Living by the spiritFor thousands of years mankind has been trying to find a way to live righteously. All over the world religions have sprung up which have called mankind to live a righteous life. And invariably, as these religions develop, they all begin to take on the same basic shape: adhere to a strict set of rules and rituals, and you may cherish the hope of attaining some blessed state in the hereafter. Unfortunately, the grim reality is that, in every religious system on earth, no one yet has been able to follow all the rules. Many people have the mistaken impression that Christianity is no different than any other “religion” – also consisting of a list of rules and rituals, which if followed to the letter, will somehow usher its adherents into some blissful after-life. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. At its essence, Christianity is not about trying to follow some rules or rituals at all. In fact, the essence of Christianity is something very different indeed – something far more powerful. The apostle Paul expressed the essence of Christianity as well as it can be expressed in Galatians 2:20 with these words: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer
I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the
flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for
me.” Real Christianity is not just a group of bad people trying to be better because God told them to. Real Christianity is a group of people who have died with Christ through the wonder of the cross, and who are now living only as a result of the Spirit of Christ living in them. Ultimately then, Christianity does not come down to seeing how well we can follow a list of rules, but rather how willing we are to allow another spirit – the Spirit of Jesus Christ – to live through us. The apostle Paul again said it beautifully when he said, “If we live by the spirit, let us walk by the spirit.” (Ephesians 5:26) The simple fact is there is no other way for mankind to walk righteously. Any attempt to do so outside of the influence of the Holy Spirit of God is doomed to failure. Due to the effects of sin mankind is completely powerless to want, think, speak or act righteously unless he is under the direct influence of the Holy Spirit. Paul referred to this influence of the Holy Spirit in Romans 8:14 and Galatians 5:18 as being “led by the spirit.” This same phrase is used of Jesus himself in Luke 4:1, where we are told that, following his baptism, Jesus was “led by the spirit” into the wilderness. Let me state again emphatically that Christianity is not just another set of rules to live by written by a good guy named Jesus. Christianity is the way God has provided, through the sacrifice of Jesus, for mankind to be born of, filled with, and living completely under the constant influence of His Holy Spirit! Being led by the Spirit is not some isolated event in our life it is our permanent condition as Sons of God – being continually under the influence of the spirit of our father who lives in us and through us. “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (Romans 8:14) The intangible anatomy of man In order to understand what living by the spirit means, we must establish some basic truths about the nature of man. Medical science has made great strides in understanding the physical anatomy of man. And yet, when it comes to the intangible anatomy of man, we are still largely in the dark – often being satisfied to simply lump the entire intangible part of man under the generic umbrella term “heart” – a term often used in this very way throughout the Old Testament. The Bible gives us more insight into man, telling us that, in addition to our body, we have two other essential components: our soul and our spirit. (1st Thessalonians 5:23) Both in the Old and New Testaments there are two distinct words used to refer to these essential components of man. In the Hebrew language the word most often translated, “Soul” is nephesh while the word most often translated “Spirit” is ruach. The Greek equivalents of these two Hebrew words are psuche (“soul”) and pneuma (“spirit”). Both of these words stem from root words meaning, essentially, “to breathe.” This root-level similarity between these two words has made it very difficult to distinguish clearly between them.
Perhaps the most powerful statement regarding the relationship of the soul and the spirit in found Hebrews 4:12. In this passage, we are told that the Word of God is able to penetrate this seemingly inseparable union between the soul and the spirit, thereby revealing a distinction between these two essential components of man. The verse then proceeds to do this very thing, by means of two seemingly simple comparative statements. Upon close examination however, these comparisons reveal a great deal about not only the difference between the soul and the spirit of man, but also how they operate in conjunction with one another: “The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Notice in the first comparison that the soul is likened to the “joints” and the spirit to the “marrow.” Though this may comparison may seem trivial at first, it is very enlightening indeed. The term “joints” refer to the bones at an external level – where they connect with one another, whereas “marrow” refers to the living substance inside the bones - where red blood cells are actually formed. As the joints receive their life from the marrow within the bones, so the soul receives its “life” from the spirit within it. Examining the second comparison used in Hebrews 4:12, we see the soul is compared to “thoughts” and the spirit to “Intentions of the heart.” While this also may not seem like a striking difference at first glance, it too is very revealing. We all have thousands of thoughts every day, but most of us never stop to consider what the source of those thoughts is. Jesus gave us some powerful insight on this in Matthew 15:19:
"For out of the heart come evil thoughts…” The powerful truth contained in this statement is that thoughts do not actually originate in our mind. Rather they stem from a deeper level within us that serves as the source of, or motivation for our thoughts – here referred to as our “heart.” This concept is easy to understand if we view it at a different level. For example, when our body reaches it’s hand to someone in need, we know that our body was not the source of that act, but rather our thoughts, which in turn prompted our body to act. In other words, the actions of our body actually originate in our soul. The same thing is true with the soul and spirit. A thought to help someone in need, for example, actually originated as an “intention of the heart” - compassion, for example. If we trace this process backward it looks like this: The body ultimately acts in response to desires, or thoughts in the soul, which in turn were motivated by “intentions of the heart” – that is, the influence of the spirit within us. Though this is a simple illustration, this process lies at the very heart of Christianity. Ultimately Christianity is what happens when the Spirit of Christ lives within mankind, and expresses Himself through our wants, thoughts, words and actions.
What these comparisons together tell us is that the soul of man - the seat of his thoughts, will, desires, and emotions, is influenced, or “flavored” if you will, by the nature of the spirit, that indwells it. We can see this same principle clearly in nature. Fruits, vegetables, and flowers for example, all have very distinct flavors and aromas, according to the nature of the soil in which they are grown, with the result that an apple grown in one location can have a very different flavor than the same type of apple grown in different soil.
We can also see this point quite graphically in cases of demonic possession – when a demonic spirit indwells a man or beast and then exerts its influences upon the thoughts and behavior of its “host.” A spirit of lust, for example, influences a man to indulge in lustful thoughts, which in turn result in lustful acts. As repulsive as this process may seem to us, it is a powerful visual aid. And, if we will take this same principle, though it is spoken “in darkness” and speak it “in the light,” it will greatly help us to understand the relationship between our soul and spirit.
In many scriptures throughout the Old Testament, sinful man is referred to by the simple term “flesh” – a reference to not just the body but to the entire person. This same term is used many times in the New Testament as well, also referring to fallen man. In the account of creation, we find a slightly more revealing description of man. After God breathed into man the “breath of life” we are told that man became “a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7) Paul used this term in 1 Corinthians 15:45 to point out an extremely important distinction between Adam – whom he identifies as a “living soul” and Jesus – whom he identifies as a “life-giving spirit.” It is this same distinction that Jesus made in this statement to Nicodemus in John 3:6:
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and
that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
God is Spirit. He doesn’t merely have a spirit, He is spirit – it is his essence. (John 4:24) Though man has a spirit, Genesis tells us that he was created as a living soul. From the moment of creation it was God’s intention for man to be indwelt by God’s own Spirit, that he might bear “The fruit of the Spirit.” But through an act of spiritual adultery with Satan, the spirit of man was joined to the corrupt spirit of Satan, and as a result, brought forth his fruit - the awful fruit of sin.
Paul brings this point out very clearly in Ephesians 2:2, stating that, prior to our new birth, we were all walking “according to… the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience.” The “spirit” he is referring to here is Satan, whom he also refers to as “The Prince of the power of the air.” Prior to the new birth, man is living according to the nature of the spirit of Satan at work in him. Paul uses the phrase, “at work in” to describe the influence of the rebellious spirit of Satan upon the soul of man. Not surprisingly, he uses this exact same phrase again in Philippians 2:13 to describe the influence of the Holy Spirit of God upon the soul of a Christian:
“It
is God who is at work in you to will and to act
according to his good purpose.” A simple illustration There really is no
perfect analogy to explain the things we are discussing, but let me try to shed
some more light on our condition with the use of another illustration. Lets suppose there is a set of congenitally
joined triplets – one named “Spirit,” one named “Soul” and one named “Body.” The triplets’ last name is “Man,” and they
are referred to simply as “The Man brothers.”
From the very moment these triplets are born, it immediately becomes
obvious that there is a remarkable interdependence among them. Each one has clear gifts that the other two
do not have, and it is only when they are all together that they are a
balanced person. This clear
co-dependence that they share with one another becomes more obvious with each
passing day, and gradually the triplets begin to define their respective
roles. Spirit quickly
establishes himself as the most spiritual one in the group. He is very sensitive to the dictates of his
conscience and the word and voice of God, and is always quick to do the right
thing. Soul establishes himself as the
strong willed one of the three – he is filled with ideas and desires and all
the ambition necessary to carry them out.
Body is clearly the most physical one in the group, and is always the
one to carry out whatever plans the other two come up with. He generally takes a subservient role among
the trio, and tends to just go along with whatever of the other two decide to
do, except on rare occasions when he feels like his basic needs are not being
met – at which times he complains incessantly until the other two decide to
let him to whatever he wants just to shut him up. Once the triplets
begin to recognize their respective strengths and weaknesses, they agree to
work together as a team. Spirit is
given the responsibility of guiding the group, serving as the spiritual
“compass” for the trio. Soul is left
to reason out the best method to say or do whatever Spirit suggests they
should do next, and heads up all social interaction with others. Soul is also responsible for remembering
things for the group, as well as deciding on the appropriate emotional
responses to various situations. Body
is put in charge of everything that happens physically – and so actually
speaks the words and performs the actions recommended by the other two. At some point in the
triplets’ childhood, an enemy of the family devises a plan to destroy
them. Disguised as a handsome
stranger, this enemy shows up one day while Spirit is taking a nap, and tells
Soul that he does not need Spirit to act as his guide. The stranger assures Soul that he can make
decisions on his own if he will just swallow a special magic pill, which will
give him even greater wisdom than he already has. At first Soul is hesitant, because he
remembers that Spirit told him never to swallow any magic pills. But the handsome stranger continues to tell
Soul how wonderful life would be if he could just make his own decisions and
be “free” to do whatever he wanted.
After considerable persuasion, the stranger finally manages to
convince Soul to swallow the pill. No sooner had soul
swallowed the pill than he realized something was different. He immediately tries to wake Spirit up to
tell him what happened, but Spirit does not respond – a strange glaze has
come over his eyes and he can’t seem to speak. Spirit eventually manages to mutter a few
words, but his thoughts are incoherent and jumbled. The stranger quickly speaks up and assures
the brothers that the side-affects that Spirit is experiencing are only
temporary. He then says that he will
gladly stay with spirit until the affects wear off. Soul is happy to hear
that this stranger is willing to help his invalid brother, and turns his
attention to trying to understand his newly found wisdom and the freedom that
he is sure it will bring. He
immediately takes it upon himself to exercise this newly found freedom,
making all the decisions for the trio.
Even though most of his decisions turn out to be destructive in one
way or another, Soul continues to become more and more self-reliant, and
easily talks Body into following his schemes.
Body senses that
something is wrong, both with himself and with his brothers, but he
nevertheless decides to go along with whatever Soul says. He soon realizes that there are certain
advantages to having Soul running things now.
Before long he discovers that with the right persuasion techniques, he
can get Soul to do things for him – things that spirit never would have
allowed – things that make him feel better.
In light of this discovery, Body decides that things are even better
now than before, and decides to simply enjoy the new situation fate has
brought his way. Time passes by and the
brothers adapt to their new condition quite well. The handsome stranger is no longer a
stranger at all, having become a regular guest at the triplets’ house.
Neither Soul nor Body mind his company too much – the truth is, they seldom
actually see him at all.
Actually, they are glad to have him around since Spirit has still not
recovered fully from the side affects of the magic pill – one of which is
that he cannot speak clearly.
Fortunately for the other two brothers, the handsome stranger is able
to interpret what Spirit is saying, and so acts as a translator to Soul and
Body. After a while other
people begin to notice the changes in the Man brothers as well. It soon becomes obvious to those closest to
the brothers that they are in many ways quite different than they were
before. As a result of this obvious
difference, people soon begin to call them the “Old Man” brothers instead – a
nickname coined in an attempt to point out they are not the same brothers
they were in their younger days. Then one day a man
comes into the brothers’ life and identifies himself as Jesus Christ. He says that he understands what happened
to the brothers, and that he has come to help them. By this time Soul has become so disgusted
with the mess he has made of the brothers’ life since he took over that he
gladly agrees to let Jesus help them.
The moment Soul agrees to let Jesus help them, he notices that the
stranger who had been with them for so long suddenly cannot be found – he is
nowhere in sight. Jesus then informs
Soul that the stranger who had been living with them all these years was
actually Satan, and that he had been secretly influencing soul to do his own
will all along. Shocked at this
revelation, Soul asks Jesus what he can to do undo the damage he has
done. Jesus informs Soul that the only
thing he can do is to let Jesus do his work.
Jesus then touches Spirit, and he is immediately restored to perfect
health. Following this, Jesus announces that he will become a permanent guest
in the brothers’ house. He further
announces that his primary focus in the home will be to give spirit guidance,
so that through his guidance Spirit can again lead the group as he did in
their younger days. For a short period
immediately following this new arrangement taking affect, a noticeable change
takes place in the brother’s behavior.
As a result of Jesus’ efforts, Spirit, Soul and Body again begin to
function as they had before, only now with the benefit of Jesus being
continually with them. Those who knew
the brothers in their “Old man” stage immediately recognize that the brothers
have again undergone a serious change, and begin to call them the “New Man
brothers.” But before too long,
Soul and Body begin to realize that the freedom that they had once enjoyed to
do whatever they wanted is now gone.
With Jesus spending a great deal of time with Spirit, and Spirit again
acting as the compass for the group, Soul and Body are often finding
themselves being led to do things they had gotten used to not having
to do, as well as being led away from doing things they used to enjoy
doing freely. Soul finally gets up the
courage to talk to Jesus about this. Jesus quiets Soul down and then tells
him that this new arrangement will take some getting used to, but that both
Soul and Body will be better off if they follow Spirit’s leading. Soul again agrees that
the new arrangement is for the best but decides to try and help spirit out in
offering guidance for the group. Jesus
assures him that his help is not needed, but Soul insists that he should have
a part in actually guiding the brothers spiritually. Despite the objections of both Jesus and
Spirit, Soul begins offering his own suggestions regarding spiritual decisions. Before long it becomes apparent to everyone
that Soul’s spiritual input only manages to make situations more confusing,
and on the few occasions where he advice is actually followed, the results
are disastrous. After
years of conflict in this arena, Soul finally realizes that his best efforts
to help the group out spiritually have only brought grief to the brothers,
and at last decides to leave the guidance entirely up to Spirit and
Jesus. From that moment on, things
begin to run quite smoothly. Soul
accepts his limitations and the position for which he is best suited and
agrees to work only within those confines.
The more he does so he begins to sense an inexplicable force at work
within him. Every day he spends
yielding to the guidance of Spirit, a cleansing and renewing sensation sweeps
over him, leaving him feeling refreshed and renewed. He mentions it to Body, only to find that
Body has been feeling it too. After talking
about it for some time, the two brothers agree that regardless of where Jesus
and Spirit may lead them, they will follow.
The
salvation of our soul Once we see the distinction the Bible makes between the spirit and the soul of man, we begin to understand a number of verses that use these terms. For example, in Matthew 10:39 Jesus said, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” And again in Matthew 16: 25-26 Jesus said, “whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” In both of these passages the word translated “life” is the Greek word “psuche” – the same word that is translated “soul” in many New Testament passages. The point Jesus is making in these passages is that the “living soul” that is man – his very identity, comprised of his wants, thoughts, memories, emotions, personality and will – was corrupted by sin, and therefore doomed to a state of separation from the Spirit of God. And the only way for a man to “save” his soul is to “lose” it – by being crucified with Christ – so that he might “find it” again through the miracle of resurrection. Paul referred to this process like this in Romans 6:5: “If
we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we
shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.” And in John 10:17 we see that this is the same process that Jesus himself went through: “I
lay down my life [literally, “soul”] so that I may take it up again.” This process, of “finding” or “saving” our soul is referred to in different ways throughout the New Testament. In 2 Thessalonians 2:13 Paul refers to it as, “Salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.” He refers to it again in Romans 8:2, instructing us not to be conformed to the world, but rather “Transformed by the renewing of your minds.” In 1 Peter 1:9 this process is referred to as “the salvation of your souls.” And in James 1:21 James instructs us simply to “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” Perhaps the simplest and yet most profound reference to this process is found in this simple parable used by Jesus in Matthew 13:33: “The
kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three
measures of flour until it was all leavened.”
In this illustration, the “leaven” is the life of God – in the form of His Spirit and His Word. At the moment of our new birth, God’s very life was “hid” in the innermost of the three parts of man – our spirit. At this moment our Spirit was “sealed with” and “joined to” the spirit of Jesus (Ephesians 1:13, 1st Corinthians 6:17). But it is clear from this verse that it was never the plan of God that this “leaven” should stay hidden in our Spirit. Instead His clear design is that the “leaven” of His life in us would expand, as leaven does, until eventually all three “measures” – that is our spirit, soul and body, are “leavened.” (1st Thessalonians 5:23) The “leaven” which we receive into our spirits is the very life of Jesus himself. In Leviticus 17:11 and 14 God told his people that, “The life of a creature is its blood.” The word translated “life” in this passage is the same Hebrew word translated “soul” throughout the Old Testament. The very soul of a creature is inseparably connected to its blood. Once we see this, we begin to understand Jesus’ words in John 6:53-57: "I
tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his
blood, you have no life in you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will
raise him up at the last day. For my
flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me, and I in him.” To eat the “flesh” of Jesus is to eat The Word of God – that was “made flesh” (John 1:14). As we continue to eat the Living Word of God, it brings life and nourishment to our spirit and our soul, even as natural food does to our body. This is true at several levels. When we first put our faith in Jesus, he comes and makes his home in our hearts, and in a real sense we can say we have “eaten” the Word of God. Then, as we continue to partake of both the “sincere milk” and the “solid food” of the word of God, we continue to be nourished to maturity. (1st Peter 2:2, Hebrews 5:12-14) The Word of God is not, as many people suppose, just a compilation of wise words and thoughts designed to stimulate the intellect of man; it is a powerful, living force that brings life to all who partake of it. (See Hebrews 4:12) In John 6:63 Jesus declared, “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” He also made it clear in several places that the words he spoke were not his own words, but the words of God. We also read in John 17:17 where Jesus said that God’s word is truth, while 1st John 5:6 tells us that, “The spirit is the truth.” Because each of these phrases refers to allowing God’s truth to influence and transform our behavior from within, we could rightfully say that living by the Spirit is the same thing as living according to the Word of God. This is what David was referring to in Psalm 19:7 when he said, “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul.” For this reason the Bible is full of verses which admonish us in one way or another to “hide” God’s word in our hearts – which involves reading, studying, and memorizing the written Word of God. But doing these things alone will not cause us to live according to God’s Word. Ultimately the only way we will ever be able to live according to the word is by allowing the Spirit of the Word Himself, Jesus (John 1:1, 14) to live in us and guide us from within. At the last supper, Jesus held up the Passover cup and declared, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you…” “Drink from it, all of you.” (Luke 22:20, Matthew 26:27) To “drink the blood” of Jesus refers to partaking of His very life or soul, which he poured out for us upon the cross. And the way we do this is through faith – specifically, by putting our faith Jesus – the one who poured out his life for us, so that we might be made righteous, and filled with his own Holy Spirit. Once we do this, we are immediately born again – our spirit is literally regenerated, being born of the Spirit of God, and we become heirs to all the blessings of the new covenant. And, as we continue to place our faith in, and therefore “drink” the blood of Jesus, his very soul continues to replace our old, dysfunctional soul. In a very real sense, we are losing our soul, and finding it again in the form of the soul of Jesus being reproduced in us. When we see this we can understand Paul’s words: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20) Illustrations from the Old TestamentOne of the most amazing things about The Bible is the way in which the truths of the New Testament are foreshadowed in many of the stories and illustrations of the Old Testament. This principle is true of our topic – the death of our “old man” and the subsequent salvation of our soul. A number of Old Testament passages and stories allude to this process allegorically. One such reference is found in 2nd Chronicles 29:16-17 where the priests and Levites, according to the command of King Hezekiah, went into the temple and cleansed it. This passage makes it clear that the priests began at “the inner part of the house” and worked their way out – just as Jesus said the “leaven” of God’s life would do in us. (Matthew 13:33, 23:26) Other Old Testament passages refer to this process using figurative language taken from the realm of nature, and in so doing, reveal a very powerful truth as to how God accomplishes this “leavening” process within us. Consider the following verses: Psalm 103:15-16 “As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, and its place acknowledges it no longer.” Isaiah 40:6-7 “All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it.” The common theme
in these two passages is that mankind is like grass, which flourishes for a
season, but quickly fades and dies.
But notice that in both of these verses that it is “When the wind has passed over it” or “When the breath of the Lord Blows upon
it” that the flesh withers and
dies. The picture here is of a
constant, dry, hot desert wind that causes even the stoutest of desert
grasses to wither and die. And the
fact is, nothing less than the “Wind” of God’s Holy Spirit blowing across the
face of our soul can cause the “old man” to wither and die. Also notice in the
first passage that after the “Wind” of God’s spirit “passes over” our flesh
so that it “is no more” we are also told that “its place acknowledges it no longer.” This
is perfectly in keeping with Paul’s admonition on Romans 6:11: “Consider
yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” The
result of the “wind” of God’s Spirit breathing upon our soul is that the “old
man” that we once were withers and dies – “Those who or of Christ have crucified the flesh with its affections
and lusts.” (Galatians 5:24) Once this has happened, it is our task as
the “place” where that old man once resided, to “Acknowledge it no longer.” This process of the scorching “wind” of God’s Holy Sprit drying up our flesh is also pictured as a fire from God in Isaiah 10:17-18: “The light of Israel will become a fire and his Holy One a flame, and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day. And He will destroy the glory of his forest and of his fruitful garden, both soul and body.” Notice again that the result of the Holy Fire of God’s spirit burning across the landscape of our soul is to destroy the “forest” and “fruitful garden” of our Flesh – a reference to all the “works of the flesh” that once grew abundantly in the lush soil of the “old man.” This is accomplished at two levels, an internal one and an external one – here referred to as “Soul and body.” Like a fire or hot wind in nature, God’s Spirit both withers the plant itself, and parches the ground, drying up the plant’s source of water, so that it cannot come back even after the heat has passed. Once we understand how the hot “wind” of God’s spirit
blows across the face of our soul and causes the “grass” of our “old man” –
the “flesh” – to wither and die, we gain a new appreciation for God’s command
to the prophet in Ezekiel 37:9: “Then
He said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the
breath, “Thus says the Lord GOD, Come from the four winds, O breath, and
breathe on these slain, that they come to life.’” The Holy “wind” of God’s spirit will indeed bring life to us – the new life given to those who are born again in Christ. But in order for this new to grow, God must first bring about the death of our “old man.” Ultimately it is not until “Old things have passed away” that “all things have become new.” (2nd Corinthians 5:17) God must first “Pluck up, break down, destroy and overthrow” before he can “build and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1:10) And the same spirit that “renews the face of the ground” of our hearts (Psalm 104:30) must first bring about the death of the “Old man” that we were.
Malachi 4:1 refers to this same process as well, declaring, “‘The day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.’” At one level, this passage is about the future “Day of the Lord” when God will Judge all mankind. But it also refers to the affect that the Spirit of Jesus himself – The “Bright and morning star” has in our hearts. Seen in this light, the “arrogant” and “evildoer” in this verse are references to us all in our fallen state. Again notice that the ultimate result of this “Burning” day is that our old, sinful self will be left with “neither root nor branch” – that is neither the “root” of sin (ie: the source of sin - which as we have already seen was the sprit of Satan himself) nor expression “Fruit” of sin (ie: individual acts of sin - The “works of the flesh.”). In several other passages we see this same principle being applied to wicked nations. Consider these examples: Ezekiel 17:9 “Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit,
so that it withers -- so that all its sprouting leaves wither?” Amos 2:9 “Though his height was like the height of cedars and he
was strong as the oaks; I even destroyed his fruit above and his root below.” Again the clear statement of these passages is that God is both able and willing to destroy both the “root” and the “fruit” of sin in our lives. And as we have already seen, the way that God accomplishes this is through the burning “wind” of his Holy Sprit causing our flesh to wither and die under its scorching heat, and then restoring and renewing us as that same Holy spirit brings forth “The fruit of the Spirit” in our lives.
Still another story from the Old Testament that gives us insight into how this process actually works in our lives is the story of King Saul. 1st Samuel 8:4-8 makes it clear that it was the people who demanded to have a man as king over them (The name “Saul” even means, “demanded”) and that God considered this demand an outright rejection of himself as their king. In this we can see the initial decision made by mankind in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve chose to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil instead of the tree of life they were in a sense rejecting God as their ruler, and choosing a man (themselves) to be their “king.” They were essentially saying, “We can rule ourselves if we just have the right knowledge.” The story of the Israel choosing to have a man as their king really shows us man’s exaltation of his soul, in spite of God’s clearly expressed will that His own Holy Spirit reign as “king” in man. Not long after being anointed king, Saul rejected a direct order from God, choosing instead to do what the people pressured him to do. This same thing is true of fallen man, or “flesh.” Paul actually refers to unregenerate man as a “soulish man” because he has set his own soul up as his “king.” Like King Saul, a man in this state is a man who sets his mind on man’s interests and not God’s. (See Mark 8:33, Colossians 3:2) And like King Saul, a man governed by his own soul is a man who cannot walk according to God’s law, and so cannot please God. (Romans 8:7-8) Because of Saul’s clear rejection of God’s word, which was really an act of rebellion, God rejected him from being king. (1st Samuel 15:23) God told Saul that his kingdom would not endure, and that God had chosen someone better than Saul – a man, “After God’s own heart” to be the new king. (1 Samuel 13:14, 15:28) We know, of course, that the man God was talking about was David. But David also represents Jesus – the only true and rightful king of every man’s heart. Through this incident we see God rejecting our “old man” as king, and choosing the “new man” (who is really Jesus himself living in us – Galatians 2:20) to be king in his place. But the story of King Saul has still more to teach us. Even after David was chosen and anointed king, it would still be many more years before he actually took his seat on the throne as king. In the same way, many people live for many years with their soul reigning as king of the “old man” even though God has already provided a new king through the miracle of the New birth. During this period, King Saul tried to kill David many times – again foreshadowing the opposition between the Spirit and the flesh that is portrayed in many New Testament passages.
And the parallel does not end here. Even after King Saul finally died (representing the death of our “old man” – Romans 6:2-6) we are told that, “There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David grew steadily stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker continually.” (2 Samuel 3:3) Saul’s fruit, or offspring continued to fight with David long after Saul was dead - representing the continuing struggle within us even after the new birth. Even after “Old things have passed away” (2 Corinthians 5:17) and the “old man” is dead, the corrupt fruit that it produced in our soul continues to wage “a long war” with the “new man.” (1st Peter 2:11) It is during this “long war” that our soul is being saved by the “leaven” of God’s Word and Spirit within us. Just as “David grew steadily stronger” and “The house of Saul grew weaker continually,” even so our “new man” grows steadily stronger, while the offspring of the “old man” grows continually weaker! (See “Understanding the New Birth”) We can also see this same process foreshadowed in the story of the great flood. In Genesis 6:17, after instructing Noah to build an ark and giving him the plan and dimensions, God told Noah that His clear purpose for bringing the flood upon the earth was “To destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life.” Then, once Noah, his family and the animals were safely in the ark, God brought the flood waters upon the earth. The waters came from above, in the form of rain, and from below when “the fountains of the great deep” were opened – a reference to subterranean springs. For forty days and nights the waters came, with each new day bringing more water. The account is found in Genesis 7:18-24 where the following statement is repeated four times:
“The waters prevailed…”
To “prevail” is
defined as to “gain ascendancy through strength or superiority.” Gradually, through sheer force, the
floodwaters literally overpowered the surface of the earth, destroying all
flesh in the process. In this we can
again see the principle we have been looking at, although in this story the
Holy Spirit is pictured as water instead of fire. Just as the waters of the flood continued
to grow and eventually “prevailed” upon the earth until all flesh was
destroyed, even so the waters of God’s Spirit continue to grow and prevail
upon anyone who will allow his Spirit to continue to flow in their life, with
the result that all that was of the
“flesh” is destroyed. Hopefully by this point you have gained some understanding
with regard to this process of how God both destroys and renews us through
the agency of his Holy Spirit within us.
Unfortunately, understanding the process is not enough in itself. Ultimately it is only going through this
process in its entirety that will bring about the result that our “old man”
is left with neither “root nor branch,” – having become replaced entirely
with the “new man” – a “Tree of righteousness,” (Isaiah 61:3)
whose “leaves will not wither” and whose “fruit will not fail.”
(Ezekiel 47:12) The “old
man” and the “new man” In Ephesians 4:22-24 we are given the following admonitions: “Lay
aside the old man, which is being
corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and be renewed in the
spirit of your mind, and put on the new
self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and
holiness of the truth.” Paul used these same terms again in Colossians 3:9-11: “Do
not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge
according to the image of the One who created him – a renewal in which there
is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised,
barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.” It is clear in these passages that Paul is talking about two different conditions of man. One is his condition before being born again and the other is his condition after being born again, and he uses the terms “old man” and “new man” to describe these two conditions. Unfortunately there has been a great deal of misunderstanding in this area. But it is essential that we understand these two conditions if we are going to understand what it means to “Live by the spirit.” As a result of their sin in the Garden of Eden, which was really an act of spiritual adultery (See “The Mystery of Intimacy”) the spirit of mankind was separated from the Life of God, and joined to the rebellious spirit of Satan. The result of this unholy union between the spirit of Satan and the spirit of man was the formation of a new being – the same being whom Paul referred to both as “The old man” and also in many passages by the simple phrase, “The flesh.” Satan’s rebellious sin nature then began to exert its influence in the soul of man, bringing forth the terrible fruit of sin - being expressed in all manner of evil thoughts, desires, words and actions.
Ultimately, fallen man is incapable of any truly righteousness act – just as a salty spring is incapable of producing fresh water (James 3:12). Even his “good” deeds are defiled (Isaiah 64:6) because they are the product of an unholy union. He is like a tree planted by a polluted river and therefore unable to bear anything but defiled fruit. In Ezekiel 47 God used this same very same illustration, with the Holy Spirit pictured as a river of living water flowing from the temple and bringing life to everything it touches. Along the bank of this river, “drinking” freely from its water, are many trees. Speaking of these “trees” God says, “Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not
fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the
sanctuary…”
Notice
that God says that the fruit and foliage of these trees will be blessed because
they are drinking from the river of living water – a picture of The Holy
Spirit. Just as the Old Man bore the
evil fruit of sin - known as “The works of the flesh” - because of the
polluted “well” within him, the New Man bears “The fruit of the Spirit”
because of the “well” of living water within him. (John 4:14,7:38) And as light and darkness do not mix, even
so the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Satan do not mix. Man must “drink” from one fountain or the
other, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:20-21: “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too.” But unfortunately, even though there are powerful parallels between our life in Christ and the life of plants or trees (See “A fruitful vine”) the fact is man is not a simple tree, but a complex being made in the image and likeness of God himself. And without question the most important distinction between mankind and the plant world is that man has a will – that is, he has the ability to choose what “water” he will drink and what spirit he will follow. The very fact that the Bible refers to being “Led by the Spirit” tells us that we can choose not to follow the leading of the Spirit. The spirit is willing…Earlier we saw how the Bible refers to Adam as “a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7) and to Jesus as a “life-giving spirit.” We also saw Jesus make this same distinction in his statement to Nicodemus in John 3:6:
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and
that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Jesus made this same point again later in his conversation with the Samaritan woman, when he told her that God is spirit and therefore only those who are spirit can worship, or have intimate communion with him. (John 4:24) It is a simple matter of nature – fallen mankind (“flesh”) cannot be intimate with the Holy Spirit of God. And Paul expressed this same principle in 1 Corinthians 15:50: “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the It is the design and intention of God that our spirit within us, filled and influenced by God’s own Holy Spirit, should be leading our soul, and therefore ultimately our body as well. But the sad reality is, we have all spent many years living primarily out of our dysfunctional soul and, over the course of this time, our soul became quite strong in asserting its own will – to the point of easily overpowering the influence of our spirit. The result is that we find ourselves in a situation like Paul described in Romans 7 – delighting to do God’s will in our “inner man” (our spirit) but yielding our members to continue in the evil habits ingrained in our soul. In Galatians 5:17 Paul shed some more valuable light on this contest between the “flesh” (fallen mankind) and the spirit of God, stating: “The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” This verse makes it clear that what sinful mankind wants and what the spirit of God wants are two very different things. In fact, as Paul points out, they are actually in “opposition to one another.” It is easy to see why this is so when we realize that sinful mankind is self-centered, and always wants to do what pleases himself. God, on the other hand, is love (1st John 4:8) and love “is not self-seeking.” (1st Corinthians 13:5) For this reason, the flesh will always oppose the spirit of God. The only solution to this struggle is to “crucify the flesh, with its affections and lusts.” (Galatians 5:24) This contest between the Spirit of God and “flesh” or fallen mankind, can be seen as far back as the book of Geneses. In Genesis 6:3 God said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh.” And in Matthew 26:41 Jesus made the simple but very powerful observation that “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” In Romans 8:5-9 Paul speaks about this contrast between the flesh and the Spirit in detail: “Those who are according to the flesh set their minds on
the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the
things of the Spirit. For the mind set
on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not
subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those
who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Again the point being made in this passage is that fallen man, or “flesh” is in opposition - even “hostile” toward the Spirit of God. Regardless of how much unregenerate mankind may want to walk righteously, he cannot, for the rebellious nature of Satan himself leads him into constant opposition to the Holy nature of God’s Spirit. Throughout the ages men have tried in vain to subdue this corrupt nature through religious rituals, self-abasement, and sheer will power. This struggle is described in 1st Peter 2:11 in military terms: “fleshly lusts that wage war against the soul.” Paul also makes it clear that “setting our mind on” the flesh, will result in death, or separation from God, just as surely as yielding our soul to the leading of God’s Spirit will result in the life and peace of God flowing to every area of our being. Prior to our new birth, we all lived according to the dictates of a selfish, corrupt soul influenced by the “prince of the power of the air – the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 2:2) As I have already said, Paul referred to man in this state as both the “old man” and “the flesh.” Unfortunately there has been a lot of confusion about our “old man.” Much of this confusion stems from the fact that several of the passages that deal with this subject appear at first glance to be contradictory. In Ephesians 4:22-24 Paul instructs us to “Put off your
old self” and “put on your new self” – suggesting that our “old man” is not
dead yet. We also get this idea from
Romans 7, where Paul describes a conflict within him that seems to indicate
his “old man” is still very much alive.
And yet in Romans 6:6 Paul states clearly that, “Our old man was
crucified with Him in order that our body of sin might be done away with.” And again in Galatians 5:24 he says, “Those
who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Both of these passages make it clear that
our “old man” or “flesh” has been crucified with Christ. In reality, these passages are not contradictory at all rather they are attempting to explain different aspects of the same process. Ultimately it is the Spirit that gives life to a person (John 6:63, James 2:26). At the moment of the new birth, the spirit of man is regenerated and filled with the Spirit of God, replacing the corrupt spirit of Satan – the “spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience.” (See “Understanding the new birth”) At this moment then, the “old man” ceases to exist – “Old things have passed away and new things have come.” (2nd Corinthians 5:17) It is easy to see then, why Paul would say “You have died, and your life his hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3) However, over the course of the time we spent living as the “old man” the corrupt nature of Satan was ingrained in our soul in the form of countless selfish desires, thoughts, tendencies, and behavior patterns. In light of this, it is also easy to see why Paul described the death of our “old man” in terms of crucifixion, because crucifixion is, by its very nature, a slow and agonizing death. In another sense then, we could say that even though the “old man” has been crucified “with its affections and lusts” its affects continue to linger within our soul, just like crucified victims often lingered on a cross for some time after actually being crucified. The inescapable conclusion of this is that, even after being spiritually reborn, we still have a very dysfunctional soul – one that is steeped in pride and the love of self – the chief characteristics of Satan. God refers to this dysfunction of man’s soul in Habakkuk 2:4, stating simply, “As for the proud one, his soul is not right within him.” Several other Passages confirm that the soul of man is indeed not right and therefore needs to be restored. (Psalm 19:7, 23:3, Lamentations 1:16) The fact is our soul has for so long dominated our spirit that it continues to do so, even after our new birth. Even though our newly regenerated spirit has been “created in righteousness and holiness” he quietly takes a back seat and yields to the domineering dictates of our yet un-saved soul. The unfortunate reality is that many Christians live their entire lives on earth in this state. In 1st Corinthians 3:3 Paul refers to this type of Christian as “fleshly” because, even though they are born of the spirit, they continue to live as if they were still in the flesh. Christians living in this “fleshly” state are not to be confused with people who are not born again – even though their thoughts and actions may be similar. Once a person is born again spiritually, he cannot go back to being “flesh.” Paul made this clear in Romans 8:9 when he said, “You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.” As Jesus told Nicodemus, “That which is born of flesh is flesh, that which is born of spirit is spirit” – there is no middle ground. If we are born of the spirit of God, then we are in and of the Spirit. If we have not been born of God, then we are still in the flesh. Where this sometimes becomes confusing to Christians is when someone who is still in and of the flesh is acting in a way that suggests they have been born again, or when someone who is born of the Spirit is acting in a way that suggests they are still in the flesh. This is seen in 1st Corinthians 3:1 Where Paul rebuked the Corinthians, saying that he had to speak to them “as to men of flesh.” And in 3:3 he said they were “acting like mere men.” He did not say that they were flesh, but that they were “acting like” they were still in the flesh. In 1st Corinthians 2:14 Paul said, “A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” The phrase “natural man” in this verse literally means, “soulish man” and refers to a man who is controlled by his own soul, not by the Holy Spirit. Paul was using this phrase to refer to unregenerate mankind who, as we have seen was created as a “living soul.” Unfortunately, many Christians live like “soulish men” as well - being governed almost entirely by their dysfunctional soul, even though they have been born of the spirit of God.
There is no question that God could easily overpower our dysfunctional soul and make us do whatever he wanted to by sheer force. But even though at times we wish he would do just that, the fact is God is too gentle, and values us to much to overpower us and force his will upon us. However, this does not mean that God will not influence us to do his will – He most certainly will and does. Philippians 2:13 says that God is “at work in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Through His Holy Spirit in us, God continually exerts his gentle but firm influence upon our soul, motivating us from within to do his will. Paul referred to this act of God’s Holy Spirit within us
influencing us to do his will in Romans 8:2-4: “The law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it
was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful
flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the
requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk
according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” The dictionary defines law as “a rule of conduct or action” or “the control brought about by the existence of such law.” From these definitions it is easy to see that the goal of law is to control people’s behavior. It is also easy to see why Paul referred to the presence of the Spirit of God within a Christian as “The law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.” Through the presence of His Holy Spirit within us, God controls our behavior from within – even as the law sought to do from without. This can easily be seen in Ezekiel 36:26-27: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.” The simple fact is God designed mankind to be influenced by His spirit within us. Some people stumble over this fact, wanting instead to be “free” to do what they want. But the truth is, as Paul said so well in Ephesians 2:2, anyone who is not born of the Spirit of God is not “free” at all, but is actually being influenced from within by the spirit of Satan, whom he refers to as “The Prince of the power of the air” and “The spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” Ultimately then, it is not a question of whether we will be influenced by a spirit within us, only which spirit will be influenced by. Blowing in the windIn John 3:8 Jesus told Nicodemus something extremely powerful about the nature of the Holy Spirit and all who are born of the Spirit: “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” This is not the only
connection in the Bible between the Spirit of God and the wind. In fact, the Hebrew word most often
translated “spirit” in the Old Testament is the same Hebrew word translated
“wind.” Because both “wind” and
“spirit” are the same Hebrew word, in many passages it is hard to tell if the
literal wind or the “wind” of God’s Spirit is being referred to. This some connection is seen in the New
Testament as well – consider the account of Pentecost: “there came
from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind… and they were all filled
with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:2-4) This connection
between the Holy Spirit and the wind is both fitting and enlightening. The most obvious similarity between the
Wind and the Holy Spirit is that both are invisible to the human eye. Another similarity is that both the wind
and the Holy Spirit have the potential to be either incredibly forceful or
very gentle. On one hand wind is able
to reach speeds of several hundred miles an hour and the power of such a wind
is truly amazing. And on the other
hand, a gentle warm breeze of only a mile an hour or so is almost
imperceptive to the touch. But perhaps that the
most powerful similarity between the wind and the Holy Spirit is that both
require something else – a medium of some kind – in order to be expressed in
the physical world. When we think of
the wind, we think of the movement of air particles. But in reality, wind is the force
that causes the air particles to move, just like a wave in the sea is not
really water itself, but an unseen force that moves the water. One definition
of the wind is: “A force or agency that carries along or influences.” This is easily seen in phrases such as “The
winds of public opinion” or “The winds of change.” Because the wind
itself is unseen, ultimately the only way we can perceive its presence,
strength and direction is through the way it affects other things. The most obvious way we can perceive the
wind is through the movement of air particles against our skin. But we can also witness the wind as it
bends the tops of trees, stirs up waves in the water, moves objects across
the surface of the ground or brings various temperatures or odors into
contact with our senses. The same thing is true
of the Holy Spirit. Even though He is
invisible to the eye of man, we can perceive the presence of God’s Spirit
through the way he affects either ourselves or other people. God created man to be filled with and
influenced by His Holy Spirit, and
once the Holy Spirit takes up residence within a man, He begins to
exert his influence within him – moving, motivating, instructing, directing
and enlightening him from within. And
like the wind, his movements can range in intensity anywhere from a soft and
gentle breeze, like the “still small voice” (literally, “a sound of a gentle blowing”) that Elijah heard (1 Kings 19:12), to a “violent
rushing wind” such as those gathered in the
upper room experienced on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:2). Learning how to sail Once we begin to
understand how closely the movement of the Holy Spirit parallels the movement
of the wind, we begin to get a better understanding of what exactly it means
to be “led by the spirit.” Ultimately
this phrase refers to yielding our own thoughts, will, and desires, and therefore
our words and actions as well, to the influence of the Holy Spirit within us,
that His will might be done in our lives. Being led by the
Spirit of God is not a matter of following along behind someone who is
walking ahead of us, as we usually think of being “led” by someone in a
literal sense. Rather it is more like
having someone behind us, speaking simple directions and applying gentle
pressure to us as we walk, thereby keeping us on the right path and heading
in the right direction. We can see an
example of this type of “leading” in Isaiah 30:21, where God promises his
people, “Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk
in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left.” Even though there
really is no perfect illustration in nature to express how the Spirit of God
leads us from within, one illustration that gives us some insight into this
mystery is sailing. When a sailboat
turns its sails into the wind, the wind fills them with air and the boat is
literally propelled through the water by an unseen but powerful force. In the same way, God designed man to be
filled with and moved by the “wind” of His Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, when sin entered the human
race, this grand design was interrupted. Because of sin, the spirit
of man was separated from the life of God, and rendered almost completely
unresponsive to the “wind” of God’s Holy Spirit. In place of God’s own nature, the corrupt,
rebellious and selfish nature of Satan, whom Paul referred to in Ephesians
2:2 as “The spirit who works in the sons of disobedience,” exerted its influence upon our soul, moving us
along in its terrible, sinful currents.
With our own dysfunctional soul controlling the rudder, our “boat” was
continually being “led’ into the dark and dangerous waters of sin, “wherever
the pilot wanted to go.” (James 3:4)
But once we are born
again, God gives us a new spirit, and then fills us with his own spirit. From that time on, our ship is equipped
with a healthy, functioning “sail,” in the form of a newly created spirit,
which is capable of being filled with the “wind” of God’s Holy Spirit within
us. And, when we allow the Spirit of
God to fill our “sail” he propels us from within, motivating our wants and
thoughts, and ultimately our words and actions, in whatever direction He is
“blowing.” But it is not enough
to merely have a newly created spirit that is capable of being filled with
the “wind” of God’s spirit – we must still detect the direction of
this “wind” in our soul and then turn the “rudder” of our own will into its
currents. And it is this process of
detecting what direction the “wind” of The Holy Spirit is blowing within us
and then allowing this “wind” to direct our wants, thoughts, words and
actions that is referred to as being “led by the spirit.” And as we
learn to yield to the current of God’s spirit within us, we are filled with
the fruits of the spirit, and are led in “the paths of righteousness.” In a way then, we
could say that learning to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit is kind of
like learning how to sail spiritually.
And we will never learn to sail if we are too afraid to leave the
safety of the harbor and venture out into the deep water. It is only as we spend time on the water
with our sails up and our hand on the helm, that we will become adept at
sensing the movements of God’s holy “wind” and allowing our vessel to be
carried and directed by its currents.
And each time we yield ourselves to this wind, our soul receives more
of the life of God’s spirit, and continues to be transformed by it. Conclusion I’ve already said
several times that there really is no perfect illustration to explain the
journey of man from creation through the new birth and the filling of the
Holy Spirit, nor is there any perfect analogy to explain the idea of walking
in the Spirit. Someone once said that,
“love is something so divine, description would but make it less; it is
something you know but can’t define, something you feel but can’t express.” The same thing can be said for walking in
the Spirit. Ultimately it cannot be
defined for the simple reason that it involves too much of God Himself, and
God defies description. Even so, deep within
the heart of every Christian we all “cry for discernment” and “lift our voice for
understanding.” (Proverbs 2:3)
This is particularly true when it comes to understanding how we are to
live the Christian life. Untold
thousands of sermons have been preached and innumerable books have been
written in an attempt to shine some measurable degree of light on the
wonderful “mysteries” of the If we are honest about
it, when most of us think about walking in the Spirit, we quickly find
ourselves feeling inadequate for the task.
But the reality is that we were all designed to live by The Spirit of
God. Furthermore, we have the assurance
that God is in the process of bringing “many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10) and Romans 8:14 tells us that the
Sons of God are “all who are being led by the Spirit of God.” This means
that God has already destined each one of us to become proficient at sensing
the movements of His Holy “wind” within us, letting Him fill our “sails” and
embarking boldly on whatever new adventure he has in store for us moment by
moment! So hoist your sail and let’s
go sailing! |