THE
Author John Holland
A study of our
spiritual pilgrimage of holiness leading to the fulfilment of Christ’s
kingdom in us,
and our ultimate state of rest in Christ in God.
Published by COVENANT MINISTRIES INC.
Email: contact@covenanttruth.com.au
ISBN 0958635803
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
The Attributes of Jesus Christ
Chapter
2
The State of Our Hearts
Chapter
3
The Path of the Cross
Chapter
4
Abiding in Christ in God
CHAPTER 1
JESUS CHRIST -THE
"Again, the kingdom of heaven
is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over
it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of
heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one
pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
THE ATTRIBUTES OF JESUS
CHRIST
JESUS CHRIST - REVEALED IN
THE SCRIPTURES
First note that the treasure and the pearl of great
price were hidden. Jesus Christ
is that treasure and that pearl, hidden away in our hearts, to be sought after
and found, and to be experienced personally.
In Psalm 27, David expresses the Lord’s desire for us
to seek Him, and then his own ready response.
“One thing I have desired of the
LORD, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days
of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD… When You said, "Seek My
face," my heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek."
Ps 27:4, 8.
We have His assurance that if we seek Him with all
diligence, we will find Him. “And you will seek Me and find Me, when
you search for Me with all your heart.” Jer 29:13.
The obvious starting point of our search is the
Scriptures, which provide us with a full revelation of His attributes. Here are some examples.
HIS NAME
‘Jesus’
"And she will bring
forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, (salvation) for
He will save His people from their sins." Matt 1:21.
He is the Saviour of mankind.
‘Immanuel’
"Behold, a virgin shall
be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,"
which is translated, "God with us." Matt 1:23.
‘Messiah’ ‘The
Christ’
“He first found his own
brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is
translated, the Christ).” John 1:41.
Messiah means ‘the Anointed One.’
‘The Prophet’
"The LORD your God will
raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you
shall hear,” Deut 18:15.
“Then those men, when they
had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is
to come into the world." John 6:14.
Essentially the ministry of Jesus was that of a
prophet, showing people their present state, and foretelling what was to come
in God’s plan of things.
Expressing
His Deity
‘Son of God’
"And I have seen and
testified that this is the Son of God." John 1:34.
This title testifies to Jesus’ divinity. Before His incarnation, He was with God and
equal with God. “Let this mind be in you
which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider
it robbery to be equal with God” Phil 2:5-6.
‘Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’
“For unto us a Child is born,
unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His
name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.” Isa 9:6.
“Wonderful” His whole
manifestation is a wonder.
“Counsellor”
“But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God; and
righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” 1 Cor 1:30. A renewed mind is one where worldly wisdom is
substituted by the wisdom of Christ.
Through His indwelling presence in our minds, “we have the mind of Christ.”(1 Cor 2:16) In effect, He is our counsellor.
“Mighty God” The character He will express against His anti-Christian enemies.
“Everlasting Father” The everlasting founder and Head of His Christian
family.
“Prince of Peace”
Here ‘Prince’ is not a royal title, but an indication that he is the
chief, or Principal One of peace. He
establishes our reconciliation and peace with our Father, and “…He Himself is our peace” Eph 2:14.
‘I AM’ “Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly,
I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." John 8:58.
This was the same reply given by God to Moses in
answer to the question, “when I come to
the children of
‘The Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the
End...the Almighty.’
"I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was
and who is to come, the Almighty." Rev 1:8.
“'These things says the Amen,
the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:” Rev 3:14.
“the Amen” The fulfilment of all that is spoken by God in
the Scriptures.
“Beginning of the creation of God” Not the first thing created, but the
originating source of creation through whom God worked.
“Therefore thus says the Lord
GOD: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a
precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act
hastily.” Isa 28:16. The
titles above express the eternal nature of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
‘The Prince of life’
‘The Resurrection and the Life’
"But you denied the Holy
One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the
Prince of life.” Acts
3:14-15.
“the Prince of life”
Again ‘Prince’ is not used as a royal title, but rather ‘the chief,’ or
‘Principal One.’ Jesus is the principal source of life appointed to man by
God.
"For as the Father has life in Himself, so He
has granted the Son to have life in Himself…” Jn 5:26.
Jesus told His disciples, “I have come that they (mankind) may have life, and that they
may have it more abundantly.” Jn 10:10.
He said “I am the way, the
truth, and the life,” and berated the hard of heart because they were “not willing to come to (Him) that (they)
may have life.” Jn 5:40.
Jesus in us is a source of divine life which is
readily released to meet our needs. He explained to His disciples that just
as He lived by the indwelling power of the Father, so they were to likewise
live through Him. "As the living
Father sent Me, and I live bec
His
Lordship
‘Lord Jesus Christ’
“Therefore God also has
highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on
earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil 2:9-11.
The full title of Jesus is “the Lord Jesus Christ.’ P
“The grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be
with you all.” 2 Cor 13:14.
He is Lord of all. "The
word which God sent to the children of
He is sovereign Lord of lords and king of kings. “He
who is the blessed and only Sovereign,
the King of kings and Lord of lords…”
1 Tim 6:15 (NAS).
He is destined to have an eternal government, and rule
over all of God’s people. “'But you,
Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.'” Matt 2:6.
God has “put all things under His feet, and gave Him
to be head over all things to the
church…” Eph 1:22. He has “given him for a witness to the people, a leader
and commander to the people.” Isa 55:4.
Almighty
Conqueror
‘the
Mighty One of Jacob,’ ‘the Lion of the
tribe of
“You shall drink the milk of
the Gentiles, and milk the breast of kings; you shall know that I, the LORD, am
your Saviour and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” Isa 60:16.
"Do not weep. Behold,
the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the
scroll and to loose its seven seals." Rev 5:5.
"These will make war
with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and
King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and
faithful." Rev 17:14.
“Ask of Me, and I will give
You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your
possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them to
pieces like a potter's vessel.'" Ps 2:8-10.
His Humanity
‘the Son of Man’
"For as the Father has
life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has
given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.” John 5:26-27.
Even though
He is the Son of God, Jesus also delighted in the title ‘Son of Man.’ Bec
‘Love’
The very essence of Christ’s character is love. "Greater
love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.” Jn
15:13.
“For I am persuaded that
neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things
present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord.” Rom 8:38-39.
Gentle
Patient Victorious
"Take My yoke upon you
and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest
for your souls.” Matt
11:29.
“A bruised reed He will not
break, and smoking flax He will not quench;” he will bring forth justice for
truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in
the earth;” Isa 42:3-4.
“He is able even to subdue
all things to Himself.” Phil
3:21.
‘Full of Grace and Truth’
“And the Word became flesh
and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jn 1:14.
“You are fairer than the sons
of men; grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever.”
Ps 45:2.
“And of His fullness we have
all received, and grace for grace (or grace heaped upon grace).
For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus
Christ.” Jn 1:16-17.
‘Faithful and True’
“Now I saw heaven opened, and
behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and
in righteousness He judges and makes war.” Rev 19:11.
“If we are faithless, He
remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” 2 Tim 2:13.
The Glory of His Be
“You are fairer (Lit: ‘be
“Unchangeable”
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and
forever.” Heb 13:8.
Names
Associated With His Cross
‘The
Spotless Lamb of God’ ‘Saviour’ ‘Our
Passover’ ‘Redeemer’
“…knowing that you were not
redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless
conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Pet 1:18-19.
“For indeed Christ, our Passover,
was sacrificed for us.” 1
Cor 5:7.
“All flesh shall know that I,
the LORD, am your Saviour, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob." Isa 49:26.
His
Present Office
‘The Great High Priest’
“Seeing then that we have a
great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let
us hold fast our confession.” Heb 4:14.
“Therefore, holy brethren,
partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our
confession, Christ Jesus,” Heb
3:1.
Jesus, our High Priest, presents our confessions or
testimonies to His atoning blood on our behalf before the throne of God.
‘Mediator’ and ‘Advocate’
“For there is one God and one
Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,” 1 Tim 2:5.
“My little children, these
things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an
Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” I Jn 2:1.
A mediator is a ‘go-between,’ and an advocate is one
who stands with us or alongside of us.
Notice that it is as ‘the Son of Man’ that Jesus acts as our mediator
and advocate, and that He is the only mediator between God and man.
‘Judge of
“Now gather yourself in
troops, O d
“For He is coming, for He is
coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the
peoples with His truth.” Ps
96:13.
“In mercy the throne will be
established; and One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David,
judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness." Isa 16:5.
His
Present Ministry
‘The Good Shepherd’
"I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” John 10:11.
“The LORD is my shepherd; I
shall not want.” Ps 23:1.
“Give ear, O Shepherd of
“He will feed His flock like
a shepherd; he will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom,
and gently lead those who are with young.” Isa 40:11.
"As a shepherd seeks out
his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My
sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a
cloudy and dark day.” Ezek
34:12.
“And He shall stand and feed
His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD
His God; and they shall abide, for now He shall be great to the ends of the
earth;” Mic 5:4.
“For you were like sheep
going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your
souls.” 1 Pet 2:25.
‘Author and Perfecter of Our Faith’
“let us run with endurance
the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and
perfecter of our faith..” Heb
12:1-2 (NAS).
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the word (rhema, or
word spoken in our hearts) of God.”
Rom 10:17. We hear the word of the Lord,
we respond in obedience, He releases His faith in our hearts.
‘The Word’
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God.” Jn 1:1.
“He was clothed with a robe
dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.” Rev 19:13.
Not only was Jesus
the living word, or the full living expression of God’s word (logos), He is the almighty power of God invested in
the word. In the reading above, He faces
His enemies in His name “The Word of
God.” His spiritual foes are slain
by the word of truth.
‘The Light of the World’ ‘The Light of Life’
“Then Jesus spoke to them
again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not
walk in darkness, but have the light of life." Jn 8:12.
“Through the tender mercy of
our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to
those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the
way of peace." Lk
1:78-79.
“A light to bring revelation
to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people
Jesus is still
“the light of the world,” and “the light
of life." He still brings the
light of revelation and truth through the Holy Spirit to a world plunged in
darkness. He first came as “the light of the world,” and “the Messenger of the covenant.” (Mal
3:1). In the latter days He will “come into His temple” in a world
steeped in darkness as “the Sun of
Righteousness…with healing in His wings,” Mal 4:2. Although “darkness
shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people, the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.”
(Isa 60:1-2) "The sun shall no
longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to
you; but the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory.
Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself; for the
LORD will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be
ended.” Isa 60:19-20.
Reflecting God’s Glory
He is “the
brightness of (God’s) glory and the express image of His person, and upholding
all things by the word of His power.” Heb 1:1-3.
“And He is before all things,
and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who
is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have
the pre-eminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should
dwell,” Col 1:17-19.
“the Branch of the LORD shall
be beautiful and glorious” Isa
4:2.
“For behold, the darkness
shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise
over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” Isa 60:2.
‘The Song of Songs’ is an allegory that paints a
picture of the search of the earnest Christian when entering into a personal
relationship with the Lord. It reveals
His love for us, and His desire to be found by us.
“He brought me to the
banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.” Song 2:4.
“I am my beloved's, and his
desire is toward me.” Song
7:10.
The seeking heart becomes His exclusive property.
“My
beloved is mine, and I am his. He feeds his flock among the lilies (in a climate of purity). Song 2:16.
“A
garden enclosed (His
exclusive property) is my sister, my
spouse, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed (for His personal use).” Song 4:12.
CHAPTER 2
THE STATE OF OUR
HEARTS
FINDING THE
Although our search of the Scriptures provides us with
a foundation of intellectual knowledge and spiritual insights into the nature
of Jesus, it still lacks the element of the personal experience of His
presence. The rest of this study will be
directed towards finding and personally experiencing the Lord as the pearl of
great price hidden away in our hearts.
The Lord Dwells in Our Hearts
The Scriptures tell us that the Lord dwells in our
hearts.
“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant
you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might
through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell (settle
down and abide) in your hearts (your inner man or true self)
through faith (your faith in receiving Him); that you, being rooted and grounded in love (the love that comes
through Christ’s indwelling), may be
able to comprehend (to understand and apprehend) with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height (the
vastness or infinitude of God)--to know
the love of Christ which passes knowledge (i.e. all intelligent knowledge
without experience); that you may be
filled with all the fullness of God (through Jesus Christ in us).” Eph 3:14-19.
In
Spiritual Terms, What is the Heart?
Firstly, let us make a brief analysis of the nature of
man from the aspect of his tripartite being--spirit, soul, and body.
The spirit is that part through which man communicates
with God. It has the functions of
conscience, intuition, and communion.
The soul comprises the intellect, and the emotions
which proceed from the senses. It is the seat of man’s personality--the organ
of volition and natural life. Compared
with the spirit, which is the higher God-centred part of man, the soul is the
baser part of man--the seat of carnal desire.
The body is the external, visible part of man,
through which he makes contact with the world.
The
Heart
By contrast, the heart of man is not as easily
defined. It is not the spirit, because
it has so many capacities that may proceed from the soul.
For example, drawing from the intellect, the heart may
‘think,’ ‘perceive,’ ‘understand,’ ‘imagine,’ or ‘debate.’
Emotionally, it can be ‘merry,’ ‘glad,’ joyful,’
‘anxious,’ ‘bitter,’ ‘despairing,’ ‘sorrowful,’ or full of hatred.
Volitionally, the heart can purpose or will, ‘be
steadfast,’ ‘gentle’ and ‘humble,’ ‘single-minded, or hardened and insensitive.
It is not entirely the soul, because it derives some
of its nature from the spirit. A true
heart draws near to God to love Him, with all the intellect feeling and will
brought under the control of the spirit.
A true heart (controlled by the spirit) is God-centred, receiving and
holding fast His word.
The heart signifies the true inner self--the settled
nature of the inner man which has been formed out of the intermingling
influences of the soul and spirit as they react with one another. The heart is what the man is in truth--the
genuine self apart from physical looks or superficial reactions.
Christ’s spirit dwells within our spirits. However,
when we say that Christ is abiding in our hearts, we mean that He is actively
working at the coal face of the intermingled soul and spirit where our true
self is being forged. When we invite the
Lord into our hearts, we are giving Him leave to operate in the realms of our
souls and spirits to create the inner man in the image of Himself. With our co-operation, by degrees the Lord
establishes His kingdom in our hearts.
To change for the better, i.e. to become more
Christ-like, the influence of the
soul on man’s heart must diminish,
and be replaced by the higher influences of the spirit. The destructive nature of soulish desires and
self-interest impede our progress in discovering the Lord as “the pearl of
great price.”
Soulish
Desires a Barrier to Knowing the Lord
Peter warned the young church of the destructive
nature of fleshly lusts to the soul. “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and
pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” 1
Pet 2:11.
The apostle James issued a similar warning when he
stated that the soul that sets its affections on the things of the world is
at enmity with God. “Do you not know that friendship with the
world is enmity with (hostility towards) God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself
an enemy of God.” James 4:4.
John also warned the church, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the
world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the
lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not
of the Father but is of the world.” I Jn 2:15-17.
Soulish affection and attachment to the things of the
world renders the soul like unto the world. A mind governed by desire becomes blind
to the things of God and loses its capacity to be enlightened by the spiritual
light of God. Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters; for
either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the
one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Matt 6:24.
When the soul has a covetous attachment to things, the
end is torment and bitterness. This is
because the eye is never satisfied, and the heat of desire grows in the
soul. The result is an insatiable
craving for more and more things. Such
people are ever demanding, restless and discontented. Even when attaining, they are never
satisfied, and the soul becomes wearied, weakened, and defiled. There can be no relief until a person repents
and casts off his affection for the world and turns to the Lord.
Even the best things of the world are a poor
substitute for the things of God. For
instance, the wisdom of the world is folly compared to the wisdom of God. Therefore to come into union with the wisdom
of God, the soul has to go through the process of unknowing or discarding the
wisdom of the world in order to experience the liberty of wisdom from God
through the Spirit.
In Isaiah, God pleads with His people: “Why
do you spend money for what is not bread (the Lord--the bread of life), and your wages for what does not satisfy
(the things of the world)? Listen
carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in
abundance (of the goodness of the Lord).” Isa 55:2-3.
Our
Hearts Are Corrupt and Need Changing
The true nature of our hearts is only known by Christ
and God. “For the LORD does not see as
man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the
heart." 1 Sam 16:7.
Jesus pointed out to the Pharisees that it is the
state of our hearts that governs our behaviour.
"For from within, out of
the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy,
pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a
man." Mark 7:21-23.
Some Christians may be surprised that the bible
consistently condemns the corrupt state of man’s heart. For instance, Jeremiah wrote, "The heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the LORD, search the
heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according
to the fruit of his doings.” Jer 17:9-10.
Jesus’ observation was not confined to the
Pharisees. He said that it was “out of the heart of men (mankind in
general--not just non-Christians),” that
“proceed evil thoughts, adulteries etc,
etc.”
We would like to think that this condition changed when our spirits
were regenerated, and that now we have pure and undefiled hearts.
In fact our hearts have changed in a general
sense. Before regeneration we “were without Christ, being aliens from the
However, the fact is that the heart of the regenerated
person is still corrupt--still generating “evil
thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness,
deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, (and) foolishness.” The hidden
motives of our hearts are often manipulative and self seeking, and at complete
variance to the outward show of our behaviour.
At best we can say that we have divided hearts, sometimes seeking to
satisfy the demands of the flesh, and sometimes the will of the Lord.
The
Despite our impurity, the Lord makes the surprise
statement that the
We see this in its right perspective when we relate it
to the parable of the leaven. “Another parable He spoke to them: "The
kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures
of meal till it was all leavened." Matt 13:33.
His kingdom in our hearts begins like a small quantity
of leaven, which grows until it fills or captivates our whole being. With our
co-operation, the Lord undertakes the work of establishing His kingdom in our
hearts. This is a profound and extensive
work that fills and extends beyond this lifetime.
It is important to understand that our hearts are a
battleground, where Christ and Satan contest each other to gain control of
every facet of our lives. The degree to
which each one succeeds is determined by the degree to which our hearts are
turned either to the Lord, or towards satisfying the demands of the flesh.
CHAPTER 3
THE
PATH OF THE CROSS
Walking in the
Victory of the Cross
Even though our hearts are to some degree
divided, it is still possible, even for a young Christian, to experience
Christ’s victory over sin and the flesh.
This is achieved by walking in the light of what Jesus acquired for us
through His cross.
As well as procuring our salvation, the cross of
Christ achieved all that is necessary to destroy the power of carnal flesh, and
break Satan’s power over us. This is
made known to us through the Scriptures, which repeatedly point out that our
‘old man’ was incorporated in Christ’s death on the cross.
What
Constitutes the ‘Old Man’?
The “old man,” is what we were before salvation and
regeneration. Characteristics associated with the old man were:
(1) We
had a spirit that was virtually dead to the spiritual things of God. Part of the salvation process is the
regeneration of our spirits.
(2) We
had a carnal nature with fleshly desires that enticed us to commit sins. In Colossians, Paul describes the old man
plagued by this carnal nature in the terms of the “body (the whole person) of (under
the sway of) the sins of the flesh.”
(3) Associated with the ‘old man’ was a power, or law of
sin, which imposed further pressure on our carnal natures, compelling them to
commit sins. In Romans, Paul describes
the old man held captive by the power of sin in the terms of “the body (the whole person) of (held in the power of) sin.”
(4) The old
man was held captive by the spirit of the world. It is through the operation of
the power of sin over fallen mankind that Satan has become “the ruler of this world.”
(5) The ‘old man’ was under the curse of the broken law,
the end result of which is condemnation and eternal damnation.
God’s solution to our ‘old man,’ held captive by the
appetites of the flesh and the power of sin, was to incorporate it in
Christ’s death on the cross. Every
characteristic of the old man was included in Christ’s death on the cross
The Flesh We,
including our carnal nature, were crucified with Christ. Paul writes, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but
Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Gal
2:20 KJV).
The Power of Sin And Paul
declares that we are dead to the power of sin. “For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life
that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon (as an
accomplished fact) yourselves to be dead
indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom
6:10-11.
Dead to the World
We are
crucified to the world “But God forbid
that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Gal 6:14).
Dead to the Law
Paul points out that we, in Christ, died to
the law, “But now we have been delivered
from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve
in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.” (Rom
7:6).
In this study, in dealing with the death of our ‘old
man,’ our primary emphasis will be on (1) the power or law of sin, and
(2) the carnal nature of flesh.
However, before proceeding further, it is necessary to
establish the difference between ‘sin,’ and ‘sins.’ In the context of this study SIN is
the nature or character of sin. In general terms it is that which opposes
God. It is out of the nature of sin that
individual sins are
precipitated.
1. We Are
Dead to the Power of Sin
In his letter to the Romans, Paul describes how the
law of sin associated with fallen man frustrates our ability to walk on the
pathway of obedience. He writes, “I can will what is right, but I cannot
perform it--I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to
carry that out; For I fail to practice
the good deeds I desire to do, but the evil deeds that I do not desire to do
are what I am [ever] doing.” [Romans
7:15] (Amplified Bible).
Paul concludes, “…with
the mind (with my reasoning and determination) I myself (in my heart) serve
(choose to honour) the (whole
moral) law of God, but (the reality
is) with the flesh (I honour)
the law of sin.” Rom 7:25.
Concerning this dilemma, Paul makes an unexpected
statement. “Now if I do what I will not to do, it is
no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” He explains further, “I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who
wills to do good. For I delight in the
law of God according to the inward man.
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind,
and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”
[Romans 7:19-23].
Paul attributes our constant failure to a power or
law of sin which acts on our carnal natures, compelling us to commit
sins. Because this power of sin operates against his self will and the desire
of his heart or true self, Paul says “it
is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” He was disclaiming it as being part of his own
nature.
The Origin of the Law of Sin
This power or law of sin is an implantation of Satan
imposed on man as a result of the Fall.
The prophet Jeremiah tells us that God “search(es) the heart, (and) test(s) the mind, even to give every man
according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” Jer
17:10.
When tested in the Garden of Eden, man chose to obey
Satan rather than God. Since sin is that
which opposes God, and man chose sin rather than obedience, he received “according to his ways, according to the
fruit of his doings.” Satan, the
epitome of sin or opposition to God, was
granted the
Satan’s Claims Against Us Are Nailed to the Cross
Paul’s commission to the Gentiles was “to open their eyes, in order to turn them
from darkness to light, and from the power (Lit: authority) of Satan to God.” Acts 26:18.
He did this by teaching how Jesus removed Satan’s authority over man
through His cross, “having wiped out the
handwriting of requirements (as in a bill of debt) that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out
of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
Even though Jesus has taken away Satan’s legal
authority to inflict us with a power of sin, he does not voluntarily remove
it. What Paul expresses in Romans 7, is
that the law of sin remains with us until it is refuted and rejected. Like every other benefit of the cross, we
have to claim Christ’s victory over sin by faith. To a Christian, this
nature of sin from Satan is illegal, and must be rejected on the grounds of
Christ’s finished work on the cross.
Since we were not created to live a life of continual
failures, God has ordained a method, or path, by which we may overcome our
carnal natures, and the law of sin in our members, and thereby live a
victorious life. This pathway, generally
referred to as ‘the path of the cross,’ is outlined in the Sixth Chapter
of P
The first ten verses describe how we have been brought
into a vital union with Jesus Christ and His experience on the cross. When Jesus submitted to the penalty of the
cross, He was more than the representative of mankind. In God’s eyes He was corporate man,
incorporating within Himself and His experience, the whole of mankind. That is why P
“Or do you not know that as
many of us as were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into His death?
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death.” Logically it follows that “if we
have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall
be in the likeness of His resurrection.” (Rom 6:3-5).
Paul says further, that in being united with Jesus in
the likeness of His death, “our old
man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin (captivated by
the power of sin) might be done away
with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin (i.e. to that power
of sin).” Rom 6:5-6.
We Are to Reckon Ourselves Dead to Sin
Bec
Jesus Was Made Sin
We receive additional light on Christ dealing with sin
by studying a key verse in 2 Corinthians: “He
(God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin on our
behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
[2 Cor 5:21 NAS]
This verse begins by emphasising Christ’s sinless
nature. He “who knew no sin.” This is
followed by the statement that God made Jesus “to be sin.” In “Vincent’s Word Studies of the New
Testament,” the words ‘to be sin,’
are explained as, ‘not a sin offering,
nor a sinner, but the representative of sin.’
The fact that Jesus “became sin” does not imply that His own nature undertook a
dramatic reversal. Sin was laid on Him
as a burden, but not incorporated into His sinless nature. Whilst He Himself remained perfectly sinless,
as the representative of sin He bore the label and responsibility for the power
of sin that was laid on fallen mankind.
And having taken upon Himself the identification with sin, He was
required to bear all of its evil consequences.
This involved all the curses of the broken law--the sickness, pain,
infirmity, poverty, rejection, separation from God, and finally death. And having borne God’s judgment and the
penalty of sin on behalf of mankind, we are no longer required to bear it.
The Paradox of Our Death to Sin
In his letter to the Romans, P
Here we have a paradox. Firstly we are told that God destroyed our
body of sin by the power of the cross, but then we are commanded to not let it
reign in us. This means that in effect,
it is still in us. The fact is that both
the law of sin from fallen man, and the nature of flesh, remain active in us
until they are conquered by the application of the cross of Jesus.
Before our conversion, we were held captive by the
power of sin. Acting on our carnal
nature, it compelled us to sin. The law
of sin in our members constrained us to sin over and over again, and we were
powerless to overcome its insistent demands.
But when Christ accepted upon Himself the full weight of God’s
punishment for the sin of mankind, Satan’s legal right to imprison us under the
power of sin was removed. It is now our
responsibility to acquire the freedom from the power of sin that Christ
procured for us through His cross.
2. Dead to
the Power of Carnal Flesh
Since Jesus was the representative of all mankind on
the cross, Paul testified to his (and therefore our) union with Jesus in His
death. This union is so all embracing
that it includes our carnal nature with all of its fleshly appetites. He writes, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I
live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Gal
2:20 KJV.
The two statements that stand out are “it is no longer I who live,” and “Christ lives in me.”
To actively claim our crucifixion with Christ is to
agree with what the word says; that we, including our carnal nature, were
crucified with Christ. It is to walk in
the light of the word, in reckoning the flesh crucified, and our self life
replaced by the life of Christ.
Paul writes, “In
Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting
off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ…”
When we testify (i.e. when we agree with the word and
state it as applying to us personally) to the word of the cross, the Holy
Spirit signifies His agreement by silencing the deeds or desires of the
flesh. This is what Paul means when he
says that “…if you live according to the
flesh you will die (spiritually);
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will
live (experience the life of Jesus).”
Rom 8:13.
Walking According to the Flesh--Or the Spirit
Paul acknowledged the hopeless state of the old man
when he says, “O wretched man that I
am! Who will deliver me from this body
of death?” (Rom 7:24). But
immediately this is followed by a triumphant cry, “I thank God (my deliverance comes)—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom 7:25). In the following verse (the first verse of
Chapter 8), Paul explains the foundation for our victory. “There
is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (who have
received unto themselves the blessings of His cross), who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the
Spirit.” (Rom 8:1).
To walk according to the flesh is to endeavour to
overcome the legacy of sin from fallen man by our own will power and effort; by
trying to earn our salvation; by trying to tame our sin controlled fleshly
natures, and so on. To walk according to
the Spirit, is to receive and walk in the light of the victory of Christ’s
cross.
Trying to overcome in the strength of the flesh ends
in failure and spiritual death. To
testify to what the word says, and walk in the light of the word is to gain
victory over sin through the power of the Holy Spirit. “For if you live according to
the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the
body, you will live.” Rom 8:13.
In summarising this section dealing with our
deliverance from the “body of the sins
of the flesh,” or whole being controlled by our fleshly nature, and the “body of sin,” or whole being under the
power of sin, our victory lies in claiming the word is true and applies to us
personally, and then walking in what the word says Jesus did for us in these
areas.
(i) We, with
our fleshly natures, were “crucified
with Christ.” The result is that we, having died to sins
(i.e. the power of the sins of our flesh),
might live for righteousness.” 1 Pet 2:24.
We may now walk in righteousness through the life of Jesus being
manifested in us.
(ii) Jesus,
who “became sin for us,” put Satan’s
power of sin to death on the cross. The
result is that we may “reckon
(ourselves) to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus
our Lord.” Rom 6:11. We are no
longer subject to a power of sin in our members that compels us to commit sins.
a
Deeper Work of the Cross
The path of the cross we have described should be the
normal walk of all Christians. However
there is another dimension to the path of the cross which is more penetrating
and profound. To put our carnal nature
to death permanently requires a much deeper work by the Holy Spirit. This takes place on a pathway of suffering
and refinement, and involves the Holy Spirit progressively purging out the old
nature, and replacing it with the nature of Christ.
Suffering is the necessary catalyst required to break
down the stronghold of flesh. The
apostle Peter wrote, “Therefore, since
Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind,
for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he
no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men,
but for the will of God”. [1 Peter
4:1-2].
Drinking Christ’s cup of suffering is not a popular
teaching, and in fact few Christians embark on this deeper path of the cross by
submitting themselves to the Spirit’s cleansing and purifying work. To do so means being prepared to have the old
nature stripped away by the purging of suffering, so that it can be replaced by
the nature of Christ.
n his letter to the Philippians, P
Even though these attributes were to be admired by a
traditional Jew, Paul willingly laid them aside. He had come to a settled conviction that
anything that stood in the way of him being one with the Lord was to be counted
as a loss, or as rubbish to be discarded. “I
also count all things loss for the excellence of the [intimate] knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom
I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I
may gain Christ and be found in Him.”
[Phil 3:8}.
P
In declaring that he wished to be “conformed to (Christ’s) death,” P
Who shall tread on this deeper path of the cross? P
The Purpose of the
Deeper Path of the Cross
The basis of all fruitfulness in ministry is resurrection
life. This resurrection life must by
definition be preceded by death. Jesus
said, “Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless an ear of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if
it dies, it produces much fruit.”
[John 12:24].The old nature is destroyed through suffering, so that it
can be replaced by the life of Jesus.
The deeper work of the cross releases the new nature of Christ, which
then ministers spiritual life to the rest of the church.
When the “old man” has been dealt with to such a
degree that it has lost its power and ‘dies’, the life of Jesus may flow freely
in ministry without the interference of fleshly intrusion. The Lord is able to use such a person to
minister His life to the church, producing “much fruit.” Paul relates this process to the Corinthians.
“We are hard pressed on every
side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but
not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--always carrying about in the body
the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in
our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that
the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death
is working in us, but life in you. (2 Cor 4:8-12).
Vessels of Honour
P
To those who would be a vessel of honour, the
challenge of the deeper work of the cross in purging out the flesh is
inescapable. It was to this end that
Paul advised Timothy: “This is a faithful saying: for if we (the
carnal self) died with Him, we shall
also live (in union) with Him. If we
endure, we shall also reign (as vessels of honour) with Him.” 2 Tim 2:11-12.
CHAPTER 4
ABIDING IN JESUS
CHRIST IN GOD
Who
We Are in the Lord Jesus Christ
To experience the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ it
is first necessary for our hearts to be set in a state of detachment to the
desires of the flesh and the world. But
first it is helpful for us to understand how we are related to the Lord.
In describing our relationship to the Lord, the bible
uses terms such as temples, earthen vessels, and branches. None of these types has the capacity to
perform or bear fruit of itself. They
are containers for the life of Jesus Christ, who dwells in us, and bears fruit
through us.
Unfortunately much of our Christian lives have been
spent on futile efforts to improve ourselves in order to be more like the Lord,
so that we can do His work and bear fruit for Him. And this restless soulish activity will
continue until we finally understand who we are in Him, and He is in us.
Jesus is Our All in All
P
For instance, we discover our total inadequacy in
love. Our natural response is to pray
that God will give us more love. But the
bible says that “He who does not love does
not know God, for God is love.” I Jn 4:8. It says that if we have not love, we do not
personally know the presence of God dwelling in us. The reality is that we, as earthenware
vessels, were not made to contain the divine attributes of the Lord as a
personal possession. We were made to
contain the presence of the Lord who manifests His love through us.
We pray for more power to do the Lord’s work. But the bible says, “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 1 Cor
1:24. Again, our need is not an influx
of power, or wisdom. We are earthenware vessels
created to contain the presence of Christ.
Our need is to allow Jesus Christ to manifest His power and wisdom in us
and through us.
Similarly, we see our need to have life and strength
above our normal capacity. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the
life,” (Jn 14:6), "I am the
resurrection and the life,” (Jn 11:25), and, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect
in weakness." 2 Cor 12:9.
We need faith--the bible says, “…the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of
the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Gal 2:20. KJV.
In a world of stress and pressure, we long for peace
in our hearts. The apostle Paul wrote, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything
by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known
to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will
guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:6-7. “For
He (Jesus) Himself is our
peace.” Eph 2:14.
Furthermore, we read in Corinthians, “But of Him (God) you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from
God--and righteousness and sanctification
and redemption--that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory
in the LORD.’” 1 Cor 30-31.
Paul outlines his own experience in knowing the power
of Christ’s indwelling life. “I have
learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I
know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full
and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me.” Phil 4:11-13.
The end of the matter is this. “Christ
is (our) all and in all” (
Where does that leave us? We in ourselves will never attain the
attributes of Jesus Christ or be
the life. We will never be gods, for God
has said, “I am the LORD, that is My
name; and My glory I will not give to another.” Isa 42:8. We will never be
more than earthen vessels containing the life and glory of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
The Vine and the Branches
Despite being containers, Christ’s illustration of the
vine and the branches opens the door to our participation in fruit bearing by
our union with the life of Jesus. "I am the vine, you are the branches.
He who abides (settles and remains)
in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can
you, unless you abide in Me.” John 15:5&4.
We were not only created to receive the life, but be
channels for the life to flow out to others.
But we must understand that it is the life from the vine flowing
through the branches that produces fruit.
Without that life the branch withers and dies. Nevertheless it is through the branch that
the vine produces fruit. Without the
vine there is no life, without the branches there is no fruit.
Almighty God has chosen to manifest His eternal power
through human vessels. But where does
that leave our humanity? God does not
violate our personalities, and consequently His work through us has the imprint
of our uniqueness. We are involved in
the fruit bearing. Even our natural
abilities may be used by the Lord once they have been placed on the cross and
brought under Christ’s control. On the
other hand, the self-centred soulish power of our humanity is a hindrance. That is why Jesus said, “without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5. It is only as we become detached from our
self-will and the desires of the flesh, and abandoned to the Lord, that He is
able to manifest the purity of His life in us to bear lasting fruit.
The
positive side of the cross
Clothing Ourselves With the Presence of the Lord
Paul adds more light on our walk on the path of the
cross by using the illustration of putting on and taking off clothing. Reckoning ourselves dead to sin requires us
to “put off the old man with his deeds.”
(
The positive side of the path of the cross is that we
are to “…put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil its lusts.” Rom
13:14.
The Greek word ‘enduo’
which is translated “put on,” has the extended meaning, ‘to clothe - in the sense of sinking into a
garment.’ We are put off all
attachments to the flesh and the world, and to sink down or submerge ourselves
into the presence of the Lord and feed on Him.
To ‘sink down into,’ is to surrender the reins of our lives to the Lord,
and to release every burden of our lives, including our carnal natures, into
His hands. Particularly when we are
faced with temptations of the flesh or the world, or the stresses of spiritual warfare,
it is important that we retreat into the presence of Christ. We are to let go of all burdens, and be
submerged and hidden in Him--in His peace and rest.
Our voluntarily emptying ourselves of all
self-interest and soulish desires is a key factor in overcoming Satan. "And
they overcame him (Satan) by the
blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love
their (self) lives to the
death.” Rev 12:11. Satan is overcome because he has only got
power over the soul when it has a covetous attachment to things, or entertains
the desires of the flesh.
The Hidden State of the Lord
The question is asked, ‘Since He whom I love dwells in
my heart, why don’t I find Him or experience Him’? The reason is that He remains hidden away as
the treasure in the field or the pearl of great price, and we too must enter
into a state of being hidden in order to encounter and experience Him.
The presence of the Lord in our hearts is not
obtrusive, nor does it gatecrash our senses.
“He will not cry out, nor
raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.” Isa 42:2.
"Take My yoke upon you
and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls
(as we are released from all self-striving).”
Matt 11:29.
He continually seeks to enter our hearts and live in
union with us, but the initiative must be ours.
"Behold, I stand at the door
(of our hearts) and knock (seeking
entry). If anyone hears My voice and
opens the door (of our wills), I
will come in to him and dine (fellowship) with him, and he with Me.” Rev 3:20. In keeping with His lowly and gentle nature,
He is waiting to be desired and sought after, and acknowledged as being the
Lord of our lives.
Hidden with Christ in God
Paul added a further aspect to our death in Christ
when he told the Colossians, “For you
died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Christ was uncompromising in His command to us to
completely surrender our lives into His hands. "For whoever desires to
save (protect or preserve) his (self) life will lose it (render it useless), but whoever loses (to put out of the
way entirely) his life for My sake will
find it (discover and experience his true life in Christ).” Matt 16:25.
This state of being hidden away and replaced by Christ
is highlighted again in Verse 4. “When Christ
who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
Abiding in God through Christ’s sacrificed flesh and shed blood
Abiding in Christ
To walk on the path of the cross is to receive and
walk in the blessings the cross has procured for us. Another aspect of these blessings is
contained in Christ’s statement, “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides
in [union with] Me, and I in him.” [John
6:56]. In this context, ‘eating’ and
‘drinking’ describe the fullest appropriation of the benefits of the sacrificed
flesh and the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Drinking Christ’s Blood
We read that Jesus Christ “through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God,” and that “with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having
obtained eternal redemption.” [Heb
9:12].
The blood of Jesus was not deposited on the heavenly
altar as a dead decaying thing. The
writer of Hebrews declares, “…the blood of sprinkling…speaks better things
than that of Abel.” Heb 12:24. How
does the blood of Jesus on the heavenly altar speak? It was by the “eternal Spirit” that the blood of
Jesus was raised in living active power to the temple in heaven. It is by the witness of the Holy Spirit that
it is now able to ‘speak.’ The apostle
John wrote, “…there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the
water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.” I Jn 5:8. The Holy Spirit will always witness in power
to our testimony to the blood of the cross. It is now on the altar in heaven, “having
obtained eternal redemption.” Heb 9:12. Now, through the power of the Holy
Spirit, it is actively waging eternal warfare against the sin in our natures.
We tend to limit the meaning of the word ‘eternal’ to
a measureless distance into the future.
But eternal means ever the same, never increasing, and never
decreasing. In this case the blood of
Jesus, through the Spirit, is an ever-active power in us, warring against sin
through its eternal redemptive power to sanctify every part of our being to the
Lord. With our understanding and co-operation,
it is continually opposing every stronghold of sin, purging, cleansing,
purifying, covering and protecting, and bringing us into union with God our
Father through righteousness.
The Spirit and the blood are working to the end of
establishing us in a vital union with Jesus Christ. “He
who…drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.” In ‘drinking’ Christ’s blood, we are
receiving by faith its spiritual power flooding through every part of body soul
and spirit, cleansing away the defilement of sin, and sanctifying every part of
our Again, our testimonies to the blood are a vital part of activating the
responsive power of the Holy Spirit. [Rev 12:11]. A sample testimony may be: “I declare my spiritual pride is of the old
man, crucified in Christ and buried in the waters of baptism. I reject it, laying it on the altar of the
cross, and receive the redemptive power of the blood of Jesus purging it out of
my nature by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
"And they overcame him by
the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not
love their lives to the death.”
Eating Christ’s Flesh
Jesus was “the
spotless Lamb of God.” His flesh was
pure and undefiled, without the “law of
sin” which is associated with our
fallen natures. In the divine exchange
that took place on the cross, the corruption of sin that made our bodies,
bodies of death, was laid upon Him, so that we might have undefiled bodies of
life. Our bodies are now “a temple of the Holy Spirit,” freed from the curse of the law of
sin and death and any legal claim Satan had to lay sickness on them. They are now united to Jesus in life. In this respect they are healed by the
stripes of Jesus. To eat the Lord’s flesh is to appropriate the blessings of a
body freed from the curse of sin, and united with “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.”
Feeding On the Lord Jesus Christ
Jesus says that we may ‘feed’ on Him.
"He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in
him. As (in the same manner) the living Father sent Me, and I live
because of the Father, so (similarly) he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” John 6:56-57.
How do we feed on the Lord? Feeding describes a continual drawing
sustenance from the life of Jesus to meet each need. It was with this in mind that Paul advises us
to “pray without ceasing…” 1Thes
5:16-17.
P
Hidden in God
The last aspect of fully appropriating the benefits of
the cross, is that we may enter through the veil of flesh that separates us
from God. “Therefore, brethren, having
boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way
which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh…”
Heb 10:19-20.
In this picture, the veil before the Holy of Holies
that separates man from the presence of God, is likened to Christ’s flesh. When Christ’s flesh was rent, the veil in the
temple was rent, and the way was opened for man to enter into, and abide in
God’s presence. Jesus was our
forerunner, and He showed us that the way to enter the Holy of Holies is
through the rent flesh. But this is not
speaking about physical rending.
Christ’s physical rent flesh is but a symbol of His total self
sacrifice--of giving up His self-life, even to death.
Christ is our example.
If we wish to ‘enter the Holy of Holies’ and abide in God’s presence, we
must of our own will declare our flesh (carnal self and fleshly desire) put on
the cross. We must submit to the work of
the Holy Spirit in putting to death our fleshly natures, and forming Christ in
us. Our flesh cannot abide in the
presence of God.
Life Within the Veil
Life within the veil is one of relinquishment and
rest. On the one hand we have received
Jesus Christ as our life, and we now do all things in Him and through Him.
On the other hand, we begin to know ourselves and all
of our circumstances enveloped in God’s abiding presence. Due to Christ’s life and faith in us, we are “persuaded that neither death nor life, nor
angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate
us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom
8:38-39.
We also begin to know the rest of faith as we believe
in our hearts, “that all things work
together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called
according to His purpose.” Rom 8:28.
Because we know that He is working in every circumstance for our good,
we are able to relinquish all things--our spiritual path, our provision, our
protection, our health, into His hands, and trust in His faithfulness. In Him our soul finds rest.
Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes
my salvation.
He only is my rock and my
salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.” Ps 62:1-2.