I BELIEVE . . . THE SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE Part 2: Spirit-Filled Experience Delivers Divine Results

Isn’t it amazing that God, through the awesome work of the Holy Spirit, utilizes the same “Response” procedure leading up to the Spirit-Filled Experience, as he did in leading up to the Born-Again Experience?

1. DIVINE INITIATIVE – God reaches out in love.

2. AWARENESS OF NEED – God shows us that we need help.

3. AWARENESS OF CHOICE – We are given the privilege and opportunity to choose a “More Excellent Way.”

4. YOUR RESPONSE – You can Reject, or you can Acknowledge, Confess, Commit, Believe and Accept this wonderful gift.

Let’s now take a look at what happens when you become Spirit-Filled or Sanctified.
Part 2: The Spirit-Filled Experience Delivers Divine Results

1. HEART PURITY – cleansing from the corruption of “original sin”.

2. HEART PERFECTION – restoration of God’s moral nature.

3. INFILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – fullness of control and uncontested indwelling.

4. EMPOWERING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – strength to maintain purity and Divine energy for service.

• HEART PURITY

To purify, or to cleanse is to make free from adulterating matter, impurities, pollution, or corruption. The Greek word, katharidzo, means “to cleanse or purify,” and is the word that Peter used in referring to what happened on the Day of Pentecost. The words, cleanse and purify describe the purging of the moral nature from the corruption of original sin or depravity:

God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. (Acts 15: 8-9 NIV)

It is clear and consistent teaching, throughout the entirety of the Scriptures, that the Spirit-Filled experience is considered a mandate and not simply an option for the believer:

Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. (James 4:8 KJV)

And the very God of peace sanctify (cleanse) you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit, soul and body be preserve blameless until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. (I Thess. 5:23-24 KJV)

The Spirit-Filled life makes it possible to be free from sin, not in sin. It is a miraculous and beautiful experience to be cleansed from all original sin:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us form all sin. (I John 1:7 KJV)

Study, once again, the diagram depicting the two-fold aspect of the sin problem, and the two-fold aspect of the cure:

It is the shed blood of Jesus Christ that effectuates your pardon from the acts of sin. It is also Christ’s blood shed on the cross that cleanses you from all indwelling sin.

Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify (cleanse) the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. (Heb. 13:12 KJV)

Who will free me from my slavery to this deadly lower nature? Thank God: It has been done by Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom. 7:24 TLB)

For the double necessity. . . there has been provided the double cure!

·       HEART PERFECTION

Heart perfection is the restoration of God’s moral nature in your perfected affections (love) and perfected motives (intent).

Look, again, at the previously presented diagram, regarding the function of the heart and the heart’s characteristics:

The heart is the function that deals with moral issues. It is the perfectible area that deals with motive and intent. It is the moral function of the mind, emotions, and will, that has the capacity to choose righteousness or evil. When God’s moral nature is restored in you, it makes it possible for you to deal from a position of pure motives, intentions, and affections.

As we discussed before, perfect motive does not necessarily mean perfect judgement. Perfect intent does not necessarily eliminate the possibility of mistake. However, with God’s moral nature restored in you, as a new basis of your love and intent, you no longer need to be manipulated and dominated by hate, greed, carnal pride, perversions, or jealousies. You now, have the joy of being able to live out the spiritual qualities and elements of excellence that God had in mind for you all along.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Thess. 5:23 KJV)

NOTICE: The scripture did not say that you would be kept “faultless” – but rather, it uses the word “blameless.” There is a great difference between faultless and blameless!

As long as the characteristics of the soul and body functions are amoral, imperfectible, and mortal, there will be occasion for mistake and error. But where the controlling fascinations and desired ends toward which you strive are pure and wholesome, coming from restored motives to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and soul, and mind, and your neighbor as thyself, (Matt. 22:37), there may be subjective fault, but not objective judgement or blame, (more about this subject later).

In the cleansed and Spirit-filled life it is not your selfish will, but God’s Will that will be the controlling motive of every situation. The Spirit-filled Christian must follow the example of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane as He prayed, “Not my will, but thine, be done,” (Luke 22:42).

• THE INFILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

The gift of the infilling is only possible in the absence of original sin. The Holy Spirit is more than an influence in your life. He is more than just a blessing. He is the Third Person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit feels, thinks, encourages, and guides you into all truth. He assists you in prayer, and intercedes with the Father on your behalf. He inspires, instructs, and warns you. And as Comforter, He is always present to uphold you when you hurt, cheer you when you are sad, and speak peace to your heart when you so desperately need a friend.

The Holy Spirit can be resisted, or rejected, and grieved by your negative actions or reactions to His directions. The infilling of your heart by the person of the Holy Spirit is God’s greatest Gift to you. It is hard to imagine why someone would want to live out their life here on earth without the perfected relationship that can be established in the Spirit-filled life experience between the Holy Spirit and that individual person.

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? (Luke 11:13 NIV)

If ye love me, keep my commandments.And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. (John 14:26 KJV)

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26 KJV)

When I surrender everything I have, and everything I am, to the Lordship of Christ, and am cleansed by the Holy Spirit, then He is in the heart in the fullness of control. He is no longer just a resident . . . but now, He is the President!

• THE EMPOWERING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

The gift of the Holy Spirit gives the strength to maintain purity and to do God’s Will. This power is the by-product of purity. It is power to pray: it is power to persevere through tough times. It is power to testify to others about your experiences. It is power to meet the inner spiritual confrontations and to come through victoriously. It is the quickening energy for service. It is all brought about as a result of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses I Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends on the earth. (Acts 1:8 NIV)

The spiritual power is the result of both: (1) an absence of moral conflict through the cleansed heart, and (2) the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, which is the true Power-Source. The Holy Spirit is now at the control-center of the Spirit-filled heart. He empowers it, motivates it, directs it, anoints it, and blesses it.

There is a purpose to the impowering of the Holy Spirit. It is to empower the recipient for righteous living and Christian witnessing. It is not for selfish or personal advancement or honor. It is for the glory of God and His Kingdom:

And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. (Luke 24:49 KJV)
 
THE WITNESS THAT ACCOMPANIES THE SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE 

Historically, there have been many people who have confessed their sins to Jesus and accepted Him into their hearts by faith, who never knew the term “Born-Again” to describe the experience. None-the-less, they were saved.

Likewise, many believers have confessed their need, believed and accepted the work of the Holy Spirit to cleanse, infill and empower who never knew to call it the “Spirit-Filled” experience. None-the-less, they can tell you exactly when and where it took place and the set of circumstances surrounding the experience.

Those terms usually exist as convenient descriptors to fulfill theological nomenclatures. Accompanying the experiences, however, there comes a certain confidence or gentle assurance that the work has been done. Sometimes this witness may be immediate, or in some cases, delayed. Sometimes it is as calm as a breeze, -- sometimes, as intense as a storm. A lot of it seems to depend upon the set of circumstances surrounding the experience, and also, upon the disposition of the receiver.

The terms are certainly not as important as the fact that the Holy Spirit is extremely faithful to His dedicated believers to lead them along the paths of spiritual maturity for their own best welfare. It is amazing that the reinforcing and reassuring witness of the Holy Spirit does come to the recipient. How and when that intriguing affirmation comes is solely at the discretion of the Holy Spirit of God:

Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. (I John 3:24 NIV)

We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. (I John 4:13 NIV)

One of the most compelling ways the Holy Spirit witnesses to the heart and mind of the believer is through the subtle, but revolutionary changes that begin to take place in the personal attitudes and behaviors of the Spirit-filled individual. The recipient actually gets to observe the convincing changes in themselves as the “Fruit of the Spirit” begins to work out through their own lives on a day-to-day basis:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22,23 NIV)

There is no way to consistently counterfeit the genuine fruit of the Spirit. You know that where once there was selfishness, jealousy, a demand to get your own way at any cost, the head games you played to manipulate others for your benefit, etc., you are now almost surprised at yourself when you begin to respond to the same situations with behavioral acts of love, kindness and self-control.

Where once you would have reacted violently if a certain thing would have happened, you now are beginning to sense a calm peace you never knew before that works to temper your reactions. You are gaining a confidence that assures you that if God really is in control of everything, then His Holy Spirit is in control of you and your circumstances.

Those manifestations of the Spirit living inside of you, working out His characteristics and traits through you is perhaps the greatest witness you will ever experience of the Spirit-filled life. No one can take that witness away from you, because it has happened to you and you know the difference it has made in your own personal life.

Beware of seeking for some grand celestial experience where there is thunder, lightning, earthquakes and the singing of angel choirs. Be sensitive, rather, to the evidence of the Holy Spirit as He lives out His life of purity, restoration, and power through you, to the Glory of the Father.
 
EXAMINE OUR “CONTINUATION DIAGRAM” ONCE AGAIN

Your spiritual experience will not cease after the Born-Again and Spirit-filled events. There will be a continued growth and maturation in God’s grace. In fact, you will notice a more intense love for His Word than you had previously known. There will also be a new sensitivity for the revealed insights, for application of the truth found in the Word, to your personal life.

Do not be surprised at the new and increased love and concern you have for other people. With the Holy Spirit now living out the life of Christ through you, your love will not only increase for those in the community of believers, but also for people around you who do not know Christ as Savior and Lord, but desperately need the experience.

The Holy Spirit wants to not only change the condition of your heart, but He also wants that change to be worked out in your everyday existence, as it affects every aspect of your life.

The Spirit-Filled life will tend to have a “leveling out” or “balancing” effect on your psychical functions. The Spirit’s influence will be observed as the extreme “highs” and “lows of your psyche tend to find more balance.

In fact, the influence and effect of the Holy Spirit in some cases will even be felt in the physical area of your life. With the lack of inner moral conflict comes strength and beauty of life.

CONFRONTATION AND TEMPTATION . . . BUT NO CONFLICT

In the continuation of the Spirit-filled life, there will always be the existence of confrontation; i.e., the facing of alternatives. Moral growth and maturation come by choice and experience. Those confrontations will be accompanied by varying degrees of temptation. Temptation is an endeavor to persuade you to select one of the alternatives. (Later, there will be an entire section devoted to the subject of “temptation”.)

In earlier sessions we have discussed the privilege, and the absolute necessity, of exercising your power to choose. Temptation will always include the element of confrontation, because you will, at that time, be brought into a position of once again needing to exercise that awesome power to choose. You must make a choice. Remember, without choice there cannot be spiritual growth and maturation. There cannot be true worship of God without choice.

In the Spirit-filled life, there will always be confrontation and temptation – but without conflict. Conflict is a problem which stems from the carnal, sinful nature.

Sometimes the question is raised as to the difference between the temptations of those who are Spirit-filled and those who are not. The difference lies in the fact that in the life of the believer who is still battling the original sin nature, temptation stirs up that old natural corruption of the heart with its bias and bent toward sin. In the Spirit-filled life, however, the Tempter finds no responsive ally within the heart.

That does not mean that the Spirit-filled Christian cannot choose to yield to temptation and commit a sinful act. But, freedom from the indwelling original sin serves to strengthen you in the hour of temptation. You can see now, why the Spirit-filled life is an indispensable requisite to the life of constant victory and triumph over sin.

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. (James 1:12 KJV)

Check out the previous diagram, once more, of the CONTINUATION PROCESS. As you can see, there will be confrontations and temptations in the Spirit-filled life. But, since the carnal, sinful self no longer resides in the heart, there will be no need for conflict.

Song writer, Bill Gaither, penned a powerful song entitled; “It is Finished.” It graphically portrays the conflict within the person whose heart is not totally yielded to the Lordship of the Holy Spirit. He does not, however, leave the condition as an unsolved problem, but announces that victory is possible for the asking, and Jesus can be not only Savior but also Lord!                        
 
IT IS FINISHED
Yet in my heart a battle was raging
Not all pris’ners of war had come home.
They were battlefields of my own making,
I didn’t know that the war had been won.
 
Then I heard that the King of the ages
Had fought all the battles for me.
And vict’ry was mine for the asking,
And now, praise His name, I am free!
 
It is finished, the battle is over,
It is finished, there’ll be no more war,
It is finished, the end of the conflict,
It is finished, and Jesus is Lord.
 
He is Lord, He is Lord, He is Lord.
 
                        William J. Gaither
                        (Used by permission of the Publisher)1
 
 
Next Week: Prospects of the Born-Again and Spirit-Filled Experience

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I BELIEVE . . . THE SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE Part 1: The Spirt-Filled Experience Begins with a Response

We finished our previous session with three simple diagrams representing: (1) the heart of the sinner, (2) the heart of the Born-Again individual, and (3) the heart of the cleansed and Spirit-Filled individual.

As we move into this session on the Spirit-Filled Experience, I would like to share with you one more diagram I have been working on that depicts who it is that is sitting on your Throne of Life:  

SINNER BORN-AGAIN SPIRIT-FILLED

Down through the years, the “Spirit-Filled Life” has been described and referred to by religious
writers in different terms – for example:

                                         Christian Perfection ( Matt 5:48)                                                            Sanctification, ( 1 Thess. 5: 23)                 

Baptism with the Holy Spirit, (Matt. 3:11)      
                                          Christian Holiness   (Rom. 6:22)                                                                                       Perfect Love, (1 John 4:16-18)                                                Heart Purity, (Acts 15:9)    

Fullness of the Blessing (Rom. 15:29)
 
Generally speaking, it is agreed that the Spirit-Filled experience refers to the act of God that takes place subsequent to, or following the born-again experience. It is where the believer is freed from “original sin” or “inherited depravity”.

The new relationship is brought about by the baptism of the Holy Spirit which cleanses the heart and fills the heart with the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit-filled person is empowered to live the victorious and productive life here on earth.

As in the born-again life, the spirit-filled life is provided by the redemptive and cleansing blood of Jesus. It is experienced and realized by faith, and is based on the person’s total commitment to the Lordship of Christ. The Holy Spirit confirms the experience by the witness of the Spirit to the heart of the believer.

One of my favorite authors, Oswald Chambers, describes sanctification or the Spirit-filled life:
Salvation means that we are brought to the place where we are able to receive something from God in the authority of Jesus Christ, viz., remission of sins.

Then there follows the second mighty work of grace – “and inheritance among them which are sanctified.” In sanctification the regenerated soul deliberately gives up his right to himself to Jesus Christ, and identifies himself entirely with God’s interest in other men.

Many of our best-loved hymns sung through the years, have referred to the Spirit-filled or sanctified life. One of my favorite songs, written by Augustus Toplady, says it this way:

Let the water and the blood
From thy wounded side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure,

Save from wrath, and make me pure.1
 
 
            Part 1: The Spirit-Filled Experience Begins with a Response
 
Earlier, we discussed how the experience of the Born-Again Life was a specific “turning point” in an individual’s life. It was a positive encounter for the good, where the individual changed directions and chose one life-style over another. The experience started with the Holy Spirit’s convicting and convincing the individual to recognize a definite need, realize the necessity of a moral choice, and then move on to make that choice by responding in an appropriate and enlightened way.

In the same beautiful, and kind, and consistent way, the Holy Spirit begins to initiate the Continuation process in the Born-Again individual, toward the Spirit-Filled experience. In like manner, the Holy Spirit responds to the individual believer’s need to be freed from that old “original sin” or “inherited depravity”.

Previously, the diagram that represents the “Continuation of the Born-again” experience was presented. As you will recall, it represented the spiritual continuation process only up to the “conflict phase.”  That conflict phase had resulted from increasing awareness of debilitating encounters included in the confrontation and temptation experiences following the Born-again transition.

Now, look closely at the next diagram that depicts how the Holy Spirit moves right into the next exciting provision, designed to take care of that “conflict.”
              
Interestingly, it seems that the Holy Spirit utilizes the same process to help you see your need for the Spirit-filled experience as he did to lead you into the Born-again experience:

1. DIVINE INITIATIVE

2. AWARENESS OF NEED

3. AWARENESS OF CHOICE

4. YOUR RESPONSE

• DIVINE INITIATIVE

God does not desire for you to live a life of debilitating conflict resulting from moral confrontations and temptations. God desires for you to experience a positive and productive life of spiritual maturation and harmonious congruity. Therefore, He continuously reaches out to deliver you from the indwelling sin problem. He is so kind, and so faithful. He is the One who reaches out and begins to make you aware of your need, even before you have been able to identify that you have the need. God is always eager to make the first move.

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:44 NIV)
And so, Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make his people holy through his own blood. (Hebrews 13:12 NIV)

God through the Atonement initiated a twofold plan of salvation to take care of the two-fold problem of sin. He set the plan into motion. God wants the believer to be rid of the divided allegiance of the double-minded condition of the inner civil war. He wants to remove all inner hindrance so that there is perfect conformity in the heart of the believer. God has already taken care of the problem of the accumulated sins of the past. All the guilt and despair brought on be those acts of willful disobedience are gone. Now, it is time to deal with the insidious principle that caused you to accumulate those acts of sine in the first place - "the sin nature".

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (II Cor. 5:21 NIV)

For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by our sinful nature, God did by sending his Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to our sinful nature but according to the Spirit. (Romans 7:24 NIV)

In divine initiative, God through the Holy Spirit continues to reach out to the believer in order to solve the problem of the inbred sin nature.

• AWARENESS OF NEED

At some point, within some set of circumstances, there comes the recognition that you have a responsibility to seek deliverance from the indwelling sin problem. The Holy Spirit is so personal at that point that the recognition of the need rarely comes to any two persons in the exact, same way. That is because the uniqueness of the situational conflict will be determined by the uniqueness of the individual.

To some, the revelation of need will come through an interpersonal conflict between some relative, acquaintance or business associate. To another, the revelation may come through a moral conflict over the question of committing back to God something or someone entrusted to the individual . . . a problem of ownership. To another, the problem of selfish manipulation and control may become the reveling conflict. Surrendering an old habit, or letting go of an old ambition, or accepting a new direction through the awareness of God’s will, often will be the circumstantial setting for the awareness of the need.

Generally speaking, the point of awareness will arise where your will and God’s Will are in direct opposition. It will be your own selfish “want to” in conflict with His insistent “should do”.

The awareness of your moral conflict will lead you to a sense of your own desperate need for Divine assistance. The Apostle Paul graphically portrays such a desperate need:

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24 NIV)

Out of your desperation and the realization that you can no longer make your way through your situation in a “business-as-usual” manner, there comes a ray of hope and a quiet assurance that there is a “more excellent way.” It is the work of the Holy Spirit that brings you to the awareness of your need and quickens your heart with the hope that there is a solution for your conflict.

The Holy Spirit does his work of convicting and convincing through the Word of God, either written, declared or living. He works just as he did in awakening your conscience in the Born-Again experience.

You are now faced with the need to admit to yourself and to God your inner conflict with the carnal mind and its selfish double-mindedness. You began to identify with both the positive and the negative alternatives present to you. You began to realize that there is a battle for moral mastery going on inside of you.

The Holy Spirit will help you see how the condition of your divided heart has caused you to fall short of the perfect Will of God. You will realize that your influence and example have not measured up to your own expectancy -- or God’s. That will produce, under God, a great hungering and thirsting; an insatiable longing and searching for a higher spiritual level of deliverance and victorious living:

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (Matt. 6:6 KJV)

• AWARENESS OF MORAL CHOICE

Once the deeper spiritual need is recognized, then, there follows a recognition of your responsibility to seek a deliverance from the indwelling sin problem.

In the middle of your conflict the Holy Spirit reveals the quiet, steady truth to your heart so that you can clearly see the ugly nature of the inner pollution which was inherited through the fateful fall in the Garden of Eden.

As you see the problem of inner conflict and the possibility of its solution through the experience of hearty purity, you are brought face to face with the necessity of moral choice.

Oh, that you would choose life; that you and your children might live! Choose to love the Lord your God and to obey him and to cling to him, for he is your life and the length of your days. (Deut. 30:19-20 TLB)

The power of choice - the exercise of free moral agency - is one of the most awesome factors ever designed by God! As we discussed earlier, it was totally God's design and option to give to human beings the ability and opportunity to choose whether the human individual would totally obey, follow, and worship God - or not! There would absolutely be no such thing as true worship of God without the factor of free choice. Otherwise, mankind would be a robot. True worship would be impossible, obedience would be a hoax, eternal fellowship would be a hollow partnership.

The exercise of free moral agency is an awesome and risky enterprise. The stakes are high. The consequences are eternal. It is almost unfathomable that God would, once again, extend the phenomenon of free choice when designing his experiment with human beings.

When Lucifer and the heavenly angels had been given the privilege and opportunity of free moral agency. . . they messed up; and Satan and one third of the angles, who thought they were going to manipulate God out of his position on the heavenly throne by their choice, were condemned and thrown out of heaven to a place called earth . . . from where they will eventually be thrown into a lake of fire to burn forever.

Here, once again, God patiently and kindly shows individual human beings the options and allows the implementation of free choice. Your life can be controlled by the carnal self, or by the Holy Spirit of God. You can choose your own selfish way or you can choose the “Holy Highway”.

And a main road will go through that once-deserted land; it will be named “The Holy Highway.” No evil-hearted men may walk upon it. God will walk there with you, even the most stupid cannot miss the way. (Isa. 35:8 TLB)

The Apostle Paul likens the experience to the “crucifixion” of the principle of lawlessness within the heart:

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal. 2:20 NIV)

There must be a sense of “dying out” to the self-centeredness of the old nature of original sin. Yet, through the dying out process, as we will later discuss, it does not mean the elimination of you as an individual. But rather, you become more alive than ever, through a wonderful miracle whereby Christ now, uncontested, can live his life out through you to the glory of the Father; (more about that later).

The choice may be more difficult for some than for others. The sooner you let go, however, of all perverted selfishness, the sooner you will receive complete deliverance. Choosing the Spirit-Filled life is not an option – it is a mandate:

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (I Peter 1:15-16 NIV)

• YOUR RESPONSE

After you have become aware of your deeper spiritual need and you have recognized that you must choose to seek deliverance from the indwelling sin problem, you are faced with the opportunity of rejecting or accepting the provisions offered to you within the experience of the Spirit-Filled life. Acceptance is the most wonderful opportunity ever afforded God’s creation.

Accepting the Holy Spirit’s provision will include some very logical steps:

Acknowledge through the help of the Holy Spirit, the extent of your need as it is shown to you, remembering that the basic cause of your moral conflict was the inherited, depraved nature.
Confess your need to God. You are not responsible for having inherited this plague of moral infection, but you are responsible to avail yourself to God’s cleansing cure. As the Holy Spirit helps you realize the importance of this new insight, you will be tutored by the Holy Spirit to the point of obedience where you eagerly pursue all that you are being shown regarding the Will of God for your life.
Commit all you are, all you have, and all you ever expect to be, to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. At this point, you lay down your arms of inner rebellion and self-serving as you, on purpose, make a complete commitment and full consecration of all of who you are, or ever will be, to God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and to the Blessed Holy Spirit:

I beseech you therefore, brethren by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1 KJV)

Believe and Accept God’s provision of the cleansing and infilling of the Holy Spirit to take care of the problem of original sin. At this time, you come to the point of total commitment and full consecration where you trust the Holy Spirit with all of your life, both here and now --  and forever. Just as we received the Born-Again life through faith, so it is in the Spirit-Filled experience, or Sanctification, we are made holy by faith.

It is as uncomplicated as that – through divine initiative you are made aware of your need for the Spirit-Filled experience, and you become aware of the fact that you must make a choice in the matter, and you must decide to:
                        Acknowledge
                                    Confess
                                                Commit
                                                            Believe and Accept
              
Based on that response -- God does the transforming miracle just as He promised He would!

Next Week: Spirit-Filled Life: Part 2: The Experience Delivers Divine Results

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I BELIEVE . . . The Continuation of the Born-Again Life

After you turn from your sinful activities and trust Christ alone to forgive, justify, regenerate, and adopt you into the big family of God, you must still stay here in this world and live. And in the living out of your daily life, things will be altogether different. Some things, however, will be altogether the same.

You will still have your same address. You will probably still have your same job. Your friends from the week before will probably still be there. If you were having problems with your old car, then more than likely, you will still have those same car problems.

Your new life will be a series of confrontations and situations which will present certain alternatives to you. Those alternatives will require you to make some choices. Before your Born-again experience, you may have responded in a certain way and never even given your choice a second thought.

Now, however, you realize that you are a new creature in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit is there with you to help you see and understand that there is a new basis upon which you can make those decisions. You now have a personal relationship with God, the creator of the universe, and the personal direction of the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God.

Some of your new choices may surprise not only your friends, but even yourself. You will begin to discover that those new situations and confrontations are simply new opportunities for you to apply new-found discipline and wisdom. Your new choices will really begin to please you – because they are pleasing to Christ.

• A COUPLE OF NEW TERMS:

Confrontation: the act of facing or presenting moral alternatives for consideration and choice;
Conflict: clash, fight, or struggle for moral mastery

I. INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL ADJUSTMENTS THAT ACCOMPANY THE BORN-AGAIN LIFE

You will soon discover that your new life will call for certain adjustments to be made by you. There is a sense of excitement and adventure as you apply your new-found strength and trust to your everyday confrontations and opportunities. Your new discipline and growth will cause you to thank God for allowing you to enjoy this new life.

There will be some internal adjustments and some external adjustments presented to you in your successful continuation in the Born-again life. Let’s consider a few:

1. Some Internal Adjustments:

Here are a few potential adjustments that will help establish you in your new daily walk:

• A determination to follow Christ; “I have decided to follow Jesus – I won’t turn back; I won’t turn back.” A spirit of steadfastness will help tremendously in maintaining a victorious life.

• Clearing in your own mind the integrity of God and realizing He truly is who He says He is. Reverence and Godly fear will help you pursue and understand the necessity for complete obedience to your Heavenly Father.

• An attitude of a “learner’s heart” that is open and willing to accept and put into practice all that the Holy Spirit shows to you will move you quickly through many of your confrontations and opportunities.

• The cultivation of your power of praise, and your growth in gratitude will reinforce your dependency upon God and his promises, and aid in your development of a thankful heart.

• A spirit of forgiveness will help you to adjust internally to others around you who have wronged you in the past or are making it difficult for you in your new, Born-again life. Recall how wonderfully God has forgiven you and simply roll that forgiveness right on over to those around you. That will protect you from the pitfalls of resentment, hurt feelings, bitterness, and criticalness.

• Strengthen your own faith by the sharing of your own personal spiritual experience with others around you. Tell them what God has done in your personal life. Count on the Holy Spirit helping you in your efforts. He will do the encouraging and convicting.

• Be pro-active when it comes to the self-discipline in your own life, regarding the changing of old habit patterns, rearrangement of everyday priorities, ambitions, goals, and plans. This is an exciting new life!

• God desires for you to grow and become strong and spiritually mature. He is eager to help you develop an attitude of confidence and positive optimism. Your very disposition will become a thing of beauty and attraction.

1. Some External Adjustments:

• Establish a quiet, personal devotional time, alone with Jesus. Your spiritual life must be fed. Resolve to not let the day go by without your intimate communication with your personal Heavenly Father. He wants that – and you must have it!

• Surrounding yourself with like-minded believers will provide a necessary environment for you to grow and mature spiritually. The “body of believers” will help encourage you and assist you in your new walk with Christ. Your new brothers and sisters will possibly make it easier for you to adjust out of some of the old unhelpful relationships of the past and cultivate new supportive relationships. Check out available “bible study” groups, and “small group” support teams. Get involved!

No doubt, you will be able to add more creative internal and external adjustment opportunities to your personal list.

II AWARENESS OF A SYSTEMIC MORAL CONFLICT

A simple diagram may help at this point to illustrate the systematic continuation of the born-again life. Study the diagram and locate the steps that led up to the Holy Spirit’s work of convincing and convicting you of your life of sinful acts: Divine Initiative, Awareness of Need, Awareness of Moral Choice, and then the necessity of your on-purpose Response of repentance, turning from your sinful acts, and trusting Christ alone to save you.

You were heading in your own sinful way, and you were confronted by the Holy Spirit. Through God’s grace you were dramatically and miraculously changed! The old was past and the new was Now: Forgiven, Justified, Regenerated, and Adopted into God’s family.

In the continuation of the born-again life, you then learned of the needed adjustments that you could expect to encounter. It was emphasized that each day of this new walk, choices would need to be made, based now on your new set of values and convictions.

Sooner or later in your new-found experience, the Holy Spirit will begin making you aware of another life changing miracle that he is making available. Don’t be surprised when you find yourself involved in a situation where the kindness, and faithfulness of the Holy Spirit begins to make you aware that you are headed into a spiritual struggle or clash that will result in the very moral mastery of your life. It will be different in intensity and magnitude from the other confrontations you had met with in your new spiritual walk.

This new awareness is revelation of a promised experience that will bring you to the very threshold of your new, continued growth and excitement in your spiritual journey – or, it could result in your discouragement, disenchantment, or defeat.

This revelation of the moral conflict for the mastery of your heart will come as a kind and loving expression of the Holy Spirit who desires to help you discover your need for a total commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in your life, and a total infilling of the Holy Spirit within your very being.

The realization and designed awareness of the need will come on a very tailored basis to each individual born-again believer. You can rest assured, however, that even though the opportunity will involve a different set of circumstances for each and every believer, yet, the awareness and opportunity will definitely be presented!

SO, WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF THIS CONFLICT?

 III.       THE SIN NATURE OR “ORIGINAL SIN” IS THE PROBLEM

“Original sin” is the corruption of the nature of every person as a result of the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden, whereby, that person’s own nature is inclined to evil and has a propensity to choose that which is contrary to the Holy Spirit:

Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way, death came to all men, because all sinned – for before the law was given, sin was in the world. . . Death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command. (Rom. 5:12-14 NIV)

The good news is, however, that Jesus Christ promises through the Holy Spirit a deliverance from that inherited defect:

If, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. (Rom. 5:17 NIV)

It is amazing how many times this inherited, deprived nature is mentioned throughout the scriptures and holy writings:

             Inbred sin                                indwelling sin                         inward pollution

            Enmity against God              moral corruption                 carnality

            The old man                            the sin principle                     the law of sin

            A bent toward sinning          rebellion                                 the carnal mind

            Double-mindedness             sinful nature                        infection of the moral nature

            Depraved nature                    sinful propensity                  root of bitterness

            Tendency to sin                      the old Adam                        the sin in believers

            War against the Spirit            uncleanness                         an impure heart

 The above listed terms for original sin refer to the basis of moral conflict which remains in the heart of the born-again believer.        

As was stated before, there is overwhelming agreement throughout the Christian community given to the idea that there are really two aspects to this subject of sin. There are not only the acts of sin, but there is also the sinful nature behind the acts of sin, that made you commit those accumulated sins in the first place. That sinful nature needs to be addressed. As was stated earlier; There is a realization that God cannot condone in the heart of the believer that which He condemns in the heart of the disbeliever.

Original sin is displayed through contrary choices of the perverted will. The “contrary will” chooses its own way rather than the way of God. Original sin results in your enmity against God’s sovereignty. A person’s depravity is not totally evil, without the trace of good remaining in him, but is “total” in the sense that this depravity has affected the person’s entirety. That is, it has affected the body, the soul, and the spirit. This original sin in a person is the cause of the inner conflict. The carnal nature is the virus of sin that spreads its invisible tentacles over every power and function of the individual.

It is the defacing of the original image of God on the moral nature of the person. The depravity is an egotistical, self-willed deviation from God-likeness. Your fascination and enchantment with the evil reflects your propensity or bent toward new sinful acts.

The forgiven, but unclean, moral nature of a person is the cause of the conflict experienced in the continuation of the born-again life of the believer. The battle of the ages that is waged on the battleground of your heart. You can see the potential of becoming all that God wants you to become – yet, “you find another law warring in your members.”

Our goal here, is to try to put the beliefs we hold into the common vernacular. I think the Apostle Paul, in the 7th chapter of the book of Romans describes this ordeal of inner conflict with the old original sin nature about as clearly as possible:

               “I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I can’t. I do  what I don’t want to – what I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience proves that I agree with these laws I am breaking. But I can’t  help myself, because I’m no longer doing it. It is sin inside me that is stronger than I am   that makes me do these evil things.

            I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn I can’t make myself do right. I want to but I can’t. When I want to do good, I don’t; and when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. Now if I am doing what I don’t want to, it is plain where the trouble is: sin still has me in its evil grasp.

            It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is  wrong. I love to do God’s will so far as my new nature is concerned; but there is  something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and   wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind I want  to be God’s willing servant but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin.

            So, you see how it is: my new life tells me to do right, but the old nature that is still inside me loves to sin. Oh, what a terrible predicament I’m in! Who will free me from my slavery to this deadly lower nature?

            Thank God! It has been done by Jesus Christ our Lord. He has set me free.

            So, there is now no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the  power of the life-giving Spirit – and this power is mine through Christ Jesus – has freed  me from the vicious circle of sin and death. (Romans 7:15 – 8:2 TLB)

The two-fold aspects of sin require a two-fold remedy from God. The born-again life takes care of one of the aspects of the two-fold problem of sin, i.e., the accumulated acts of sin which need to be forgiven and justified. It takes a subsequent work of the Holy Spirit, however, to deal with the problem of original sin. The conflict in the continuation of the born-again life is the love and faithfulness of the Holy Spirit’s way of helping you become aware and letting you know that there is a deeper problem that needs to be met by the cleansing and infilling power of the Holy Spirit.

A SIMPLE STORY:

My old Dad, “Pop Jackson” used to tell the story about Mrs. Smith’s barrel of apples, that illustrates very well a person’s problem with the inner corruption of the moral nature:

Mrs. Smith had a problem with pesky little flying bugs called gnats. They were invading her kitchen every morning. When she got up and went into her kitchen to fix breakfast, the room would already be alive with the swarming, attacking, gnats! She would open all the doors and windows and drive them out with a broom and a dish towel. But it happened over and over again until one day she went down the rickety stairs into the cellar.

There, she discovered a barrel of rotten apples as the source from which the obnoxious gnats were coming. The solution was simple. When she got rid of the barrel of rotten apples from the cellar, the problem of the gnats in the kitchen was solved!

So, it is with the Christian experience . . . until the source of the defilement is removed, you can expect attitudinal and observable behavior which is contrary to the Will of God.

IV,       SOME ADDITIONAL HELPFUL DIAGRAMS:

Years ago, when writing on this subject, I tried to use the illustration of three different hearts; each one depicting a different spiritual condition as regarding: (1) the sinner, (2) the born-again, and (3) the spirit-filled heart:

(I stopped using those descriptive diagrams -- because some of my friends thought the speckled heart looked too much like a fresh strawberry – and thought they would like some of it! Far be it from me to lead my friends astray.)

But now, please study the following diagrams that better depict (1) the heart of the sinner, (2) the heart of the Born-Again individual, and (3) the heart of the cleansed and Spirit-Filled individual:

(1)   The Sinner:     

The self-centered heart illustrates the sinner with self crowned as King, and whose life is controlled by original  sin and is plagued by accumulated acts of sin. God is left outside the heart.

(2)   The Born-Again heart:

The conflicted heart, where God has come into the heart and has forgiven the accumulated acts of sin, has justified, regenerated, and adopted the individual; however, the original sin nature, with it’s bent toward sinning, is still  present – that coexistence results in conflict. 

(3)   The Spirit-Filled Life:

The fully cleansed and consecrated heart where God is  crowned King of Life and the Holy Spirit of Christ reigns supremely and is in control through the indwelling  presence of Almighty God.

Next Week: The Spirit-Filled Life:  Part 1: The Experience begins with a Response

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I BELIEVE . . . THE BORN-AGAIN LIFE Part 2: The Born-Again Experience Delivers Divine Results

In our previous section: “Part 1: The Born-Again Experience Begins with a Response”, we examined the four essential factors that take place in the process leading up to the Born-Again Experience. Let’s review those elements:

1. DIVINE INITIATIVE – God reaches out in love

2. AWARENESS OF NEED – God shows us that we need help

3. AWARENESS OF CHOICE – We are responsible to choose a better way

4. YOUR RESPONSE – Reject or Repent

Now, let’s turn our attention to Part 2: The Born-Again Experience Delivers Divine Results:
We will be considering what happens in this miraculous process, as the Results take place in your life through the Holy Spirit, as God responds to your response of repentance.
Let’s look at these Results more closely:

1. FORGIVENESS – pardon from the penalty

2. JUSTIFICATION – fulfillment of the demands of the Law

3. REGENERATION – new life through Christ

4. ADOPTION – reception into the Family of God

• FORGIVENESS:

Forgiveness is the release from your deserved punishment. The consequence of your committed sins is death, but the forgiveness of God brings eternal life.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9 NIV)

God’s forgiveness is the pardon which is given to you to free you from the penalty of your past sinful acts:

All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. (Acts 10:43 NIV)

. . . And let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him; and to our God for He will abundantly pardon (Isa. 55:7 NASB)

• JUSTIFICATION:

Justification is the legal act of God, wherein He satisfies the demands of the Law. The Law had required a blood sacrifice for committed sins. Jesus Christ, having been put to death on the cross, became that Blood Sacrifice or the Atonement (Leviticus 5:10) allowing you to be fully justified.

But now, a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice. (Rom. 3:21-25 NIV)

But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. (Col. 1:22 NIV)

An easy way to remember “justification” is . . . you are made just as if you had never sinned. One person has said that, “Justification is when you say to God, ‘I’m wrong’ and He says, ‘You’re right’.”

Brothers! Listen! In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins! Everyone who trusts in Him is freed from all guilt and declared righteous. . . (Acts 13:38 TLB)

Your forgiveness is justified by God’s having met all of His own requirements by providing the sinless Son of God as the Atoning Sacrifice for human sins. In the New Testament, justification is the act of God which declares the new relationship, while forgiveness establishes that relationship. Now, you are accepted and restored to God’s favor.

• REGENERATION:

Regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit which gives new life through Christ. Sin is death. Death means separation. You were dead in your sins and trespasses, but now, you are given the opportunity to be “born-again” in the sight of God and start over anew.

Regeneration literally means “To be again”. Regeneration is a restoration to the Image of God in your heart as a penitent believer.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (II Cor. 5:17 NIV)

• ADOPTION:

Adoption is the act of God declaring that the individual believer, who has now been forgiven, justified, and regenerated through faith in Jesus Christ, is now received into the Family of God and reinstated in the privileged position of being a child of the King. In the Experience of the Born-Again Life, the divine results of forgiveness, justification, regeneration and adoption, take place in rapid sequential succession. It may almost seem like they all happen at once. But there is a logical and orderly sequence to the divine results of the Born-Again experience.

        . . . to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out,   “Abba, Father.” So, you are no longer a slave, but a son: and since you are a son,  God made you also an heir. (Gal. 4: 5-7 NIV)

         For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received  the Spirit who makes you sons. And by him we cry, “Abba Father.” The Spirit  himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Jesus. . . (Rom. 8:15-17 NIV)

In the born-again experience (which includes forgiveness, justification, regeneration, and adoption), two choices are involved: God’s Choice, and Your Choice.

This born-again relationship does not, in any way, destroy your power to choose. If you consciously decide to turn your back on God and to sever that new relationship with Him by choosing to commit a willful transgression against a known law of God -- you may. Your sin separates you from God, (Isa. 59:2). By your own choice, you may separate yourself from the pardoned and redeemed family of God. Restoration, fortunately, is achieved through the simple way you got into the family to begin with – Repent and ask!

           . . . And let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him; and to our  God, for He will abundantly pardon. (Isa. 55:7 NASB)

Recall our previous discussion in the section on “Magnificent Miracle of Humans;” all the divine reasons that you were given free moral agency in the first place, are still valid and in place. God does not forgive you of your past sins, and then, at that point, make you into a robot that no longer has the ability to make choices. God still desires that you love and worship Him because you continually choose to and want to – more than anything else in this old world:

            Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Rom. 8:14 NIV)

If you choose to walk in the light as God is in the light, then you have fellowship with God and your condition is secure – and nothing else can move you from that position forever:

            For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither  height not depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us  from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8: 38-39 NIV)

Next Week: The Continuation of the Born-Again Life  

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I BELIEVE . . . THE BORN-AGAIN LIFE Part 1: The Born-Again Experience Begins with a Response

In this section, dealing with the experience of the Born-Again Life, we will investigate two closely related aspects:

           Part 1: The Born-Again Experience Begins with a Response
           Part 2: The Born-Again Experience Delivers Divine Results

In the previous section, we investigated the two-fold aspects of the subject of “sin”: First, the problem of accumulated acts of sin, which resulted from willful choices of disobedience to God’s known laws and plans. Second, that original sinful nature with which we were born – that which prompted us to willfully accumulate those collected sins in the first place.

Part 1, and Part 2 of this section, will deal with God’s provision for the remedy of those past accumulated acts of sin.

The Born-Again Life is an “experience” – it is a “turning point.” Here, I refer to that turning point in an individual’s life, as a time when that individual completely changes direction and chooses one life-style over another. It is a positive experience. It is an experience that starts with an on-purpose response of the Holy Spirit in convicting and convincing the individual to get rid of the debilitating guilt and pressure of past sins and accept a new life in Jesus Christ. With that separation from the past comes a newness of spiritual life.

During Christ’s earthly ministry, a well-known religious leader approached him and entered into a conversation. In the course of the discussion that night, Jesus said something to Nicodemus that thoroughly baffled him. He very plainly and simply told Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again.”

What does it mean to be born again? Jesus made the statement to clarify, not confuse the situation. Certainly, Mr. Nicodemus you cannot enter a second time into your mother’s womb. Even if you could repeat that physical phenomenon once, ten times, or a hundred times, you would still enter this world the same – a human with a sin-nature. That is because the birth process which gave you the introduction to this world is inherently a physical function.

When Christ was talking about the Born-Again Life, he was talking not about physical function, but rather, about the heart or spirit function.

      That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.   Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. (John 3:6,7 KJV) 

Your first birth is physical. Your second birth is spiritual. Your first birth makes you a member of the fallen race. Your second birth enters you into the redeemed race.

The physical birth is a marvelous process. The spiritual birth is likewise, a miraculous process which begins with the Holy Spirit convicting you of your sinful life and convincing you that there is a better way. You can carry your guilt no longer. You desire to rid yourself of your load of sin that is about to crush you. You realize that you must turn from your sinful way and trust Christ alone to save you.  When you do, you are born anew spiritually.

Let's take a closer look at what is involved in that miraculous process.  There are four essential factors that take place in the process leading up to the born-again experience:

               1. DIVINE INIATIVE -  God reaches out in love 
               2. AWARENESS OF NEED – God shows us that we need help
               3. AWARENESS OF CHOICE – We are responsible to choose a better way
               4. YOUR RESPONSE – Reject or Repent  

• DIVINE INITIATIVE:

God does not desire that you remain separated from Him. But, rather, He desires for you to be reconciled once again to Him in love. He communicates His desire to you as He reaches out to you by means of the ever-active presence of the Holy Spirit in the world.

God does not wait for you to make the first move. Rather, He reaches down to you in an act of love, with the purpose of reciliation and redemption:

. . . that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. (II Cor. 5:19 NIV)

Reconciliation simply means to adjust and settle differences and to cause to be harmonious again. He really wants you to come back to Him and has set into motion a plan whereby you can return.

Redemption means ransom, free or recused, by paying a price. God, by paying the price with the blood of His only son, Jesus Christ has satisfied the debt that must be paid for your sin. He has paid your penalty. You are now free to accept your freedom because of His gift -- and return to Him:

This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (I John 4:8-10 NIV)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. (John3:16 NIV)

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8: KJV)

God initiates the born-again experience by reaching out to you even while you are still a sinner.

• AWARENESS OF NEED:

Before you can find help you must first recognize your need for help. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring you to the awareness of your needy condition through guilt and the realization of personal responsibility. It is also the work of the Holy Spirit that helps erring humans know the difference between mistake and guilt: (mistake brings sorrow – sin brings guilt).

Guilt is the condemnation and feeling of alienation that follows the sin act. Along with that is the knowledge of personal responsibility for the act and the liability to punishment.

Only in light of the sinner’s enslavement to sin, does the plan of redemption make sense. For, if the sinner can solve his own problem without divine assistance, then God’s plan for redemption is rendered meaningless. It is the Holy Spirit that allows the sinner to experience guilt and personal responsibility for all the willful transgressions against God’s law.

The sinner must first become convinced that he is a sinner. There is no hope for the individual sinner as long as there is the presumption that they are “all right – just fine -- thank you.”

And He, when He comes (the Holy Spirit), will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness and judgement. (John 16:8 NASB)

So -- just how does the Holy Spirit bring about your awareness of your own spiritual need? As you learned in the previous section, moral or spiritual issues are always determined by the Word of God. In convincing you of your sin, the Holy Spirit always works in conjunction with the Word of God, either written, declared, or Living:

1. The Written Word This is where the Holy Spirit deals with you as you read the printed page. This can include the Scripture itself, or written material based upon God’s Word.

2. The Declared Word The Holy Spirit can work through the declared word as it is proclaimed by a priest, a preacher, a prophet, a teacher, or simply shared by a friend. The declared word is not limited to the spoken word but also includes messages you receive by observing examples.

3. The Living Word (Christ in you) Conviction is the word which is used most often to describe the work of the Holy Spirit in making you aware of your need. This works on you from the inside and brings things to your attention at the most unexpected times. Conviction comes sometimes as the Holy Spirit uses the conscience as the vehicle to help you see your need.

• AWARENESS OF MORAL CHOICE:

You must not only realize your need, but you must also realize that you have a moral responsibility to do something about it.

The Holy Spirit not only convicts you of your sin, but also convinces you of righteousness and judgement. (John 16:8) To convict you of your sin and then leave you without a better alternative, would be to increase your confusion and despair.

You are not only shown a “better way”, a way of salvation and righteousness, but also, the Holy Spirit is faithful to convince you that if you do not break away and turn from your wicked way, then you must face judgement. That brings you to a problem – you are now faced with a choice: either sin or righteousness, and you, and you alone, are responsible for that moral choice.

Perhaps, you would like for God to make that choice for you. But to do so would reduce you to a mere mechanical robot.

The power to choose, which is your greatest power, not only makes you privileged, but also, it puts upon you a great, eternal responsibility.

• YOUR RESPONSE:

When faced with your moral choice, you really have only two alternatives:
           1. Rejection, or
           2. Repentance.

It is very possible for you to reject God’s Plan of Salvation for your life and remain in your lost condition. Even by procrastination you are still opting for rejection, since you never quite get around to the position of repentance and acceptance.

God paid an extremely high price for your salvation, anticipating that you will respond positively and repent:

        For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not parish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 NASB)

The call to repentance is a theme that consistently runs throughout the Scriptures:

           Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Mat. 3:2 KJV)

           But unless you repent, you too will all parish. (Luke13:3 NIV)

Notice: When you repent you do not then continue on in your sinful life-style. The word repentance carries with it the idea of turning away from your old activities – or turning around and going in the other direction. It also implies having a spirit of brokenness:

          It is a broken spirit you want – remorse and penitence. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not ignore. (Ps. 51:17 TLB)

Repentance not only includes confessing and turning from, or forsaking your old sinful acts, but as you turn you must also trust. You must trust Christ alone as your Redeemer:

        If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us  from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9 NIV)

       But if the wicked turns from their wickedness and does what is fair and just, he shall live. 

(Ezek. 33:19 TLB)

        For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith – counting on  Christ alone.        (Phil. 3:9 TLB)

Sometimes repentance also brings with it the necessity of restitution.

Restitution is where you, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, have to go back and make right some wrongs which you have committed. God wants you to totally rely on the Holy Spirit to show you what, if any, situations that you need to go back and correct. He will let you know what things you need to correct and what things you need to let go of and simply accept His Divine wisdom and grace of repentance.

Your response to God’s Plan of Salvation really begins as the Holy Spirit, through divine initiative, convicts you and you begin to realize your needy condition. As you are brought to a place of choice, you respond in repentance and turn and trust Christ alone to save you.

When you make that choice, something wonderful happens as God accepts that confession and trust.

In the next section we will continue our investigation by looking at the Divine Results that are experienced by the repentant individual who wishes to enter into the Born-Again Life.

Next Week: Part 2: The Born-Again Experience Delivers Divine Results

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I BELIEVE . . . Time to Take a Deep Breath

Well, it’s the beginning of the ninth month since we started out on our little journey in the pursuit of the concept of “goodness”. Somewhere along the line the journey morphed into a rather formalized investigation of the basic elements of our everyday Christian beliefs.

I was requested, or rather challenged, by friends and family, to see if we could tone down a lot of the praxis, lore, and customary jargon used by our inherited religious cultures, and make an effort to simply turn our basic beliefs into the vernacular. I had been reminded of C.S. Lewis’s admonition, “if you cannot turn your faith into the vernacular, either you do not understand it or you do not believe it.” I decided to accept the challenge and to share the results with my favorite readers – you.

Now, in my eighties, I have come to realize that one of the most unique and wonderful gifts ever given to me by a loving God, was the gift of being able to travel to most of the far corners of his created earth. For over thirty-five years, I have been able to visit and interact with literally millions of God’s beloved children in over 150 countries of this world. My trips and encounters were not on commercial ocean cruises or 5-Star Safaris. Sometimes, I lived in the villages – slept, if necessary, in the huts and tents. Sometimes, I was invited to palaces and was privileged to stay in the homes of presidents and kings. I had meetings in places ranging from the House of Lords in London to the main government offices in Beijing and Moscow, Johannesburg, and Jerusalem. I also spent a vast amount of time in the pathetic and abysmal medical institutions across the world, trying to help them become better off by equipping them and training the local doctors and nurses, so that the local people and their loved ones could experience better health and a longer life.

In all of those ventures, I tried to be a curious and astute observer. I carefully recorded most every venue and meeting in my over 6,000 pages of journals. I also tried to be diligent in recording cultural, economic and religious observations from the different tribes, communities and civilizations.

Over the years, I was extremely intrigued with the observations about the way the God of the universe deals with the millions of his children in far-away villages, obscure governments, and primitive countries. I was also intrigued with the history of the civilizations that for centuries have resisted and scorned the efforts of a loving God who has patiently tried to show them the advantages of righteousness and goodness.

I remember well the trip I took to Bombay (Mumbai), India in 2004. From Bombay, I flew on to the city of Kolhapur, and then we traveled by auto to the city of Miraj, where I had been requested by the Medical Benevolence Foundation in Houston, Texas to assess the Wanless Hospital. When we finished our investigations, our interviews, and our photo documentation at the Wanless Hospital, Dr. Bidari and I got into another auto and on Monday, June 20th we traveled to the Lafayette Hospital in Nipani, India.

All along the roadway there were groups of people walking and clanging cymbals and playing sitars and carrying orange banners of silk. They were dignified people -- most of them were dressed in white. I inquired as to who they were. Dr. Bidari explained to me that they were pilgrims who admitted they were sinners and were making treks to the temples to pay physical and financial sacrifices to have their sins cleansed away.

They would take three or four weeks out of their lives and travel about 15 to 20 miles a day across the country, sleeping out in the fields or in some sympathizer’s farmyard until they reached their destination. They would punish themselves along the way to enhance their likelihood of being cleansed from their sins once they attended the temple. Some were walking on the sharp stones and carrying their shoes. Some would fast their food.

One man impressed me especially. He would stand -- then fall the length of his body. The length of his body would determine where he would stand up next to proceed with his next fall. He would cover about a five- or six-foot distance with each fall and that was the way he would travel, five or six feet at a flop. I studied the folks as best I could as we would approach and pass the groups. They were mostly middle-aged men and women. The men always led the group of a dozen to 30 in count. The women walked lock-step at the rear. I could see that it was a very solemn occasion for each. The sincerity and determination etched in their faces convinced me of their seriousness.

Dr. Bidari told me that the system was quite a temporary thing in that as soon as they completed the ritual, they would head right back into whatever indulgence it was from which they were trying to be cleansed. So, the next year they would have to take off another three to six weeks from their regular duties and proceed on another walkathon for cleansing.

In my travels, when I would encounter such episodes, I would try to record them and then use the hundreds of hours sitting strapped in an airplane seat, traveling to the next destination, to process what I had seen and heard and try to make sense of all of it. When it came to the religious episodes, I marveled at the fact that even in the darkest and most remote areas of the world, the people, somehow, have a sense of right and wrong and realize when it is that they have done wrong and know when they are sinners and that they need to do something about it. That’s amazing!

For evangelical Christians and strong denominations to have been in India for as long as they had been, we sure hadn’t gotten the simple message of Christ’s plan of simple salvation, sacrifice, and forgiveness across to the hurting population of India. Less than 5% of all the population of India claimed to be Christian.

Perhaps, that is why at this stage of my life, I am trying to see if I can cut through all the “groupism” and theological confusion in the market place of goodness, and come up with an intelligible, lucid, and uncomplicated presentation of “simple salvation” in the vernacular of today.

At this point in the journey, I felt that it would be a good thing to stop and take a deep breath -- and then get on with the enchanting challenge. There’s more work to do.

Next Week: The Born-Again Life

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I BELIEVE . . . The Subject of Sin

THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN ARE COMPLEX –
THE UNDERSTANDING OF SIN IS SIMPLE

I have come to the conclusion that my concept of sin will determine all the rest of my theology.

By effecting a relevant merger between the historic concepts of the “duplex” and the “triplex” we have been able to more clearly understand the necessary functions of the human species and the unique characteristics of those human functions.

As we have discovered, the moral aspect of the heart is different from the amoral aspects of the soul, even though all three functions, i.e., mind, emotions, and will, are present and active in both.

The deciding factor which always divides the amoral soul functions from the moral spirit or heart function is the Word of God. Look again at Hebrews 4:12:

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of the soul and spirit. . .

God created man in His own image and in His own likeness, (Gen. 1:26; 5:1; 9:6). It is God who is Spirit, manifesting Himself through His Word, either written, declared or Living, that is the governing principle of morality in your heart. That God, Himself, is able to write His laws upon your heart and reveal His thoughts to your heart is a fact that is impossible to fully understand or describe. . . but that is exactly what happens.

Your heart is the receiver which is quickened by the Word of God. Your spirit is in the likeness of the Spirit of God and through it He communicates His moral desires for you. Your capacity to perceive God’s communication with you through your spirit or heart was the one link that was not lost through the fall of Adam in the “Garden of Eden.” It is the spark which was not extinguished midst all the chaos.

As God’s Spirit fans that spark, hopefully into a flame of obedience, through the power of conviction, you are faced with a choice. Will you pursue what He is revealing – or reject?

Moral issues are always centered around the point of choice (volitional or willful act) and determined by the Word of God, either written or communicated through a messenger.

What does all of that have to do with the subject of sin?

God has a wonderful plan for you that will enable you to live a victorious, positive Christian life. In order for you to fully realize that provision, and become all that He has ever had in mind for you to become, then it will be extremely helpful for you to understand the differences between the amoral functions of the body and soul, and the moral functions of the heart. The more you become familiar and comfortable with those distinctions and interactions, the more you will probably catch yourself saying, “Oh, this is good – now I understand!”

Before moving on, let’s take another quick look at our diagram:

The idea that sin is a conscious and moral act of the will is consistent with the entire teaching of the New Testament:

No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. . . Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin. . . (I John 3:6-9, NIV)

Down through the years, theologians, for varying reasons, have defined and redefined the term “sin” – usually to clarify or to counterbalance some current or popular thought on the subject. There are those today who are of the persuasion that “sin” is any deviation from the absolute perfection, whether known or unknown, voluntary or involuntary.

Historically, the result of adhering to a definition that calls something sin that is not sin, usually opens the door to actual sinning. If there is not a clear distinction between the amoral body and soul functions and the moral function of the heart, then you are forced to agree that every amoral thing human beings do is “sin”, because, ideally, it could be better. It then falls short of an absolute standard of perfection.

To make everything sin, is in effect, to make nothing sin. You are then saddled with the task of trying to determine grades of sins. If forgetting to keep an appointment or return a phone call, or exercising faulty judgment in highway traffic, or having to wear glasses because you have strained eyesight, or any other such infirmities or limitations are sins, then there is no qualitative distinction possible between such things which are termed “sin” on the one hand and lying, cheating or sexual promiscuity on the other. The door is then left open wide to sin of all sorts.

(Take a minute and go back now, and re-read the Scripture from I John 3:6-9 that was cited above.)

This scripture is rendered meaningless if “sin” is to include all the amoral body and soul imperfections and deviations from absolute perfection, whether known or unknown, voluntary or involuntary.

Sin, then, has to do with how you respond to the Word of God which comes to your heart or spirit through the communication of God’s Spirit to you. It involves your intellect as you perceive the message, and your emotion as you feel oughtness, and your volition or will as you decide your response.

If you voluntarily transgress a known law or Word of God, to you it is sin – a willful transgression against a known law of God.

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins. (Jas. 4:17 NIV)

Therefore, for our study, “sin” will be considered as an act as well as a nature of the heart involving the moral capacities of the mind, emotions, and will. Why is all of this so important? As we previously stated -- because your concept of sin will determine the rest of your theology.

Sin, as an act, is fundamentally a matter of choice, of intention, and of purpose.

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. (I John 3:4 KJB)

*SIN AS AN ACT*

1. A willful transgression against a known Law of God. (James 4:17 NIV)

*Which brings about*

2. Separation from God. – “But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear.”(Isaiah 59:2 NASB)

Most people agree, regardless of denomination or congregational affiliation, that God’s children can and do live without continually committing volitional acts of sin.

It is only those who regard faults, mistakes, temptations, lack of knowledge, etc., as sin who believe that Christians cannot live without sinning. There is far more agreement with regard to the question of living without sin than is generally supposed.

Actually, this entire question of continually sinning as a Christian is a moot question where the Christian is seeking to do with the whole body, soul and spirit the entire will of God and to live a life that would be pleasing to the Lord and make Jesus smile. There is a realization that God cannot condone in the heart of the believer that which He condemns in the heart of the disbeliever.

Overwhelming agreement throughout the Christian community is also given to the idea that there are really two aspects to this subject of sin. There are not only the acts of sin, but there is also the sinful nature behind the acts of sin that needs to be addressed. The acts of sin are behavioral expressions based on the prompting and direction of a sinful nature.

The nature, of which we speak, is usually referred to as “original sin”, inherited through the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden:

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way, death came to all men because all sinned. (Romans 5:12 NIV)

The two-fold aspects of sin require a two-fold remedy from God.

The next two chapters will deal with those remedies.

Next Week: The Born-Again Life

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I BELIEVE . . . An Individual Entity of Entirety

I.     LET’S TRY A MERGER

It was stated earlier that: “psychological and behavioral studies of recent years have underscored the fact that now human beings can be studied from different vantage points, but they must be seen as total interacting components with all the functions interfacing with each other and behaving as an individual entity of entirety.” Perhaps, we can gain a helpful insight into the nature of humans if we merge the “duplex” (dichotomy) and “triplex” (trichotomy) concepts together. That would give us a different vantage point and at the same time allow us to stress the importance of the unity of the individual through studying the interacting and interfacing of the components or functions and then, determining the characteristics of each of those functions.

To enable us to visually see how this merger might work, let’s go back to the diagram used earlier to demonstrate how the spoken or written Word of God can saturate our lives. I like this simple diagram that is sometimes used in educational settings or business management projects. It demonstrates well the phenomenon of interaction and interfacing circles of complimentary components.    

In the previous section where we discussed the “triples” concept, it was stated that from a functional point of view, an individual could be described as :

Now, let’s consider each function (Body, Soul, and Spirit) and determine which characteristics
apply to each.

We will begin with the Body:
 
 II.       THE BODY / PHYSICAL   

But this precious treasure . . . is held in a perishable container, that is in our weak bodies. . . (II Corinth. 4:7 TLB).

1. The Body is amoral. In and of itself, the body is neither righteous nor evil. The Bible calls it “dust” that will one day return to the earth.

Then the dust will return to the earth as it was . . . (Eccles. 12:7 TLB).

The body is subject to malfunctions, infirmities, and final decay. But, in the scriptural sense is not in and of itself sinful. It is the amoral vessel which houses the other functions.

1. The Body is imperfectible. Someday you will exchange your earthly body for a perfect “soma pneumatikon” or spiritual body (I Cor. 15:44). But until that happens, count on putting up with such imperfections as sickness, weakness and fatigue. One day, however, things will be different!

For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. (I Cor. 15:53)

1. The Body is mortal. Maybe you will live out your “three score and ten years” . . . maybe you will not. But this you can know: one day your body will die.

And inasmuch as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes the judgement. (Heb. 9:27 KJV)

III. THE SOUL / PSYCHICAL
Next, let’s consider the Soul:

The Soul is comprised of:

• The Mind The capacity to think and reason

• The Emotions The capacity to experience feeling

• The Will The capacity to desire and choose

The soul is the psychical nature of the person. The absolute action interaction, dependence and interdependence of one soul function upon the other two is portrayed in the diagram by the overlapping of each. Earlier, we referred to this as intersection or “interfacing”.

Your desires or volition interlock with your emotions and intellect. Your thinking and reasoning are definitely influenced by your emotional and volitional functions. Your emotions are most certainly affected by your desires and your intellect. It is unrealistic to think that these functions can be totally separated in everyday life.

1. The Soul functions are amoral.

• The Mind is the capacity to think and reason. There is a part of your mental capacity that has nothing to do with morality. On the scale of morality there is nothing righteous or evil about your capacity to learn that two times two equals four. There is nothing righteous or evil about learning to tie your shoe. This portion of your mental capacity is amoral.

• The Emotion is the capacity to experience feeling. There is part of your emotional capacity that has nothing to do with morality. It is neither righteous nor evil to be grieved when you lose your favorite pet or when you cheer loudly when your team scores a point.

• The Will, or volition, is the capacity to desire or choose. There is a part of your volitional capacity that has nothing to do with morality. Choosing to buy a green car instead of a gray one, or deciding to eat the onions with your hamburger are simply amoral actions of the will.

  2. The Soul functions are imperfectible.
  
  In this life, you will experience impaired judgement and faulty understanding. That is because your mind will always be imperfect. There is no such thing as deliverance from occasional ignorance and mistake. You will never know everything about everything in this life. The function of the brain has suffered equally with your other body members.
  
  Due to stress and pressures of everyday living you will now and again realize that your emotions are not as stable as you had hoped. When you least expect it, your snagged emotions will develop a runner, and you will be embarrassed.
  
  Don’t be too shocked when your imperfect human judgement has you turning left when you should have turned right. You may even today, be kicking yourself for having made some regrettable choices this past week. No one in this life will experience exemption from faulty amoral choices – because, your soul functions are imperfectible in this life.
  
  3.The Soul functions are mortal.
  The capacities of the mind, emotions, and will, as you know them today, will one day quit operating as they do today. One day the electrical currents between the cerebrum, cerebellum, and medulla will cease, and a halt will come to receiving, interpreting, and sending of messages based on generated stimuli. One day all that gray matter corralled by your skull bones will return to dust.
  
  My soul cleaves to the dust. . .” (Psa.119:25 KJV)
  
  At that point, the mind, emotions, and will, shall then take on different characteristics resulting from an immortal, glorified source (Phil. 3:21).
  
  IV. THE SPIRIT OR HEART / SPIRITUAL
  Finally, let’s consider the Heart:

The function of the spirit or heart includes the interfacing and interdependent functions of the mind, emotions, and the will in regard to moral matters, i.e., matters that deal with “rightness”, “wrongness” and “oughtness”.

1. The Spirit is the function of an individual that deals with the moral issues.

Throughout the Scriptures the terms spirit, and heart are usually used interchangeably. The fact that the soul and spirit are not identical is best found in the fact that the Bible states that they are divisible.

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow. . . (Heb. 4:12 NASB)

Every person is created with a spirit or heart. It is the spirit or heart that gives an individual the capacity to deal with moral issues and separates the human species from all the rest of the creation. It is this spirit that leaves the body and returns to God -- as the body returns to the dust (Eccl. 12:17). The book of James informs us that the body without the spirit is dead (Jas. 2:26). Daniel says that:

I, Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body. (Dan. 7:15 KJV)

When Christ came to the place of death, He:
Cried out with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit. (Matt. 27:50 NASB)

The spirit or heart is the function of a person’s nature, where moral business takes place. It is the center or citadel of the moral affections of an individual:

MIND: As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. (Prov. 23:7 KJV)
EMOTION: Love the Lord thy God with all your heart. (Mark 12:30 KJV)
WILL: And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Prov. 22:17 KJV)
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (Prov. 4:23 KJV)

There are some functions of the mind which are amoral and have nothing to do with righteousness or evil. There are, however, some other functions of the mindthat have everything to do with morality.

There are certain emotions which are not tied to morality, and there are other emotions which are involved in moral issues.

Many desires and choices have only to do with amoral decisions. There are, however, certain choices where volition, or the will, is activated regarding issues which are totally moral.

The Heart is the moral command post or control room, where either Christ or sin is in control, (after all, that’s where Lucifer and all his fallen angels are busily involved in taking over control). The domination of either Christ or sin, over the spiritual nature of an individual, will determine the observable and unobservable moral behavior of that person.

2. The spirit or heart function is perfectible.

We will investigate this concept more completely in a later chapter on the “Spirit-Filled Life”, but it needs to be stated briefly here that Christ commanded: “Be ye therefore perfect even as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48).

What on earth do you suppose he meant by that? (Just a quick forecast) . . .the good news is that in the moral areas of the spirit or heart; i.e., in matters dealing with moral intent and love, there is a possibility of purity based on the purity and love of Jesus Christ living His life through you via the Holy Spirit.

God is love. . . if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Sprit. . . God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgement; because as He is, so are we in this world. (I John 4:8-17 NASB)

3. The spirit or heart function is immortal.

It is the part of a person’s nature that will last eternally. How it will be re-housed is not known to us. It is known, however, that the spirit or heart will live on forever, and forever, and forever!

Review:
Let’s review here, the Function of the Spirit as it interfaces with the Functions of the Mind, Emotions, and Will in regard to moral matters:

Next Week: What’s with this Sin Stuff?

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I BELIEVE . . . How Has History Handled This Mystery?

I.     THE NATURE OF HUMANS

Down through the centuries, the curiosity and the discussions have persisted. Especially, the church leaders through history have convened study groups and creedal conferences to explain; What is good? What is evil? And what is the basic human nature? Sometimes people really appear to be spiritual – other times, not so much.

Everyone has a fleshly body. Is it the body that is evil? Or is it the emotions and feelings and desires that are evil and make people do really bad things with their bodies? Is it the will that is bent toward doing selfish and hurtful things because the will is basically bad? How can you innocently use your will to choose to wear a certain coat on one day, then using the same will, you choose to steal money from your customer? Is it your will that is the evil problem? The will seemed pretty neutral when you used it to choose which coat to wear.

My first recollection of personally being perplexed about the differences between the behavior of a man and an animal was when I was six years old. Our family had taken a vacation and traveled all the way from Idaho to Southern California. We were going to visit my Uncle Chester and his wife, Aunt Vivian in Berkley, where he was a graduate student at UCLA. They insisted that we go with them to visit the impressive San Diego Zoo.

I still have a very vivid picture in my mind of what I considered the main attraction of the whole zoo. It was a very large, hairy ape with a sense of humor that would absolutely delight the heart of any 6-year-old boy. The huge ape would stand right up close to the bars, make scary noises, and beat enthusiastically on his chest. After he had collected a large gathering of viewers around his cage he would spring down and slurp up a monumental drink of water from the concrete-lined stream running through his cage.

We all thought he had swallowed the water. But, no! He would bound back to the cage bars, find the least suspecting person in the group and give them a big hairy ape shower by spraying them with all the water he had stored in his mouth.

I stood just out of range and watched moms with little babies, old men with canes and dignified, starchy ladies all get drenched by that ape. When finished, he would begin beating on his chest with glee and start the process all over again. What a delightful experience for a boy of six to observe. That was the very first live ape that I had ever seen in my life.

I asked my Dad if the ape was really a zookeeper acting like a monkey, so that he could get away with doing something he had always wanted to do, but was afraid of getting punished if caught! But however human that ape appeared, he really was not human. He still was just an animal. My question was: “What’s the big difference, Dad?”

Well, I don’t think the historic church leaders were just monkeying around as they tried to distinguish the differences and explain the thoughts and moral behaviors of earth’s inhabitants.
 
II.         THE DUPLEX:
In the earliest years, the church leaders tried to keep it all very simple. They viewed it as sort of a duplex construction – like a two-tenant house – part material and part spiritual.

They would refer to it sometimes as a dichotomy. They concluded that the material things which they could touch and see were of this world. Things which were real, but could not be touched or seen must be of another world – spiritual.

It was convenient, then, to think that everything could be divided into categories of material and non-material. Obviously, since the non-material could neither be touched nor seen, it must be of spirit; and if spiritual, it must be of another world and, therefore, must be good and righteous. Things which are material must be of this world, therefore, must be evil.

When it came to dealing with humans, it was easy to take the next step in the thinking process and conclude that the non-material must be spiritual and must be from the Divine, and, therefore, must be good. The human body must be material of this world and must be evil:

                     Non-material   =   spirit   =    Divine     =    good                                        Material           =   body   =   human     =    evil  

The religious leaders would then raise questions, like:

You can’t see love so, it must be spiritual, therefore, it must be good – But what about pain which accompanies disease? You can’t see it. Is it, therefore, spiritual; and therefore, good? And, is the pain in your mind or in your body? 

How about anger? Is anger righteous just because you don’t see it? Does getting hungry have anything to do with morality? Is sex and the reproduction process evil, since it has to do with the body? The thinking was beginning to get a little convoluted and messy.

Even though this approach was simplistic and quite comfortable, it contained a number of major weaknesses:

1. It tends to break down, rather than support, the unity of the total person.

2. It unrealistically holds that if something is not material, then it is spiritual.

3. It does not allow or explain the moral and amoral aspects of the non-material characteristics of a person, i.e., the mind, emotions and will.

 
III.      THE TRIPLEX:
In time, others began to refer to the human in more complex terms. Rather than seeing the construction as a duplex, they began seeing it more as a triplex – a three-tenant residence. They would refer to this as a trichotomy. Greeks talked about the “Soma” = the body, the “Psyche” = the soul, and the “Pneuma” = the spirit:             

Throughout the Bible, references are made to the body, the soul, and the spirit:     

 
     Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit, and soul,  and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.      (I Thess. 5:23 NASB)

    Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your  heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength. (Deut. 6:4-5 NIV) 

In this further clarification, the soul and the spirit are almost as separate and unique from each other as the soul and the body. The spirit is seen as the communications headquarters of the divine life where God communes with humans. It is the seat or citadel of the divine indwelling.

The soul is seen as the management or administrative center of the natural life where the psychical functions dwell. The soul is a kind of intermediary between the spirit and the physical activities of the body.

This “triplex” view, however, suffers from the same basic weaknesses as does the “duplex” view.
Today, we realize, more than ever, that humans cannot be viewed as segregated and independent parts, whether its two parts, three parts, or a hundred parts. Psychological and behavioral studies of recent years have underscored the fact that humans can now be studied from different vantage points, but it must be seen as total interacting components with all the functions interfacing with each other and behaving as an individual entity of  entirety

With the research that has been undertaken in the past one hundred years in the areas of human behavior and psychology, we stand in a better position to understand how a person functions than any other previous generation.
 
IV.      TIME FOR SOME DEFINITIONS:

MORAL:  That which deals with or is concerned with establishing principles of “right” and “wrong” in behavior, according to God’s Word (Moral is referred to as “right” – Immoral is “wrong”).
 
AMORAL:  That which deals with concerns other than those of “right” and “wrong”. In and of themselves, the things that are amoral can never become moral (a = not + moral).
 
PERFECTIBLE:  Capable of being made perfect, whole or entire in this present life.
 
IMPERFECTIBLE:  Incapable of being made perfect, whole or entire in this present life.
 
MORTAL:  Subject to death, destined to die.
 
IMMORTAL:  Imperishable, destined to live, will not die.
 
Next Week: Let’s Try a Merger                                       

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MAGNIGICENT MIRACLE OF HUMANS

Human beings were, and are, God’s most profound and magnificent creations on earth. It’s difficult to even try to imagine the love, affection, and engineering that went into the “human being project”. In the creation process, some of the human’s systems were utilized and adapted from systems engineered for previous projects in the earlier phases of creation. But there were oh, so many new and totally unique features:

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

God then said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has a breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. (Gen. 1:26-30 NIV)

Many of the features of the humans were designed to allow the individual to function in the world of created nature. In that sense, the humans resembled other less sophisticated species that required food, rest, drinkable water, and reproduction desires and appropriate reproduction facilities. Those standard features placed humans in the earthly realm and subjected them, like other mammals, to inhabit the phenomenon known as “time”.

But there was something totally different about the “human project”. The Godhead longed for fellowship, communication, expression, adoration, and worship. “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.” That meant something spiritual – not just earthy. That meant something eternal.

So, the humans were created with such functions as the mind: that element that processes reasoning, thinking, perceiving, and even judging.

Humans were also created with the function of emotions: that element and capacity designed for experiencing feelings such as love, fear, hate, sorrow, or even friendship and comradery.

God also created the humans with the function of the will, or volition: that amplitude allowing the choosing of a desired alternative. This feature was extraordinary and revolutionary. God not only gave the “human creation” the prerogative and leniency to choose what he wanted to eat, or when he wanted to cross the road, (like other animals) but in fact, created him as a “free moral agent.” Man could choose even whether he was going to obey God – or not! God already knew that if there was not such a thing as “free moral agency” regarding the will, there could never be true, voluntary, and willing adoration, spiritual comradery or worship.

God desired our love and worship too much to destroy it by demanding it. God is willing to repeatedly give us insights and understanding as he patiently woos us in his attempt to persuade us how much he loves us. He invites us to love, honor, and worship him only if we really choose to – or not!

Without free moral agency the created object would be nothing more than a pine tree with its noble spires reaching up toward the God that created it; or a cute little chicken that is required to take a drink of water, then lift its beak heavenward in order to swallow the water. God was seriously interested in creating more than robotic worshippers. He desired his highest creations to want to, on purpose, more than anything else, communicate with and worship him. If they honored, loved, and obeyed God – that was good. The “or not” part – was evil.

With all the special attention and heavenly creativity that went into the design and production of the “human project”, one would think that the humans would have realized their special, historically unique position and responded with humble appreciation and extreme watchfulness in attitudes and actions. But no! In fact, human beings have been so delinquent and contrary, regarding their favored position, that their actions have confused even the community of human beings as a whole!

Humans have been a mystery even to themselves - and each other, individually - for a long time. Humans have even directed their questions and lack of understanding straight to God, hoping they might get some satisfying answers:

When I look up into the night skies and see the work of your fingers – the moon and the stars you have made – I cannot understand how you can bother with mere puny man, to pay any attention to him! (Ps. 8: 3-9 TLB)

The human individual’s unappreciative and rebellious responses, and their seeming propensity to choose evil ways instead of God’s ways, has, at times, even deeply disappointed God himself:

When the Lord God saw the extent of human wickedness, and that the trend and direction of men’s lives were only towards evil, he was sorry he had made them. It broke his heart. And he said, “I will blot out from the face of the earth all mankind that I created. Yes, and the animals too, and the reptiles and the birds. For I am sorry I made them.” (Gen. 6:5-7 TLB)

Indeed, except for Noah, his family, and a boatload of representative species, God wiped out the human being bunch and started over afresh.

It is hard to even imagine the price God has been willing to pay for positive, spiritual, and eternal relationships with his humans. The “human being project” was not the first attempt to establish a positive relationship with created beings.

In reading together, the opening phrases of the Genesis account of earth’s creation, my saintly uncle, Dr. Chester Mulder, would go through the verses with me:

When God began creating the heavens and the earth, the earth was at first a shapeless, chaotic mass, with the Spirit of God brooding over the dark vapors. Then God said, “Let there be light. . .” (Gen. 1:1-2 TLB).

He would then look up at me and say, “Jimmy, for what possible reason could the forever God of all eternity be ‘brooding’ over the chaotic mass and the dark waters of what we would come to know as our earth?”

Well, it didn’t take much research to find the clues.

Then there was a war in heaven; Michael and the angels under his command fought the Dragon and his hosts of fallen angels. And the Dragon lost the battle and was forced from heaven. This great Dragon – the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world – was thrown down onto the earth with all his army. (Rev. 12:7-9 TLB)

How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground – mighty though you were against the nations of the world. For you said to yourself “I will ascend to heaven and rule the angels. I will take the highest throne.” (Isa. 14:12 TLB)

You were the perfection of wisdom and beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; your clothing was bejeweled with every precious stone -- . . . They were given to you on the day you were created. I appointed you to be the anointed guardian cherub. . . You were perfect in all you did from the day you were created until that time when wrong was found in you. Your great wealth filled you with internal turmoil and you sinned. Therefore, I cast you out of the mountain of God like a common sinner. (Eze. 28:12-16 TLB)

It appears that it has been rebellion and sinful pride that has always interrupted the desired relationship between those created, and a holy God. Even before the creation of earth, as we now know it, that personal spirit of deceit, enmity and evil manipulation had resulted in costing Almighty God the experiencing of disloyalty and betrayal of Lucifer and one third of the heavenly angels. He had given to them the privilege of free moral agency. They had abused it, and it had cost God immensely. But because of his incomprehensible love for his created human beings, God continues to reach out and welcome the wayward creation.

Let’s continue with our investigation and see if we can discover more information and insights regarding this “human being project”. We know that humans were created with a body, and that humans were also equipped with a mind, emotions and the “will” (that we have just discussed). But humans continue to be a mystery as to how all those facets and factors work together.

Let’s learn more about good and evil!

Next Week: How has History handled this Mystery?

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