this bondage and begin to make it possible for each believer in Christ to come into his unique contribution to the Body of Christ.
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| − |
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| − | Let us also keep firmly in mind that the Spirit of God commands us to "covet earnestly the best gifts." The ministries and gifts of the Holy Spirit ordinarily do not operate in an atmosphere of passivity and disinterest. The disciples of the Lord are to be utilizing diligently the abilities the Lord has entrusted to them, and to be fervently praying for additional endowments of the Spirit.
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| − |
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| − | The Lord Jesus takes much pleasure in opening His hand and satisfying our desires. How can He find this pleasure if we are seeking the things of the world rather than an increase of our portion of His Holy Spirit?
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| − | We are to regard our abilities realistically and not become proud because of gifts we may or may not have. We are to use the abilities we do possess so the Body of Christ may be built up. We are to fervently desire additional endowments—those that will build and strengthen the Body.
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| − | We are to "blow the trumpet" of supplication and thanksgiving continually in the Lord's ear so that He never is able to forget we are here on the earth in the middle of enormous needs, that our desire is to help supply the answer to these needs, and that He is the only One who can enable us to meet the needs.
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| − | Can you imagine the Lord not sending down the answer when some saint keeps on "blowing the trumpet" after this fashion? The Word exhorts us to give the Lord no rest until He appears on the scene and satisfies our desire (Isaiah 62:6,7).
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| − |
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| − | For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (Romans 12:4,5)
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| − |
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| − | Every born-again follower of the Lord Jesus is a member of the Body of Christ. This may seem like a simple fact that does not require labored explanation or much attention. The more we become aware of what goes on in Christendom the more we realize that the simple fact of the oneness of the Christian Church is challenged more often than any other truth of the Gospel of Christ.
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| − | There may be a hundred thousand logical explanations why there are sectarian divisions in the Body of Christ. The simple truth is, each division arises from the weaknesses of our flesh.
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| − | Every person on the earth either is a member of the Body of Christ or he is not. As far as the Body of Christ is concerned, there is no special kind of Christian, no Jewish Christian or Gentile Christian, for example, but all are one in Christ. How could a person be a true Christian and not be a member of the Body of Christ?
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| − |
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| − | Consider the areas of specialization in the armed forces of one of the nations of today. There are soldiers in the infantry, the signal corps, transportation units, special task forces, naval units, the air force, supply units, clerical units and any number of other specialists. If any one of these branches suddenly decided that it was the whole armed force, the only true, active, capable, dependable attack and defense strength that the country possessed, it quickly would discover in the heat of combat that the other branches were important and necessary.
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| − |
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| − | How foolish it would be for the infantry to announce that it was the real fighting force and all the other branches were false. In time of war the infantry would be helpless without communication, food, medical help, and transportation.
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| − |
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| − | The Christian Church is one Body of Christ, but today we see many divisions in the one Body. Each division is certain it is correct in doctrine and experience and has little or no need of any other part of the Body.
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| − |
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| − | How much better, how much stronger, how much more charitable to receive every believer in the Lord Jesus, no matter how peculiar he or she may seem to us, as a fellow member of the one Body of Christ. Are we able to recognize the Spirit of Christ in another person when his doctrine is different from ours?
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| − |
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| − | As soon as we move into the days of persecution and trouble that are ahead we will discover that the Christians whom we despised are important after all. The battle of the ages is at hand and we will need every Christian on earth and in Heaven if we are to win, and having won to serve God acceptably as kings and priests in the earth.
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| − |
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| − | It is not that God requires many people in order to perform His will. Rather, it is that God is pleased to abide in us and among us when there is love and harmony among the many members of the Body. God will not dwell and work where there is strife.
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| − |
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| − | Let us always adopt the attitude that all the people of the Lord are beloved of Him and that each is important in the Kingdom of God. If we will recognize and receive the Lord's saints, our conduct and speech will bring together and build the one Body of Christ.
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| − | Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:6-8)
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| − |
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| − | We are not to be passive concerning our gifts and ministries. We have discussed previously that we are to covet earnestly the greater gifts. We are to bring before God each day our requests concerning the gifts and ministries we desire, meanwhile giving praise and thanksgiving to Him. Also, we are to be faithful in the exercise of the gifts and ministries we do have.
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| − | It requires experience as well as dedication if we are to become skillful in the use of our ministries. There are no short cuts. As we prophesy we learn to prophesy. As we minister we learn to minister. As we teach we learn to teach.
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| − |
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| − | The main business in the life of a disciple of Jesus is to diligently follow Christ, to resist sin, and to be diligent with the Lord's "money"—the gifts of the Spirit. How, what, where, and when to minister are questions that can be answered only in terms of one's personal experience with the Lord Jesus.
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| − |
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| − | The Holy Spirit gives wisdom and power, moment by moment, until we find ourselves in the center of the Lord's will. We are to use our spiritual enablements in a manner that is most helpful to the task of building every Christian into the one Body of Christ, the Anointed Deliverer who will bring justice and deliverance to the peoples of the earth.
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| − |
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| − | We are studying, at this point, the assigning, directing, and empowering of the gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit. We have just reviewed the assigning and directing of our ministries and the importance of personal dedication to the will of the Lord Jesus.
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| − |
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| − | We should consider now the empowering of our ministries. We can have gifts and ministries and be diligent in the use of them, and still not have an anointing of power on them. How can that be?
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| − | There are at least three factors related to the empowering of gifts and ministries: (1) absolute obedience to Christ; (2) importunity; and (3) the supporting role of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Let us look further at each of these areas.
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| − | And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. (Acts 5:32)
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| − |
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| − | The above verse is speaking of the giving of the Holy Spirit when we accept Christ. There is a principle here. When we are obedient to God we become eligible to receive the Holy Spirit. The deeper we grow in obedience the greater becomes our eligibility for receiving the power of the Holy Spirit.
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| − | Total obedience throughout difficult trials and testing makes us candidates for the fullness of the power of God. It is not that we earn spiritual rewards; rather it is a case of doing and becoming exactly what the Holy Spirit leads us to do and become.
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| − | The more willing and obedient we are, the more we are eligible for the answer to our prayers when we pray for power. It is the effectual, fervent prayer of the righteous man that avails much.
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| − | One of the most astounding examples of obedience to God is that of the offering of Isaac. Abraham was walking in the paths of peace and prosperity, delighting in his son, Isaac, the child of the miracle. Who would imagine that the same God who gave Isaac after such a long wait would now require that Isaac be returned to Himself?
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| − | The brokenhearted Abraham brought his only son to the place of sacrifice in one of the most remarkable acts of obedience to God to be found in the history of mankind. Notice that the outcome of Abraham's obedience was that which always follows the empowering of gifts and ministries: the multiplying of Christ, dominion over the enemy, and Divine blessing increased on the nations of the earth.
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| − | That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (Genesis 22:17,18)
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| − | First there must be absolute obedience to God, which is an important aspect of receiving the power of the Holy Spirit. A second important aspect is our persistence (importunity) in asking for the power of the Holy Spirit.
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| − | And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. (Luke 11:5-8)
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| − | The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1). Jesus taught them the familiar "Lord's prayer" and then the role of persistence in obtaining the power of the Holy Spirit for ministry.
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| − | Notice that the seeker came at midnight, a symbol of the fact that the greatest need for the gifts and ministries will be present during the dark hours that are just ahead of us. Notice also that the seeker came on behalf of a hungry friend. So it is that the virtue needed to help others can be supplied only by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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| − | The world is full of people who have "come to us in their journey." They are famished. We have a "wealthy Friend" who has all the "food" that is needed. We ourselves, in our fleshly efforts, have nothing—absolutely nothing—to set before the spiritually impoverished of the earth. Our Friend, the Lord Jesus Christ, is able to send down the Holy Spirit. It is He who gives of the Divine Nature to meet the needs of the spirit, soul, and body of each person who will receive.
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| − | When we ask, God does not answer right away. He is "in bed with His children," the saints of past ages. Why should He stir Himself? Why should He trouble Himself to send down food to meet the needs of the peoples of the earth?
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| − | What did Jesus teach us to do? Keep on asking. Keep on asking. Keep on asking. Ask! Ask! Ask! We give up too soon. We become weary. We must persist in prayer until God answers.
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| − | Have you ever given up on God? Perhaps you stopped just one day before the answer was to have come in abundance. This was not God's fault, it was your fault. Jesus taught us about asking and receiving. Jesus informed us that even the bonds of our friendship with God are not enough to obtain the answer.
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| − | Obedience alone will not do it. The elder son (as he himself testified in the parable of the Prodigal Son) never had the fattened calf slain for him. He could have eaten the fattened calf, but he never asked. Yet he had been faithful in all his father's house (Luke 15:29).
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| − | "Because of his importunity (persistence) he will rise and give him as many as he needeth."
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| − | We are living in the midnight hour. People on every side, inside and outside the Church, are perishing for lack of what the Holy Spirit alone can provide. Will we believe Jesus and beseech God without ceasing until we receive the empowering of gifts and ministries? Or will we choose to not believe Jesus and turn away from the endless requesting of God for the anointing of the Holy Spirit?
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| − | The choice is ours. Let us choose to believe Christ and to beseech God night and day, day and night, from now until Jesus returns if necessary, to pour out on us the heavenly power of the Holy Spirit so we may have an abundance of provisions with which to nourish the perishing people of the earth.
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| − | And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (Luke 11:9)
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| − | We must ask, and keep on asking, and keep on asking. The promise is that the Holy Spirit will be given to us. Our asking requires a seeking also, because in the process of asking we are looking for the will of God. Ours is not an insistence that our own will be done but rather a plea for help for those around us who have needs that we desire to satisfy and cannot satisfy in our own strength.
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| − | The term "seek" implies that the good things of the Lord are hidden from us and cannot be found unless we earnestly and diligently look for them. One of the main aspects of the fervent Christian discipleship is that of looking for Christ. Why is Christ hidden? It is because of the sins of mankind.
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| − | God was present among us in the Garden of Eden but He withdrew because of our disobedience. Now we must employ the principal energies of our lives "looking" for Christ. If we do not continue to look for Him we will not come to the fullness of His riches. We will remain one of those people who, for one reason or another, turned away from the greatest treasure hunt of all—the quest for the abundance of eternal life that is in Christ. We must knock and keep on knocking. Eventually the keeper of the door will tire of our knocking and will open the door.
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| − | It is as though the Holy Spirit is in a room behind a closed door. Usually the door does not swing open as soon as we put our hand on the doorknob. We knock, and knock, and knock, and start in knocking again the next day—on and on. Did you ever have the experience of someone knocking repeatedly on your door and refusing to go away? There is not much peace in the house when someone is standing outside and knocking.
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| − | For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Luke 11:10)
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| − | One of the mysteries of Heaven is why the saints do not ask Christ for more help when He has promised "every one that asketh receiveth." The Lord is faithful and He has declared: "Ask, and ye shall receive that your joy may be full."
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| − | God, who cannot lie, has told us plainly, "Every one that asketh receiveth." As soon as we begin requesting the empowering of the Holy Spirit so we may build up the Body of Christ, many hindrances arise to beat down our will. We become weary of asking and seeking and knocking. But the Word of God remains true: "Every one that asketh receiveth."
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| − | Every seeker finds the power of the Holy Spirit provided he looks long enough and does not give up because he did not unearth the treasure on his first or second effort. We stand and knock at the door for a while, and then we give up and conclude that no one is at home. The Lord is at home but He is waiting to see if we really are determined to have the Holy Spirit or if we are acting in a spurt of enthusiasm.
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| − | The promise is this: "to him that knocketh it shall be opened." A hundred reasons may flood into our minds as to why it will not be opened; but God Almighty declares, "It shall be opened!"
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| − | If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? (Luke 11:11,12)
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| − | There are occasions when God leads us into clarity of thought concerning His will and we do not accept it. We then may keep on begging God to change His mind. In that case, evil would come from our unwillingness to accept what God deems to be best for us.
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| − | It is likely that the majority of instances of delayed answers to prayer involve the believer who drifts along with the powerful currents of our times. He or she desires to have more of God but finds it difficult to set himself or herself to the consistent, diligent asking, seeking, and knocking required for receiving the power of the Holy Spirit of God.
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| − | If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:13)
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| − | Most of us, as evil as we are, are devoted to our children and have an abiding concern that they will enjoy a happy and successful life. We are aware of all their requests, although if we love them we do not rush to give them everything they ask for the moment they open their mouths.
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| − | If a youngster asks for a toy or a musical instrument we may not run to the store the same day. But the desire comes to our attention. If the child asks for a bicycle or a trumpet or rifle, it may be too much for the family budget or unsafe for him in his present level of development.
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| − | If a year or two goes by and we hear about the same item several times a week in a respectful but persistent manner, we begin to give serious consideration to the merits of the request. If we can manage it, the item comes home one day. If there is danger involved, such as with a gun, we may take the time to sit down with the young child and explain to him that he must wait for a few years.
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| − | If the answer to the request would bring harm to the son or daughter or if it is impossible for some reason, a firm no! is in order.
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| − | The Lord sometimes opens our eyes to various considerations, when we come into intense, persistent supplication, that cause us to think again if this is what we truly desire. But it would seem that most of us are discouraged from our persistence by spirits other than the Spirit of God. By one ruse or another the enemy gets us off our knees.
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| − | The one Power with which the enemy is unable to cope is the Holy Spirit. He employs every available device in an attempt to convince us that God will not answer our prayer for the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Let us join the ranks of those who are crying to God day and night that He will pour out the Holy Spirit on us so that the gifts and ministries of every member of the worldwide Body of Christ will be empowered with the dynamite from Heaven.
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| − | We have stated that there are three factors related to the empowering of gifts and ministries: (1) absolute obedience to Christ; (2) persistence; and (3) the supporting role of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Let us now examine this third factor.
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| − | And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. (Mark 16:20)
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| − | The Lord Jesus works not only in us but with us. There is an internal working of Christ in us and there also is the living Presence of the Person, Christ who can come and work alongside of us.
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| − | No matter how gifted and anointed we may become there ought to occur a moment each time we minister, whether our gift is that of exhortation, teaching, helps, giving, or whatever, when the Presence of the Lord Jesus Himself becomes noticeable. Of course, we cannot make a routine of the Lord's manifest Presence. Still, we ought to be looking for an increasing Presence of the Lord in all that we do.
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| − | It is not enough that we become a flaming evangelist, a tireless apostle, or a faithful pastor. There should be occasions when Jesus Himself walks into the room and ministers. How marvelous it is when we are gathered together with the saints, or are by ourselves, and the Lord Jesus comes among us. There is no mistaking the fragrance of His Presence, the touch of the nail-scarred hands, the melting compassion of the Son of God.
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| − | He sees the needs and brings the grace of Heaven. Every problem, every discouragement, every vexing bondage from the tiniest to the mightiest, becomes as chaff that is blown away before the universal power of Christ. The Glory of the Lord goes before Him and every work of Satan is driven back.
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| − | Truly, He is wonderful! We minister, and He works with us. We are laborers together with Him. Without His Presence there is no ministry among us, no matter how mature or proficient, which is adequate for the needs of the hour. Christ Himself must pass among us and assist with the ministry if the result is to have Kingdom value. If we will allow Him to bear the load, and will work alongside of Him, the tasks will be accomplished.
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| − | "Grant it, Lord Jesus, that You will come to us and work with us, confirming the Word of God with signs following. We do not wish to minister by ourselves. We desire that You take the lead and that we will be able to watch what You do and do the same. O God, send the Lord Jesus Christ among us in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Then our ministry will accomplish the building of the Body of Christ."
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| − | Having spent some time discussing the assigning, directing and empowering of gifts and ministries, let us return to our examination of the manner in which the Lampstand of the Holy Place of the Tabernacle portrays the work of the Holy Spirit. We are studying the work of the Holy Spirit in the sanctifying of the believer, which is the second area of redemption.
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| − | We have stated that the Holy Spirit works in each of us according to at least five operations of sanctification: (1) the assigning, directing and empowering of gifts and ministries; (2) the demolishing of the guilt, tendencies, and effects of sin, of all the works of Satan; (3) the creating of the Nature of Christ in us; (4) the giving of comfort, guidance and strength in every detail of discipleship; and (5) the inspiring of us to keep on pressing toward Christ.
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| − | The five end products of these five operations of the Holy Spirit are as follows: (1) our ability to impart Christ to people at all levels of spiritual maturity; (2) the establishment of the testimony of God as the basis for His judgment of His creatures; (3) the creation of the Wife of the Lamb; (4) the creation of the Temple of God; and (5) the imposition of Christ's rule on the peoples of the earth through judgment.
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| − | We have just examined the first operation of the Holy Spirit—the assigning, directing and empowering of gifts and ministries. We shall go on to the second operation of the Holy Spirit, the demolishing of the guilt, tendencies, and effects of the sin into which we were born as the result of the disobedience of Adam and Eve.
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| − | The Holy Spirit destroys the works of the devil. The program of redemption has two principal dimensions and one principal outcome. The first principal dimension of the program of redemption is the demolishing of the guilt, tendencies, and effects of sin. The second principal dimension of the program of redemption is the creating of the moral character of Christ in us—the fruit of the Spirit. The principal outcome of redemption is our complete union with God in His Being and purposes.
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| − | We are thinking now about the destroying of the guilt, tendencies, and effects of the sins that bear on the person and behavior of the believer in Christ. Part of the Gospel of Christ is this: we no longer are obligated to our flesh, to serve its lusts and appetites (from Romans 8:12). There is power and authority in the Lord Jesus Christ to demolish the guilt, tendencies, and effects of the sin with which we are dealing in the world.
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| − | We are not speaking about going to Heaven, which is another matter entirely. Rather we are pointing toward the plan of redemption that is operating now among us while we yet are alive on the earth. What is going on in Heaven is unknown to us because we have not been there and we do not understand from the Scripture exactly how sin is dealt with in Heaven.
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| − | We do know from the Scripture that sin had its start in Heaven among Satan and the angels that followed his lead and that there still is a government of evil spirits in the heavenlies (Ephesians 6:12). Concerning life on the earth, the Lord has showed us plainly from the Scripture the redemption that is available to us today in Christ. It is the Divine program of redemption that we wish to examine.
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| − | The Church has been defeated for so long by the bondage of sin that there is discouragement and confusion associated with this problem. There were powerful preachers of sanctification during the last century and no doubt many such teachers throughout the history of the Christian Church.
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| − | Some of us may have grown a trifle cynical concerning sanctification because the results do not always follow the teaching. We claim we have been sanctified "root and branch." But then there are those bondages that people can see in us!
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| − | A popular approach among sincere Christian people is that as long as we are in the world we will sin. We should do our best but no one is perfect. We have a hope that Christ will catch us away into Heaven and that somewhere in the airy blue the sins that we practice will vanish.
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| − | It is true that in the ages to come it will be far easier to practice righteousness than is true today in the world.
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| − | However there are at least two problems with the viewpoint that believers in Christ are obligated to sin while they are living in the world. First, such a viewpoint is contrary to what the Scripture claims to be true of the new covenant.
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| − | Second, the necessity for sinning is a human concept and its effect is to turn the disciples away from the fervent, daily, overcoming walk of victory and point them toward waiting for the solution to come with the return of Christ from Heaven. Meanwhile the bondages of sin compel the believers to do the will of Satan and the Church remains weak, divided, and helpless against the attacks of the enemy.
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| − | When the Christian yields to sin he is giving in to death, to separation from God.
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| − | Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16)
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| − | When we as a Christian serve sin, we move toward spiritual death.
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| − | The good news we wish to bring is that sin is not the invincible Goliath we had supposed. Sin is nothing more than a collection of unclean desires that keep us in misery. There is abundant power in the Lord Jesus Christ to demolish every one of these chains as we follow the Holy Spirit into battle.
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| − | We are not debtors to the flesh that we must serve its dictates. We are under no obligation to serve Satan. We cannot be forced to serve sin in this world or in any other world if we are members of the Body of Christ.
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| − | It is not wise to view life in Heaven as the solution to the sin problem, because sin began in Heaven. Sin is obedience to the will of Satan. We can obey Satan in the earth if we so choose or we can decide to accept the redemptive power of the Lord Jesus Christ and break away from sin. The decision is ours.
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| − | Christ is not limited. It is His will that we be redeemed from the hand of the enemy. The spiritual Jubilee (Leviticus, Chapter 25), the thousand-year Kingdom Age, is near and is casting its shadow before, as it were. God has chosen to set the captives of sin free in Christ. The ancient landlord is being forced to let his slaves go. Would you like to be set free from the power and effects of sin?
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| − | Let us turn now to the Scripture. We shall attempt to explain, as the Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and ability, the complete provisions for our redemption from sin's yoke that God has set forth in Christ.
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| − | God has given three parts of grace that are battering rams able to demolish every stronghold of the enemy:
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| − | His Word to our mind that explains to us God's attitude toward sin and His provisions concerning sin—exactly what constitutes sin and practical steps we can take to overcome sin.
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| − | The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. The blood is an atonement for our sin. Also, the body and blood enter us and create in us the Divine Nature.
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| − | The wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit as the source of guidance and energy sufficient to break the chains of sin.
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| − | By these three aspects of grace, these three battering rams, God is prepared to tear down all the defenses of the enemy and remove every trace of sin and its effects from our life. Will we believe Him? Will we cooperate with Him so He can do it?
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| − | What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Romans 6:1,2)
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| − | The doctrine that God's grace is an excuse for our sins is swept away in the above passage from the Book of Romans. But Christians of all ages have had a great amount of trouble discovering how the grace of God operates so they can possess not only forgiveness of the guilt of their sins but deliverance from sin's power as well.
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| − | Even the early churches, as we can tell from the writings of the apostles, experienced difficulty overcoming sin. So we should not feel we are the only ones who have had trouble understanding how grace is intended to operate in our lives.
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| − | Chapters Six and Seven of Romans are not the easiest passages of the Scripture to understand, but in them we find deliverance from sin discussed. Our viewpoint as to the meaning of these chapters follows.
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| − | When we are baptized in water we are taking a step of faith (as well as obeying the Lord). We are testifying to the heavens and the earth that we now by faith are entering the crucifixion of Christ and His resurrection. Our old nature is dead with Christ and our new man—he who is born when we receive Christ—is eternally alive in Christ. It is as simple as that. Nothing more, nothing less. The first personality is dead and the new creation is alive and at the right hand of the Father in Christ.
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| − | Now we come to the problem of our daily sins of hating, lying, stealing, lusting, sorcery, adultery, and so forth, as well as the problem of our self-will (which we will discuss under the topic of conquest ).
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| − | Sin in the Christian disciple is the subject of many passages of the New Testament, including the Book of First John. The answer as to how we are to regard our sinful actions can be given clearly, but living the answer is quite difficult. This is because of the resistance to righteous, holy, and obedient behavior that is exerted by our fleshly nature, by the spirit of the world in which we live, and by Satan and his accomplices.
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| − | Our entrance into the death and resurrection of Christ, as portrayed in our baptism in water, does not mean we never can sin again. Nor does it indicate that it does not matter whether or not we overcome sin because we are saved by "grace." Both of these interpretations of Romans, Chapter Six have been held because of the complexity of the doctrine. Both are erroneous. Also they can be quite harmful to the maturing of the Christian into the stature of the fullness of Christ.
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| − | After receiving Christ we are well able to sin. It is not true that God is indifferent to our sinning or that He judges us less severely than He does the unsaved. The Lord takes a more serious view of sin in those who are close to Him than He does in those who are far removed from His presence. Sin is sin, and from the point of view of God, sin will be judged and dealt with whether the sinner is a non-Christian or a Christian.
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| − | If God responds with judgment when a believer sins, what good is it to receive Christ as Savior? What actually does occur as the result of our entering the death and resurrection of Christ? What is Paul talking about?
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| − | The operation of water baptism is dual in effect. First of all, our guilt, the first consideration of the demolishing of sin in us, is completely, totally, perfectly removed from us by the authority of the blood of Christ. There is no condemnation resting on those who have received Christ as Savior. We have been forgiven by the Judge of Heaven—perfectly, totally, unqualifiedly.
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| − | Second, for the first time in our lives we have the authority and power to choose not to sin. It is not that we cannot sin or that it does not matter if we do sin. Rather it is that we have a choice. We can choose to serve righteousness or we can choose to serve sin.
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| − | The fruit of serving righteousness is eternal life. The fruit of serving sin is spiritual death—separation from God. We cannot be compelled to serve the flesh or the devil when we are walking in the Spirit of God. Christ has the authority and power to give us victory over Satan.
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| − | The power of choice given us in Christ is expressed in the following passage.
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| − | Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:12-14)
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| − | It is impossible to be servants of righteousness before we accept Christ. We are under the penalty of Adam's sin, and suffering from our own guilt as well. Satan has dominion over us—body, soul, and spirit.
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| − | Even if we could observe the Ten Commandments by our own will power, there still is the fact that we were born in sin. The spiritual darkness of the sinful age in which we live, the power of our own fleshly desires, and the influence of Satan combine to make it impossible for the man or woman, boy or girl, who does not possess Christ to walk in righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God.
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| − | When we receive the grace that is in Christ the picture changes. We now, through the Holy Spirit, possess the power to refuse to obey sin. Our guilt has been removed by the blood of the cross. Our conscience is clear. The remaining problem is that of the power of sin.
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| − | It is a battle of power. Satan desires that we sin. The Holy Spirit desires that we reject sin. We ourselves now have the authority to obey Satan and our flesh or to obey the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. It is a question of our choice.
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| − | Paul commands us to stop sinning. If we cannot stop sinning in some area of behavior we are bound spiritually. We are to confess our bondage to God. Sometimes it is helpful to ask the saints to pray for us. God's Word declares that we no longer can be compelled to sin against our will. God has declared that sin shall not have dominion over us.
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| − | There is unlimited power and authority in the grace of God in Christ. We Christians have not realized that we cannot be compelled to sin. It reminds us of the time when the people of God were starving to death inside the city, while outside the walls of the city the enemy had fled in disarray, leaving more than enough food for everyone in the city to eat and be satisfied.
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| − | Victory had been won, but the people were ignorant of that fact and of the availability of abundant food. They starved to death in the midst of plenty.
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| − | If we believe that as long as we are in the world our flesh can compel us to sin we are ignorant of the scope of the victory accomplished on the cross. We do not understand the power or provision of the new covenant. We will continue to sin and to reap the consequences of sinful behavior. Yet, we are surrounded by sufficient power and authority for deliverance from that behavior.
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| − | The Scripture directs us to present ourselves to God as people who are alive from the death of sin, and to yield the members of our body to the righteous works that are brought about by the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit.
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| − | Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16)
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| − | Whom do you choose to obey—sin or righteousness? The choice is yours.
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| − | If you as a Christian choose to obey sin you will begin to die spiritually. You will come under the judgment of God. The spiritual life in you will begin to wither. Affliction, suffering, grief, and destruction of your flesh will follow relentlessly as the Holy Spirit works to break the hold that sin has on you.
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| − | If you choose to obey God, you will inherit eternal life. You will become a servant of righteousness and receive the rewards that are given to the servant of righteousness.
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| − | For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
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| − | If you or I choose to obey the adultery, hatred, lying, stealing, fornication, sorcery, covetousness, envy, deceit, criticizing, that our flesh desires so fervently, we will be chastened of the Lord in the hope that our spirit can be saved in the Day of the Lord Jesus. The fires of Divine judgment will seek to purify us.
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| − | If we choose to obey the purity, love, truthfulness, honesty, contentment, peace, straightforwardness, and compassion which the Spirit of God desires so fervently, our spirit, soul, and body will be brought into the fullness of Divine life.
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| − | The power of sin is a law that is present in the appetites of the flesh of each human, both Christian and non-Christian.
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| − | Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (Romans 7:17)
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| − | We who are endeavoring to follow the Holy Spirit in the life of victory are well aware of the power of sin in our fleshly nature.
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| − | There is a difference in available resources between the Christian and the non-Christian when it comes to gaining victory over sinful deeds. The Christian is without condemnation. He has been accepted of God. He has come into the Presence of God. The blood forgives the sin of his life.
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| − | His spirit has been received by the Holy Spirit. Christ has been born in him. He now possesses not only the Divine Substance, the new Nature, in him, but also the guiding and empowering of the resurrection life of the Holy Spirit to aid him in conquering his sinful tendencies.
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| − | Do you see the difference? Both the unsaved and the saved have the law of sin in themselves. The saved have all the resources of Heaven available to them so they can choose to overcome sin. The unsaved have only a sinful nature as a resource to help them overcome sin—an impossible situation.
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| − | It is not that we Christians cannot sin or have no tendencies toward sin or that God overlooks our sinning. Rather, we possess the fullness of the grace of God in Christ by which we are enabled to attain mastery over sin, overcoming its power. Mastery is to be attained now—in this life.
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| − | We are not to wait until we go to Heaven in order to gain mastery over sin. Victory in Christ is available to us today. We have no idea what will take place after we die.
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| − | Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (Romans 7:20)
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| − | Here is a picture of a man who is battling for control of his own conduct. He is doing things to which he does not give consent. He is suffering loss of self-control. Something other than his own choice is governing him.
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| − | In such a situation the non-Christian has a difficult problem. He is being forced to yield to the influence of the evil that surrounds him on every hand, both in the spiritual and in the physical worlds. The Christian has a choice: he can yield to his sinful nature or he can choose to avail himself of the grace of God and thereby resist the temptation to sin.
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| − | There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ, who walk not in the appetites of the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)
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| − | The moment we accept the atonement made by Christ on the cross of Calvary we are forgiven Adam's sin and all the sins that we ourselves have committed. Our sins are forgiven because of the blood atonement made by Christ, and now we stand before God clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
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| − | If a millionaire chooses to give us his money the bank does not care. They are interested only in the currency. If the judge throws the case out of court there is nothing the jailer can do. If God declares us righteous there is no voice that can be raised in condemnation. He is the Judge. If He throws our case out of court the jailer has lost his prisoner. When we accept Christ, the Judge dismisses the case against us.
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| − | Where do we go from here? Do we continue sinning and presume on the goodness of Christ? Or do we go forward in the Spirit to attain righteous conduct?
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| − | The blood of Christ keeps cleansing us and declaring us righteous while we are pursuing our pilgrimage. The Book of Romans has informed us we are not to keep on sinning. Being under grace instead of under the Law of Moses does not mean we are to continue in sin. Rather, we are to avail ourselves of the enabling grace of God so we no longer will choose to obey sin but will now obey righteousness.
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| − | We have not been called to continue as helpless sinners, trusting in the covering of Christ. We are to keep on trusting in the covering of Christ but meanwhile we must undergo the processes of redemption whereby the bondages of sin in us are demolished and the fruit of the Spirit is created in us.
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| − | This is not a haphazard program in which we stumble and fall, stumble and fall, stumble and fall, while we are waiting to go to Heaven. We are in a specific program tailored to our individual needs, designed to bring us into the image of Christ and into total union with God through Him.
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| − | We have stated that one of the operations of the Holy Spirit is the demolishing of the guilt, tendencies, and effects of the sin by which we have been influenced from our birth. Let us see what Paul has to say further concerning the overcoming of sin in our spirit, soul and body.
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| − | For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)
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| − | The law of sin and death is the combined effect of the law of Moses (the Ten Commandments) and the law of sin (power of sin; sinful tendencies) that causes us to choose to obey Satan. The two laws interact. The Law of Moses and the law of sin work together to bring about our separation from God. The Law of Moses does not free us from sin, it makes sin more sinful by turning the spotlight on our actions. Then the law of Moses declares us unworthy of God and doomed to eternal death.
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| − | The law of the Spirit of life in Christ sets us free from the law of sin and death. First, the law of the Spirit of life cleanses us with the blood of Jesus so we no longer are held under the guilt imposed by the law of Moses. Second, the law of the Spirit of life furnishes us with wisdom and power adequate for overcoming the tendencies and effects of sin in us.
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| − | We are free now to follow the Holy Spirit. When we do so, the righteousness of Christ clothes us and keeps us fit to enter before the Throne of God in Heaven so we may obtain mercy and grace to help in our time of need.
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| − | Paul goes on to explain that we have received Christ and have started out to follow the Spirit of God in overcoming our fleshly nature. We must be diligent each day and make sure we really are following the Holy Spirit and have not drifted back into the life of the flesh.
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| − | For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. (Romans 8:5)
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| − | If we Christians do not follow the Holy Spirit closely, giving ourselves to daily prayer, the study of the holy Scriptures, assembling with the saints, obeying the Spirit, we will begin to find the old life creeping back. The old sinful life of our flesh is capable of destroying our new life in Christ.
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| − |
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| − | And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (Romans 8:10)
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| − | The sinful body of the unsaved person is dead in sin, having in itself the desire to commit the abominations that caused God to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. The sinful body of the saved person also is dead because of these abominable tendencies. In this respect there is no difference between the physical body of the unsaved and the physical body of the saved.
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| − |
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| − | However, in the saved person dwells the Holy Spirit of God, who is holy in Nature and in conduct and who brings with Him the righteousness that is based on the shed blood of Christ.
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| − |
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| − | We believers possess the assigned righteousness of Christ and the power for holy living that is of the Holy Spirit. We possess also a spiritually dead body and human mind that are the enemies of God's ways and purposes. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to resist sin and to be disobedient to the desires of our flesh. By the Spirit of God we learn to beat down our flesh and human mind and keep them under the control of His will.
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| − | Now Paul points us toward further redemption—that which is to come with the appearing of the Lord Jesus from Heaven.
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| − | But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken [make alive] your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Romans 8:11)
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| − | We are to keep our sinful body under control by the ability that the Holy Spirit gives us because the day is coming in which God will make alive even the death-doomed physical body that we are dragging around. Salvation is coming to the body. When it does, our body will be filled with righteousness, holiness, and obedience.
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| − | We must maintain a careful guard on our human nature because it leads us into trouble if we do not keep the grace of God in control at all times. We see that at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ there will be a redemption of our mortal body. Jesus will appear without sin (Hebrews 9:28). How we will rejoice then as our whole spirit, soul, and body are filled to the brim with the righteous and holy tendencies of the Spirit of God!
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| − | "Who will deliver me from the body of this death?" asks Paul. The Lord Jesus Christ will do so at His appearing. The work of redemption in us will then have been brought to the full.
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| − | Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live in the appetites of the flesh. (Romans 8:12)
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| − | Here is one of the most important verses in the New Testament writings. We cannot be compelled to sin after we have believed in Christ. The statements that "no one is perfect," or, "we always will sin until we go to Heaven," fall down in the face of this verse. We are not required to sin. It is a lie of the enemy that declares Christians must sin. The Church of Christ has believed the lie without looking to see what God has said.
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| − | Christ saves us from our sins not just in our sins. We owe the flesh nothing. We are not compelled to obey it. If we will pay attention to the Holy Spirit, He will enable us to overcome our daily sins of deed, speech, motive, and imagination. God has the power. It is our responsibility to cooperate with God so He can destroy the power of the enemy that still moves us.
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| − | For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify [put to death] the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Romans 8:13)
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| − | Paul is stating that if we, having once been saved, turn away from the grace of God and go back to living in the lusts of the flesh, we will die spiritually—Christian or not. If we follow the Holy Spirit in putting to death the deeds of our body we will press on to the attainment of eternal life.
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| − | We understand that eternal life is more than the initial acceptance of Christ. It is one thing to accept Christ but then we must become disciples of Jesus, putting to death the adultery, fornication, excesses, filthy talking, coveting, lying, foolishness, impatience, and hating that corrupt our flesh.
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| − | Is the Holy Spirit leading you into the conquest of your land of promise? Are you putting to death the enemies in your land? If not, turn to the Lord and allow His Holy Spirit to begin to point out the bondages that are keeping you from growing in His grace.
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| − | Now is the best time to do that. If we through the Holy Spirit put the appetites of the flesh to death we will attain eternal life. This is the meaning of Romans 8:13.
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| − | For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14)
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| − | What does it mean to be led by the Spirit of God? It means that each day of our lives we are waiting on the guidance and power that the Holy Spirit gives as He labors over us in the task of preparing us for eternal union with the Lord Jesus Christ.
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| − | John 1:12 states: "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." When we receive Christ we are given the authority to be the children of God.
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| − | We are not unlawfully assuming that relationship but are entitled to be God's children on the basis of the redemption God has placed in Christ. The initial receiving of Christ is not the end of the program of redemption. We then must continue walking in the Spirit of God if we wish to be considered sons of God; otherwise we revert to being sons of the flesh.
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| − | We are discussing the second of the five operations of the Holy Spirit in our sanctification—that of destroying the works of the devil. We are seeing that the operation of sanctification results in the demolishing of the guilt, tendencies, and effects of the sin that we have inherited and acquired.
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| − | One of the effects of sin is sickness. This is not to say that every time we are sick it is because we have sinned. Such is not the case. Sickness and sin are closely related in that both are the work of Satan. He is the destroyer. The healing of the sick and the casting out of devils go together.
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| − | One of the chief works of Christ in the earth is the healing of the sick. It was so when He walked the shores of Galilee and it is true today. "By whose stripes ye were healed." It is the Lord's will that the members of His Church be healed in body and that there be healing power in the Church. Bodily healing and the Gospel go together. Wherever the Lord Jesus is working together with His ministers there will be works of healing taking place.
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| − | Another effect of sin is death. We humans regard death as a natural condition (perhaps desirable in some instances) that God designed as part of life on the earth. This is a false belief, although we are not going to judge the actions of anguished believers who have lost a loved one through death.
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| − | Physical death is the enemy of mankind. We are subject to death because of sin.
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| − | The message of the Gospel is that Christ has overcome death in the flesh. His body did not experience decay and was raised from the dead. The good news is that we too will be raised from death at His appearing and will see our loved ones again, not as disembodied ghosts but as real, joyous people alive on the face of the earth. This is the Gospel of Christ—the Good News of everlasting life in a physical body.
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| − | Overcoming strength is flowing into the members of the Church today. By every spiritual means God is increasing the spiritual strength, faith, and purity of His people. There is an awareness that our wrestling against the wicked spirits in the heavenlies finally will result in victory with our opponent pinned to the mat, as the Lord Jesus Christ goes to war through us.
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| − | The wrestling match will end soon and our victory through Christ will be total. Death itself will be destroyed in and through the Church of Christ. "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" (I Corinthians 15:26).
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| − | The work of God in redemption has operated in the spirit realm for so long that Christian people have come to believe that redemption is a spiritual work only, that the earth will be abandoned in the Day of the Lord and we will all go to live in Heaven with Jesus forever.
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| − | Such a misconception is understandable because of the long period of time that has been required to call out the members of the Body of Christ from the nations of the earth. The disciples of the Lord have been wandering in the land of their inheritance as in a strange land, so to speak. The work of Christ in the material creation—which is His inheritance—has been suspended while His Body is being formed and brought to full stature. The "heaven," the spiritual domain, always must be created before the "earth."
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| − | The Day is approaching, however, in which the redemption that is within us at this time will be expanded to include the material realm.
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| − | "He that raised Christ from the dead shall also make alive your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." The indwelling Spirit of God will continue to redeem us from the hand of the enemy until our body has been made eternally alive. Our Lord Jesus Christ is King and Lord not only of the spiritual but also of the material creation. The kingdoms of the world are destined to become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.
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| − | For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Romans 8:19-21)
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| − | The effect of sin on the natural creation has been to curse it with futility and corruption. Nature groans in pain. Our body is locked in the power of sin and suffers sickness, decay, and death as a result. Our body continues in this condition while the Holy Spirit works intently on the new inner nature that we possess as the result of receiving Christ into our personality. Our physical body is held in subjection, awaiting the perfecting of our new nature.
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| − | The Holy Spirit enables our new nature to hold the passions of our adamic personality under subjection, meanwhile putting to death one by one the fleshly appetites of our body. When we become ill the Lord Jesus will heal our body if we petition Him, provided there is no special spiritual lesson being taught us through our sickness.
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| − | As soon as the work of redemption has reached the required level in the spiritual nature of the firstfruits of the Church, the Lord Jesus will be revealed from Heaven. At that time the work of redemption will expand to include our mortal bodies and then, under the direction of the Lord Jesus, will proceed to release the material creation.
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| − | For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they [the material creation], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:22,23)
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| − | The effect of sin has been that the physical creation remains bound in the chains of corruption. Now it is groaning in the pains of labor because Christ is about to bring forth a redeemed material creation. Not only the natural creation but we Christians also groan inwardly, longing for our adoption as God's sons.
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| − | Our adoption as God's sons is the redemption of our mortal body. First we must be born again and have the spiritual side of our personality set free from sin, created in the image of Christ, and made obedient to God. Then we will be ready for our adoption and our unveiling in the sight of the whole universe. At the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ we shall radiate Divine Glory as the sons of God, in spiritual and physical composition.
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| − | The perfected saint is in the image of our Lord Jesus, having been transformed into his spiritual nature and his material nature. He is ruler, under Christ, over all the works of God's hands. He is a judge of men and angels. This is the inheritance of those who follow the Lord Jesus in stern discipleship.
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| − | The only Person who has appeared on the earth in the full image of God is our Lord Jesus Christ. He is in the spiritual image of God and, since His resurrection, possesses a perfected material form as well, Christ is at home in Heaven and on the earth. We now are being created in His spiritual image. However, the Day is coming when we shall receive in addition a body like His glorious body. Then we shall be in His express image—spirit, soul, and body.
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| − | For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? (Romans 8:24)
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| − | Our hope is that as we diligently pursue the victory that is in Christ, the Holy Spirit will make alive our physical body and we shall be loosed from the corruption of carnality. We shall be set free so we can serve God in our whole being, not just in the spirit realm.
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| − | This is the true hope of the Christian discipleship. It is the hope of a fuller righteousness that keeps us pressing forward each day in the Holy Spirit, continuing in patience as the Spirit transforms us from within.
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| − | And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
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| − | Every child of God is brought into the purposes of God by election. As soon as he receives Christ, nothing occurs in his life by chance. To those who are called according to God's eternal purpose in Christ, every word, every action, every circumstance that affects them is according to design.
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| − | God has a purpose in His mind and He is not slack concerning the fulfillment of His plan. All things in the universe are working together for good, and that "good" is the perfected spiritual and physical composition of the members of the Body of Christ.
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| − | For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be changed into the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:29)
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| − | God is creating brothers for His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The brothers are lesser than Christ in that Christ is the eternal Word from the beginning and all authority and power in Heaven and earth have been given to Him by the Father.
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| − | Yet, it is the will of God that the brothers be in the image of Christ in spirit, soul and body. God is bringing many sons to glory. The sons of God are of the same Divine Substance as the Lord Jesus Christ because they have been created on His body and blood just as Eve was created on the rib of Adam.
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| − | Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans 8:30)
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| − |
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| − | The operation of sanctification fits in between "justified" and "glorified" of the above verse. The reason sanctification is not inserted here, in Romans 8:30, is that our calling, our justification, and our glorification are sudden Divine works that were completed in vision before the earth was created. God sees them as past accomplishments.
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| − |
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| − | Sanctification, on the other hand, is the present work and is the subject of most of the New Testament writings. Calling, justifying, and glorifying are not the main subjects of the New Testament. Contrary to much popular teaching the main subject from Romans to Revelation is sanctifying.
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| − | Sanctification is the process of choosing life instead of death. We can be defeated in this area. We can lose our crown. We can lose our calling and election. The other operations of God are Divine, sudden, and already completed in vision. If we fail to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the operation of sanctification our crown will be given to another. Perhaps we will not be lost eternally but we will not receive the rewards prepared for the victorious saints.
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| − | We must labor to make our calling and election certain. This is what God's Word declares.
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| − | Even though God sees us as being called, justified, and glorified, our task is to walk in the Spirit of God, laying hold on eternal life. God has grasped us for an exceedingly great reward. We must reach up to God and match His grasp with a grasp of our own or we will not attain the crown.
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| − | We must apprehend (lay hold on) that for which we have been apprehended. It is the "sword of the Lord and of Gideon," so to speak. God has done His part; we must continue to do our part, being careful to depend on the wisdom and strength of the Holy Spirit.
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| − |
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| − | We know we are the children of God if the fruit of righteousness is coming forth in our behavior. If the lust and strife of the flesh is all we can show for years of following Jesus, we are well advised to return to Christ and determine whether we are walking in the appetites of the flesh or in the Spirit. Not everyone who cries Lord! Lord! will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
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| − | We can be perfect in doctrine, calling Jesus "Lord," and still be rejected. The question is, whether we are doing the will of the Father. The will of the Father is that we walk in love as dear children, bringing forth the fruits of holiness that are the fragrance of His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The mark of the true Christian is not the naming of Christ but the fruit of the Spirit. "By their fruits you shall know them."
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| − | After bringing to our attention the goal of the dealings of the Holy Spirit in us, which is the perfecting of the members of the Church in spirit, soul, and body, Paul turns back to his testimony to the saints concerning the justifying authority and power that are in Christ.
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| − | Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. (Romans 8:33)
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| − | The idea here is that it is the supreme Judge who has declared us guiltless and has dismissed our case. Every accusing voice is silenced because the Judge has rendered His decision.
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| − | There is a lesson for us in the returning of Paul to the doctrine of justification, after bringing us up to the high plane of the redemption of the material creation. The three deaths and three resurrections of which we are writing are not like grades in an elementary school or rungs on a ladder. Rather, the Holy Spirit sweeps back and forth, working into us the many dimensions of the grace of God.
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| − | We do not leave one level and go on to the next. We are being made in one piece just as the garment of Christ, which was not sewed together but woven as a whole. The three deaths continually are working in us and the three resurrections continually are working in us.
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| − | When first we accept Christ we receive the fullness of God Almighty because all God's Fullness abides in Christ. Then we wander through the wilderness, so to speak, as the Holy Spirit weaves the grace of God throughout our being. Back and forth, back and forth, in and out, in and out, the Life of Christ is woven into us. Back goes Paul to justification so we may keep in mind that all our progress in sanctification and glorification is founded on the work of justification wrought on the cross of Calvary.
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| − | We have examined briefly the teaching of the Apostle Paul concerning the redeeming work of Christ in removing the guilt, tendencies, and effects of sin.
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| − |
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| − | The Apostle John also commented on the relationship of the Christian to sin, and gave some practical guidelines for the disciple who is being redeemed from sin by the working of the Holy Spirit of God.
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| − | This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: (I John 1:5,6)
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| − | Walking in darkness is the same as walking in the appetites of the flesh. If we Christians yield to sin, obeying its lusts, we are walking in darkness. God is holy and righteous and we cannot have fellowship with Him and continue walking under the control of the sin that dwells in our flesh.
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| − |
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| − | Sometimes the teaching of the first chapter of I John is applied to the unsaved. "If we are unsaved," it is held, "we cannot have fellowship with God. If we accept Christ we can have fellowship on the basis of the righteousness of Christ imputed (ascribed) to us."
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| − | It certainly is true that the unsaved cannot have fellowship with God, and that we do come into the favor of God on the basis of the righteousness of Christ that is imputed (ascribed) to us. However, the first chapter of I John is addressed to Christians, and its meaning is that if we Christians walk in sin and claim to have fellowship with God we are in error.
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| − | But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (I John 1:7)
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| − | God dwells in the light of absolute purity of action, speech, and thought. If we begin to enter God's purity, by the strength and wisdom that the Holy Spirit imparts to us, we are eligible for fellowship with God. The further into the Divine holiness we come, the greater is our fellowship with God.
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| − | Because a period of time is required for us to learn to walk in holiness, some kind of provision must be made in order to take care of the guilt of our bondages that have not as yet been broken. This provision is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. As long as we are following the Holy Spirit, stepping along in the light given us each day, the blood keeps on cleansing that part of us that has not as yet been delivered from sin.
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| − | We are part holy and part unholy as far as our behavior is concerned. We could not have fellowship at all with God the Father except that the blood of the Lord Jesus keeps on cleansing the part of us that still is not righteous, holy, or obedient to God.
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| − | As we learn to tell the truth, to refrain from the filthiness of the flesh, to forgive, to be peaceable, to be gentle, we enter fellowship with God and the blood of the Lord Jesus atones for the part of us that has not as yet learned the ways of righteousness.
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| − |
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| − | There is one more thought to be gleaned from I John 1:7: if we do not walk in the light but continue in sinful practices, the blood of the Lord Jesus does not cleanse us from sin. If we have believed in Christ, and then have made no attempt to follow the Holy Spirit but have maintained the filthy practices of the pit from which we were dug, the blood no longer will atone for our sins. The judgment of God will fall on us.
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| − |
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| − | In such case, the Lord will send warnings and afflictions to us. If we still do not heed but resist the loving promptings of the Holy Spirit, we will be chastised or destroyed with the fires of judgment. Men will gather us and cast us into the fire and we will be burned (John 15:6).
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| − |
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| − | If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (I John 1:8)
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| − |
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| − | Anyone can see that saved people do sin. Sin is sin, and accepting Christ does not change our sin into righteousness. God's judgment is on sin no matter who commits it.
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| − |
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| − | When we Christians claim we have no sin we are deceiving ourselves. There is as much hatred, criticism, backbiting, foolishness, lust, envy, competition, lying, stealing, vaunting, vainglory in the churches as there is in the world. If anyone claims that saved people have no sin, either he is unwilling to see what is in front of him or he has had little experience in the Christian churches.
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| − |
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| − | How do we go about breaking the bondages of our sin? How do we put to death the deeds of our body (Romans 8:13)? How does the Day of Atonement (Leviticus, Chapter 16) work so we can obtain not only forgiveness before the Mercy Seat but also the carrying away of our sins from the camp?
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| − |
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| − | The next verse of I John, Chapter One shows us the way to put to death the deeds of our body:
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| − |
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| − | If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9)
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| − |
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| − | As we march along in the daily path illumined by the Holy Spirit of God, there arises from time to time an awareness of some sinful practice in our life. It may be a form of spite, hatred, unforgiveness, fear, pride, uncleanness, dishonesty, personal ambition, cruelty or some other sin. When we go to prayer and are sure that the Holy Spirit is dealing with us concerning this sin, and that our disquiet is not merely an accusation of Satan, we are to confess the sin to God, naming it and judging it to be sin.
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| − |
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| − | When we name the deed, confessing it to God clearly, judging it to be sin and turning away from it in sincere repentance, two events take place: first, God is faithful and righteous to forgive every trace of guilt associated with the history of our practice of that sin; second, He cleanses us from the unrighteousness itself.
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| − |
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| − | We emphasize once again that there is authority and power in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ both to forgive the guilt of our sin and to cleanse our nature from all unrighteousness.
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| − |
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| − | There is delivering power in confession. Satan's hold over us is maintained by keeping our motives and lusts hidden in the dark recesses of our nature. When we are willing to obey the Holy Spirit of God and allow the light of God to illumine our secret thoughts we are on the road to deliverance.
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| − |
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| − | As the disciple fights his way along through the wilderness of this life, the Holy Spirit probes ever deeper into the chambers of his heart. One by one the sins are brought into the light of God. As they are exposed the disciple is required to name them to God and to judge them as sin. The more clearly they are named and the more forcefully they are rejected the greater is the deliverance from their power.
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| − |
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| − | The process of judging, confessing, and rejecting sin is part of the eternal judgment mentioned in Hebrews 6:2. It is the spiritual fulfillment of the Levitical Day of Atonement (Leviticus, Chapter 16).
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| − |
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| − | The Body of Christ is the judge of all God's creation. When a member of the Body of Christ names his own sin there is enormous power brought to bear on the particular bondage. The disciple judges it as sin and rejects it. The blood of Christ forgives the sin and washes the unrighteousness from the personality. The Holy Spirit fills the particular area of the personality with eternal life.
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| − |
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| − | The result is, the next time the disciple is tempted in the specific area he discovers that he now possesses the power to resist the temptation. When we now draw near to God and resist the devil he flees from us. Try it and see for yourself.
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| − |
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| − | Confession of our sins to God is essential. It is impossible to obtain victory until we do so. We must become increasingly proficient in the process of confessing our sins, learning to distinguish between our introspection and the accusations of the enemy on the one hand, and the conviction of the Holy Spirit on the other hand.
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| − |
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| − | There are pitfalls along the way as we enter the practice of confessing our sins. For example, we know we are getting off the track if gloom and depression settle on us. These never are from the Father but are from the adversary.
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| − |
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| − | We confess our sins as an act of strength and joy in the Holy Spirit, not in the blackness of gloom and despair. Why should we be gloomy and despairing? We need to thank God every day that He shows us our sins and gives us the wisdom and power that enable us to confess our sins and then to resist the devil.
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| − |
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| − | Day after day, day after day, the Holy Spirit leads us against the enemies in our land, so to speak. Day after day we confess the new areas of unrighteous behavior that the Spirit brings to light. We are not stating that the Holy Spirit will expose some new sin in our personality every day or that we are to confess sins we committed before we trusted in Christ. We are to address only the thinking, speaking, and acting we are practicing now.
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| − |
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| − | The experience of sanctification is progressive, being worked out over a period of time.
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| − |
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| − | We do not obtain victory in a moment. We must be patient with God as He works through the dark recesses of our nature. Our heart is desperately wicked. Only the Holy Spirit can know the depths of the deceit of our personality. He brings the blood of the cross ever deeper into our heart, exposing chains of darkness unknown to us but constantly manifesting themselves in our actions, words, motives, and imaginations.
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| − |
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| − | The darkness is there in each of us. It is the will of God that His saints be purified until they are as refined gold. Absolute purity is required by the Lord God of Heaven and He is producing such purity in each member of the Body of Christ. Our task is to cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He exposes the sins and gives us wisdom and strength in dealing with them.
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| − |
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| − | There are times when we are required to make restitution. Our selfishness and sinfulness may cause us to hurt others, to steal from them, to withhold forgiveness from them, or to otherwise add to their troubles. In such cases the Holy Spirit may lead us to go to them, seeking their forgiveness. When He does impress us to make restitution we must obey. If we do not we fall back into darkness.
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| − |
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| − | Whenever we disobey the Holy Spirit we bring judgment on ourselves. If we want the blood of Jesus to keep on cleansing us we must continue to walk in the light of obedience to God. Our state of being forgiven and being cleansed is dependent on our continuing to obey the Lord.
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| − |
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| − | We never are allowed to retain unforgiveness in our heart toward another person. No matter what someone may have done to us, we are not permitted to hold a grudge against him or to seek his harm. Many Christians fail in pursuit of the life of victory in Christ because they are filled with unforgiveness and bitterness.
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| − |
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| − | Each of us from time to time becomes offended. We receive a wound, either in the world or in the church. Although it sometimes appears impossible, there is enough Divine virtue in the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ to enable us to forgive everyone—to overcome all evil with the good of the body and blood of Christ.
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| − |
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| − | If we allow ourselves to slip down into the bottomless pit of bitterness, unforgiveness, and hatred, we are approaching the fires of Hell.
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| − |
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| − | We must forgive everyone. If we do not, we walk out from under the protection of the blood of Christ. If we do not forgive people their transgressions against us our heavenly Father will not forgive our transgressions against Himself.
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| − |
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| − | If someone offends us we are to go to the individual and tell him or her that they have hurt us. If they refuse to make peace with us we are to take with us the elders of the church. If the person who offended us will not reason properly with the elders, the offending person is to be treated as an unbeliever.
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| − |
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| − | We are to keep away from those who have lied to us and stolen from us. We are not to make it possible for them to harm us a second time. If they come to us and ask our forgiveness, we are to forgive them. If they do not ask forgiveness but continue in defiance, then we are to keep away from them. We also must not permit hatred in any form to take possession of us. We leave the offending person in the hands of the Lord. The Lord will avenge us if we refuse to avenge ourselves.
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| − |
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| − | There arise occasions when we are bound so tightly in a certain area of sin that we are unable to confess to God or to cease our sinning. Sometimes we must confess to our husband or wife. This can be difficult to do because it is humbling. When we are in spiritual bondage we may need the assistance of the members of the Body of Christ.
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| − |
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| − | We must be careful, however, if we are guilty of a sin toward another person, such as our husband or wife, that we do not tell them something that will relieve our own burden of guilt but will give them a terrible weight to carry. Sometimes it is best to just confess our sin to God and turn away from it.
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| − |
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| − | We can go to an older Christian of our same sex and confess to him or her our need for help. The older Christian then can pray for discernment and strength to enable us to open up and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the source of the trouble. We and our helper can confess the sin together and the Lord will give release. It is good for us to confess our sins one to another. In so doing there is power available for our healing, both physical and spiritual (James 5:16).
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| − |
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| − | There is no sin we commit that the Lord Jesus cannot overcome through the provisions He has made for our redemption. He will touch us now no matter what our problem may be if we will confess our need. Otherwise we will remain huddled in our dark prison even though God is willing to open the door so we can walk out into the glorious light of His Presence and fellowship.
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| − |
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| − | We Christians are as Lazarus. We have been raised from the dead but we still are bound with the graveclothes of sin. Our salvation is not complete until the graveclothes have been removed.
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| − |
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| − | Jesus did not walk away from Lazarus after He had raised him from the dead, stating that Lazarus had to remain bound as long as he was in the world. Rather, He commanded those standing by to release Lazarus from the bindings.
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| − | Neither does Jesus abandon us after we have been saved, saying He is powerless to help us further. He has commanded that we be loosed. If we cooperate with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit will begin to remove the graveclothes of sin from us, often using other people to stir up Satan in us or to pray for us for deliverance.
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| − | He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. (I John 2:6)
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| − |
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| − | The above verse means we are to behave as Jesus behaved and to do what He taught, as described in the four Gospel accounts. We Christians have come to realize the impossibility of imitating and obeying Christ in our own strength. But by the grace of God and the working of His Spirit the program of redemption is leading us step by step into keeping the Word of Christ.
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| − |
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| − | 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.
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| − |
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| − | If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. (I John 2:29)
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| − |
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| − | 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."
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| − |
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| − | 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.
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| − |
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| − | 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 endeavoring to show.
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| − |
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| − | 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.
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| − |
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| − | 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)
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| − | 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.
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| − |
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| − | 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.
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| − |
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| − | 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.
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| − |
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| − | 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)
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| − |
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| − | 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.
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| − |
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| − | 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.
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| − |
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| − | 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.
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| − |
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| − | 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.
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| − |
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| − | 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.
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| − | 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, halfhearted 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!
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| − |
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| − | 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.
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| − |
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| − | And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (I John 3:3)
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| − |
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| − | 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.
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| − |
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| − | 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?
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| − |
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| − | We must decide whether we will believe the Scripture or whether we will consider our own body, now dead in sins, and believe that Christ cannot deliver us. Which do we choose to believe?
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| − | Our body informs us that as long as we are in the world we owe it a certain amount of gratification of its sinful nature—lust, murder, covetousness, sorcery, reveling. The Scripture commands us to purify ourselves as Christ is pure. If we will not believe and obey the Scriptures we never will be established in God. We overcome the world by faith in the Word of God.
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| − | And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. (I John 3:5,6)
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| − |
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| − | To the extent we are abiding in Christ we are not sinning. We are making our pilgrimage into Christ, as it were. The further into Christ we advance the less we sin. When we are sinning we are not seeing Christ or knowing Christ. Only the part of us that is abiding in Christ is not sinning.
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| − |
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| − | Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. (I John 3:7)
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| − |
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| − | There have been many deceiving teachers on the earth. Most of them deceive us unintentionally. They deceive us by stating that grace is an alternative to godly behavior. They teach us that no matter how we conduct ourselves we will escape disaster in the Day of the Lord on the basis of "accepting" Christ.
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| − |
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| − | The deceived and deceiving teachers imply that righteous conduct is neither possible nor necessary but that we all will be carried away from the scene of God's judgment on the basis of our stating that Christ is Lord and Savior.
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| − |
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| − | They are well aware of Romans 10:9,10:
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| − |
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| − | That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
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| − |
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| − | But they are not as familiar with II Corinthians 6:17,18:
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| − |
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| − | Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
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| − |
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| − | They would not agree that II Corinthians 6:17,18 is as much a part of salvation as Romans 8:9,10. Romans 8:9,10 is a cornerstone of the Christian formula of salvation. But II Corinthians 6:17,18 is not regarded as important or valid to nearly the same extent.
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| − |
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| − | We claim that the entire Scriptures are the infallible Word of God, but our teaching and preaching reveals that we do not truly regard the entire Scriptures in this manner.
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| − |
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| − | Our day is one of heresy, the heresy that salvation is by forgiveness alone, holy behavior being a desirable but nonessential condition. Yet, God will not welcome us when we are walking in uncleanness, regardless of our profession of faith.
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| − |
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| − | Will God welcome the sinner when he comes to Jesus for help? Yes, He will. He will forgive the prodigal. But then the prodigal is to behave as a son, not to continue in riotous living.
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| − |
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| − | The purpose of the grace of forgiveness under the new covenant is that we may have an opportunity to come to God in our sinful state. The concept is that we are forgiven so we may have an opportunity, through the Divine provisions, to turn away from sin and serve righteousness.
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| − |
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| − | Grace is not the Divine alternative to godly behavior, it is the alternative to the Law of Moses. If we continue to sin after we have come to Christ we make the grace of God of none effect.
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| − |
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| − | The incorrect concept of grace that prevails in our day is a major cause of the moral condition of the Western nations. The preachers and teachers who preach forgiveness apart from repentance and godly living are destroying themselves, the churches, and the nations of the earth that look to the churches for moral direction.
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| − |
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| − | It is possible to distort the meaning of Divine grace until grace becomes an excuse for unrighteous conduct.
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| − |
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| − | . . . he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; . . . . (I John 3:7,8)
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| − |
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| − | We have removed a clause from each of two verses (above) without harming the meaning in context, in order to reveal the truth clearly. This is the gist of what the Apostle John is teaching: righteous works proceed from Christ; sin proceeds from the devil.
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| − |
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| − | It does not matter whether we have said we have received Christ as our personal Savior. Receiving Christ as our personal Savior is the first and vitally necessary step in God's plan of redemption, but receiving Christ does not change the eternal fact that righteous conduct proceeds from Christ and sin proceeds from the devil.
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| − |
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| − | If we do not understand that righteous conduct proceeds from Christ and sin proceeds from Satan, we never will have insight into the working of redemption in us. The purpose of the working of redemption in us is to destroy the works of the devil in us and to create the righteous Nature of Christ in us.
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| − |
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| − | . . . for the devil sinneth from the beginning. . . . (I John 3:8)
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| − |
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| − | Sin originated among the host of Heaven, it did not begin in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were deceived by the rebels from Heaven. When we understand this we can begin to grasp the purpose that God has in creating the Body of Christ.
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| − |
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| − | The task of Christ, Head and Body, is to destroy all the works of the devil. The Lake of Fire was not designed for human beings but for the devil and his angels. The only reason any human being will find himself in the Lake of Fire is that he refused to allow Christ to deliver him from the devil. He chose instead to stay on the devil's side.
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| − |
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| − | If we choose to remain on the devil's side we will receive the devil's eternal reward.
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| − |
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| − | Murder, lying, lust, hatred, backbiting, pride, fear, rebellion against authority, spite, jealousy, envy—all these began in Satan. "The devil sinneth from the beginning." "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." The devil has sinned from that time and from before that time.
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| − |
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| − | Before Adam was created the devil sinned. He always sins. We always sin while we are in the bondage of the devil. Mankind cannot save itself from this bondage. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can save us from being compelled to sin.
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| − |
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| − | . . . For this purpose the Son of God was manifest, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (I John 3:8)
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| − |
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| − | There are many reasons emphasized as to why Christ came to the earth, why He did the things He did. He is the Savior, Lord, Teacher, Healer, Prophet, Priest, and King. The Scripture gives the purpose for His coming as follows: "For this purpose the Son of God was manifest, that he might destroy the works of the devil."
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| − |
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| − | The tendencies toward sin which we exhibit originated with the devil. Paul terms our sins "the works of the flesh." Satan takes advantage of the sinful nature that dwells in our flesh, that came from Satan in the beginning and deceives us so that we commit sin.
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| − |
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| − | The sin that exists in the world today began with the sly voice in the Garden of Eden. The guilt, the bondage, the lust, the evil fruit, the rebellion, the sicknesses, the curse on the earth—even death itself, both spiritual and physical—all flow from the presence and working of Satan.
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| − |
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| − | Christ, Head and Body, is revealed for the purpose of destroying the works of the devil. The ministry of Christ was performed for three years some two thousand years ago. Since that time the destruction of the works of the devil has continued through the Church as Christ has worked in and through the members of His Body.
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| − |
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| − | When Jesus returns, the destruction of the works of the devil will be multiplied a thousand times. The result will be the removal of the presence and works of Satan from the heavens and the earth.
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| − |
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| − | Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (I John 3:9)
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| − |
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| − | We Christians possess a dual nature. We carry around a fleshly nature that is prone to sin. If we do not pay close attention to our behavior at all times, the fleshly nature gains control, and some form of sin is the result. This part of our personality does commit sin and it never has been born of God. It is "sensual, earthly, devilish."
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| − |
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| − | In addition to the fleshly nature, Christ has been born in every true Christian. This is the Divine Seed, the holy Substance of God Himself. The Seed of God cannot sin because it came from God and is of the Nature of God.
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| − |
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| − | Because we possess a dual nature we must decide which side of us will prevail. Each moment of our life we decide to allow Christ to work in us or we allow the fleshly nature to work in us. Either Christ in us is being strengthened or our fleshly nature is being nourished and strengthened. We daily are practicing righteousness or unrighteousness, holiness or sin, the Holy Spirit or our fleshly nature, Christ or Satan.
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| − |
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| − | There is no middle road. Every thought, every imagination, every word, every deed, every attitude, is proceeding either from our old nature or from our new born-again nature in cooperation with the Holy Spirit. Each of the two natures represents universal forces and wisdoms. A human being is the merest speck of dust when compared with the colossal energies of wickedness and godliness that are in opposition around us and in us.
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| − |
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| − | Although we are mere specks of dust we have the opportunity to give ourselves over to Christ. In so doing we receive the authority to be children of God. We pass from being dust of the ground into the program that leads to our becoming kings and priests of the almighty God. All the resources of Heaven stand ready to pour into us Divine wisdom and energies so we can escape the corruption that is in the world because of lust.
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| − |
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| − | The Divine Nature in us cannot sin, having come from God. If we will sow to the Divine Nature instead of surrendering to the lusts of our flesh, it will not be long before Christ in us gains control of our behavior and we slowly but surely move up to the place where we can walk on the earth without engaging in the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. This is the true Christian redemption.
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| − |
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| − | In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. (I John 3:10)
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| − |
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| − | The test of whether we are a true Christian is our pattern of behavior. The Christian churches contain many members who are tightly bound in bitterness and unforgiveness. In the churches there is much competition and striving for status. There is strife, envy, murderous hatred, stealing, lust, backbiting, gossiping, slander, and every other evil work. The Apostle John states that people who practice such wickedness are of the devil.
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| − | The mistaken idea that an acceptance of fundamentals of doctrine will save the believer may have arisen from the fact that we are saved by the unmerited favor of God; that the sinner can come to God, and upon receiving the Lamb of God as the atonement for his sins be forgiven every one of his iniquities. This is the basis of the Gospel of Christ and it is not to be changed in any manner.
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| − | What happens next? If the convert continues in the appetites of the flesh he will die spiritually, according to Paul. His condition is that of the sower's seed that has germinated and then has died because of lack of depth or for some other reason.
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| − | The true disciple of Jesus shall bring forth the fruit of holiness. If an individual never brings forth righteous conduct but falls into hatred, bitterness, unforgiveness, lust, envying, covetousness, he is manifesting the nature of the devil even though he may be sitting in church waiting for the resurrection morning. How many are in this situation?
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| − | When people witness the works of our fleshly nature, our self-seeking, greed, lying, evil speaking, competitive divisions, the willingness to put down another denomination of Christian worshipers, they are witnessing the personality of Satan. We can state that we believe Jesus to be the Savior and that He rose from the dead, but people behold the manifestation of Satan rather than the glory of Christ.
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| − | When love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control begin to be witnessed among the members of the Body of Christ, then the world sees Christ. Deep in the heart of the unsaved person is the ability to recognize his Creator. When the unsaved behold the fruit of the Spirit they will glorify the Father who is in Heaven. When God sees the image of His Son in us He is pleased.
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| − | We are discussing the program of sanctification, which is the second death and resurrection of the overall process of redemption. We are describing the new covenant fulfillment of the golden Lampstand of the Holy Place of the Congregation. We have been speaking of the five operations of the Holy Spirit which lead in turn to five end products.
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| − | The first operation of the Holy Spirit is the assigning, directing and empowering of gifts and ministries.
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| − | The second operation of the Holy Spirit, that which we have just finished examining, is the abolishing of the guilt, tendencies, and effects of the sin to which we have been in bondage. Christ has been sent from God to destroy the works of the devil.
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| − | The third operation of the Holy Spirit is the creation of the Nature of Christ in us. Let us now go on to a deeper understanding of this all-important process.
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| − | The Holy Spirit creates the Nature of Christ in us. We have discussed previously the bearing of the fruit of the Spirit, under that heading in our book. The fruit of the Spirit is the image of Christ in us. There are many expressions in the New Testament writings pertaining to the creating of the Divine Nature in us.
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| − | According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: (II Peter 1:3)
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| − | The Divine power of God has given us everything we need for eternal life and godly living—the two go together. There is nothing in our flesh that produces eternal life or godly conduct. We must receive the virtue that comes from the Divine Nature. We increase our eternal life and our godly conduct as we increase in the knowledge and Presence of God. O that we may know Him!
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| − | We have been called to eternal life and godly living. Righteous, holy, and obedient personality and behavior, which is the Nature of Christ in us, is the result of the impartation and working of the Glory of almighty God.
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| − | Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (II Peter 1:4)
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| − | As we spend the time and effort required for contemplation of the Word of God we begin to receive of His Divine Nature. The Substance of God is imparted to us in the form of the body and blood of Christ. Jesus comes to us in the spirit realm and feeds our soul with His own body and blood. His flesh is meat indeed and His blood is drink indeed. They are our food and drink. Apart from them we have no life in us.
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| − | When we partake of the Divine Nature we have the desire to live righteously and we become able to live righteously. We receive both the desire and the ability. It is God who works in us "both to will and to do of his good pleasure." We become partakers of the Divine Nature of God.
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| − | The godly Christian character and manner of behaving cannot at any time proceed from the flesh of humans. The fruit of the Spirit comes only from the Divine Nature. We must partake of the Divine Nature if we hope to behave in a godly manner.
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| − | The world is corrupt because of lust. Lust is the craving to possess someone or something. We burn in our desire for possession.
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| − | Instead of committing our desire to God and waiting for His hand to move we are set on fire of Hell and rush out in violence, lying, stealing, murder, and every other evil work. This is the spirit of the age in which we live and it is hopelessly, totally corrupt.
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| − | We can escape this burning, devilish lust only by partaking of the Divine Nature of God that is in Christ our Lord. Christ has desires also, just like any other person. He submits His will to the Father and waits in trust and patience. Now He is waiting patiently until His enemies are brought under His feet.
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| − | Jesus cannot be persuaded to act against the will of God no matter how much He desires anything. When we partake of the Divine Nature we enter the same spirit of obedience to the Father in Heaven.
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| − | And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; (II Peter 1:5)
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| − | Our task is to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in a diligent manner, working along in the faith by which we are being saved, until we develop a solid Christian discipleship that is above reproach. We also gain the knowledge of the Person, ways, and purpose of God.
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| − | And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; (II Peter 1:6)
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| − | While we are gaining in knowledge we must seek the Spirit's assistance in bringing our spirit, soul, and body under control so that we are not given to excess along any line, never abandoning ourselves to our fervent desires.
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| − | We always are to be watchful in prayer. Every moment of the day, whether we are in church, on the job, in school, or at a party, we always are to remain watchful in prayer. The officer who is successful in keeping his men alive is the one who never forgets to post a sentry no matter how inconvenient. If we allow ourselves to let down our guard for a short period of time we may be five years digging ourselves out of the hole we fall in.
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| − | The enemy ceaselessly is alert, waiting for the first sign of weakness in our defenses. If we forget that, we may find ourselves in serious trouble.
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| − | One of the most desirable attributes of the Christian is the quality of patience. "He that endureth to the end shall be saved." There are moments in the life of the disciple when the things of the Kingdom are gloriously exciting. However, much of the Christian experience is a laborious, boring pilgrimage through a seemingly endless wilderness.
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| − | This was true also for Elijah, Elisha, and other outstanding saints of the Lord. It may appear to us that they lived in a blaze of Divine glory. If we stop to think about it, the Scriptures portray only a very small fraction of their lives on earth.
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| − | Boredom is a strong foe of the Christian. The day in, day out, patient plowing through difficult situations, sometimes with little discernible fruit, is a severe test of our character and patience. It appears to us as though the people of the world who forget God are in a better situation than we. What is the use of it all? Why not just go through the cycle of eat, work, play, sleep, eat, work, play, sleep, and wait in the hope that someday—perhaps when we die—there will be something better?
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| − | It requires the impartation to us of Divine patience if we are to maintain our fervent discipleship over a period of many years. It may be especially difficult if we can find no church near us that is spiritually alive.
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| − | When we become part of an assembly made up of fervent disciples it is easier for us to serve the Lord, but in any circumstance we must possess Divine patience and endurance if we are to pursue our discipleship to a successful conclusion.
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| − | While we are developing Christian character, knowledge, self-control and patient endurance, we need also to develop piety. Piety is devoutness toward God. Not only are we to be concerned about our own conduct, we must also maintain an attitude of worship toward the Lord.
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| − | Our attitude toward God should be one of continual reverence and obedience. We should be growing in the consciousness of the majesty of God, of the gracious fellowship of the Holy Spirit, and of the authority and power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Increasingly there should come on our spirit an awareness of the holiness and power of the Lord.
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| − | At every point throughout the day and night we must keep on looking toward God, rather than toward our own wisdom and strength, for the correct and edifying manner in which to respond to a given situation. A godly fear and desire to please the Lord should characterize our actions, our words, our motives, and our imaginations.
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| − | We must learn to walk in the fear of God, but not in a fear that hinders us from drawing near to Him or a fear that brings oppression and gloom.
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| − | The true fear of the Lord is wholesome, clean, leading to a chastened, disciplined approach to the things of Heaven and earth. Fear of the devil brings dark bondage. Fear of man brings a snare. Fear of God brings diligence in putting away the lusts of the flesh, and the ability to break the chains that Satan and men attempt to place on us.
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| − | And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. (II Peter 1:7)
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| − | While we are developing devoutness toward God we need to be aware of the needs of our fellow believers. When we show kindness and affection toward Christ's followers we are showing kindness and affection toward Christ Himself.
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| − | It is a simple, pleasant matter to show kindness toward some Christians. It is quite another matter with Christians who do not measure up to our standards. However, there is power in the body and blood of Christ that can enable us to show kindness and brotherly affection toward all the people of God.
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| − | It is possible for us to be kind and affectionate toward most Christians most of the time, even when we are not living in the Spirit to the extent we should. But there are occasions when Christians take advantage of us or harm us in some manner. Under such circumstances we must receive assistance from the Holy Spirit in order to keep the peace of God.
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| − | If we seek the face of Christ, He will give us the wisdom and strength to wait on Him and to go successfully through a trial having to do with our relationships with people.
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| − | Under no circumstances are we to yield to the bitterness and hatred toward another believer, or toward an unsaved person, with which Satan injects the unwary Christian. God enables us to maintain a heart free of bitterness and hatred no matter how we are treated, and a kind, affectionate attitude toward God's people.
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| − | There is much being said these days about love. Love is held out as the answer to most of the problems of the world. However, the unsaved person or the believer walking in the appetites of the flesh is unable to produce a conquering love. No matter how good the intentions, the attempt to maintain a loving attitude breaks down as soon as evil and perversity reach a certain level.
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| − | There is too much evil, and of too venomous a quality, in the world today for us to go about loving everybody and thinking happy thoughts. After having had some experience with unsaved people who teach that love is the solution to our problems, we have come to the conclusion that we would rather live among a pride of lions than among such advocates of "love."
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| − | The love of God that is imparted to us from God is different in kind from human love. The love of God is as distinct in kind from our love as gold, silver, and precious stones are distinct in kind from wood, hay, and straw. The love of God is the Substance of God that comes down from Heaven and enters us. The love of God is pure, authoritative, powerful, full of Divine compassion. It cannot be provoked easily, is impartial, does not seek its own advantage but behaves in a kindly, generous spirit.
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| − | The love of God grows in us as a fruit of the Spirit of God. It is so different from human love that we ourselves are surprised at the spiritual strength growing in the depth of our nature. Love is the mark of redemption and maturity. All the workings of the Holy Spirit bring us into the love of God. We are to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and allow the love of God to grow and flow in us.
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| − | There is no greater working of God in us than the creation of His love. Love is the sign of perfection. Love does not come to maturity overnight but is the fruit of the Spirit growing in us throughout the course of our discipleship.
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| − | Some day in the not too distant future we Christians will be seeing Christ face to face. We will be gazing at pure, perfect, holy, Divine love. We will be contemplating that glory for billions of years. In time we will begin to be formed into the image of love. This will involve the transformation of every atom of our personality.
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| − | Total transformation is necessary if we are to dwell in the center of the fire of God. When we are submerged in the love of God we will see Him face to face and we will know as we are known.
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| − | For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (II Peter 1:8)
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| − | Faith, Christian character, the knowledge of the holy, self-control, patient endurance, devoutness, brotherly affection, and Christian love are to abound in us. When these qualities abound in us they will insure that we are fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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| − | It is not enough to "receive Christ" and then state that we know Him. It is possible to be unfruitful in the knowledge of Christ, and it is the fruit of the moral image of Christ that is the crop the Farmer is looking for, not just an initial mental knowledge.
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| − | It is not enough to make a profession of Christ, even if our knowledge of theology is correct. It is the development of faith, character, patient endurance, love, and other fruit that are the necessary outcomes of receiving Christ. If these virtues are not forthcoming we may have believed in Christ in vain. Is it possible to profess Christ in vain?
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| − | But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. (II Peter 1:9)
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| − | If we are continuing in the same pattern of behavior, waiting for the resurrection, hoping that when the Lord appears we will be transformed from our coldness, indifference, bitterness, into heroes of faith, we are ignorant of the process of redemption, of the method and outcome of the new covenant.
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| − | If we lack the faith, the Christian character, the knowledge of Christ, self-control, patient endurance, devoutness toward God, brotherly kindness and affection, and Christian love, we are blind. We are stumbling around in the dark. We are as Samson, our strength gone, grinding corn for the enemy.
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| − | There is much blindness among the people of God today. There is talk about the rapture, the Antichrist, the mark of the beast, the coming of Christ, but little understanding of what actually will take place. The reason for this blindness, this inability to "see afar off," is sin—simply that.
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| − | When we Christians turn away from the sins of our flesh and begin to seek the righteousness of Christ, our eyes are opened. We do not continue to labor in the dark, trusting that a careless, indifferent, pleasure-loving crowd of people will be caught up in clouds to meet the Lord Jesus in the air. We see instead that the Lord Jesus is coming for His true saints and that a day of extraordinary trouble is just over the horizon.
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| − | When we can "see" we understand the terror of the Lord, realizing that He will not hand out the rewards of the Kingdom to lukewarm followers. We become conscious of the fact that redemption is taking place in us now in preparation for the day when the Lord Jesus will come to judge the world.
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| − | The more we possess of the virtues mentioned in the first chapter of II Peter, the further we can see. We no longer are blind. Our eyes have been opened by the righteous conduct that has been created in us by the impartation of the Divine Nature.
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| − | When we are blind we have forgotten we were purged from our old sins. We have returned as a dog to its vomit. Having tasted the salvation of Christ we have chosen to turn back into the filth of this age.
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| − | What will be the end of those who, having once received the Lord Jesus and been baptized in water, have not followed on to the development of Christian character?
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| − | Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: (II Peter 1:10)
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| − | God has called us to be changed into the image of His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. All the circumstances of our life are working toward this specific good. We must give all diligence to lay hold on our calling and election because it is possible to miss the mark.
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| − | If we do not attend to the things of Christ but rather occupy our time and affections in the filth of the present age, we may lose not only our crown (our authority as a king and priest of Almighty God), but our salvation as well.
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| − | The call of God to be a member of the royal priesthood is not to be taken lightly. We need to make certain, as Paul exhorted, that we grasp that for which we have been grasped. We must lay hold on that for which God has laid hold on us.
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| − | If we turn away and give our attention to other gods we will not attain the resurrection of those who die in faith in the true God. What a loss! Inconceivable! How foolish of us to trade our birthright in Christ for a "bowl of lentil soup."
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| − | If, on the other hand, we are diligent in the creating of righteous, holy, and obedient conduct in our lives, we never will fall away from Christ. "If ye do these things ye shall never fall."
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| − | For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (II Peter 1:11)
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| − | Our entrance into the Kingdom of God depends directly on the developing of the traits of character listed by Peter. If we develop godliness in abundance we will have an abundant entrance into the Kingdom of Christ. If we develop scarcely any of the traits of character we will have scarcely any entrance into the Kingdom of Christ.
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| − | If we develop none of these traits but rather bring forth the fruit of the flesh—adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lust, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, wrath, division, envying, gossip, slander, drunkenness, revelry, we will not enter the Kingdom of Christ whether or not we have made a profession of Christ. It is as simple and certain as that.
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| − | Let us consider the three parts of the grace of God by which God is able to transform our personal conduct:
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| − | The Word of God, both general and specific, ministered to our mind.
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| − | The body and blood of Christ ministered to our whole personality.
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| − | The energy of the resurrection life of the Holy Spirit ministered to our whole personality.
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| − | These three dimensions of God's Person are given to us. If we add to them the atoning authority of the blood that keeps on forgiving our sins, we have all that is necessary for our transformation into righteous, holy, and obedient conduct.
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| − | The Word of God renews our mind, transforming us. The Word of God, symbolized by the bronze Laver of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, keeps on judging our conduct and delivering us from lawlessness. We need to be cleansed daily by the Word of God. The Word is a lamp that guides us into the righteous ways of the Lord.
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| − | The Word of God comes to us both generally and specifically. It comes to us in general form as the Scriptures. By daily meditation in the Scriptures we grow in the understanding of the "law" of the Lord.
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| − | The more righteous we become the more we find ourselves contemplating the words of Scripture. Gradually our human mind, which always is the enemy of God, is transformed into the mind of Christ. Our delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law we meditate day and night.
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| − | The Word of God also comes to us specifically, either as a suddenly illumined verse of Scripture, or as a quiet voice in our consciousness, or in a sudden awareness, or in a dream, vision, or in some other manner. It is a specific guidance to us personally. It leads us into the righteous ways of the Lord and points out to us the right path for our pilgrimage, or gives comfort or the solution to a vexing problem.
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| − | The Christian experience becomes dry if we do not receive an occasional word from the Lord to us personally. Sometimes we are required to endure long dry spells. Then He speaks and the shadows flee away.
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| − | The body and blood of Christ, which are typified by the Table of Showbread of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, keep on feeding us in the spirit realm. As we remain in the place where God can nourish us, by means of daily prayer, meditation in the Scripture, assembling with fervent disciples, exercising our ministry and being ministered to, faithful and consistent obedience to the Holy Spirit, confessing our sins, forgiving others their trespasses against us, then the Lord Jesus can keep on feeding our born-again inner nature with His broken body and shed blood.
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| − | Christ's body and blood become the Substance on which our new life is built. We are becoming the Wife of the Lamb because we feed continually on the Lamb of God. The Divine Nature in the body and blood of Christ creates in us the desire and the strength to choose righteousness of conduct. The more of Him created in us the more intensely we love righteousness and hate sin and rebellion.
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| − | In addition to the body and blood of Christ we must receive the resurrection life that proceeds from the Holy Spirit of God. It is the same authority and power that raised the Lord Jesus Christ from among the dead. Day after day the circumstances of our life bring us down to the death of the cross. We continually bear about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus. Day after day the resurrection life of the Spirit of God lifts us up and we are able to fight onward.
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| − | We are perplexed but the life of Christ keeps us from being in despair. We are cast down but never destroyed because the Spirit of life from God raises us up and we keep on pressing forward in Christ.
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| − | Dying and living, dying and living, dying and living, day after day, week after week, year after year. We are coming to know the fellowship of His sufferings, and He is well aware of every twinge as we enter the rejection, loneliness, and humility that is His (and our) portion.
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| − | Christ knows. In our humiliation, justice is denied us. He knows. He can have fellowship with this. We are coming to know also the unconquerable power of His resurrection. Resurrection life is the energy that brings us through death.
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| − | What has died and been raised again by the Spirit of God can never die again. It is alive eternally in the Presence of God Almighty. Therefore, every part of us that has been brought down to the death of the cross and has been raised again by the Spirit of God has been resurrected already. It is ours forever.
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| − | In summary, then, we see that in order to have the righteous nature of Christ created in us we must receive of the fullness of the grace of God. The grace of God includes the general and specific Word of God to us, the body and blood of Christ that keep on feeding our new nature, and the resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead.
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| − | Added to these three elements of grace is the continually atoning blood that, as we have seen, keeps on cleansing us as we walk in the light. God's true grace is given us without price, but we must give ourselves to the Holy Spirit without distraction if we are to be able to lay hold on the gift of God's love.
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| − | It may be noted that in the Ark of the Covenant were placed three items: the two tables of stone, the jar of manna, and Aaron's rod that budded. These three speak of the grace of God that is placed in the heart of each believer in Christ.
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| − | The two tables of stone on which were inscribed the Ten Commandments represent the Word of God that creates God's way of holiness and righteousness in us. The memorial jar of manna represents the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the virtue of God, that comes down to us from Heaven each day of our sojourn in the wilderness of the world. Aaron's rod that budded represents the resurrection life that abides on the priests whom God has chosen and that raises them up from the power of sin and death.
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| − | Just as Aaron entered the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement, sprinkling the blood on the Mercy Seat, so it is true that each day of our lives the blood of Jesus must be sprinkled on all that we are and do. There you have the picture of the Christian. The Word of God, the body and blood of Christ, and the Holy Spirit are working in him. The blood of Jesus is making atonement for him continually.
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| − | We have discussed the assigning, directing, and empowering of gifts and ministries; the abolishing of the guilt, tendencies, and effects of sin; and the creating of the Nature of Christ in us.
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| − | The fourth operation of our sanctification, as conducted by the Holy Spirit, is the giving of comfort, guidance, and strength to us in every detail of our discipleship.
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| − | The Holy Spirit comforts and guides us.
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| − | And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; (John 14:16)
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| − | But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26)
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| − | But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: (John 15:26)
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| − | For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)
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| − | This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)
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| − | The Holy Spirit teaches, guides, and strengthens us as we journey through the Christian experience. He abides with us. He instructs us, bringing the words of Christ to us. He guide us into all truth and shows us things to come. The Christian discipleship would be impossible if it were not for the assistance rendered to us continually by the Holy Spirit of God.
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| − | Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied. (Acts 9:31)
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| − | The Holy Spirit was so active in the early Church, as recorded in Acts, that the book well could be entitled, The Acts of the Holy Spirit. The stage is set in Acts 1:8:
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| − | But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
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| − | Then the Holy Spirit assumed sovereignty over the Church of Christ.
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| − | And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. (Acts 2:2)
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| − | Every action occurring in the Christian Church should be proceeding from the Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit of the new covenant. One of the great needs in the Christian churches of today is the restoring of the Holy Spirit to His rightful preeminence in the operation of the Church.
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| − | And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: (Acts 2:17)
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| − | The testimony of the Christian Church must come from the Holy Spirit.
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| − | And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: (Acts 2:18)
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| − | It is the Holy Spirit who is the Oil of the Lampstand of God. We Christians have not been charged with bearing witness to Christ by our human efforts. The task of testifying of Christ is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit. The reason the testimony of the churches is not more effective than it is, is that we are attempting to perform a task that belongs to the Holy Spirit of God.
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| − | Jesus of Nazareth always is approved of God by miracles and signs (Acts 2:22). It is the miraculous that testifies of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is not in word but in power. If we will cooperate with the Holy Spirit He will enable us to bear witness as we ought.
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| − |
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| − | Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, . . . . (Acts 4:8)
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| − | The reason so much was accomplished in such a short time, in those days, was that the Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit.
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| − | The Presence of the Spirit of God was evident in the incident concerning Ananias and Sapphira. Peter asked, "Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?" The couple were not charged with lying to the Apostles but with lying to the Holy Spirit.
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| − | The early Church was filled with the Spirit of God. Resistance to the testimony of the early Church was not resistance to men but to the Holy Spirit.
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| − |
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| − | Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. (Acts 7:51)
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| − | The Spirit directed Philip.
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| − | Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. (Acts 8:29)
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| − | The Spirit directed Peter.
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| − | And the spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. . . . (Acts 11:12)
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| − | The Spirit gave vision to the Church.
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| − | And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. (Acts 11:28)
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| − | The Spirit directed Paul.
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| − | Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not [did not permit them]. (Acts 16:6,7)
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| − |
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| − | We have cited just a few of the references to the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts. The Holy Spirit not only assigns ministries and gifts but also directs and empowers the use of them. We need to be careful that once the Holy Spirit assigns abilities to us we do not run out in our own strength under some wisdom and direction other than that of the Holy Spirit of God.
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| − |
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| − | For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14)
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| − |
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| − | The Holy Spirit must take the lead, not only in giving us wisdom and strength to overcome sin but also in working with the atoning blood of Christ, in imparting the body and blood of Christ to us, in arranging our daily circumstances, in imparting resurrection life to us, in bringing to us specific words and helps from the Father, and in many other ways.
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| − |
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| − | The Holy Spirit, like Eliezer of Damascus, has been charged with bringing a bride home to be married to the Father's Son. Our perfecting is His responsibility. If we are willing to cooperate with Him each day He will perform the work of redemption in us.
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| − |
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| − | The new covenant, the covenant of Christianity, has two main elements: the putting of God's laws into our hearts and minds and the removal from God's memory of our sins and iniquities. The Holy Spirit creates God's laws in our minds and hearts, and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ blots out from God's consciousness our sins and iniquities.
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| − | This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 10:16,17)
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| − |
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| − | We have the New Testament writings, the testimony of the first-century Apostles, that serve as our infallible guide for faith and conduct.
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| − |
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| − | If we wish to be specific we can state that the new covenant can be written only in the hearts and minds of people. It is the Holy Spirit who does the writing.
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| − | Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: (II Corinthians 3:2)
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| − |
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| − | Sometimes we carry a copy of the New Testament under our arm or paste the sign of the fish in the window of our car. These are good things to do as long as there is no persecution, but in actual fact it is the believer himself who is the testimony, who is the new covenant, who is the epistle of Paul. The first covenant was written on stone. The new covenant is being written on our heart and mind for all people to read.
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| − | Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. (II Corinthians 3:3)
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| − |
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| − | Notice the prominence of the Holy Spirit in the new covenant. It is the Holy Spirit who is the Life of the new covenant. In the above passage the Spirit of God is placed in parallel with ink. The words of a book or letter are written with ink. The new covenant is written with the Holy Spirit of God.
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| − |
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| − | The Ten Commandments were carved by the Finger of God in Hebrew words on the face of stone. The new covenant commandments and statements are being written in the language of actions, words, motives and imaginations on the heart and mind of the believer in Christ.
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| − | Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. (II Corinthians 3:6)
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| − |
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| − | The Hebrew priests and scribes taught the old covenant, which consisted of the Law and the Prophets. The old covenant was good. There was nothing wrong with the Law. The Law came from the hand of God. The problem arose because the flesh of humans is full of sin and corruption. To confront our flesh with the old covenant is to bring despair, and finally death.
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| − | God commands us not to do what our flesh craves to do, whether it be idolatry, fornication, lying, stealing, or murder. The letter of God's law kills us.
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| − | The new covenant is written with the Spirit of God on our heart and mind. It is the Spirit of life, and the Spirit imparts life to us. The new covenant is the Spirit of life creating God's holy will in every atom of our being.
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| − | How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. (II Corinthians 3:8,9)
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| − |
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| − | Moses' law was the ministry of condemnation and death. Yet it was accompanied by the Glory of God to the point that the people of Israel could not bear to look at the face of Moses. Moses had to wear a veil over his face for the remainder of his days.
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| − |
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| − | If this much Divine glory accompanied a covenant of condemnation and death, what fullness of glory will accompany the new covenant, which operates by the blood of God's own Son and is written with the Holy Spirit of God? Our hearts and minds are overwhelmed at the thought of the Glory of God that already has come, and is yet to come in increased measure as the new covenant is fulfilled.
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| − | Notice that the new covenant is termed "the ministration of the Spirit." Truly, the Holy Spirit of God is the One who directs each Christian in the process of being redeemed from chaos of personality all the way to the fullness of the image and glory of Christ.
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| − | But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (II Corinthians 3:18)
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| − |
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| − | The above passage is one of the verses of the Scriptures that sums up a portion of the plan of God. In II Corinthians 3:18 we have a concise statement of the manner in which the new covenant works in us.
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| − | "But we all, with open face." In Christ, the veil that conceals the Glory of God has been removed. Through Him we now have access to the Most Holy Place, to the Lid of Reconciliation, to the Presence and Glory of the Father. The blood of Christ has accomplished this for us. The memory of our sins and lawlessness has passed from the mind of God.
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| − | "Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord." We behold the Glory of God as in a mirror, but the reflection is blurred, as Paul indicates (I Corinthians 13:12). The glory is there, nevertheless. The reason the image is blurred is that our sinful nature prevents our looking directly into the Face of God Almighty. If we were to gaze on the Face of God we could not bear the sight. We would die.
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| − | Little by little we gain glimpses of the Glory of Christ, and each time we do we die a little. The Holy Spirit raises us up in proportion to the extent of our death. We die, we live; we die, we live; we die, we live. This is the true Christian discipleship.
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| − | Someday God's saints will see the Face of God and we shall behold Him throughout the endless billions of eons of eternity. It will require a period of time and a multitude of Divine operations to bring us to the level of maturity required to behold the Face of the Father.
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| − | "Are changed into the same image." As we behold the Glory of Christ we are changed into that on which we are gazing. The closer our fellowship is with Him the more we become like Him. There is no person who gains a glimpse of Christ, or who comes in contact with His Presence or with someone who is dwelling in His Presence, who is left unchanged. We are changed. We are transformed into His image.
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| − | When we sense His compassion we are made compassionate. When we get a view of His strength of character we are strengthened and become more courageous. When we realize His selfless love, coming into close contact with Him as He reveals His attitude toward people, some of the same selfless love becomes our eternal possession. We are "changed into the same image."
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| − | "From glory to glory." We are not changed overnight. Let us not become impatient with God or with ourselves. It is "command upon command, command upon command; rule upon rule, rule upon rule; a little here, a little there." It requires time for the Word of God to work its transforming operations in us. We die, and then we live—all by the wisdom and power of God. We proceed from glory to glory.
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| − | We should not "unpack" at some point, believing we have arrived at the fullness of the Glory of God. Brother, Sister, pack up and move on with the Lord. You have just arrived at one glory but the next glory already is in view on the horizon.
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| − | Keep on moving along with the Holy Spirit. We have a distance yet to travel. Our destination is the fullness of the image of the Lord Jesus Christ and union with Him in all His glory and authority.
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| − | Have you arrived yet?
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| − | "Even as by the Spirit of the Lord." The task of changing us belongs to the Spirit of the Lord. The Holy Spirit is the One who assigns, directs, and empowers our ministries and gifts; who demolishes the guilt, tendencies, and effects of the sin that we are resisting; who creates the Nature and attitude of Christ in us; and who gives us comfort, wisdom, encouragement, and strength at every point along the way of our pilgrimage through the wilderness of the world.
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| − | The Holy Spirit is as Eliezer leading the heavenly Rebecca to the heavenly Isaac.
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| − | We say "heavenly" Rebecca while realizing our earthly limitations. The Wife of the Lamb, though she is taken from the peoples of the earth, is a new creation being built on the body and blood of Christ. The Wife is born, "not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13).
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| − | The Holy Spirit keeps us pressing toward Christ. The fifth operation of the Holy Spirit is the inspiring of the believer to keep on pressing toward Christ. This inspiration could be considered as part of the fourth operation—the giving to us of comfort, guidance, and strength in every detail of discipleship.
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| − | However, the continual, intense seeking of the Lord, the pressing on in Christ and toward Christ each day, is so important to the overcoming life that we are listing the seeking and pressing as a fifth operation of the Holy Spirit.
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| − |
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| − | Notice the attitude of the Apostle Paul, keeping in mind that this statement was made toward the end of his life:
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| − | Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win [gain] Christ, (Philippians 3:8)
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| − | "That I may win Christ." What an extraordinary expression for a man who had been used of God as had the Apostle Paul! Here he was, with an unparalleled record of ministry behind him, imprisoned in Rome, now writing to encourage the Christians at Philippi.
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| − | Paul had received Christ. He had been born again. He had been used in Holy Spirit-empowered gifts and ministries. Paul had experienced everything we associate with the successful Christian discipleship. What, then, is the meaning of his longing, "that I may win [gain] Christ"?
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| − |
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| − | In terms of our common understanding of what it means to be a Christian, Paul is not making sense at this point. In terms of the true nature of discipleship Paul's statement makes perfect sense. The Christian discipleship is a fervent quest for Christ. Christ must be won.
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| − | The Holy Spirit so entices us that we have the desire and strength to begin anew each morning of our life seeking after more of Christ. Every other ambition must be set aside for the single burning desire. We must arise and press on until we win Christ.
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| − | And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: (Philippians 3:9)
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| − | It is easy for a religious person to press part of the way into Christ and then to work out a set of practices and observances that become to him "the Christian way." The Christian way is far more than a religion. It is the pursuit of a Person.
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| − |
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| − | During the pursuit our trust in our own ability to serve Christ is pushed from us by the terrific pressures brought to bear on us. Through the various workings of the Holy Spirit our own righteousness begins to fall away and we find ourselves each day relying more on Christ for our righteousness.
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| − |
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| − | When we start out on our pilgrimage we are holding on to God's hand. After a while we discover that somehow God has worked it around so that He is holding on to our hand. The switch from our grasp to His grasp takes place as the Holy Spirit brings us into trials that are too difficult for us, into waters that are too deep for us.
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| − |
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| − | We finally arrive at the place where we possess a righteousness that springs from the faith God has created in us. We have undergone complicated processes of redemption that have brought us to the new creation God desires.
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| − | That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed unto his death; (Philippians 3:10)
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| − | "That I may gain Christ." "That I may know him." Isn't this a remarkable attitude for a man as far along in Christ as the Apostle Paul? His attitude puts us to the test. Are we pressing toward Christ with such fervency each day?
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| − | We can come to know Christ in a greater way than we do at this time. We can come to know the power of His resurrection as we are brought down to helplessness in ourselves. The resurrection power flows in us in proportion to our personal weakness.
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| − | Our sufferings, as we are crucified through the infinite wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit, are well understood by Christ. They are part of His sufferings. Every time we suffer rejection, humiliation, pain, loss of status, loss of what normally would be given to us, Jesus feels that suffering. In all our afflictions He is afflicted. He knows.
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| − | There is a fellowship among people who have suffered throughout the same set of circumstances, such as the survivors in a lifeboat. There is a camaraderie among soldiers during the time of war. The rejection and humiliation of Christ continues to this day throughout the earth and we enter the fellowship of that rejection and humiliation. We must press on in order to enter the fellowship of His sufferings.
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| − | "Being conformed unto his death." We cannot be conformed to the death of Christ in one evening. A period of time is required. The Holy Spirit leads us into an ever-deepening crucifixion and we begin to gain some understanding of the true nature of the death of Christ.
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| − |
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| − | Not only was there the physical suffering of His trial and crucifixion, and then the unimaginable burden of our sins that cut Him off momentarily from the fellowship of the Father; but throughout His ministry there occurred the continual perversity and harassment by high-ranking Jewish teachers and leaders whom He was antagonizing.
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| − | Christ left His place of prayer each morning to meet Satan-inspired Pharisees and scribes who were examining His every word, hoping to trap Him in a misstatement. He was brought from weakness to weakness until crucifixion, the final weakness, had killed his flesh. Christ was crucified through weakness.
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| − | We are destined to be conformed to His death. Being conformed to Christ's death is not pleasant, and anyone who believes it to be pleasant has never undergone any part of the process.
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| − | There is no other way to win Christ, to come to know Christ. We must follow Him into the fellowship of His sufferings, for the fellowship of His sufferings is the only source of the power of His resurrection. As we die, and God resurrects us back from the dead, in that measure we are alive eternally.
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| − | No human is alive eternally except the one whom God has raised from the dead. When God brings us from the dead we will never die again. The resurrection of our mortal body will happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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| − | The resurrection of our inner man is taking place now as we press on to know the Lord Jesus in an ever greater way. The Holy Spirit is inviting us to press forward until we win Christ.
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| − | If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of [from] the dead. (Philippians 3:11)
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| − | The resurrection of the dead must be sought after. The resurrection of the dead is the "excellency of the knowledge of Christ my Lord." It is the winning of Christ, the "righteousness that is of God by faith." It is perfection—the full grasping of that for which we have been grasped by Christ.
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| − | The first resurrection from the dead is the "prize of the high calling of God in Christ."
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| − | The Holy Spirit inspires us to press toward the resurrection that is out from among the dead:
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| − | Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: . . . . (Philippians 3:12)
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| − | The resurrection of the dead is perfection. If Paul had not arrived at the resurrection by the time of the writing of the letter to the Philippian Christians, neither have we arrived at the resurrection that is from among the dead. Let us press on.
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| − | . . . but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ. (Philippians 3:12)
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| − | The Lord Jesus Christ has grasped us for transformation into His image, for union with Himself, for the fullness of authority and power over the nations of the earth as His kings and priests. We have been grasped for inheriting all the works of God. Our task now is to match that exceedingly high calling with a corresponding diligence. We are to "sell all" and follow Christ with an undivided allegiance.
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| − |
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| − | His will and purpose must come first in our life or we will fall short of His calling. The Holy Spirit helps by drawing us and inspiring us each day to set out once more on our quest for the fullness of the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must follow on, follow on, follow on without letup day or night throughout every moment of our life. Christ desires our complete attention at all times.
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| − |
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| − | Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: . . . . (Philippians 3:13)
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| − |
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| − | One of the major problems that troubles us Christians is that we count ourselves to have laid hold on Christ, to have won Him, to know Him in His fullness, to have arrived already at the prize of the resurrection from among the dead. Because we have confessed Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, have been baptized in water, have spoken in tongues, have won others to Christ, and have served in our church, we are under the impression that our task now is to wait until He comes and carries us off to Heaven.
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| − | Paul had received Christ as his personal Lord and Savior, had been baptized in water, had spoken in tongues, had won others to Christ, had served many churches, and had participated in every other aspect of Christian discipleship. Yet he states, "I count not myself to have apprehended."
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| − |
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| − | What is it that we are to grasp? We are to lay hold on the righteousness that is of God by faith and not by keeping the Law of Moses; the fullness of the knowledge of the Person, Christ; the power of His resurrection; the fellowship of His sufferings; and transformation into His death, which includes the weakness and humiliation of rejection and seeming futility. We are to lay hold on the resurrection from the dead.
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| − |
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| − | When Paul is speaking about the resurrection that is from among the dead he is not referring to dying and going to Heaven or being caught up to Heaven. Being caught up to Heaven is not resurrection but ascension. There is a difference between resurrection and ascension. The Lord Jesus did not ascend to Heaven until forty days after His resurrection.
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| − |
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| − | Ascension is movement from the earth to Heaven or from any position to a higher position. Christ ascended from the heart of the earth to the surface of the earth, and then on up to the highest throne of glory in the heavenlies.
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| − |
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| − | Resurrection is a different matter. Resurrection has to do with the bringing forth of life from death. Everything and everybody of God's first creation must eventually die and pass away.
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| − | In the beginning Christ created the heaven and the earth, and all creatures on the earth and that fly in the firmament of the heaven. They will all pass away. Christ will never pass away. Christ will roll up the heaven and the earth as a worn-out shawl and discard them, but He Himself and His Word will never pass away.
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| − |
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| − | God in Christ is working in the lives of some of the people of the first creation, in you and me for example, and is instilling in them Divine qualities that result in their transformation. The instilling of the Divine qualities results in death to the first nature but a resurrection of the personality—that is, a bringing back to life of what died although in a transformed state. A new creation is coming into being.
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| − |
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| − | This is resurrection. It is not ascension to Heaven, which is another matter, but the bringing back to life of what was dead. Because death is the result of sin, resurrection has to do with overcoming the effects of sin. Ascension, on the other hand, is an expression of Kingdom authority and power.
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| − |
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| − | Resurrection occurs as a death and life struggle takes place in us. Each day we pass from life to death to life. This is the spiritual dimension of the resurrection. The change in our body that will occur at the coming of the Lord is the crowning achievement and expression of the process of resurrection that begins in us at the moment of being born again.
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| − |
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| − | The change in our body is important but it is a simpler transformation than the change in our nature. It is easy for the Lord to fill our mortal frame with Divine life, converting our human energies and substance over to Divine energies and substance. Such conversion will take place in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
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| − |
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| − | The dimension of the resurrection that is taking place now is far more complex than the resurrection of the bodies of the saints. It is the transformation of what we are in essence in our soulish personality into spiritual resurrection life. It is a relatively long, painful, sometimes boring, impossible-to-understand process that includes many aspects that are not enjoyable and some that are enjoyable. The future of the faithful saint is joy indescribable and full of glory!
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| − |
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| − | The present, spiritual aspect of the resurrection does not take place in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. It would be far less painful if it did. Rather, we are ground to powder like the holy incense of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, mixed with Divine Substance that also is ground to powder, and then the whole is beaten together and salted with love until the new resurrection nature comes forth.
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| − |
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| − | Paul was seeking to arrive at the new resurrection nature. This is the object toward which he was pressing with all his strength.
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| − |
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| − | The resurrection of our body is related to the resurrection of our inner nature in that the more we have been resurrected in our inner man the more glorious the resurrection (bringing back to life) of our body will be.
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| − |
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| − | Our present afflictions are working for us "a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." The weight of glory is the "weight" of our transformed body (II Corinthians 4:17). By suffering we are being prepared to reign. The greater the cross we are willing to bear (but only as the Lord leads) the greater the crown we will be able to wear. The cross and the crown go together.
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| − |
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| − | Paul did not count himself to have grasped the fullness of resurrection life. Neither have we grasped the fullness of resurrection life. If we are sitting back and waiting to die and go to Heaven we have been tricked off the course. We have quit our pilgrimage. We are not moving on toward the fullness of the knowledge of the Lord.
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| − |
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| − | If we will turn toward the Lord we will discover that the Holy Spirit is presenting us with a challenge today. If we will allow the Spirit to bring us successfully through this new challenge we will move a bit closer to the fullness of the knowledge of Christ our Lord. We will die a bit more, and in place of our old nature will be the new resurrection life that cannot die again but is alive eternally in the Presence of the Lord God.
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| − | We have started on the quest for eternal life. " Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leadeth to life, and few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:14). Will we be one of those who find the way to life?
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| − |
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| − | "For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting" (Galatians 6:8). Will we be one of those Christians who are living in the appetites of the flesh and therefore losing our eternal life? Or will we be as Paul who pressed forward toward eternal life every day of his pilgrimage? The choice is ours each day.
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| − | We will be glad eternally if we choose to take up our cross and plod on patiently toward the fullness of the life that is in Christ our Lord.
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| − |
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| − | . . . but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (Philippians 3:13)
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| − |
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| − | Here is the correct Christian viewpoint. We are to forget yesterday. The Holy Spirit has pressed certain lessons into our personality, and these we shall retain. Yesterday's manna already is breeding worms. Our religious experience of yesterday will not satisfy God today. Today is the new day that the Lord has made. We are to be glad and rejoice in it. We also are to take up our cross and press on, press on, press on toward the fullness of Christ.
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| − | We are looking forward with anticipation to the return of our King. The fact that God has left us on the earth one more day is an indication that our lessons and service have not been completed as yet. There are more lessons to be learned, more burdens to be carried, higher heights to be climbed, other people to be influenced and taught. We are to be "reaching forth to those things which are before" as though our life depended on it—and it does!
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| − | I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ. (Philippians 3:14)
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| − | There is a mark. There is a prize. There is a high (on high) calling of God in Christ. The on-high calling of God in Christ is not to ascension into Heaven. The on-high calling of God is that we may lay hold of the righteousness that is of God through faith instead of through the Law of Moses or our own religious striving. It is that we may grasp the full knowledge of Christ, the power of the resurrection of Christ, and the fellowship of the weakness of the humbling and rejection of Christ.
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| − | God will work in us to the extent we are willing to be pressed out of measure. We must become as a worm. The Lord knows how to teach us obedience and humility at the deepest level.
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| − | We have found that the Holy Spirit is in charge of our gifts and ministries, that He works to destroy every trace of Satan in us, that He creates the Nature of Christ in us, that He gives us comfort and guidance in every detail of discipleship, and finally that it is He who inspires us each day to keep on pressing toward Christ. We are drawn again each morning toward the Lord Jesus Christ.
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| − | Draw me, we will run after thee: . . . . (Song of Solomon 1:4)
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| − | The Holy Spirit, if we will allow Him to do so, creates in us a drawing that causes us to give up everything else so we may pursue Christ with our full attention. It is the Lord's will that we love Him above all else. Each day of our life should find us arising in the morning with a word of thanksgiving to the Father, praising Him for making the coming day the most intense pursuit of Christ we yet have known.
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| − | The world is filled with attractions and problems of every kind. The Holy Spirit is ready to create such a longing in our heart for more of Christ that we turn away from every other attraction and focus on Him as the first desire of our heart.
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| − | Discipleship is possible only when we possess single-minded devotion to the Master. When our eye is single our whole body is filled with light. Double-mindedness causes us to be unstable in all our ways. The Apostle Paul was consumed with the intense pursuit of Christ, and he counsels us to be " thus minded" (Philippians 3:15).
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| − | It is the Holy Spirit who creates in our heart the strong yearning for more of Christ. If the things of the present age are appealing to us to such a degree that we are weakening in our pursuit of Christ, we need to petition the Lord for an increased amount of the Holy Spirit so we may attend to Christ without distraction.
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There are at least five operations by which the Holy Spirit sanctifies (sets apart as holy to God) the members of the Body of Christ, and there are at least five end products of these operations.
Giving comfort, guidance and strength in every detail of discipleship, including prayer and Scripture reading.
The establishment of the testimony of God as the basis for His judgment of His creatures.
The imposition of Christ's rule on the peoples of the earth through judgment. The fifth end product will occur at the coming of Christ from Heaven and is associated with the third area of redemption—that of our complete victory as the servant of the Lord.
It can be seen from the above list of operations and end products that the sanctifying that takes place in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle leads directly into the Most Holy Place—the area of the throne of Christ, of the Day of the Lord, of setting up the Kingdom of God on the earth.
The construction of the Tabernacle portrays this progression in symbolic form. The Holy Place led directly into the Most Holy Place, both rooms having the same floor, the same ceiling, the same upright boards on the north and south sides. Also, the same high priest who ministered daily in the Holy Place ministered annually in the Most Holy Place during the Day of Atonement.
The more one studies the construction of the Tabernacle building, the more one can come to the conclusion that the thousand-year Kingdom Age will be a continuation of the Church age, with many aspects of our Christian discipleship being carried forward without significant change.
Nevertheless, the two large sections of the ceiling were clasped together over the veil, bringing to our attention that there is a line of demarcation between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. The fact that the veil was rent when Christ died on Calvary does not mean there no longer is a Most Holy Place. Rather it signifies that we now have access to the fullness of the glory of the Father and that Christ is the means of our access.
One of the major problems of our time is that people who have received the Holy Spirit of God have settled back to wait for the appearing of Christ from Heaven. While it is true that we are to wait for the Lord's appearing from Heaven, the attitude of passively waiting without seeking the Lord earnestly is not of God and will result in the stunting of the growth of the believer, if not his falling away to destruction.
But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition [destruction]; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:39)
We always must be pressing on. Toward what or whom are we pressing on? We are pressing forward to the knowledge of Christ. We are pressing on to a more holy place in Christ. The process of redemption delivers us from every vestige of satanic influence and creates the Nature of Christ in us.
The Holy Place leads into the Most Holy Place. We need always to keep in mind that there is a purpose for the long drawn-out sanctifying (setting apart to God) process that continues in us night and day. If we come to realize that all God's dealings have a specific end in view we will not become impatient with ourselves, with each other, or with God. Rather, we will endure steadfastly until God is satisfied with His operations in us and upon us. The end will be glorious if we do not give up.
We have named five operations by which the Holy Spirit sanctifies the members of the Body of Christ and five end products of the five operations. Let us now take a closer look at each of these five operations and see if we can gain additional insight into the second death and resurrection of the plan of redemption. The second resurrection, according to the model we are employing, is life lived in the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit of God.
The Holy Spirit gives gifts and ministries. The first of the five sanctifying operations of the Holy Spirit is the assigning, directing, and empowering of gifts and ministries. The Holy Spirit gives the gifts and ministries and then must direct and empower them so they will accomplish the purposes for which they were given.
As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. (Acts 13:2)
Although the Holy Spirit is prominent in the work of the ministry (notice above verse), the whole Godhead is involved in the edifying of the Body of Christ. Observe this fact in the following passage:
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