WBS.174
FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
THE
TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOUL – XI
We are but a choice away from the fruits of righteousness
filling our souls.
Today,
I want to discuss a critical point in Scripture, the ignorance of which almost assuredly
shares a major responsibility for the ineffectiveness of the Church, today.
During
the life of this blog, we have many times discussed the fact that a false
gospel has almost completely replaced the true gospel throughout the world (Confess that you believe
Jesus died to forgive you of your sins, then pray a magic prayer that eternally secures
your heavenly destination.).
We
have discussed that the church has forsaken the gospel of the Kingdom (Repent for the
Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.), such that repentance is now believed to be simply
praying the “magic prayer” (Jesus, forgive me of my sins and come into my
heart. I accept you as my Lord and
Savior. Amen.).
We
have even explained that “salvation” isn’t being born again; but rather it is
deliverance from our enemies that have prevented us from doing the will of IAUE
(See
Luke 1:67-79). It is the provision
IAUE made through His Son, Yahushua Messiah, our Master, to restore us to our
creative design: to do the will of IAUE and grow up into His likeness
(righteousness) The new birth is merely the equipping of the believer to do the
will of IAUE. It is in doing the will of
IAUE that salvation is realized in the life of the believer. It is as James explained in James 2:17-18,
faith without works is dead. Belief
without corresponding actions is merely a philosophy or culture that one
embraces. True faith, living faith, cannot help but be manifested by the way we
live; and by the things we do.
It
is this word “salvation” that has caused so many problems for the church of
Yahushua. It is a word thrown around
recklessly and with little regard for its true meaning. We hear Christians asking people, “Are you saved?” The Christian likely isn’t even saved; so how
can he expect the unbelieving one even to know what he is asking? Christians will say, “I was saved on June 12,
1992.” In truth, one can point to a date
and time and say that is when they were born again; but what date and time can
they point to that they began doing the will of IAUE; and demonstrated by their
works that they indeed were delivered from the oppressor of their soul?
The
church points to the born-again spirit as salvation. ALL spirits are given by IAUE, and unto IAUE
all spirits will return; whether they are the spirits that animated believers
or animated the unbelievers.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then
shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto Elohim
who gave it.
Even
though we are born again, it is not our spirit that thinks for us. It is not our spirit that feels for us. It is not our spirit that makes decisions for
our life. It is not our spirit that
forms our opinions and convictions. We
have discussed thoroughly over weeks past that IAUE desires the life and power in
our newborn spirit to be released through our heart and soul to expression in
our bodies. Only then do we manifest the Kingom of Heaven upon the earth as we
demonstrate the Master’s reign through our own obedience to his authority. That life and power is communicated first to
the conscience of man; but who is responsible for the integrity and
transparency of, or the impairment of, or the seering of our conscience? It is our soul.
Once
the conscience has received the life and power within the spirit, it must pass
through the heart; but who is responsible for the clarity of or the hardness of
the heart? It is not the spirit. It is the soul. Then, once passed through the heart and
received by the understanding there is still another step. Just because we now understand the will of IAUE,
and understand that His will comes with the power to do it, who chooses to do
it? It is not the spirit. It is the soul.
Once
we begin to analyze this process, we see that experiencing the reality of our “salvation”
is completely dependent upon the soul of man.
The will of IAUE comes complete with the power of IAUE; and our mind
can still choose not to obey. Our emotions
can communicate, “I don’t feel like doing that.” Our will can
figuratively and quite literally put our foot down and say, “No! I am not going to do that.” It only takes one element of the soul to
disobey the will of IAUE; despite our newborn spirit’s complete desire to do
His will.
What
the church has failed to recognize is that salvation is not the salvation of
the spirit of man, but it is the salvation of the soul of man. Remember in the Garden of Eden, when IAUE
formed man of the dust of the earth, though his body was made in IAUE’s image,
man was not alive and had no identity.
While IAUE’s breath was still in His mouth, man had no life or identify;
but once IAUE breathed into his nostrils and animated his flesh, MAN BECAME A
LIVING SOUL. It is the soul than sins
that must surely die; and it is the soul of man that IAUE sent His Son to
save. It is the soul of man that was
created with the ability to mature into the likeness of IAUE’s character and
nature; and it is the soul of man that IAUE desires to restore unto His
likeness.
James 5:19 Brethren,
if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
20 Let him
know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save
a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
James
refers to brothers in the faith of Messiah, those who are born again, that
begin to walk in error and sin. When we
turn that brother from the error of his way, we rescue his soul from death.
Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples
also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow me.
35 For whosoever
will save his life (soul) shall lose it;
but whosoever shall lose his life (soul)
for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
36 For
what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own
soul?
37 Or what
shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
38 Whosoever
therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful
generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh
in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
The
“magic prayer” gospel does not enjoin the convert to lose his soul in this life…to
sacrifice his rights to live his own life to take up a life of obedience to
Messiah. We spent months discussing the
renewing of the mind. Paul instructed
the believer in Romans 12:1-2 to offer his body as a living sacrifice as a
reasonable service of worship to IAUE.
It is expected of us. Once we
offer our bodies as a sacrifice to IAUE, what does the soul of man have left to
control? What exercise of personal
dominion is left to it; for it is only through the body that the soul of man is
manifested. If our bodies are no longer
our own, then the focus of the soul can no longer be toward the body. It must be toward the spirit. We cease to be carnally minded, and are
become spiritually mind. Where else can
we go if our bodies are no longer our own?
Offering our bodies as a living sacrifice minimizes the realm of authorities
in our life from two (ours and His), to just His. (“Thy Kingdom come; thy will
be done…”)
Matthew 10:28 And
fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but
rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
How
do you suppose someone is able to destroy the soul in hell? All it takes is to cause one to refuse to lay
down one’s soul in this life; to maintain the illusion that we still have the
authority to make the decisions in and for our life. The Scripture says that “bad company corrupts good morals.” (1 Corinthians
15:33) We have just read in James 5
(above) that a believer who has erred from the truth and fallen into a pattern
of sinful behavior is in fear of losing his soul. The enemy of our soul
constantly moves others to try to tear down the manifestation of IAUE’s
righteousness in the life of believers, to cause disciples to make compromises,
to make wrong choices, to lie, then to lie to cover up the lie, etc. He uses friends, family, co-workers, peer
pressure, whatever is at his disposal to distract us from being spiritually
minded. He seeks out any root of pride,
then caters to it. Yes, there are those
who have the ability to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Mark 12:30 And
thou shalt love IAUE thy Elohim with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first
commandment.
Notice
in this verse that IAUE does not command us to love Him with our spirit. That is because we do not control our
spirit. We do not think with our spirit,
love with our spirit, feel with our spirit, make choices with our spirit. No, IAUE does not ask us to love Him with our
spirit; but He does command us to love him with what CAN make that choice.
Consider
what it looks like to IAUE to have slaughtered His son to rescue us unto
Himself and to redeem us unto our creative design/purpose, only for us to
accept His son’s sacrifice and then to keep our souls nasty, stinky, full of
pride, full of self, full of self-will.
It is an insult to His grace and to His love.
Philippians 2:9 Wherefore
IAUE also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every
name:
10 That at
the name of Yahushua every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And
that every tongue should confess that Yahushua Messiah is Master, to the
glory of Elohim the Father.
12 Wherefore,
my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much
more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is
Elohim which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
14 Do all
things without murmurings and disputings:
15 That ye
may be blameless and harmless, the sons of Elohim, without rebuke, in the midst
of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
16 Holding
forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Messiah, that I
have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
IAUE
exalted His son so every knee SHOULD bow; and every tongue SHOULD confess; but
that is not forced upon man. Man chooses
with his soul, to bow and confess. Paul
instructed the Philippians to work out their own salvation; which is defined by
the next verse. IAUE is there to enable
us both to want to do His will and also to do His will.
Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man,
which after IAUE is created in righteousness and true holiness.
All
the raw materials are there in the new man; but just lying there dormant does
not benefit the soul. We must PUT ON the
new man. The new man is like a new suit.
We must wear it, otherwise it remains in the closet, unused, unworn.
1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, The first
man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
Adam
was made a living soul. When Adam sired
children, they, too, became living souls; but they, like as Adam had become, were
corrupted souls because Adam’s spirit had died…had become separated from IAUE,
no longer having His life and light and power in it. His children were born separated from IAUE,
and their children, and their children’s children on down to you and me.
Messiah
Yahushua came as the last Adam to be a quickening spirit…a life-giving spirit. Messiah restores life to the spirit of man in
order to redeem man’s soul. So, you see, Father IAUE is looking for a soul that
loves Him and does all His good pleasure.
He is not looking for newborn spirits.
That is not His objective. His
true objective is not possible until the spirit of man is quickened by
Messiah. Then and only then can the soul
be transformed.
Kingdom
heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the
performance of the will of IAUE.
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