Is this delineation of "self" true or untrue? You have three ways by which you may judge and decide; what God's Word says of him, what you have seen of his manifestation in other lives, and what you know to be true of yourself. In the light of our own experience is there one of us who would not have to confess to every one of these hateful manifestations of "self" at some moment in a greater or less degree? We each of us know what a hydra-headed monster that old "I" is. Luther knew it and said "I am more afraid of my own heart than of the Pope and all his cardinals. I have within me that great Pope "Self".
What, then, shall be done with this most stubborn foe? this most tyrannical sovereign? this bold usurper of God's place? God has declared very plainly in His Word what He has already done with him. He has but one place for "the old man" and that is the Cross, and but one plan for the termination of his despotic rule and that is by his crucifixion with Christ.
Romans 6:6, "Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin."
Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
2 Corinthians 5:1-15, "For the love of Christ constraineth us: because we thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died: And he died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again."
Two things explicitly stated in these verses should be noted; first, that the crucifixion of "the old man" is an already accomplished fact, and second, that it is a co-crucifixion.
Notice the tenses: "was crucified" - past, and "have been crucified" - past perfect. The judicial crucifixion of "the old man" took place centuries ago. Whether or not a single soul ever accepted this glorious fact that the entire old creation in Adam was carried to the Cross and there crucified with Christ, it is as gloriously true as the fact that Christ Himself was crucified.
"One died for all" Substitution - the Saviour on the Cross for the sinner. "Therefore all died". Identification - the sinner on the Cross with the Saviour.
It is part of the flawless provision of God's grace for the believer that everything that pertains to the old nature should terminate its sinful course at the Cross. Whether from "sins" or from "self" the Cross is God's only place of deliverance. But as surely as Christ Jesus "bore my sins in His own body on the tree" just so surely was my "old man crucified with Him" there. If I accept and act upon the one fact by faith, consistently I must accept and act upon the other fact by faith.
Deliverance from the old sphere "in the flesh" and entrance into the new sphere "in the spirit" demands the dethronement of self. It is very evident that house divided against itself cannot stand. No house can entertain two masters without unceasing conflict. If the Lord Jesus is to take the throne and rule over the human personality then "the old man" must abdicate. That he will never do. So God must deal drastically with him. He is a usurper whom God has condemned, and sentenced to death. In His infinite grace God carried out that sentence on Calvary's Cross. And now God declares to every person who cries out for deliverance from the tyranny of self, "the old man was crucified with Christ." Do you believe it and find it increasingly true?
I was once leading a series of meetings in a school in China and was showing the way of deliverance from both the penalty and the power of sin through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. One message was particularly on the theme we were now considering. The most attentive listener in the audience was a man who had been the classical teacher in that school for eleven years. Although he had daily heard the Gospel in chapel and had attended church he had never become a Christian. But during those days the Spirit of God worked mightily in his heart convicting and convincing him and finally leading him to an open confession of Christ. In conversation with a missionary afterward this teacher said that, although he had believed the Gospel truth that Christ died for his sins, he had never accepted Him as Saviour because this did not seem to fully meet his need. He said hat he was under the dominion of sin, and was governed by that old sinful nature and that not until he learned that God in Christ's Cross had dealt with that root, sin, out of which came the fruit, sins, did he believe it was a salvation sufficient to deliver him. But he found in this glorious truth of the crucifixion of "the old man" that God is able to save to the uttermost those that come to Him in Christ and accept the full work of His Cross.
The second fact which these verses make clear is that this is a co-crucifixion. "Our old man" was crucified with Christ. This declares both the method and the time of this crucifixion. There is often confusion at this point.
Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ." He did not try to crucify himself nor did his crucifixion take place at some special point in his spiritual experience through some act on his part. With that death Paul had no more to do that he had with the death of Christ Himself. The crucifixion of that old "I" was not self-crucifixion neither did it take place in Damascus, Arabia, or when Paul was "caught up to the third heaven." But the death of the "I", which was Saul, took place on the Cross when Christ died there.
The truth becomes easy of apprehension if we but remember that God sees every person either in Adam or in Christ. He deals with the human race through these two representative men. When Adam died the human race died in him. You died in Adam. So did I. Through that spiritual death "the old man" found birth and usurped God's place on the throne of man's life. Christ came as the last Adam to recover for God and for the race all that had been lost to them through the first Adam. God's method of defeating death is through death, so Christ died and the race of sinners died in Him. "One died for all: therefore all died." When the last Adam died "the old man" died with Him. The old "I" in you and in me was judicially crucified with Christ. "Ye died" and your death dates from the death of Christ. "The old man," the old "self" in God's reckoning was taken to the Cross with Christ and crucified and taken into the tomb with Christ and buried.
Romans 6:3-4, "Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life."
The perfection of God's grace is marvelously manifested in this glorious fact of co-crucifixion - the sinner with the Saviour on the Cross. It needs only the perfection of man's faith to make it a glorious reality in his spiritual experience. Assurance of deliverance from the sphere of the "flesh" and of the dethronement of "the old man" rests upon the apprehension and acceptance of this fact of co-crucifixion.
~Ruth Paxson~
(continued with # 4 - "The Creation of the New Man. Co-resurrection with Christ.")
Thursday, January 24, 2013
God's Promise
“Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you." - Genesis 28:15
Today's verse is a promise that God made to Jacob. As Jacob lay asleep, the Lord stood over him and reaffirmed the promise that He had given his father, Isaac, and his grandfather, Abraham. The Lord told Jacob of how his descendants would be as the dust of the earth, scattered in all directions and blessed to be in God's family. God kept His promise and the rest of the Old Testament tells the story of His people, a people known as the children of Israel. (Israel was the new name given to Jacob by God.)
The literal context of this verse is stated above but the spiritual context is applicable to us today. Did you know that the Lord has a promise for your life, even in this verse? How does something written so long ago become relevant to our lives now? Many people miss out on the Old Testament message because they see no relevance to our modern lives. But the Holy Spirit makes the message critically relevant to our lives right here and right now. The promise that God gave Jacob is also a promise that He gives us. Hebrews 13:5 says that the Lord will never leave us nor forsake us. For Jacob, God had given him a specific promise about the nation of Israel, a nation yet to be born at the time of the encounter. What promise has God given you, or do you know? For starters, He promises to never leave you and that He will be with you and keep you wherever you go. God promises to always be with you. What an awesome promise!
Sometimes we just need to open the Bible and start reading. Maybe someone reading this right now needs to hear that God promises to always be with them. The Holy Spirit takes the Word of God and speaks to our hearts personally, a message just for us. The Bible is filled with stories and literal accounts of historical events, but in every story and every account, there is a personal message just for you. Please do not miss out on the spiritual message. You will find what you need if you seek for it: a promise, a confirmation, an answer. You will love the Bible stories, but when they become real to you in your life, and apply to you in some way today, your life will change and you will have an insatiable appetite for God's Word.
~Daily Disciples~
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
The Reign of the Old Man # 2
Life On the Highest Plane
Dethronement of the Old Man - Co-crucifixion with Christ
Few people are willing to admit that "the old man" sits upon the throne and rules the whole being with despotic power. Even among Christians there is gross ignorance of and indifference to the subtle, insidious workings of the old "I". If the grosser "works of the flesh" are absent from the life, the individual rests in a complacent sense of goodness failing altogether to apprehend how obnoxious to God are the more refined and less openly manifest sins of the spirit and how they separate one leagues upon leagues from His pure holiness. No man living, except the one who through the enabling Spirit has seen Christ in His righteousness and holiness, will ever willingly say, "I know that in me (that is in my flesh) dwelleth NO good thing."
Let us, then, pause for a moment to take a full-length portrait of this hideous, heinous Self; let us face honestly his manifold operations and see if we are not forced to accept God's estimate of him and to acquiesce in the method of deliverance from his sovereignty. The foundation of life in the natural man is foursquare; self-will, self-love, self-trust, and self-exaltation, and upon this foundation is reared a superstructure that is one huge capital "I". Self-will is the corner-stone and self-exaltation is the cap-stone.
Self-will - "We have turned every one to his own way." The flesh wants its own way and is determined to have it even if it defies and disobeys God and over-rides others. "I will" is the alphabet out of which self fashions its language of life.
Self-centeredness - "the old man" feeds upon himself. He is the beginning and the end. Life presents little that interests or affects him except as it relates to himself. He is the center of the world in which he lives and moves and he always looks out for number one.
Self-assertion - "the old man" believes that every one is as interested in him and as fascinated by him as he himself is, so he protrudes and projects himself into the sight, hearing and notice of others continually. He monopolizes conversation and the theme is always "I", "my", and "mine." He walks with a swagger and expects the world to stop work and look at him. And he never dreams how offensive his self-importance is to others.
Self-depreciation - "the old man" is very versatile and sometimes it suits his purpose better to clothe his pride in a false humility. He curls up in his self-depreciation and shirks a lot of hard work which other people have to do. He magnifies his littleness and feebleness to his own advantage, yet with strange inconsistency he resents others taking his professed estimate of himself and treating him accordingly.
Self-conceit - "the old man" lives so much in himself that he does not know how big the world is in which he lives and how many other really intelligent people there are in it, so he has little regard for the opinions of others, especially if contrary to his own. He looks with proud and supercilious pity upon those less favored and gifted than himself.
Self-love - "the old man" loves himself supremely, one might say almost exclusively. He loves God not at all and his human love for others is tainted more or less with selfishness, jealousy, envy or impurity. Indeed "the old man" makes an idol of himself which he not only loves but worships.
Self-indulgence - "the old man" eats, drinks, and is merry. For him to want anything is equivalent to having it. He pampers and coddles himself; he can even indulge his extravagant, fleshly appetites while others starve to death before his eyes.
Self-pleasing - "the old man" chafes under discomfort and deprivation and is grumpy and peevish unless everything in the life of his day ministers to his real or imagined needs. He lives only for one person whose name is SELF.
Self-seeking - "the old man" is on a quest: he is after whatever will advance the cause of self. He seeks with feverish ambition and activity praise, position, power, prominence, and anything that checks his gaining them is attributed to others.
Self-pity - "his love for himself often creates within "the old man" rebellion against his circumstances or relationships; he exaggerates his own possible suffering, discomfort or sorrow and makes himself and others miserable by his habitual murmuring.
Self-sensitiveness - "the old man" is extremely hard to live with because he is covered with wounds and is continually being hurt afresh. He is not very companionable because usually he is dissolved in tears, shrouded in silence, or enjoying a pout.
Self-defense - "the old man" is very jealous of his rights and busy avenging his wrongs. He indulges freely in lawsuits. In his pursuit of his own vindication and justification in cases of disagreement and estrangement with others he is blinded by his own sin.
Self-trust - "the old man" is very self-confident and feels no need of one wiser and stronger than himself. Trusting in his own powers and resources he is prone to say "Though all men shall deny Thee, yet will not I."
Self-sufficiency - the self-confidence of "the old man" fosters an egotistical, smug self-satisfaction which leaves him stagnant. He has neither desire nor sense of need for anything beyond what he already possesses.
Self-consciousness - "the old man" never forgets himself: wherever he goes he casts a shadow of himself before. He is constantly occupied with photographing himself and developing the plates. He is chained to himself and as he walks one hears the clank of the chains. He is often morbidly elf-introspective.
Self-exaltation - "the old man" is absorbed in his own excellencies: he overestimates himself and his abilities: he thirsts for admiration and praise and he thrives on flattery. He secretly worships at the shrine "Self" and he wishes others to do so publicly.
Self-righteousness - "the old man" loves to dress himself in the garments of morality, benevolence and public-spiritedness. He even patronizes the Church and often assists in drives for raising money for philanthropic and religious purposes, heading the list of donors with a handsome gift. He keeps a double entry book - both with the Church and with the world and expects a reward both on earth and in Heaven.
Self-glorying - perhaps "the old man" resents this plain delineation of himself as he really is and thinks the condemnation too sweeping. Immediately he begins to enumerate his good qualities, his amiableness, geniality, tolerance, self-control, sacrificial spirit and other virtues. In doing so he takes all the credit to himself for what he is, exhibiting ill-concealed pride and vanity.
All that we have desired to say of this hideous ugly Self is said most tellingly by Gerhard Tersteegen in the following lines:
Dethronement of the Old Man - Co-crucifixion with Christ
Few people are willing to admit that "the old man" sits upon the throne and rules the whole being with despotic power. Even among Christians there is gross ignorance of and indifference to the subtle, insidious workings of the old "I". If the grosser "works of the flesh" are absent from the life, the individual rests in a complacent sense of goodness failing altogether to apprehend how obnoxious to God are the more refined and less openly manifest sins of the spirit and how they separate one leagues upon leagues from His pure holiness. No man living, except the one who through the enabling Spirit has seen Christ in His righteousness and holiness, will ever willingly say, "I know that in me (that is in my flesh) dwelleth NO good thing."
Let us, then, pause for a moment to take a full-length portrait of this hideous, heinous Self; let us face honestly his manifold operations and see if we are not forced to accept God's estimate of him and to acquiesce in the method of deliverance from his sovereignty. The foundation of life in the natural man is foursquare; self-will, self-love, self-trust, and self-exaltation, and upon this foundation is reared a superstructure that is one huge capital "I". Self-will is the corner-stone and self-exaltation is the cap-stone.
Self-will - "We have turned every one to his own way." The flesh wants its own way and is determined to have it even if it defies and disobeys God and over-rides others. "I will" is the alphabet out of which self fashions its language of life.
Self-centeredness - "the old man" feeds upon himself. He is the beginning and the end. Life presents little that interests or affects him except as it relates to himself. He is the center of the world in which he lives and moves and he always looks out for number one.
Self-assertion - "the old man" believes that every one is as interested in him and as fascinated by him as he himself is, so he protrudes and projects himself into the sight, hearing and notice of others continually. He monopolizes conversation and the theme is always "I", "my", and "mine." He walks with a swagger and expects the world to stop work and look at him. And he never dreams how offensive his self-importance is to others.
Self-depreciation - "the old man" is very versatile and sometimes it suits his purpose better to clothe his pride in a false humility. He curls up in his self-depreciation and shirks a lot of hard work which other people have to do. He magnifies his littleness and feebleness to his own advantage, yet with strange inconsistency he resents others taking his professed estimate of himself and treating him accordingly.
Self-conceit - "the old man" lives so much in himself that he does not know how big the world is in which he lives and how many other really intelligent people there are in it, so he has little regard for the opinions of others, especially if contrary to his own. He looks with proud and supercilious pity upon those less favored and gifted than himself.
Self-love - "the old man" loves himself supremely, one might say almost exclusively. He loves God not at all and his human love for others is tainted more or less with selfishness, jealousy, envy or impurity. Indeed "the old man" makes an idol of himself which he not only loves but worships.
Self-indulgence - "the old man" eats, drinks, and is merry. For him to want anything is equivalent to having it. He pampers and coddles himself; he can even indulge his extravagant, fleshly appetites while others starve to death before his eyes.
Self-pleasing - "the old man" chafes under discomfort and deprivation and is grumpy and peevish unless everything in the life of his day ministers to his real or imagined needs. He lives only for one person whose name is SELF.
Self-seeking - "the old man" is on a quest: he is after whatever will advance the cause of self. He seeks with feverish ambition and activity praise, position, power, prominence, and anything that checks his gaining them is attributed to others.
Self-pity - "his love for himself often creates within "the old man" rebellion against his circumstances or relationships; he exaggerates his own possible suffering, discomfort or sorrow and makes himself and others miserable by his habitual murmuring.
Self-sensitiveness - "the old man" is extremely hard to live with because he is covered with wounds and is continually being hurt afresh. He is not very companionable because usually he is dissolved in tears, shrouded in silence, or enjoying a pout.
Self-defense - "the old man" is very jealous of his rights and busy avenging his wrongs. He indulges freely in lawsuits. In his pursuit of his own vindication and justification in cases of disagreement and estrangement with others he is blinded by his own sin.
Self-trust - "the old man" is very self-confident and feels no need of one wiser and stronger than himself. Trusting in his own powers and resources he is prone to say "Though all men shall deny Thee, yet will not I."
Self-sufficiency - the self-confidence of "the old man" fosters an egotistical, smug self-satisfaction which leaves him stagnant. He has neither desire nor sense of need for anything beyond what he already possesses.
Self-consciousness - "the old man" never forgets himself: wherever he goes he casts a shadow of himself before. He is constantly occupied with photographing himself and developing the plates. He is chained to himself and as he walks one hears the clank of the chains. He is often morbidly elf-introspective.
Self-exaltation - "the old man" is absorbed in his own excellencies: he overestimates himself and his abilities: he thirsts for admiration and praise and he thrives on flattery. He secretly worships at the shrine "Self" and he wishes others to do so publicly.
Self-righteousness - "the old man" loves to dress himself in the garments of morality, benevolence and public-spiritedness. He even patronizes the Church and often assists in drives for raising money for philanthropic and religious purposes, heading the list of donors with a handsome gift. He keeps a double entry book - both with the Church and with the world and expects a reward both on earth and in Heaven.
Self-glorying - perhaps "the old man" resents this plain delineation of himself as he really is and thinks the condemnation too sweeping. Immediately he begins to enumerate his good qualities, his amiableness, geniality, tolerance, self-control, sacrificial spirit and other virtues. In doing so he takes all the credit to himself for what he is, exhibiting ill-concealed pride and vanity.
All that we have desired to say of this hideous ugly Self is said most tellingly by Gerhard Tersteegen in the following lines:
"Apart from Thee
I am not only naught but worse than naught,
A wretched monster, horrible of mien!
And when I work my works in self-vain strength,
However good and holy they may seem,
These works are hateful - nay, in Thy pure sight
Are criminal and fiendish, since thereby
I seek, and please, and magnify myself
In subtle pride of goodness, and ascribe
To self the glory that is Thine alone.
So dark, corrupt, so vile a thing is self.
Seen in the presence of Thy purity
It turns my soul to loathing and disgust;
Yea, all the virtues that it boasts to own,
Are foul and worthless when I look on Thee.
Oh that there might be no more I or mine!
That in myself I might no longer own
As mine, my life, my thinking, or my choice,
Or any other motion, but in me
That Thou, my God, my Jesus, might be all,
And work the all in all! Let that, O Lord,
Be dumb, forever die, and cease to be,
Which Thou doest not Thyself in me inspire,
And speak and work."
~Ruth Paxson~
(continued with # 3)
In Jesus' Name
In John 14:13, Jesus says, “Whatever you ask in My name,
that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the
Son.” And in verse 14: “If you ask anything in My name, I
will do it.” So the first principle is that prayer must be offered
in the name of Jesus. Have you noticed that when we’re in a
public prayer meeting and someone is asked to pray, they
usually end the prayer with the words, “We ask this in Jesus’
name”? Sometimes it feels like we wouldn’t know how to end a
prayer if we didn’t know those words because that is all we have
ever heard. But those words are more than just a signal that
the prayer is over and we can open our eyes. The expression
has a much deeper meaning. Jesus said, “If you ask in My
name.” So, what does it mean to ask in the name of Jesus
Christ?
First of all, it means to ask in His merit. We come before God in
Christ’s standing. We in ourselves have no standing before God.
There is no reason within us that God should ever answer any
of our prayers. Viewed on our own, apart from the
of our prayers. Viewed on our own, apart from the
righteousness of Jesus Christ, we are children of God’s wrath.
We can’t come to God in our righteousness, because the Bible
tells us that our righteousness is as filthy rags. Yet, sometimes
we come before God and because we’ve reviewed our memory
verses, we’ve done our Bible study, maybe we’ve even
witnessed this week, we feel rather spiritual. And although we
may use the phrase "in Jesus’ name," in actuality, we have a bit
of self-confidence attached to our prayer.
~Jerry Bridges~
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
The Reign of the Old Man
[A very enlightening article and includes the articles following it]
Life on the Highest Plane
A New Sovereign in a New Sphere
In each of these spheres is a sovereign who purposes to rule with undivided authority.
Col. 3:910, "Lie not one to another, seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."
The sovereign in the old sphere is "the old man." The very essence of the flesh is self-will in the form of this God-resisting, God-rejecting nature. The heart of the flesh is this deep-dyed traitor which hates everything that God loves and loves everything that God hates.
The expression "the old man" is used but three times in the Bible, in Eph. 4:22, Col. 3:9, and Romans 6:6. It has an equivalent in the "I" of Galatians 2:2 and in the word "sin" as used in Romans 6. The term commonly used is "self." Through the first Adam's fall "self" usurped the throne of man's personality and has held it in its control and use ever since. Every child is born into the world with king "self" on the throne, a fact which is made evident before he can even walk or talk.
"The old man" on the throne determines what the whole life from center to circumference shall be. His evil desires become evil deeds; his unholy aspirations are transmitted into unholy acts; his unrighteous character manifests itself in unrighteous conduct; his ungodly will is expressed in ungodly works.
Ephesians 2:3, "Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind."
Colossians 3:9, "Lie not one to another, seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds."
Galatians 5:19-21, "The works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like; of the which I tell you before, as I have told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
"The old man" demands an environment that is in full accord with his tastes and inclinations, all of which are earth born. He feeds on the things that are seen, he walks by sight, he revels in "the lust of the flesh," "the lust of the eyes," and "the pride of life." So the only atmosphere in which he could live and breath is that of the world. "The world" is "the old man's native heath.
1 John 2:16, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
Dethronement of the Old Man - Co-crucifixion with Christ
The vast majority of Christians stop short in their experience of the blessings of salvation with the joy of forgiveness of past sins and with the hope of Heaven in the future. But the present is a forty-year wilderness experience full of futile wanderings, never enjoying peace and rest, never arriving in the promised land.
The history of God's dealing with the children of Israel is full of helpfulness and instruction for us at this point. Indeed it is typical of every phase of our deliverance from the old sphere and our entrance into the new. Egypt is the type of the world; the oppression of Pharaoh typifies the bondage to satan in which the sinner is held; Canaan, the promised land flowing with milk and honey, typifies the heavenlies in which the believer has every spiritual blessing.
God purposed not only to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt but into Canaan, not only out of bondage but into rest. There are three distinct stages recorded of this deliverance: while still in Egypt they were delivered from the judgment of death through the sprinkling of the blood of the Paschal lamb upon the door posts; then they were delivered out of Egypt and from the enemies who pursued them by the miraculous passage of the Red Sea. Due to their rebellion and unbelief the forty long, weary years of futile wandering in the wilderness followed, during which all of the people, except Caleb and Joshua, died, never having "possessed their possessions." Then came the last stage in their deliverance when the two, who had wholly followed the Lord, led the new generation of Israelites into the promised land through the miraculous passage of the river Jordan. There they had victory over their enemies, entered into the possession of their inheritance and had rest.
God purposes not only to bring the sinner out of the world but into the heavenlies: not only out of sinner-hood but into sainthood. There are three distinct stages in this deliverance which represent three different aspects of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are not stages in the sense of being marked off in point of time for they all belong to the believer through is relationship to the crucified, risen exalted Lord and are his in experience the moment he apprehends and claims them by faith.
While still in bondage God speaks to the sinner telling him the way of deliverance from death, through faith in the shed blood of the Lamb of God. This results in the joy and peace of forgiveness, this covers the past. But the sinner needs much more than this for he needs to be taken out of the old sphere and to be freed from the grip of his old enemies, the world, the flesh and the devil. This is the passage of the Red Sea - the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ which makes a way clean out of the old sphere for the believer and at the same time swallows up the pursuing enemies in utter defeat and destruction. This is the believer's justification which gives him the standing before God of a freed and justified man (or woman) and places the Cross and the open tomb between him (her) and their enemies.
Just here many believers stop; satisfied with release from the servitude of Pharaoh's land but not seeking the delights and rest of God's land of promise. They stop short of the last stage of the journey; hence the years of wilderness wandering, constantly going but never getting anywhere. They have been taken out of Egypt but Egypt is still in them. They hanker for the things of the world and of the flesh. Their lives are characterized by selfishness, murmuring, defeat, dissatisfaction, rebellion and fruitlessness. The Jordan crossing is still ahead for them. I wonder if this article has found such a wilderness wanderer in you? If so, may it come as God's Joshua to lead you over the Jordan into the land of your perfect inheritance in Christ Jesus. Through justification and regeneration the believer is separated from the old sphere of the natural man and all that pertains to it; through identification with Christ in His death, resurrection and ascension, he is brought out of the wilderness wanderings of carnal life and into the victory, peace and rest of the spiritual life. Let us study together now what the crossing of the Jordan typifies for the believer.
~Ruth Paxson~
(continued with # 2)
Life on the Highest Plane
A New Sovereign in a New Sphere
In each of these spheres is a sovereign who purposes to rule with undivided authority.
Col. 3:910, "Lie not one to another, seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."
The sovereign in the old sphere is "the old man." The very essence of the flesh is self-will in the form of this God-resisting, God-rejecting nature. The heart of the flesh is this deep-dyed traitor which hates everything that God loves and loves everything that God hates.
The expression "the old man" is used but three times in the Bible, in Eph. 4:22, Col. 3:9, and Romans 6:6. It has an equivalent in the "I" of Galatians 2:2 and in the word "sin" as used in Romans 6. The term commonly used is "self." Through the first Adam's fall "self" usurped the throne of man's personality and has held it in its control and use ever since. Every child is born into the world with king "self" on the throne, a fact which is made evident before he can even walk or talk.
"The old man" on the throne determines what the whole life from center to circumference shall be. His evil desires become evil deeds; his unholy aspirations are transmitted into unholy acts; his unrighteous character manifests itself in unrighteous conduct; his ungodly will is expressed in ungodly works.
Ephesians 2:3, "Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind."
Colossians 3:9, "Lie not one to another, seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds."
Galatians 5:19-21, "The works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like; of the which I tell you before, as I have told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
"The old man" demands an environment that is in full accord with his tastes and inclinations, all of which are earth born. He feeds on the things that are seen, he walks by sight, he revels in "the lust of the flesh," "the lust of the eyes," and "the pride of life." So the only atmosphere in which he could live and breath is that of the world. "The world" is "the old man's native heath.
1 John 2:16, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
Dethronement of the Old Man - Co-crucifixion with Christ
The vast majority of Christians stop short in their experience of the blessings of salvation with the joy of forgiveness of past sins and with the hope of Heaven in the future. But the present is a forty-year wilderness experience full of futile wanderings, never enjoying peace and rest, never arriving in the promised land.
The history of God's dealing with the children of Israel is full of helpfulness and instruction for us at this point. Indeed it is typical of every phase of our deliverance from the old sphere and our entrance into the new. Egypt is the type of the world; the oppression of Pharaoh typifies the bondage to satan in which the sinner is held; Canaan, the promised land flowing with milk and honey, typifies the heavenlies in which the believer has every spiritual blessing.
God purposed not only to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt but into Canaan, not only out of bondage but into rest. There are three distinct stages recorded of this deliverance: while still in Egypt they were delivered from the judgment of death through the sprinkling of the blood of the Paschal lamb upon the door posts; then they were delivered out of Egypt and from the enemies who pursued them by the miraculous passage of the Red Sea. Due to their rebellion and unbelief the forty long, weary years of futile wandering in the wilderness followed, during which all of the people, except Caleb and Joshua, died, never having "possessed their possessions." Then came the last stage in their deliverance when the two, who had wholly followed the Lord, led the new generation of Israelites into the promised land through the miraculous passage of the river Jordan. There they had victory over their enemies, entered into the possession of their inheritance and had rest.
God purposes not only to bring the sinner out of the world but into the heavenlies: not only out of sinner-hood but into sainthood. There are three distinct stages in this deliverance which represent three different aspects of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are not stages in the sense of being marked off in point of time for they all belong to the believer through is relationship to the crucified, risen exalted Lord and are his in experience the moment he apprehends and claims them by faith.
While still in bondage God speaks to the sinner telling him the way of deliverance from death, through faith in the shed blood of the Lamb of God. This results in the joy and peace of forgiveness, this covers the past. But the sinner needs much more than this for he needs to be taken out of the old sphere and to be freed from the grip of his old enemies, the world, the flesh and the devil. This is the passage of the Red Sea - the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ which makes a way clean out of the old sphere for the believer and at the same time swallows up the pursuing enemies in utter defeat and destruction. This is the believer's justification which gives him the standing before God of a freed and justified man (or woman) and places the Cross and the open tomb between him (her) and their enemies.
Just here many believers stop; satisfied with release from the servitude of Pharaoh's land but not seeking the delights and rest of God's land of promise. They stop short of the last stage of the journey; hence the years of wilderness wandering, constantly going but never getting anywhere. They have been taken out of Egypt but Egypt is still in them. They hanker for the things of the world and of the flesh. Their lives are characterized by selfishness, murmuring, defeat, dissatisfaction, rebellion and fruitlessness. The Jordan crossing is still ahead for them. I wonder if this article has found such a wilderness wanderer in you? If so, may it come as God's Joshua to lead you over the Jordan into the land of your perfect inheritance in Christ Jesus. Through justification and regeneration the believer is separated from the old sphere of the natural man and all that pertains to it; through identification with Christ in His death, resurrection and ascension, he is brought out of the wilderness wanderings of carnal life and into the victory, peace and rest of the spiritual life. Let us study together now what the crossing of the Jordan typifies for the believer.
~Ruth Paxson~
(continued with # 2)
Remain Faithful
But you must remain faithful to the things you have been
taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust
those who taught you. You have been taught the holy
Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom
to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.
-Second Timothy 3:14-15 (New Living Translation)
Why is it, that as we grow, we abandon the things that laid the
foundation of our lives. Let me put it this way. In school, we'd
learn to add, subtract, multiply and divide. By the time we
reach high school, we are not reinforcing the elementary
teachings, therefore, many forget them. I know people who are
intelligent in book smarts, but can't add, subtract, multiply or
divide without a calculator. We abandon the early teachings. It's
the same in our walk with Christ. We build our lives upon the
teaching of Jesus. We move beyond and discuss things that are
not important. We move beyond the basic teaching of Jesus,
and into the doctrines and teachings of men. I think that is the
idea behind what Paul told Timothy in these verses.
Verse 14 says, "But you must remain faithful to the things
you have been taught. You know they are true, for you
know you can trust those who taught you." In Second
Timothy 3:1-8, Paul is warning Timothy about the coming end
times. Look what he says in verses 2-5, "For people will love
only themselves and their money. They will be boastful
and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents,
and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They
will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others
and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what
is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be
puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.
They will act religious, but they will reject the power that
could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!"
Paul is warning Timothy that he must remain faithful to what
he was taught, because he was taught by someone he can trust.
Verse 15 says, "You have been taught the holy Scriptures
from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to
receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ
Jesus." Timothy must remain faithful to the Scriptures taught
to him from childhood. He came from a background of people
who loved Jesus and His Word. Second Timothy 1:5 says, " I
remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that
first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother,
Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in
you." Those are the things he must remain faithful to, the
genuine faith taught him, and the genuine faith that teaches
our need to salvation.
It seems that genuine faith that teaches our need for salvation
has got sidetracked somewhere. Are you remaining faithful to
those early teachings that laid the foundation of your life in
Christ? Or have you forsaken those and chase after the doctrines of man?
taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust
those who taught you. You have been taught the holy
Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom
to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.
-Second Timothy 3:14-15 (New Living Translation)
Why is it, that as we grow, we abandon the things that laid the
foundation of our lives. Let me put it this way. In school, we'd
learn to add, subtract, multiply and divide. By the time we
reach high school, we are not reinforcing the elementary
teachings, therefore, many forget them. I know people who are
intelligent in book smarts, but can't add, subtract, multiply or
divide without a calculator. We abandon the early teachings. It's
the same in our walk with Christ. We build our lives upon the
teaching of Jesus. We move beyond and discuss things that are
not important. We move beyond the basic teaching of Jesus,
and into the doctrines and teachings of men. I think that is the
idea behind what Paul told Timothy in these verses.
Verse 14 says, "But you must remain faithful to the things
you have been taught. You know they are true, for you
know you can trust those who taught you." In Second
Timothy 3:1-8, Paul is warning Timothy about the coming end
times. Look what he says in verses 2-5, "For people will love
only themselves and their money. They will be boastful
and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents,
and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They
will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others
and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what
is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be
puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.
They will act religious, but they will reject the power that
could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!"
Paul is warning Timothy that he must remain faithful to what
he was taught, because he was taught by someone he can trust.
Verse 15 says, "You have been taught the holy Scriptures
from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to
receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ
Jesus." Timothy must remain faithful to the Scriptures taught
to him from childhood. He came from a background of people
who loved Jesus and His Word. Second Timothy 1:5 says, " I
remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that
first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother,
Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in
you." Those are the things he must remain faithful to, the
genuine faith taught him, and the genuine faith that teaches
our need to salvation.
It seems that genuine faith that teaches our need for salvation
has got sidetracked somewhere. Are you remaining faithful to
those early teachings that laid the foundation of your life in
Christ? Or have you forsaken those and chase after the doctrines of man?
Think About It.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Think of the Holy Spirit as a Moral Flame
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace ... But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you ..." (Romans 8:6, 9)
One of the most telling blows which the enemy ever struck at the life of the Church was to create n her a groundless fear of the Holy Spirit! He has been and is so widely misunderstood that the very mention of His Name in some circles is enough to frighten many people into resistance.
Perhaps we may help by examining that fire which is the symbol of the Spirit's Person and Presence.
The Holy Spirit is first of all a moral flame. It is not an accident of language that He is called the HOLY Spirit, for whatever else the word "holy" may mean it does undoubtedly carry with it the idea of moral purity. And The Spirit, being God, must be absolutely and infinitely pure!
It follows then that whoever would be filled and indwelt by the Spirit should first judge his life for any hidden iniquities; he should courageously expel from his heart everything which is not of accord with the character of God as revealed by the Holy Scriptures.
At the base of all true Christian experience must lie a sound and sane morality. No joys are valid, no delights legitimate where sin is allowed to live in life or conduct. No transgression of pure righteousness dare excuse itself on the ground of superior religious experience.
"Be ye holy" is a serious commandment from the Lord of the whole earth. The true Christian ideal is not to be happy but to be holy. The holy heart alone can be the habitation of the Holy Spirit!
~A. W. Tozer~
One of the most telling blows which the enemy ever struck at the life of the Church was to create n her a groundless fear of the Holy Spirit! He has been and is so widely misunderstood that the very mention of His Name in some circles is enough to frighten many people into resistance.
Perhaps we may help by examining that fire which is the symbol of the Spirit's Person and Presence.
The Holy Spirit is first of all a moral flame. It is not an accident of language that He is called the HOLY Spirit, for whatever else the word "holy" may mean it does undoubtedly carry with it the idea of moral purity. And The Spirit, being God, must be absolutely and infinitely pure!
It follows then that whoever would be filled and indwelt by the Spirit should first judge his life for any hidden iniquities; he should courageously expel from his heart everything which is not of accord with the character of God as revealed by the Holy Scriptures.
At the base of all true Christian experience must lie a sound and sane morality. No joys are valid, no delights legitimate where sin is allowed to live in life or conduct. No transgression of pure righteousness dare excuse itself on the ground of superior religious experience.
"Be ye holy" is a serious commandment from the Lord of the whole earth. The true Christian ideal is not to be happy but to be holy. The holy heart alone can be the habitation of the Holy Spirit!
~A. W. Tozer~
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)