FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
RENEWING
THE MIND – XXVI
WHAT IS
MAN? - 6
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this
world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove
what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of IAUE.
We have died in Messiah.
We have been raised to new life in Messiah. Messiah is in us and we are in him; and
Messiah’s righteousness within us is to transform us into the likeness of
IAUE’s character. How does that
happen? It occurs only as we come to
understand, embrace and DO the will of IAUE.
When we are “born
again” our spirit, which was once in darkness, is regenerated and filled with
the light and life of IAUE; and it is immersed into Messiah, such that Messiah
is in us and we are in him. Being in him
makes us a part of the Body of Messiah, which is also referred to in Scripture
as THE NEW MAN. It is insufficient that
we be in Messiah. It is insufficient to
know the doctrinal truths of being born again and being in Messiah.
Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man,
which after IAUE is created in righteousness and true holiness.
The new man is created in righteousness and true holiness. We have discussed in recent posts that
righteousness is the term the New Testament scriptures use to refer to “the
likeness of IAUE” (see Genesis 1:26). Paul
tells us that we area to PUT ON this new man, to adorn it like clothing upon
our bodies. If it remains exclusively
within our spirit, it fails to serve the purpose for which we are brought into
union with Messiah.
Colossians 3:10 And have put on the new man,
which is renewed in knowledge after the
image of him that created him:
Also, this new man
is renewed in knowledge after the image of him
that created him. If we are astute to
pay attention, we will see throughout the Scriptures, and especially in the New
Testament, that IAUE created man in His image and after His likeness; and when
man forfeited that inheritance, IAUE immediately put into play a strategy to
restore those attributes to man. It is
His intention to bring “many sons unto glory”
(Hebrews 2:10). This does not mean
bringing them to Heaven. It means
cultivating the development of their image and likeness unto an esteem that is
comparable to Himself---like Father, like son, in both appearance and nature. This has always been His plan.
Let’s look at this
matter of “glory” for a minute. In
Exodus 34, we see the story of Moses returning from the mountain with the stone
tablets of the commandments and the skin of his face shone for having been with
IAUE. It terrified the people, so Moses
wore a vail. Later, the Scripture tells
us that the vail also concealed from the people the fact that the “shine” did
not remain, but faded from Moses’ face. It was not permanent. What the Old Testament referred to as “the
skin of his face shone,” the New Testament refers to as “glory.”
2 Corinthian 3:9 For if the ministration
of condemnation be glory, much more doth the
ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
Paul refers
to the period of time under the Torah as a ministration of condemnation;
because the law was given first and foremost to convince the Hebrews of their
sinfulness and of the justness of the judgment of IAUE upon their iniquity. If the holiness of that purpose of the law
revealed a glory depicted in the face of Moses, then redemption from the law unto
the righteousness of Messiah within us, quite logically, should exceed in
glory. The condemnation of the law was
to bring man down to his knees in repentance.
The righteousness of the gospel of Yahushua Messiah is to bring us into
the likeness of that which had been forfeited by sin. “How shall we who
are dead to sin live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:2)
Paul
continues his use of the illustration of the vail Moses wore.
2 Corinthian 3:14 But their minds were
blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading
of the old testament; which vail is done away in Messiah.
15 But even unto this day,
when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
When Moses
wore the vail, the Hebrews could see neither the shine on Moses’ face nor the absence
of the shine. After time, their minds
were blinded to the fact there was no more shine. It is similar to a dog that has been restrained
by a fence for a period of time. Once
the fence is removed, in the dog’s mind, the restraint is still there; and he
cannot let himself experience the liberty to move past where the fence once
was. The dog is blinded in his mind to
the liberty that is his. Such is the
condition of man. The vail is upon the
heart preventing any revelation that would positively impact his soul. The vail must be removed from his heart.
2 Corinthian 3:16 Nevertheless when it
shall turn to IAUE, the vail shall be taken away.
17 Now IAUE is that Spirit:
and where the Spirit of IAUE is, there is liberty.
When the
Spirit of IAUE brings man to repentance and faith in Yahushua, the vail is
removed. More specifically, we cease to
be blind because birthed within us is light; and the darkness is dispelled. We can see for the first time in our
life. But what actually do we see? This is the point that I want to address with
today’s post.
2
Corinthians 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this
world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the
glorious gospel of Messiah, who is the image of IAUE, should shine
unto them.
5 For we preach not
ourselves, but Messiah Yahushua the Master; and ourselves your servants for
Yahushua’s sake.
6 For Elohim, who
commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the
glory of IAUE in the face of Yahushua Messiah.
In Messiah we
are no longer in darkness. IAUE has
shined within us, and that light is accessed through the knowledge of IAUE’s
esteem/honor/prestige as it can be seen upon the face of Messiah. He has shined within us for a singular
purpose; and that is to bring into fulfillment His created design of man to be “in
His image and after His likeness.”
2
Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding
as in a glass the glory of IAUE, are
changed into the same image from glory (esteem) to glory (esteem), even as by the Spirit of IAUE.
Let’s consider this matter
of “beholding as in a glass.” A “glass” is a mirror. When you look into a mirror you are able to “see”
the condition of your physical body. As
well as seeing how lovely you are, you can also see every imperfection, every
blemish, every hair out of place. When
you look into a mirror, you know exactly what you need to do to correct your
physical appearance. A literal mirror is
how the body knows what it looks like and what condition it is in.
The soul of man---the
mind, will and emotions, is a mirror unto itself. Via introspection, we can know instantly how
we feel, how we think, what our mood is, what our opinions are, what our
convictions are, what our intentions are.
Should someone ask you how you feel, you would know. If someone asked you about your attitude
toward someone or something, you would know.
The soul is its own mirror that can be consulted at any time to evaluate
its condition.
What about the
spirit in man? Its condition is not
perceived by a physical mirror. You cannot
look into a mirror determine the condition of your spirit by what you see. Neither through the introspection of the soul
can you determine the condition of your spirit. You cannot know what is going
on in your spirit by how you feel, how you think, or by any other natural
perception of the physical body or of the soul.
In order to comprehend the condition of our spirit we must look into the
face of Yahushua Messiah. We must look
into the Word of IAUE to understand what IAUE says what is our condition, what
we have become, and what we must do about it.
What IAUE says in the Scriptures we are like, that is what we are
like. The condition of our spirit is
whatever the Scriptures say our condition is, despite our “feelings” to the
contrary. Our feelings are of no use or
benefit in ascertaining the truth about the nature, character, condition and abilities
of our spirit; any more than a mirror is useful in helping us determine what we
think about something or how we feel about politics. Our soul does not reveal the nature of our
spirit any more than a mirror reveals
the condition of our soul.
What we know about
the spirit, so far, is that what is invested within it is intended to aid our
soul in transforming into the likeness of IAUE, to transform into a righteous
and holy man. How is that done?
James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word,
and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the
word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a
glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and
goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the
perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful
hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
We look into the
Scriptures and we see Yahushua. We see
ourselves IN HIM, and we believe that even as he is so also are we in this
world, now. However, it isn’t just believing
the Scriptures. That is only the first
step. We must DO what we see in the
mirror of the Word of IAUE. Without
corresponding actions, there is no changing from glory to glory; and THAT is
the whole purpose. If we harden our hearts and refuse to allow what IAUE has
created within our spirit to shine through our heart to our soul, then Messiah
is become of no effect to us. We are
deceiving ourselves if we only believe.
We must DO. We must obey the will
of IAUE; for it is in our obedience to His will that the transformation of our soul
occurs. Ultimately, this is why Paul
commands us to renew our minds so that we can comprehend and act upon the will
of IAUE.
Kingdom
heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the
performance of the will of IAUE.
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