July 2004

“HAVING BEGUN IN THE SPIRIT”

“Not by might, nor by power, but by
My Spirit, says the Lord!”(Zec 4:6)

Part 10

            “God is spirit” (Jn 4:24) so all that is His Nature- love, mercy and grace- are spiritual. Yes, even THE WILL OF GOD IS SPIRITUAL! Every decision He makes is spiritual! His Holy Will is as far removed from our unholy will as east is from west! The flesh may think he is equal, or even superior, to God; but time and fiery trials prove him wrong! The carnal mind deceives us to believe we order our steps with our sinful self-will; but the truth is, only “GOD WORKS ALL THINGS BY THE COUNSEL OF HIS OWN WILL!” (Eph 1:11) All judgment rendered by men of flesh is subject to challenge and change; but all Judgments rendered by God are sovereign, irrevocable and eternal! Creation is not a whimsy of chance; for before the universe came to be, God foreknew all good and evil that would ensue! He foresaw all the sorrow and joy, the suffering and well-being, the poverty and prosperity, the hate and love, and the war and peace. It is incomprehensible to man that God purposely created the first Adam to initiate earth’s night season of sin and death! He knew our power of reasoning would be darkened, and we’d lose discernment of spiritual things; but He also knew this would not be a permanent condition! Indeed, in a perfect, preappointed time, He sent a second and last Christ-Adam to initiate earth’s day season of Grace and Life! He knew that our power of reasoning would be enlightened, and our lost vision of spiritual things progressively restored! And this would be a permanent condition!
             God’s anointing enables our spirit to see truth through His eternal eyes of love! But this poses the question, “What is Truth”? Is it whatever each man perceives it to be? Or is there one, intrinsic, unchangeable Truth? Jesus Christ says, “I AM THE TRUTH!” (Jn 14:6), so there can be no truth but Him! All else is a lie! He promises all men, “YOU SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH, AND THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE!” When some believing Jews heard this they said, “We are Abraham's seed; and we have never been enslaved to any man; so how can You tell us, You will be set free? Jesus answered, Truly I tell you, ALL WHO SIN, ARE SLAVES OF SIN! But slaves do not stay in a household forever: though the Son of the house remains forever! Now, IF THE SON SETS YOU FREE, YOU ARE FREE INDEED!” (Jn 8:32-36) And remember, “ALL HAVE SINNED, AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD!” (Ro 23:3) Thus, ALL MEN ARE SLAVES TO SIN- AND A SLAVE CANNOT FREE HIMSELF! What of slaves like Harriet Tubman, who escaped on the Underground Railroad, weren’t they free? No, they were “runaway slaves” who could be recaptured at any time and returned to their masters! Only their owner/master could actually free them! And when it comes to our fleshly owner/master, SIN WILL SET NO MAN FREE! As for the Civil War era, It was not until a higher authority- President Abraham Lincoln, intervened on behalf of all slaves with his Emancipation Proclamation, that slavery finally came to an end! Likewise, for us, God raised up the Highest Authority- Himself- in His appearing as the Son, Jesus Christ- to intervene on behalf of all sin-slaves with the four word Emancipation Proclamation: “I SET YOU FREE!” Now all who claim that we have a “free will” apart from Jesus Christ, are deceiving themselves! Indeed:

NO HUMAN WILL IS ‘FREE’ WHILE
IT REMAINS IN BONDAGE TO SIN!

            Only as Christ quickens our spirit, is our will truly free! Ro 8:20-21 says, “The creature was unwillingly made subject to vanity, but in hope of being delivered from bondage to corruption into the glorious liberty of being children of God!” And how are men set free from slavery to sin? “Our old nature was crucified with Christ, and our body of sin was destroyed! Now we know that we must not serve sin; for we are dead to, and free from sin! Now if we are dead with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Christ! We know that since Christ is raised from the dead, He can die no more; so death has no more dominion over Him (or us)!” But 1 Pe 2:16, 15 warns, “It is God’s Will that you live as free men; and your goodness to silence ignorant, foolish men; but beware not to use your liberty as a cloak for evil, but as SLAVES OF GOD!” But this poses a problem for believers! If we are free from our bondage to vanity, sin, and death, why do we still exhibit sinful behavior betimes? Let us hear Paul’s plaintive personal testimony.

“We know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold into slavery to sin!
For I do what I don’t want to do: and I don’t do what I know I should; but
instead, I do what I hate! If then I do what I don’t want to do, I consent to
the law that it is good. So then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells
in me. For I know that there is no good thing in me (that is, in my flesh)!!
The ability to will what is good and proper to do is present with me; but
I cannot find the way and the means to perform what is good and proper.
The good that I want to do, I don’t do; and the evil that I don’t want to do,
I do. Now if I do what I don’t want to do, it is no more I that do it, but it
is sin that dwells in me. So then I find a law that when I want to do good,
evil is present with me, while my inward man delights in the law of God!
I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind,
and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of death?
I thank God, Jesus Christ our Lord will deliver me! Thus with my mind,
I serve the law of God; but with my flesh the law of sin!” (Ro 7:14-25)

Hear again Zec 4:6,

“This is the Word of the Lord...
It is NOT by (your human) might,
and NOT by (your human) power,
but BY MY SPIRIT, says the Lord!”

[TO BE CONTINUED]