Crisis of Faith and Christian Despair—Pathway to Life.

“This is a faithful saying” (2 Timothy 2:11-13)

“For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him.
If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him, He also will deny us.
If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”

Greetings friend.

Reading the verses above feels to me like I am descending the ladder of faith, traveling from the heights of assurance and Christian victory into the hellish pits of despair. If this view is permissible, what happens when I arrive there? Go with me, and see.

I wonder how often we truly ponder our relationship with God, with Jesus Christ? Frequently? Rarely? I find value in such questioning, but do you? How about others you know? Is such enterprise a waste of time and the strain on one’s soul unwarranted? Such an effort may lead one to despair! Well, perhaps it should. But, doing so may also lead one to a greater understanding of what those relationships actually mean. We may learn things about our life with God and Jesus Christ that we’ve not understood before; things which strangely strengthen and encourage us, even though the venture costs us dearly. Perfect love casts out fear.

Read again those few verses above and locate the part that best describes your current relationship with Jesus. Circle it, or write it down. Read them again and now identify the part that you least want to have describe your relationship with Him. Note it. For some, perhaps they are the same.

The first line, “For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him,” might describe the entry way into life with God through Christ, and so it conveys to us a great hope! Here are found the basics of the gospel, and many a Christian lives secure in themselves and Christ right here and advances no farther in Christian understanding or the fullness and substance of the Christian life. Forgiveness through Christ and everlasting life with God because of Christ are the extent of it. Really? Must there not be more? What if the living with Him actually describes that which is the reminder of our earthly lives after conversion but before Heaven? “Having died with Him, I live with Him.” If this second view is a possibility, then a Christian would by necessity move on to the second line. People defined by the first interpretation will be motivated to stay secure on line one. Their Christianity has no depth. Therefore, they cannot descend.

“If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.” If this verse pertains to the Christian life (and this seems the correct view, given how Paul describes his situation in chapter 1), the word “endure” is appropriately chosen. Do you and I have what it takes to successfully and triumphantly live the Christian life all the way to the end? Must we not honestly evaluate our lives with God, with Christ, so that we know? Or, is guessing and assuming sufficient? Friend, how does it go with you? Tell me, by what rule do you gage your life? Life is hard. The Christian life is hard. To live it, one must press into it continually or it will cease and darkness may return as one’s way. If you do not endure, then would you (by default) live as a non-Christian? Or, is failing to endure simply part of the Christian journey? Troubling, is it?

The secret to living the life with endurance stems from what is positioned at the end of the previous line: living with Him. “Having died,” if you do not “live with Him,” you cannot endure. If you do not live with Him, you have no life; for “you died” (or so you claim). Your life now can only be “in Him.” The two states (dead, but alive) are different sides of a single reality. He endured. You can endure. He reigns. You too can reign. But first, you must endure. Do not try this by your own strength. Abandon any thought of it. For you will not succeed. Having died with Him, to live, you can now only live through His life. Because He lives, you live. How often we forget that we have died with Him. Imagine, in those times, how difficult it would be to resurrect that which died, to try and have what we believe and remember was life to us return. This cannot be done. Jesus is also the resurrection. He is the life. We must live with and by Him. Only then will we endure. Only then will we reign.

Dear reader, we have taken some downward steps. Do you see yourself somewhere along the way thus far described? Do you live with Him? Do you endure? Come. We must quickly press on while thoughtfully engaged.

Next, we enter the treacherous waters of Christian hardship where the rocks of denial abound: denial of Jesus Christ. Why would that come now? We just spoke of enduring and the glory of reigning with Him! Far be it from any of us to ever deny our Lord! “I am a Christian!” Perhaps, but, my friend, do we not all in some way deny our Lord? Did He not stand alone at trial? Was it not Jesus, and then set against Him was all the world? Perhaps, when reading on, the more challenging issue is “How does Christ deny us upon our denying Him?”

It would seem at this point torrents of fear wash us away and dash us upon the rocks! The One I trust for my salvation; the One I call my Lord . . . is this truly His way toward me? Could I carry the weight of such awareness, if true!? Questions and insecurities would overwhelm me like high flood waters washing away everything in its path! Is this denial for eternity? Is there any repentance and forgiveness to bring repair!? Even if only affecting temporary fellowship! Could I but have some hints to discern some break in intimacy with God (such as are contained in the warnings to the churches in Revelation 1-3), then I might understand the dangers and repent!

My friend, I have difficulty enough engaging this challenge for myself, and while I may never fully understand the correct meaning of the conditional “IF I deny, THEN He denies,” it provides an excess of opportunity for me to prayerfully examine my life with God and for God to lead me and guide me into truth, repentance and further into life with Him. Perhaps the inquiry itself is what God desires most, because through the inquiry He’ll reveal answers to us individually. But, we are not done yet. The raging torrents have captured us in their swift, rocks we meet, but down we must go. There is an answer, an end, and it is down.

If denial is not the bottom, to where must we descend? The floor which we seek is Faithlessness. Oh, the shunned description for any Christian! Faithlessness! It awaits us further down; down in the darkened dregs and depths of crisis and despair. Can you ever see yourself, dear Christian, as faithless!? Are you above that!? Who would lay the charge? Early on in your Christian venture, bold in faith, triumphing over Satan, sin and the world, could you have ever imagined yourself sometime later identified as “faithless?” Living with joy the glories of the Christian life, and secure in the articulation of transcendent platitudes, unhindered, beyond enduring! “Sure, I’ll reign with Christ! Never could I deny Him!”

Then what happens? Life changes. You change. Things are different. You are not who you thought yourself to be, and you now inescapably know this to be fact. The shell of your Christian life has cracked and it falls away. Your light seems to turn to darkness. Your joy turns to sadness. Your victory turns to defeat and ruin. Have you denied Him? Worse yet, has He denied you!? And is what you are now experiencing the effect of that denial: life separated from God, alone, left to see and to live with yourself? Is that how you would describe what you feel? Is God gone? You stand exposed in fear and humility, unsure of which way to step, for all is darkness. Motionless, truly exposed for what you are: broken and needy for that which only Jesus Christ can provide. What now? You are with yourself, and you begin to think, and you wonder, “Is there some relationship between denial and faithlessness (unbelief) that I must see and must understand that will explain, that will show, that will direct?”

My friend, at this point of examination, self-reflection, and self-exhaustion, you must go the final step. It is required. God has ordained it. You, as a Christian, must know—understand with the mind, but also sense or experience in the fullness of what makes you human; thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc.—that you are and will be faithless, but that Jesus Christ will not be faithless! It is at this point when one can see something a bit differently. “Jesus is truly Savior.” He remains faithful, and you and I (from our state of self-exhaustion) must see Him as such to appreciate and value Him as our Savior! If you do not go to and stand at this point of crisis of faith and Christian despair, you will—or, you may very well—secretly rely upon your own strength to save, your own merit, your own glory, and Jesus will not be all to you that He in reality is for you. You have not yet hit bottom. You will not know His life, because you choose to cling to yours.

There one stands, hushed in the horror of a holy silence. Upon confession of such things, the door of life opens and you are greeted by a question: “Why does Jesus remain faithful with regards to me when I am unfaithful toward Him; or, does He actually remain faithful to something other than me?” You must, dear Christian, not merely see this question as something before you, but you must hear yourself ask it to yourself! It will be nourishment to your soul and your faith, as light is essential for your sight. Then, sensing a new type of movement from within, you begin to ascend the ladder from the floor of faithlessness (unbelief) and the depths of darkness and despair. You go upward to where you assume will be the spot from which the descent began; only, you are now enlightened and strengthened. Thus, the world you know and live in is different for you because you are different. Christ is the same. Only you know Him more fully, as He truly is. And, whereas one would normally consider a question’s answer to be something that concludes, satisfies, and quiets the quest, this forthcoming answer works to pull you and me as individual Christians forward, deeper, and further into the mysteries of God and fellowship with Him and Jesus Christ; yet, we are always strengthened, even through further and assured crisis. This is because the answer as to why Jesus remains faithful to you and me when we are faithless toward Him drives us into seeing that He is committed (faithful) to a larger divine work, of which we are a part, and He cannot deny Himself, nor will He fail to keep the commitment He made to His God and Father. We are secure in Him! The glory and honor, and all else, go to Him. He is before His Father and our Father, His God and our God, as the Beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased. Jesus cannot, will not, deny Himself, nor can He be unfaithful with respect to all He has committed to with His God and Father. As a Christian, you are secure in Him. Self-security is an illusion. Do you understand this? He is faithful. He is our Savior. Trust not in yourself. You cannot save yourself. The saving required is that which is only accomplished by Jesus Christ Himself.

You have journeyed back to the top of the ladder. You arrive back at line one. Renewed and resting secure in Christ, you ascend from the floor, the foundation—Christ. Now you understand what living with Him entails. You are more aware that you could deny Him, but why would you ever do that? Given Who He is and what He’s done, what He does, why would you ever deny Him? Instead, you press into the Christian life. You continue. You endure. You want to reign with Him. You live! He defines you. And you know that the old self who died, so Christ could live in and through you, that old self, it remains dead and contributes nothing to what God now calls your life. The descent to despair, although it felt to have pulled your life apart, actually revived you, connected you with the life, and now you can live more secure in Christ, more joyful in Him and in the life lived with and for Him. He remains faithful, dear friend, because He cannot deny Himself. Ponder that often. Go where those thoughts lead you. Then, having thought and questioned, live from what God reveals to you.

To the reader: You may wonder if the preceding is an appropriate interpretation of what the apostle Paul intends from 2 Timothy 2:11-13. I can only encourage you to take the major thoughts from the above description, write them down, then slowly and thoughtfully work through 2 Timothy. I am confident you will be both surprised and encouraged.

God’s best to you.

Carl
6-11-11

Reflections on “In Christ Jesus”

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” (Eph 1:3-6)

Father, how wonderful and overwhelming are all the many splendid things that you declare from your word! If you did not reveal them, I would never imagine them. You bless me through every single thing you’ve purposed in Jesus Christ, your son! You chose me in him. I participate in your divine work in his life. You adopted me by means of your son. He is the ground from which my son-ship exists. You freely and fully love your son, and you abundantly pour out your grace to me through him whom you love! You, Father, bless me with every spiritual blessing. I am—in truth—holy and blameless in your sight, not because of my worth or merit but because your decision and because of your son. All this, and so much more, to the praise of the glory of your grace! Father, I praise you and thank you for this divine work considered and secured before ever there was a world. In love you predestined my relationship with you through Jesus Christ. On account of the good pleasure of your will, and your love for your son, I experience and understand all these things little by little as the days and years advance. A time will come when I finally leave this earth all tired and worn, and I will then be more infused with life than ever I could on earth conceive. I will finally be with you; the God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, through whom I have life, love and all spiritual blessings! May I never think or say I am not sufficiently loved!

“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: ‘I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.’ And again: ‘I will put My trust in Him.’ And again: ‘Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.’” (Heb 2:10-13)

Lord Jesus, suffering was your way. Why? I do not pretend to adequately understand. But in the wisdom of God, your Father, He knew that through suffering you would be complete, reach your designed purpose and end, and you would be best set apart for the work He intended for you: the God-man; Mediator of the new covenant. As I reflect on the Ephesians passages above, I understand that I am with you. My identity is termed “in Christ.” Hebrews 2 tells me that we are one: sanctified, set apart. I hear your song of praise, trusting, understanding my being given by the Father to you, thinking even of John 10 and how you say that you and the Father are one! Lord Jesus, the Father has done so much in and through you, and I am with you in those works. I seem to be the passive beneficiary of His actions with you. I could never achieve such a position on my own. I would never conceive it. May I never account such blessings as mere earthly trinkets that I squander along life’s road and which leads to eventual loss and ruin. I am glad that you are not ashamed to call me one of your brethren! You must see me as the Father does. That you do is clear. Yet, you understand me as I am, for you know my nature. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your love for the Father and your willingness to suffer and bring many to sons to glory! I rejoice that you have declared His name to me. I am glad we are all of one! Of those given to you by your Father, God, you lose not one. (Jn 6:39, 10:28)


“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Gal 4:4-6)

Father, you purposed the adoption. I am one of your adopted children. I have no doubts about this relationship. At the appointed time, you sent forth your son to liberate and clear the way to life; to you. You sent him, and he came down. You sent not an angel, but your son. The work you designed and purposed could not be accomplished by an angel. You desired your son to be glorified and his image to be manifest through eternity as that comes forward in the lives of those you adopted in him. This is that relationship that you predetermined to be. Lord Jesus, in you this work was obtained. I understand that as a result of my actual adoption as a child of the Father, I share your voice of testimony regarding the Father. You are His son. You know him. You came from Him and returned to Him. Then, He sent Your Spirit into the hearts of all those who have been and ever will be adopted through you to Him. While you walked the earth, your spirit directed you to always be moving toward Him and to live in conscious awareness of Him. His testimony was that He was pleased with you. May that be also my experience, as your spirit in my heart overtakes all other spirits (those of self, sin, demonic or worldly passions), so that He from whom my life is now derived would be my chief desire and end. Father, you sent your son and you sent the Spirit of your son. Not only do you see me in Christ, but you hear me in Christ. I share his spirit. I send up his cry, “Abba Father!”

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God . . . For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren . . . nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro 8:16-19, 29, 39)

My Father, the collection of scriptures assembled above that I have prayed through are like successive waves of the sea rolling ashore. Each one lands its message and truth on the shore of my mind and heart. You gave me the Spirit of your son. The Holy Spirit impress upon me that I am your child. I have that witness. But you have purposed that I understand and experience more. You make it known to me that I am an heir with your son in all that you purposed to accomplish through him. He rules and inherits. I do not understand all this, but I believe it. As your child, adopted in Christ Jesus, you have predetermined that what happens in my life works to shape and bring forth your son’s likeness in my life. That must be a divine work! Sin too wants to master me. Conformity to its image is an effortless decent. Your work to conform me to the image of your son is a mighty work! A glorious work! A heavenly work! I am no longer defined by who I am in Adam. Nor do I bear the image of the devil. I am your child, and I am being transformed to reflect the image of your son! You desire what is glorious in him to be manifest among those many brethren. Father, Lord Jesus, let me always remember that your love is the environment of my existence. You have purposed that I would, in Christ, live before you in love; now and forever. Nothing of earth, or any other created dimension, can alter this fact!

My God, as I close, it is abundantly clear that You love me. This is so, certainly because I am “in Christ,” but also shown to me in other various ways related to experience. It is also clear that I have not been abandoned, and I am not alone, regardless of what my inner thoughts and imaginations want me to believe, or what the voices of the world try to convince me of to the contrary. They lie. And God, you are trustworthy. I am to rest in you and your goodness always. The world cannot know these things, and if the world hears them they scoff in disbelief. But those who are your children in Christ Jesus, Father, these know; for you have given them the Spirit of your son in their hearts. The Holy Spirit witnesses to us also. That testimony is firm. Thank you for your wonderful works in Christ Jesus and for the witness of these things from your word by which my mind, my heart, and my life are strengthened and your name exalted. Amen

Christ Our Mediator and Prayer

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim 2:5) “Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” (Lk 11:3-4) “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matt 6:14-15)

Father, without Jesus, Your Son, I would have no access to You, no fellowship, no intimacy. I would be left to myself, separated from You, without hope. Because of Him, I see You, and I see myself as before You. He instructs me in Your Word. Even in this, He acts as Mediator for us. It is He who teaches me about prayer: petition, with gratitude, for physical sustenance and forgiveness of my sin. These are my minimal daily needs, as creature and sinner—food and forgiveness. Living in Your presence, I understand dependency, I see my sin, and I pursue forgiveness with You through Your Son. He is our Mediator. He is also Your Son. As I know myself, I know others. You forgive me, so I forgive them. If my heart is closed toward them, then I will feel Your’s as closed toward me. Thank You, Father, for Your Son, prayer, and forgiveness.

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (Jn 17:20-21) “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” (Ro 8:34)

Father, Your Son Jesus prayed for me before He left this earth. He has returned to You and sits at Your side. As Mediator, He opened and secured the way to You. He is the living way. He teaches me to pray by praying Himself. He petitioned You for our unity and for the world to know You sent Him. You dealt with sin. You answered His prayer. From this oneness, may the world hear from me (even if in only a small way) that You sent Him. Might they believe. May they hear more. Jesus has ascended to Your side. You hear His voice and know His heart continually. Your Son never tires. Mediator between You and men while on the earth. I am grateful He continues as that for me day after day. Thank You, Father, for the gift of Your Son. I’m glad You have answered His prayer. You always hear Him.

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Lk 11: 9-10) “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (v. 13) “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Ro 8:26)

Father, Your Son, as Mediator, instructs me to pursue the best from You; Your Holy Spirit. I ask. I seek. I knock. I will receive. Thank You for the gift of Your Spirit. Father, what if no one prayed for me? What if each person had to carry that load his or her self? We hardly pray now. How would we endure? What if I never prayed for my true need but only superficial wants? What would be my end? I thank You, Father, that You did not leave these cares to me alone, but the Spirit, Whom You gave me, prays for me according to my true need. I do pray, LORD, but I do not pray enough or as I ought. I count on Your Spirit. I am unable to approach You apart from Your Son. He is the new and living way into Your presence. I am grateful, Father, that You hear Him, Your Spirit, and me. You have infinite capacity to receive our combined and ongoing petitions, and You show infinite delight in the chorus of our voices; each different, yet each toward You. Father, thank You for the gift of Your Spirit. He knows Your mind, Your Heart, my weakness and need, and Your language. You hear Your Son. You hear Your Spirit. Both are Your gift, as is prayer. Christ mediates for us. He instructs me. I believe. Thank You. Amen.

Reminders About the Holy Spirit and the Life of Godliness (III)

Greetings, Friend.

We come now to the third of four parts in the series Reminders About the Holy Spirit and the Life of Godliness: The Presence of the Holy Spirit.

Part One, The Person of the Holy Spirit, introduced Relationship with God’s Spirit, and in specific that Christians can and do grieve, sadden, and disappoint Him. (Eph 4:30) We evidence our tragic failure in not knowing God and understanding the gift of His Spirit when we discount or dismiss Him. Obviously, this is to our harm, detriment, and loss. But the consequences go far beyond our lives, for we do not live in isolation. Whatever the causes are for our grieving the Spirit, we must understand and correct them. Nonetheless, God the Spirit remains committed, for He has a divine commission.

Part Two, The Power of the Holy Spirit, emphasized not simply the Spirit’s Power, but that God the Spirit with His power engages our natural dispositions, the flesh, at the critical front where what we desire and do in life is determined. God’s Spirit is positioned and abides with us at that fountain, our life’s core, with our spirit, our soul, at the final seat of our individuality. Here our nature is found and life’s issues come forth. That persistent foe our flesh hides there under the cloak of Self, natural passions and desires churning, influencing mind and heart; ultimately, sin’s source. (Gal 5:17, Rom 7:17-25, Js 1:14-15) Thankfully, God’s Spirit, Who cannot be corrupted by evil or our fallen nature, is focused right there to lift us from slavery to self, bring us out of sin, and, in turn, enlighten and empower us to live God glorifying lives. If we dismiss His person (the Relationship), we forfeit His power (Positioned where we need it most).

And now, Part Three: The Presence of the Holy Spirit.

I find it very difficult to begin this third part for at least two reasons. First, because of the volume of information I desire to share, I struggle to pick the best starting point through which to access everything else. This said, I begin by discussing the Christian’s heart and God’s Spirit, then I work into discussing the collective Christian heart (the Church) and God’s Spirit. By the Holy Spirit’s “presence,” I mean the Spirit’s role and influence, not necessarily location. The Holy Spirit does so much, but what I want to show is the Spirit’s role in bringing and promoting a specific quality of life: Godliness.

The second difficulty concerns the notion of godliness itself. If I confessed that I do not know what godliness means, how would you react? Perhaps I am on the right track, even if I am not completely in agreement with the ideal. It is easy for someone to comprehend the meaning of the word “godliness” as found in 1 and 2 Timothy and 2 Peter, for example, but godliness is really understood when one lives it. Godliness is holy living, and this presents the challenge. Examine your own life and the lives of Christians closest to you. Does godliness describe your life and theirs? If not, why not? I can tell you that while I do struggle with holy living, I also understand that the condition and orientation of my heart, in large measure, determines whether I will live godly or not. So, in conjunction with God’s truth, I look deeply into the heart, and I understand its nature and condition. If I am to live godly, I must pursue God’s word, self-reflection, and prayer. What follows from here are more thoughts on this subject. May we understand our hearts and our lives be changed to live godly in this present age for God’s glory and the good of others.

In Matthew 15, Jesus comments on the heart. From the heart come those things which defile a person. (v. 17-20) Proverbs 4:23 provides a similar view: “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” The word “life” means many things to us; physical existence, for instance. In the New Testament, physical life is sometimes described by the term “flesh.” (Jn 1:13-14, Mt 19:6) Flesh also refers to the observable life of a person. (Jn 8:15) It is a way of life. (Rom 8:4-6) But there is more. Interestingly, the flesh is said to have its own lusts and desires. (Rom 13:14, Gal 5:16, 24) It is dynamic. Going even further, there is a link between the flesh and the heart. The flesh, according to its unique nature, works desires into the heart; for example, selfish ambition. (Gal 5:20, Js 3.14) One can conclude, then, that to be “identified with the flesh” is a valid generalization of someone’s life.

But Jesus tells of another life—spiritual. In John 3, he contrasts the physical with the spiritual, speaks of two births, summing it all up with the descriptions “of the flesh” and “of the spirit.” Here, the flesh is natural birth and natural life. In contrast, spiritual birth brings spiritual life. Spiritual birth is from God, heavenly, and given to us as a gift. This life comes through the Spirit Himself. (Jn 3:3-7, Gal 4:29) We find the heart connected to this spiritual life. The heart obeys a form of doctrine which leads to salvation. (Rom 6:17) With the heart one believes to righteousness. (10:10) The heart is where the Spirit brings God’s love. (5:5) And, it is from the heart that rivers of living water, by the Spirit, flow. (Jn 7:37-39) From this, one can conclude that to be “identified with the Spirit” can be a generalization for one’s life. (Gal 5:25)

For our purposes, the heart is that reservoir in each of us from which the issues of life come forth. The heart is influenced by stirrings, desires and ideas according to a nature. Desires working in heart and mind hunger for action by the will. As the proverb implies, from the heart comes that which makes the life. Both the flesh and the Spirit represent distinct origins and natures. One is earthly; one is heavenly. Each engages the heart and fosters a different expression of life. Jesus states the flesh profits nothing, but that the Spirit gives life. His words are life. (6:63) Jesus is pointing us away from the flesh toward the Spirit. God’s Spirit brings this spiritual life to us and also labors to grow it in us. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit—the Trinity—together do the initial redemptive work setting life with God in motion (Titus 3:4-6); and, as I’ll later show, together they sustain it.

God’s Spirit is not only with or for us, but in us. (Jn 14:17, 2 Tim 1:14) His presence is life. (Jn 7:37-39, 6:63) He jealously works to free us from our original fleshly nature and bring us more fully into the new spiritual life. He pursues this by confronting our flesh and presenting to us the realities of God’s grace which correspond to the new nature. (Js 4:5, Gal 5:16f) Thus, I argue, for the Christian, godliness is the expression or outcome of living according to one’s new true nature, new identity, in unison with the Spirit. (Titus 1:1-2, 2 Pet 1:2-8, 3:11, Rom 8:9-14, Gal 5:25)

From the human point of view, the task sounds daunting and efforts futile. You and I readily know that we do not consistently live according to our new nature. Our old nature, the flesh, is too persuasive and we easily acquiesce to the flesh’s ways. The transition from being mindful of God to fulfilling desires of the flesh is to us invisible and seamless. Even if we are aware of all the distinctions between the flesh and the Spirit, we constantly feel the weight of the flesh with our every breath. Escape seems hopeless. Sometimes this is suffocating to our conscience. (Rom 7:24) Yet, such awareness combined with faith in God actually works to our benefit by reducing self-sufficiency and increasing our dependency on Christ. (v. 25) While the life God has called us to is difficult, the underlying principle of living from one’s new identity, not the old, is simple. It is also something the Spirit exercise great care for, and so should we.

Now I must sharpen our focus on the Holy Spirit and the way He works in us this spiritual life. I will highlight connections between what has been discussed regarding the Christian’s heart with another work of the Holy Spirit that also targets the Christian heart. I revisit and expand on the notion of grieving the Holy Spirit. (Eph 4:30) And I will elevate the Trinity. I labor to show that The Person of the Spirit (the Relationship), The Power of the Spirit (the Positioning against the flesh), and The Presence of the Spirit (the Life) find their unity in the Christian’s heart and in Christ Himself.

“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” (Jn 15:26)

Read Jesus’ words again and think upon what they are really saying. The message is critical, and we must carry it with us. The verses before and following John 15:26 pitch the disciples against a world that will reject them and their message. Jesus spoke these words to His disciples just before His death and departure to His Father. Once with the Father, He sent the Spirit. Observations: the Spirit is from (given by, and some would say “out of”) the Father; Jesus dispatched the Spirit; the Spirit is concerned with truth; the Spirit testifies of Jesus. The first conclusion is the Holy Spirit’s job is to testify of Jesus. The Spirit does this in various ways. (See also John 16:1-15) A second conclusion is that each member of the Trinity is present and actively engaged in the testimony of Christ. The Spirit gives testimony to the disciples and the world, with the result that people will trust in Jesus and the church will live throughout the ages. The Trinity is committed to this work. That which is revealed in John 15:26 supports what is described in Titus 3:4-6. We will see the Trinity’s joint labor again.

In Part One, I referenced Ephesians 4:30: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” Blaspheming God’s Spirit, the unforgivable sin recorded in Matthew 12, was also addressed. We understand that blaspheming and grieving God’s Spirit are vastly different. As Christians, we need to keep in mind our capacity to grieve or sorrow God’s Spirit. Thankfully, we do not face the same judgment and condemnation for grieving God’s Spirit as do those who blaspheme Him. The actions are dissimilar, but it is the same Spirit. The comparison, hopefully, works to sober us regarding our own relationship with God’s Spirit. We must realize who He is and His divine work. It is the Spirit who brings us life. (Jn 6:63, Gal 4:29) If we truly believed this, we would passionately pursue the Spirit and all He has for us. As Christians, our lives begin with the Spirit, thus it should follow that we live and walk in the Spirit. (Gal 3.3, 5:25)

Others were not so fortunate. Isaiah 63:10 says regarding Israel’s relation with God, “But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; so He turned Himself against them as an enemy, and He fought against them.” Dear Christian, under the New Covenant, God does not suddenly become our enemy if we grieve His Spirit. But for all He’s done for us in Christ Jesus, such rejection must pain Him deeply. Grieving God’s Spirit is evidence of a unique and alarming heart condition. We must not equate grieving God’s Spirit to anything else in our lives, especially things which we casually dismiss as irrelevant or may even consider harmful. For many of us, this is another Christian truth we’ve lost track of through business or sin. Yes, our hearts and minds are divided at best (Js 4:8, 1:8), but that does not preclude movement in a helpful direction over time to limit such consequence and loss. If we seek a remedy, and we should, we must understand more clearly what it means to grieve the Spirit. I do not claim to grasp this fully, but I share what I believe helpful.

Each of us must come to grips with the fact that what grieves God’s Spirit is our lives. As individuals, “we” do that. You and me. But Ephesians 4 informs us that we are not alone in grieving the Holy Spirit. The chapter takes us from considering God’s Spirit being grieved by the individual only to God’s Spirit being grieved by a church, a local assembly of believers, or other Christian relationships. It is here that we must make a transition to what I believe is Paul’s greater message regarding Ephesians 4:30. Paul’s counsel in that chapter is addressed to the church at Ephesus. They, as a body of believers (a unified whole) are subject to grieving the Holy Spirit. The local assembly of Christians, comprised of individual believers, creates a unified identity which has the potential as such to grieve God’s Spirit corporately.

Together you and I may live in such a manner that denies the life of the Spirit. To prevent this, we must settle into a way of life where we keep in mind both our heart and conduct, as well as our congregation’s heart and conduct (and, this we must do without legalism; 2 Cor 3:2-6, Rom 7:6). It is our individual lives and the life of our Christian assembly that the Spirit pursues. The life of godliness applies to both. The Spirit’s work includes us, but it goes far beyond us. This is evidenced by the Spirit’s oversight of spiritual gifts to the church. (1 Cor 12-14)

A term frequently used for describing one’s course of life is “walking.” It summarizes or unifies all the major themes and parts of one’s life, and it characterizes one’s behavior or conduct. The term is used by both the apostle Paul and Peter. Paul uses it often in Ephesians 4 through 6, where he describes Christian attitudes and actions. Many read these as a list of Christian “Does” and “Don’ts,” a sort of Christian Law; that is, “prescriptions.” I see them as “descriptions” of the life which should naturally flow from the new and uniquely Christian spiritual nature. Clearly, if one lives from, by and for the flesh (the old nature), one is not living for the things of the Spirit and the new nature. (Rom 8:5) Here one would be described as “walking in the flesh,” not the Spirit. Godliness would not follow. If this condition describes you, consult the apostle Peter’s counsel in 2 Peter 1:9-10.

To the flesh, the things of God are not only difficult to live but they are undesirable. Why would the flesh want to live for the things of the Spirit? These two natures are contrary to one another. (Gal 5:17) For instance, a subject found in the verses closest to Ephesians 4:30 is communication. Emphasis is on speech that builds up and imparts grace, and kindness, tenderness and forgiveness. Evil speaking should disappear or be absent all together among Christians, because it comes from a different motive and has a different effect; it destroys and tears apart. Ask, in contrast, what motive could produce positive edifying speech that flows willingly and freely between Christians that actually does good? We should all know this. These admonitions are descriptive of a life the Ephesians should experience amongst themselves because of who they are in Christ. Their life was to flow from His life, and the life principle was the Spirit. (Rom 8:2, Eph 4:15-20, Rom 6:4, 6, 13, 19) Christ centeredness and the leading of God’s Spirit should characterize our lives as well.

The church is comprised of individuals who must themselves not grieve God’s Spirit. We usually go only so far as to apply this verse, Ephesians 4:30, to ourselves; our individual hearts. But looking again, the more obvious meaning of the grieving passage, I believe, is that of the Body grieving the Spirit; Our collective heart. If Christ is the Head and the church His Body, why would the Body ever grieve the Spirit whom Jesus sent to testify of Himself? This makes no sense unless one understands self and sin. Life would be denied access. When a Christian assembly manifests relational behaviors from hardened hearts or selfish preferences related to the old way of life, the Spirit is grieved on a community-wide scale. The Spirit’s work of testifying of Jesus would find closed hearts. Ephesians 4 reinforces the fact that the presence of the Holy Spirit is necessary for the cohesive fabric of a church body and the community life God designed the church to express. (Eph 4:3-4) God’s Spirit is the basis for expressed corporate unity. Only from this Spirit-based oneness will a specific type of life be present corporately. The Spirit brings spiritual life to individuals, but the Spirit also fosters a unified expression of this life in and through Christian community.

I stated earlier that a walk equates to or describes a life. Ephesians 4:30 is bracketed by two essential “walking” passages. The Ephesians were exhorted “to have a walk worthy of the calling with which” they were called. One characteristic of this calling is love. (4:1-2) Then they were told to “walk in love as Christ also loved” them, giving Himself for them. (5:2) Love is the essential ingredient to define and energize the walk. Love is also the contrary motive that would prevent evil speaking and tearing relationships between Christians apart. Love unifies. It is the Spirit that puts God’s love in hearts. (Rom 5:5) The unity stemming from each member’s walk in love flows from the Spirit. Love, then, would be the hallmark of their community life, one quality which would characterize them having a godly walk or a godly life. (See also 2 Pet 1:3-7) In addition, their loving themselves and others would reflect something essential of God. (Eph 2:4, Jn 3:16, Eph 5:2, Rom 5:5) The Trinity labors after conversion to manifest the love of God in people’s lives. (1 Jn 4:9-10, Jn 17:22, 26, Ro 5:5, Gal 5:22, Eph 1:4)

A contrastive view to love is expressed in Ephesians 4:17, where Paul stresses the Ephesians “should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind,” and whose hearts are hardened past feeling. (v. 18) Sound thinking is essential to godly living, but as Paul states in 1 Corinthians 13, one can be most knowledgeable but fail to love. The mind can store data and reason very well, even argue above all others, but unity between godly thoughts and godly actions will not happen when one’s heart is hard and God’s love absent. Self-rule, self-centeredness, and pride are the anchor of the flesh. And, if the flesh dominates the heart, as with the Gentiles, it will only emit hardness. It knows only an ungodly self-love.

The Ephesians were encouraged to speak the truth in love, build themselves up in love (4:15-16), and, as already referenced, walk in love. (4:1-2, 5:2) The conclusion I draw is that grieving God’s Spirit, which denies or destroys the unity of the body, occurs both individually and corporately when what I term “godly love” is neither the means nor the end in Christian relationships. I consider Ephesians 5:22-33 additional support, if one understands what Paul is saying there about the church. There we see a desirable self-love (Eph 5:28-29, 4:16), one that looks beyond itself to others who share the same salvation and relation with God.

Paul stresses to the Ephesians their identity in Christ and what they already understood about that. (4:17-24) As Christians, they were separate from the remainder of the Gentile world. Their understanding could secure their walk, their conduct, their life. But, as you and I know, simply acknowledging certain beliefs does not guarantee a particular life outcome. Where love is the necessary motive, the heart must be engaged and constantly on guard. It was God’s love which moved Him with mercy and to save sinners. (Eph 2:4, 1:4) As we’ve already seen, there is a war in the heart between our flesh and God’s Spirit. One loves itself for itself, according to the corrupt nature. The other loves itself for itself, according to the new nature of the Spirit, but in the end for much more than itself. Godly love must rule.

The unity of the Body is linked to the Spirit, which depends on the individual’s heart that is also linked to the Spirit. God’s Spirit brings new life to the Christian, He labors against the flesh in the Christian, and He is the ground for relational unity among Christians as community. (See also 2 Cor 13:14) There is one body, a unity for the Body, and one Spirit supporting it all. (Eph 4:1-6) This heart work and Christian unity is a chief responsibility of the Spirit throughout the church age. From the heart comes Christian fruit, of which love is a component. (Gal 5:22, Rom 5:5) The Father’s desire is that Jesus’ disciples bear much fruit. (Jn 15:1-11) Only a heart comprised of good ground will actually have any. (Matt 13:1-23) In God’s kingdom, “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” are what matters (Ro 14:17), not a self-constructed legalism.

This work of the Spirit is larger than I pretend to fully grasp, but I will attempt to show you one way the Spirit, and the Trinity, work to keep the hearts of individual Christians on track, so that the Church as community, with its unified heart, will walk in love and not grieve the Spirit. In this way, we reach our end—manifesting a life of godliness as individuals and as community. Matthew 28:19 will transition us into a brief discussion of the Trinity’s work in growing the spiritual life implanted in the Christian’s heart to fuller life.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt 28:19-20)

Here we have the divine signature. Jesus unites the Father, Himself, and the Spirit in name. There is nothing more descriptive of their unity than the singularity of name. A common identity, a common relationship, and a common work: the reconciliation of sinners to God. Each member supports the overall work, and each member supports the other’s work. The Father sent the Son. The Son testified of the Father and introduced the Spirit. The Father and the Son sent the Spirit. The Spirit testifies of Christ. Christ is the way to the Father. Whether one begins with the Father or with the Spirit, the unity is found; and, that is through Jesus.

I have previously referenced Titus 3:4-6 and John 15:26, but I do so again here because I will add another verse then discuss the three.

"But when the kindness and the love of God [the Father] our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:4-7)

"But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me." (Jn 15:26)

It is clear from these verses that the members of the Trinity are committed to the salvation of souls. The Father is the source. Jesus is the Mediator of the work, and we depend on His merits. The Spirit is the Agent affecting this salvation in people’s lives. Familiar to most people may be John 3:16, where the Father out of love gives His Son for salvation. Jesus testifies of the Spirit. (Jn 3:3-7, 6:63, 15:26) The Spirit bears witness to Jesus. (Acts 2, 7:55-56, Jn 15:26) If one starts with the Spirit (Jn 14:26, 15:26), He bears witness to Jesus. Salvation is found in Christ alone, and Jesus is the way to the Father. (Acts 4:12, 1 Tim 2:5, Jn 14:6) The order in the divine signature makes sense, and what I just described seems clear and simplistic. Yet, our reason for easy agreement with belief in the Trinity working in concert to bring reconciliation between God and mankind may be because it is often detached or only theoretical: belief statements. For most, “the Trinity” is just an idea and will ever remain so. Instead, we should engage what these biblical statements tell us about God and our faith with both the mind and heart and live with God as Trinity.

The apostle Paul had to go beyond theory. He was concerned with people’s lives. No doubt, he knew correct understanding mattered. But Paul takes what is theoretical and moves that into real Christian life. When he does so, we again witness the Trinity. What you see is the same Member responsibility as displayed in Titus 3:4-7 and John 15:26, but what is new in the verses below is the revealed depth of engagement by the Trinity in the lives of individual Christians and the Church community. The end of the work for which Paul prays is godliness. He knows this is a divine work.

"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love . . ." (Eph 3:14-17)

I want to clarify something. The comments I’ll make concerning Ephesians 3:14-17 could be understood as applying to Christian sanctification. And, clearly, the Trinity is involved in Christian sanctification: the Father (Jn 17:16-17); the Son (1 Cor 1:2, 30-31, Heb 2:11, 10:8f); the Spirit (1 Pet 1:1, Rom 15:15f). I will not argue against this. Salvation and sanctification are both God’s work. There are other verses showing Christian effort in sanctification. Certainly Paul is concerned about “the walk” of Christians in Ephesus. But, my objective is discussing the Presence of Holy Spirit and how the Spirit’s presence is life for the individual Christian and the church.

As with the divine signature, so to here in Ephesians 3:14-17. Paul prays to the Father. The Spirit’s origin, with respect to salvation, is with the Father. (Jn 14:26, 15:26) It is “His” Spirit. The Spirit has might, or power, which is what the Christians in Ephesus needed. The target for the Spirit’s power is “the inner man,” also understood as the heart. The objective? That, first, Christ would dwell in their hearts, but, second, that they would be established in love. The two go together. Call this divine work sanctification, if you will. It is the glorious Trinity at work in lives after salvation to bring forward the riches of the Fathers glory—love unleashed! The Spirit’s work aims toward life and unity through love.

From this high-point of divine petition and praise, Paul transitions into what we’ve covered in Ephesians 4. They are to walk in love and build each other up in love. Christ must be present in the heart before this will happen. Christ in the heart individually and corporately alters the heart because of our experiencing divine love personally, then being able to love God and others. If Christ be not in the heart, the only person there will be us. Then, the love of our hearts will be self-love. This will not do. The Trinity places Christ there. The Spirit is present in person and power to deal with the corrupt nature and the flesh, and fulfill His commission of pointing to Christ. (Jn 15:26, Rom 8:2)

The Father has not only saved, but sent His Spirit with power to see that Christ rules. The apostle Paul understands all these things and, in love, lays them out for those at Ephesus. He prays effectively for them individually and corporately to “in love” glorify God. Paul ends the letter, “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.” (5:24) My friend, his words should force us to pause and see that here another love is shown to us: our love for Jesus. Here the circle of love completes. You must answer for yourself the level of your love for the Lord Jesus Christ. If sincerity be lacking, I direct you to 1 Peter 1:1-10 for thoughtful reflection.

So far in this series Reminders About the Holy Spirit and the Life of Godliness, we have considered the Person, Power and Presence of the Holy Spirit. In the next and final part, I will show how those who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity will join the Spirit in The Petition of the Holy Spirit.

God’s best.

Carl
5-13-11

Reminders About the Holy Spirit and the Life of Godliness (II)

Greetings, Friend.

My earlier letter on the topic Reminders About the Holy Spirit and the Life of Godliness concerned The Person of the Holy Spirit. Jesus declared in Matthew 12 the Holy Spirit can be blasphemed, sinned against, and stated such an act unforgivable. It is this very same Spirit Christians receive as a seal of our redemption. Remarkably, Christians, who know full well the forgiveness of their sins, maintain the capacity to grieve and reject the Holy Spirit in their lives. Why would we ever do that! Receipt of the Holy Spirit is God’s gift and promise. (Acts 10:45, 2:33) The New Testament refers to the Spirit over 220 times. It is the Flesh, dear Christian! Only the fallen fleshly nature would dare dismiss such a remarkable gift. Yet, in the end, it could do nothing else. It is the flesh.

In this second of four parts, The Power of the Holy Spirit, I show that the Holy Spirit acting with power naturally follows from His person. The Spirit’s nature and desire is to act dramatically for God, to pursue and accomplish God’s plans and empower God’s people. This was clearly seen with Jesus. Look at this record of the Spirit’s power:

Matthew 12:28, “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God.” Romans 8:11-12 “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead.” 1 Peter 3:18 Christ, “being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.”

Returning to Matthew 12, the passage I used to contemplate the person of the Holy Spirit, the work of God’s Spirit now draws our attention. People brought Jesus a demon-possessed man. (v.22) Jesus healed him. Amazed by the miracle, the crowds questioned if Jesus was the anticipated Son of David; their messiah. The act was public and undeniable, which troubled the observing Pharisees and scribes. They must challenge the event, but how? Their reasoning directed an attack not at the fact of the man’s changed life but at the cause of the change. These religious leaders, prized in their knowledge and wisdom, attacked the miracle’s source. It was Satan’s power that did the miracle! (v. 24, 26) Jesus would be discredited and any notion of him as Israel’s messiah dismissed.

Jesus being Jesus overturned their faulty argument. He advanced his knowledge and wisdom by challenging their claim that the miracle’s source was satanic. The religious leaders heard Jesus’ paralyzing words that would have entered the ears and in fear stopped the heart! To say that God’s work by His Spirit was really the work of Satan, this accusation is sin, and such a sin that would never be forgiven! Stunned, the religious leaders struggled to reason, the crowd also considering both paths: Satan or God’s Spirit? The religious leaders could not be sure. Conviction was weak. Theirs was an argument of convenience. (see also Matthew 21:23-27) Yet, the miracle really happened, and Jesus did it. Jesus was confident! He stood his ground! The argument ended! The power was of God’s Spirit!

But there is more for us here, a second critical characteristic to understand. God’s Spirit “invaded” Satan’s stronghold and freed the demon-possessed man. Heaven and Hell face to face! Power against power! Might against might! Good verses evil! The Holy Spirit demolished the demonic grip! Delivered the man! The Spirit shattered the doors of strong man’s (Satan’s) house, bound that man, and plundered his goods. (v. 29) God’s power was unquestionably stronger than Satan’s. As Jesus argued, the miracle could not be attributed to Satan, for Satan would not free his own! The multitudes upon witnessing the miracle, the argument, the humiliation of the self-righteous Pharisees and scribes were likely now even more amazed, asking anew if Jesus was the Son of David! God was glorified! God’s Spirit is all powerful and delivers from the demonic!

The Spirit of God dominates a second dreadful foe—death. God’s Spirit raised Jesus from the dead! (R0m 8:11, 1 Pet 3:18) The Father decreed it (Acts 2:24), but the Spirit gave the lift. Death could not hold Him! The Spirit’s power was too great! Death, another stronghold, was Spirit raided. God’s Spirit smashed its doors then lifted our Savior to life and glory! God was, and is still, glorified! (Rom 8:11, 1 Co 15:22) As it is with Jesus, so it is with His followers. God’s Spirit is our surety. (Eph 1:13-14)

The Spirit was essential to Jesus’ earthly ministry. Consider the following.

The Holy Spirit came upon Mary, the power of the Highest overshadowing her, for the conception of Jesus, the Son of God. (Luke 1:34-35)

Jesus being baptized was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, then He returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee. News of Him went out through all the surrounding region, and He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. (Lk 4:1, 14-15)

Jesus proclaimed: “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” (Lk 4:18)

The crowd was amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” (Lk 4:36)

And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all. (Lk 6:19) . . . Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” (Lk 8:46)

Nevertheless I [Jesus] tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper [Holy Spirit] will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. (John 16:7-8)

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” . . . But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:4f)

God’s Spirit was the agent (the Person) and Power whereby the second person of the Godhead was conceived in Mary. God’s Spirit set Jesus apart and empowered his ministry. When Jesus drew near the end of His earthly work, He introduced and endorsed the Holy Spirit and the Spirit’s ministry to the disciples. From that time (Acts 2:1f) till now, the Spirit has been faithfully pursuing His task of witnessing Jesus Christ to the world.

Demonic powers and death are no match for the person and power of the Holy Spirit! Mighty foes like these lose their grip on mind and heart when He is near. Yet now we turn to a third foe, even a fourth, that God’s Spirit pursues. The eyes of our understanding must be keen. Yes, enemy three is a unique one indeed, holding a privileged status concerning where God’s power goes to liberate and free. The Spirit’s plan of engagement will differ. Deliverance from demons and death were displayed to the world as a physical win, seen with physical eyes. But where we go now, and the battle we observe, take us beyond the natural to the realm of the heart, where what’s spiritual is key and godly living the Spirit’s victory.

Galatians 5:17, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another.”

The demonic and death witnessed their captives aided and freed. Neither could challenge God’s power. Now we’ve reached the Christian, a special class or breed. Here is one powerful enough to withstand God’s Spirit. Why such a difference? This you will want to know: Deliverance from the flesh, a different type of foe, must be desired and willed by the one needing to be freed. Deliverance here is an ongoing joint effort between the Christian and the Holy Spirit. God’s application of liberating power from the flesh is different from what we’ve previously seen. Remarkably different!

In the remainder of this letter, and in the next, the heart’s interior, and sometimes the mind, will be our focus. We’re looking inside. What I call the “fleshly estate of the heart” is a condition still very present and very strong in the Christian, even though God has saved and broken sin’s dominating power. Our flesh is natural to us distinct from God’s redeeming work and influence. It is our motivating force for life which seeks interests and pleasures according to its nature or build, and principles. The flesh encourages thoughts and actions aimed at satisfying its desires, which feed a gnawing hunger for fulfillment and exaltation. It does not regard God. It wants to rule, and it cannot share its glory with another. Therefore, like the demonic and death, for one to be freed and God glorified, the flesh must be conquered.

Death to the flesh is isolation, being unnoticed and unwanted, crucified—dead. For this to happen, the essence of a soul—the deepest layer of a person’s self-existence, one’s seat of life—would need a replacement for the flesh, require different things to desire; one would need a different nature, a different presence. Now we begin to see how God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, enters the battle. The word used in Galatians 5:17 is “contrary” to the flesh.

Christians should convincingly know their deliverance by God. Forgiveness of sin, love in the heart, and God’s laws on both mind and heart should be real to some degree. Jesus’ description in Acts 26: 18, if literal, does not exempt a person claiming to be a Christian from knowing key changes! Godly elements attended to, watered and warmed by God’s Spirit grow to influence a Christian’s pursuit toward what is of God and away from what is of the flesh. (Col 3:1-5; Rom 8:5; Gal 5:25, 16) Thus, the flesh starves. Eventually its stirrings, its voice and power exhaust. Godly graces and affections now fuller in the heart and soul, where the flesh once ruled unchallenged, taste sweet to the Christian, who wants to see them live and flourish into fruit. Such would be a joyful outcome for the Holy Spirit!

For this battle with our flesh to require God’s Spirit, it simply must be more severe and important than we understand. Wouldn’t we normally race toward such deliverance and never look back? Sadly, and regrettably, for most, the answer is “No.” We Christians can and do grieve and reject the Holy Spirit. We can and do refuse His person. We do reject His power. In Galatians 5:17, God kindly shows us that it is the Spirit’s might that we so desperately need. His is the only force suitable to successfully fight our flesh. This fact alone should tell us something about ourselves. We need God’s power and deliverance within. God assigns His Spirit this task, the very One who conquered the demonic and death. Here is the battle for our hearts! Death to the flesh through life in the Spirit! God be glorified!

Dear Christian, you must know salvation is from God, outside of one’s self, as is that spring from which godly passions and desires flow. God puts His principles in the mind and heart. The Holy Spirit is (relationally) placed so deep in our hearts that He presses the flesh, not only with power but with the love of God, comfort (help), truth and witness to Christ. These can overwhelm and fill the heart upon the fleshes’ retreat, also illumine the mind, so we follow the Spirit’s lead to God’s truth and Jesus. The Spirit witnesses Christ to the world and to our Christian minds and hearts, because both need and depend on Jesus as the way to the Father. More on the Spirit’s engagement of the flesh will follow in part three, The Presence of the Spirit.

There remains but to expose the fourth foe: self-righteous legalism. Recall the Pharisees and scribes, the “so called” gate-keepers of God’s kingdom, attacked the validity of Jesus’ healing the demon-possessed man. How does God’s Spirit deal with such darkened and destructive attitudes and doctrine? He uses people and truth.

The Holy Spirit empowered Jesus. Jesus publically confronted the legalist’s charge, overturned their logic, and warned them of sin’s ramifications. Matthew 23 contains a fiery and staggering list of charges against the Pharisees and scribes. They misunderstood God’s revealed will. This corrupted their minds and hearts. They pursued self-righteousness which created a way of life of severe demand for one’s self and all others. Then they imposed the same framework on others under the cover of God’s will! The New Testament records show this had detrimental effects on the people. Yet the leaders could not help but throw a heavy yoke on people. They were committed to the letter of the law, not its spirit. The letter brings death; the Spirit life. (2 Cor 3:6)

Jesus continually confronted their hypocrisy and twisted doctrine. Yet, at the end, He prayed the Father would forgive them! The flesh and sin were aggressively at work, or else Jesus’ prayer for forgiveness makes no sense. They knew neither him nor the Father. Yes, God’s Spirit uses Persons, like Jesus, in whom His Power resided, to Prosecute judgment against self-righteous legalism. But there were others.

Consider the disciple Stephen, in Acts 6 and 7. He recounts a beautifully detailed history of Israel leading up to his crushing charge against the high priest and others, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in the heart and ears!” (Act 7:51) Wow! What an indictment and charge of guilt! The charge was blistering and true, yet it remained incomplete. Stephen, filled with the Spirit (Acts 6:5, 10), releases his final blow . . . “You always resist the Holy Spirit”! So here, as in Matthew 12, that which is credited to God’s Spirit is denied, rejected and dismissed by Israel’s leadership. To Stephen’s pronouncement they lunged with enraged fury to destroy him, but not before Stephen’s final witness. “But, he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and said, ‘Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God!’” (v. 55-56) God’s Spirit powerfully proclaimed against self-righteous legalism! God was glorified!

A final word: God’s Spirit labors against legalism using Spirit-led people who walk in the Spirit to prosecute judgment against it. If you know the story of Stephen, you know about Saul, who became the apostle Paul. He stood witness at Stephen’s death. I will not review what you already know of his labors against this enemy, except to say that after his conversion, Paul was filled with the Spirit. (Acts 9:17) He is then found “in the synagogues” preaching “that He [Jesus] is the Son of God.” (9:20) The Spirit’s work continues. God was glorified!

Dear friend, as you know from examining your own life, as I by examining mine, the Holy Spirit with His conquering and delivering power does not automatically overtake our flesh, instill in us godly passions and desires that we joyfully act upon. Most of us are more likely identified with the flesh’s passions than those of the Spirit and the new man the Scriptures talk about. (Eph 4:24, Gal 5:25) Yet we have the person and power of God’s Spirit. What restrains us from pursuing God and the godly life?

In the next letter, the third part of Reminders About the Holy Spirit and the Life of Godliness, I consider the Presence of the Spirit and our flesh. There is also another layer to the Spirit’s work which I will cover. This goes interestingly beyond the individual.

God’s best to you.

Carl

Life Through Jesus

John 7:33, Then Jesus said, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.

John 7:37-39, On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Psalm 36:9, For with You [God] is the fountain of life. Revelation 22:17, And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Greetings, My Friend.

Perhaps this Easter weekend will pass you by without notice. Your mind will wander, drift, entertaining at best a token thought of God. Your heart, unaffected by events you attend, stays as it was before joining those celebratory programs that others seem to value. Sunday nears its end, and you discern no appreciable affection for God. Then, maybe, just before the weekend goes, you reflect on one thing memorable which draws you toward God. Do you thirst?

You are not alone regarding disinterest, even if a Christian. Easter, a time of celebration and gratitude, is unfortunately for most just another day. Those with affection for Christ and appreciation for His atoning work typically enjoy praising God with others sharing such conviction. But always? Our hearts at times seem lifeless. Why is it that we feel empty of true and satisfactory praise and gratitude to God? Perhaps from this we recognize our souls’ deep need of replenishment. We thirst.

We as people are thirsty. One’s ultimate thirst is for God. As physical life comes from God, so does spiritual life. Certain people’s thirst seems to grow without solution. Others barely recognize the need. Regardless, the world cannot help. We must pursue Christ, where He is, and life with the Spirit. Jesus bids us “come.” He calls us to drink. He provides what’s satisfying. He gives us Water.

Jesus “goes.” He went to the Father. Intellectually, we confess this. He gave His life for many reasons, and we rightfully praise and thank God. His provision of drink, however, doesn’t come from a mere human cup. The drink He offers is unique. It is the water of life. Once in us it satisfies, changes course and quantity, exceeds the banks of our hearts, then flows marvelously toward some God glorifying work in others. We’ve consumed living water, the Holy Spirit Himself.

There is a place where thirst exists but no water. (Luke 16:19-31) Drink now while water is available, offered, and free.

Yes, we can connect personally to Jesus Christ this Easter, even each day, and draw from Him the freshness of life with God by the word and the Spirit. Thank the Father for the full provision of salvation. Thank the Son for obtaining that provision. Thank the Spirit for bringing fully that provision into our hearts, satisfying our souls, knitting us to God. If you thirst, there is water. There is life. Do you desire to drink?

Carl

Reminders About the Holy Spirit and the Life of Godliness

Greetings, My Friend.

The pressures of each day compound over time, do they not, and it is likely that we forget many scriptural truths regarding our salvation and life with God that we should at all times labor to maintain. Our relationship with the Holy Spirit is one of those truths. The Bible describes an intimacy between Christians and the Holy Spirit that is at the core of living a godly life. If you are currently unaware of the Spirit or have forgotten the way of godliness, perhaps it is time to join me in acknowledging this condition and confess that it is we and not God who have altered course. May what follows remind us of the Spirit’s place in our lives and warm our thoughts toward renewing life with God the Spirit.

The natural course of this world is according to trespasses and sins, according to the prince of the power of the air, and according to the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. (Ephesians 2:1-2) For Christians, we also once conducted our lives confined to this environment, guided and driven by the lusts of our flesh and fulfilling their desires. (Eph 2:3) This condition, the apostle Paul tells us, made us objects of God’s wrath. (Eph 2:3) The scripture comforts us, though, affirming that those who are objects of God’s saving love and mercy are no longer under His wrath but are now people created in Christ Jesus who are to know the riches of His grace and walk in good works. (Eph 2:4-10)

Because our original “apart from God” condition is presented as natural (it is the way we entered this world and the spring in our hearts from which desires and passions flow), and the newness of our union with Christ by means of God’s saving and transferring work into His kingdom as supernatural, we as Christians can and do experience the continued presence and pull of that which is of our natural order—the flesh—on our hearts and minds. Both the apostle Paul and Peter encourage us to press on in the calling and work of God in our lives and not to be overcome with the demands of the flesh and the deceitfulness of sin. We do not have to live according to the flesh, but we must desire and choose to live from and toward God. Living from what God provides us toward those desires and ends God intends is godliness.

Central to not living for the flesh but living a godly course is our keeping close to the Holy Spirit, who we as Christians have received (Eph 1:13-14), and our recognizing how the Spirit leads us into the course of godliness. In presenting this to you, I will partner three sets of texts then conclude with a fourth verse. The first three groupings will consider the Holy Spirit’s Person, His Power and His Presence. The forth will remind us of His Passionate Pleading. In this letter, I present The Person of the Holy Spirit. The other parts will follow. My friend, if you profess Christ, consider your relationship with God the Holy Spirit, and examine your understanding and awareness of His work in your life.

The Person of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 12:31-32, “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” Ephesians 4:30, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

Jesus presents the Holy Spirit as one who can be blasphemed, one who can be sinned against in such a way that no forgiveness can be found. This dreadful fact and condition leads one to conclude that the Holy Spirit is God. (If you are wondering what sin is unforgivable, read Mark 3:22-30.) The Holy Spirit throughout the New Testament is referred to in personal terms, and it is clear from Matthew 28:19-20 that the Holy Spirit is grouped with the Father and Jesus, and He is therefore worthy of the same honor, devotion and affection that we would render to the Father and Jesus. The testimony Jesus gives in Matthew 12 is a powerful endorsement to the Holy Spirit that we as believers would do well to heed.

When we turn to the apostle’s words in Ephesians 4, he warns us that a Christian can grieve and sorrow, or disappoint, the Holy Spirit. The text, 4:30, is surrounded by verses addressing the new life a Christian should evidence: a life created by God in righteousness and true holiness (4:24), something the Ephesians apparently learned from Jesus (4:20-21). If the life created by God for us is one of holiness, then the spirit required to desire and live that life need be holy. In our natural condition, we have neither a holy spirit nor holy desires. But, as Christians, we now have the Holy Spirit Himself. Closing off one’s relationship with the Holy Spirit not only removes the holy stream of direct influence, understanding and direction for godly living but it seamlessly returns one to one’s self and, thereby, to a life absent of that divine influence. This disinterest and disregard for the person of God in the Spirit, about whom Jesus delivered such powerful testimony, will naturally lead to dire consequences.

The contrast between an unsaved person’s capacity to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, and commit an unforgivable sin, and a Christian’s capacity to grieve and sorrow God’s Spirit is both illuminating and challenging to ponder. As Christians, we have been granted an intimate and abiding relationship with God the Spirit. We can willfully shun and disregard this relationship, essentially saying “No!” to God, thus rejecting the Person of His presence. If we do so, we escape the type of judgment and condemnation received by those who categorize Jesus’ work as satanic when it was truly the work of the Spirit in Him. (Mark 3:22, 29-30) Agreed, the nature of these two situations is different. But, if the consequence of blaspheming the Holy Spirit carries such a weight of punishment, what rational wrangling could ever convince me that dismissing the Holy Spirit in my life is at all acceptable and not an offense to God? Only the flesh dare voice such twisted reasoning and, at the same time, find comfort in approving such a godless outcome. The fallen nature resident in our hearts is godless. Why would the flesh desire the Spirit Himself or the things of the Spirit? Let this be a warning to us.

[As an aside, one may here want to refer to the events involving Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, but I would argue that what occurred there is not the same as what Jesus disclosed in Matthew 12.]

Pause with me now and confirm to yourself the role and the value of the Holy Spirit in your life. Do we conclude that we live in disregard of the Holy Spirit, or that we find ourselves in conscious regular fellowship, or communion, with Him? My friend, we as Christians, only by God’s love and grace, enjoy a supernatural and blessed relationship with God that commands our preference and pursuit of God the Spirit. If we do not grieve the Spirit, then we welcome Him, value His work in our lives, and we keep the relationship open to receive all that He desires for us. If the constant pressures and distractions of life, or your preference for the pursuit of self’s desires and sin, have removed you from intimacy with the God the Holy Spirit, this is the time to change direction and pursue Him. The Father is committed to you and has given you His Spirit. Do not grieve Him but welcome Him as part of your life regularly.

“O Lord, help us, we are slow to learn.”

Carl