WBS.178
FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
THE
TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOUL – XV
Romans
8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind
the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the
Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to
be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against IAUE:
for it is not subject to the law of IAUE, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot
please IAUE.
The moment Ben looked at his body as being alive, being
his own, then Ben could live for Ben, and not for Jack.
This
excerpt from last week’s post refers to the story of Ben and Jack, brothers
during the civil war in the USA. Jack
went to serve in the Union Army in Ben’s place and died on the
battlefield. Jack died in Ben’s name. Ben was still alive, but legally, lawfully,
he was dead. He died in Jack. This is a
real-life story that helps to illustrate what Paul told the Galatians.
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Messiah: nevertheless I live; yet not
I, but Messiah liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live
by the faith of the Son of IAUE, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Now,
this story would be a perfect illustration if, when Ben learned of his brother’s
death on his behalf and relied on it to be true in terms of its legal
consequences to him, Ben’s spirit would literally have been replaced with Jack’s
spirit; if the spirit that animated the physical body of Ben was now Jack’s
spirit, and no longer Ben’s spirit. If
that had happened, then Ben could say that he died with Jack; and yet he was
still alive; however, it was no longer Ben that was alive (it wasn’t Ben’s
spirit that was animating his physical life), it was Jack living in him (the
spirit of Jack was animating his physical life). This is exactly what happens
in the life of one who bows his knee to Messiah as his master and King. There is an exchange of spirits.
Now,
re-read the title of this post: The Transformation of the Soul. Who do you think is talking when Paul says, “I am crucified with Messiah?” It is his soul. His soul (mind, will, emotions) are still the
force of Paul’s life that makes choices, exercises judgments, holds thoughts
and imaginations, evaluates circumstances and is responsible for what he does
in his body. Paul’s constant choice, however,
was to yield to the mind and counsel and wisdom of the spirit of Yahushua
within Him. Paul recognized that because
Yahushua had died FOR HIM, then for all practical purposes, he died IN HIM. There was no longer any legitimacy to his
living out his life as he pleases. Had
he been the one to die…he would be dead.
There would be no more choice as to what would be done in his body. His body would be a corpse.
The moment Ben looked at his body as being alive, being his own,
then Ben could live for Ben, and not for Jack.
If
after becoming a disciple of Messiah, experiencing this amazing exchange of
spirits (becoming a new creature in Messiah) we look at our own bodies as
something we still have as our own, as still belonging to us, we WILL
live for ourselves…and occasionally, we
WILL allow the spirit of
Yahushua to have his way from time to time; but we WILL maintain
the control valve that determines who has that permission, and when that
permission will be granted use of our
body. Can you see? It is not for us to make a choice other than
to yield to our Master. Any other choice
and it is OUR will, not HIS will that we are doing…even if we are doing what we
know to be His will; because WE are the one who has allowed for it to be
done. This is not the kind of discipleship
taught in the Scriptures.
2 Corinthians 5:14 For the
love of Messiah constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for
all, then were all dead:
15 And
that he died for all, that they which
live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for
them, and rose again.
1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye
are bought with a price:
therefore glorify IAUE in your body,
and in your spirit, which
are IAUE’s.
IAUE
bought us. He paid the price for us. He exchanged
the life of His son for us. He bought us out of the slave market where we were
in bondage to sin (enslaved unto disobedience to His will). He now owns us. Specifically, he OWNS our body
and our spirit. He does NOT own our
soul. He wants us to GIVE that to Him as
a deserved response to what He has already done for us. IAUE has come as far as He can to restore us
to Himself. We still need to make that
choice to give to Him that which He does not own. We must give to Him our soul.
John
15:4 Abide
in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide
in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
8 Herein is my Father glorified,
that ye bear much fruit; so
shall ye be my disciples.
Paul
tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:20 that we are to glorify IAUE in our body and in
our spirit for they belong to Him. He bought them. We do NOT have the freedom
to use them as we please (as our soul pleases). Consider some property that your
neighbor owns; their car, perhaps. Can
you, without your neighbor’s permission, walk into his house, take his keys and
drive his car out of town for a weekend vacation? If you do, you might find yourself in jail
for committing theft. Are we, therefore,
to be thieves in the eyes of IAUE when it comes to our misappropriation of His
property; and yet we give no consideration to our free use of the physical body
which is no longer ours, but His. We do
not respect the legitimacy of His purchase…just like Ben, when he still thinks
of his body as belonging to him and not to Jack (which was purchased by Jack at
the expense of his blood on the battlefield), Ben will do in his body what his
own soul desires; rather than yield his body to the will of the one who through
death has purchased it.
How
do we glorify IAUE? Messiah says that
bearing fruit is what brings glory to IAUE.
How do we bear fruit? We bear
fruit by abiding in Messiah…which is to say, by abiding in the spirit of
Yahushua that is now the animating force of our physical life. If we abide in the spirit of Yahushua rather
than mind the things of the flesh, we will quite naturally produce the likeness
of Yahushua in our souls. This bears
fruit. This glorifies the Father; and as
this verse declares, this is what makes us Yahushua’s disciples.
James
tells us that faith without works is dead; because where true faith exists;
corresponding actions will manifest the existence of that faith. Mere belief without faith cannot be seen by
others. No one can tell that you have
faith unless it can be seen. True faith
can only be demonstrated by action. In
the same way, discipleship can only be proven, can only be demonstrated by
fruit; and fruit can be borne only by abiding in Yahushua whose spirit resides
within us. That brings us to our opening
verses.
Romans
8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind
the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the
Spirit.
6 For to
be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because
the carnal mind is enmity against IAUE: for it is not subject to the law of IAUE,
neither indeed can be.
8 So then
they that are in the flesh cannot please IAUE.
In
light of what we have discussed, today, can you see that the “mind” set on the
flesh is a soul not given to IAUE? It resists
Him. It refuses to regard the purchase
paid for his body. It refuses to honor
what IAUE has done to purchase man out of the slave market. The former slave still wants to wallow in his
bondage, having disregard for the purchase price paid for his freedom. No wonder it is enmity (hatred) against IAUE
to be carnally minded. The mind that is
still contemplating pacifying the dictates of the flesh is absolutely
contemptible in its flagrant disrespect for the blood of Yahushua. Ben must have hated Jack to continue living
for himself.
As
we bear about in our bodies the dying of the Master Yahushua, HIS life will be
manifest in our bodies…and our souls will be transformed by his light, and life
and power at the same time. Our souls will
conform to the likeness of the Master’s righteousness and will glorify IAUE.
Kingdom
heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the
performance of the will of IAUE.
No comments:
Post a Comment