The Christian's Two Telephones

James 3:13 "Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom."

True Christians are the wise people of God who demonstrate their profession of faith by fruits of obedience
As you look at the opening verse of today's blog, you may wonder what point is James trying to make when he asks his question?  The short answer is that he is saying: "who among you is a Christian" or "who among you is saved"? With that question, James then exhorts his readers who are Christians to act like Christians. 1  What will follow in James 3:14-4:7 are encouragements and warnings to believers who are operating in one of two ways: those who are spiritual or operating out of their human spirit with the Holy Spirit dwelling therein and those who are carnal or compromising in their Christian walk.2  

Two telephones - an illustration
Years ago I heard an illustration of how the Christian's soul in communication with their spirit and the body is comparable to having two telephones.  With a little bit of upgrading to that illustration I want to help you the reader to see the significance of what James is writing to us here in James 3:13-4:7.  

Your life before Christ - an empty room and one rusty old telephone called "the wisdom from below"
Picture for a moment your soul (mind, emotions, will and conscience) as being a room in which you live.  You are a soul, a living soul, with a spirit clothed in a body.  Your human spirit, prior to salvation, is an empty room upstairs with no lights and no windows.  All you know is the room of your soul that is enhoused in your physical body.  Now in the room of your soul there is a rusty old telephone that is connected to what James describes in James 3:15 as the "wisdom from below".  Whenever that phone rings, you pick up the receiver and have conversations with those that claim to be your friends.  On the other end are voices that comprise this "wisdom from below", influencing your soul before salvation to be influenced by the world, your natural bodily drives and the demonic realm that is working through this world system. (James 3:15) Furthermore, unknown to you, you are continually on the line, and are quite happy with your telephone.  It is in you to keep the rusty old phone.   

How you go from having one telephone as an unbeliever to having two telephones as a Christian
A neighbor of yours invites you to church one Sunday, and so you relunctantly go.  While sitting in the church service, a man gets up front and preaches the Gospel.  In your soul the rusty telephone suddenly rings - distracting you from focusing on the preacher.  The voice on the other end tells you to ignore the man and bide your time until the lunch hour. Suddenly on the inside of your soul you see a second, shiny red telephone appear, and on the receiver you find these words as described by James 3:17 "the wisdom from above".  At first you ignore it, you leave the church service and move on with your life.  About mid-way through the week the shiny red telephone in your soul begins to ring.  Again you ignore it, since you are on the rusty old telephone with your friends from the place called "wisdom from below".  However it begins to ring more and more.  Getting agitated, you say: "excuse me, I need to put you on hold, for I have another line trying to ring." 

The Shiny red telephone of the Gospel rings with the convicting work of the Holy Spirit who is moving into your human spirit
As you do so and proceed to pick up the shiny red telephone, the voice on the other line says: "hello, this is the Holy Spirit." As He begins to speak to your heart, your find your spirit coming alive.  As He continues, you find that what the Spirit of God says to you about your lost condition and Jesus Christ the Savior is pure, brings you peace, washes over you in gentleness, makes sense, is full of mercy and makes you want to live a live for Jesus without hypocrisy. (James 3:17)  The Holy Spirit persuades you to hang up the other phone and cut the cord, and to never pick up the old rusty phone of your old life ever again. As the Holy Spirit moves into the upstairs room of your human spirit, you surrender by faith to Jesus Christ.

The two telephone represent the daily battle you have between the wisdom from above versus the wisdom from below
Now even though the Holy Spirit has moved into the room upstairs(your human spirit), and even though your are on the line with Him, comparing spiritual thoughts with spiritual words in your Bible and prayer (1 Corinthians 2:12-13), at about noon everyday that old rusty telephone begins to ring.  According to James 4:1-4, as a Christian, you still have your dying body and the remnant of sin to contend with, tempting you to lust  after what you do not have - meaning that there is a part of you (the self-life) that is tempted to re-connect with that old phone.  At first you declare war and cut the cord, saying to yourself: "I know that the power of sin was taken away when I got saved, but yet at about this time I find my self having to die to this old self-life."  At anyrate you continue talking to the Spirit, enjoying sweet fellowship with Him, reading your Bible, praying and going to church. 


How the spiritual Christian can become carnally minded - talking on the wrong telephone
Then it happens -  a bad day.  The boss yells at you, the car breaks down and you get a bill that was more than you estimated.  Its about noon and you're hungry, frustrated and you are finding yourself not clearly hearing the Holy Spirit speaking from your human spirit on that shiny red telephone.  Suddenly that old rusty telephone rings and in desperation, you tell the Holy Spirit: "please hold!"  Now He is warning you with a loud voice to cut the cord of that rusty telephone, for as James notes in James 4:5, the Lord with His Spirit is Jealous or desirous for our undivided attention. 

As soon as you pick up that rusty telephone, an old song, a sweet voice of an old friend speaks words that you have not heard in a long time.  The red shiny telephone's light is blinking, but you ignore it.  As a Christian, you can only talk on one telephone at a time.  Soon you are spending more time with your old friends from your former way of life than you are with the Holy Spirit.  You stop reading your Bible and your prayer life goes to the wayside.  For a while all seems well - and yet you get the feeling that all is not right between you and God.  You're growing cold and mean.  Church is losing its draw, the Bible has become to you a wordless book and your prayer life is boring.  What happened? You became carnally minded. 


How God wins you back and rescues you from your carnal, backslidden state - reconnecting with the right telephone
Thankfully the Holy Spirit has not given up.  His silence has been deafening, however He and the Father and the Son have engineered some difficult circumstances to come your way to steer you back to repentance.  God the Father has ordained to permit the difficulties, since you are his child, and He only disciplines those whom He loves. (Hebrews 12:6) In tears you humble yourself and pray a prayer of repentance, knowing full well the promise of James 4:6 "But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” One night the old rusty telephone rings.  This time you snatch it up.  "Having repented and submitted yourself unto God, you say to that voice on the other line that you resist the devil and that he must flee in Jesus name."  And as you slam down the receiver, you cut the cord and resume your conversation with the Holy Spirit, in your human spirit, on the shiny red telephone. 

End Notes:_________________

1. No doubt James, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was echoing such passages as Psalm 107:43 "Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things, And consider the lovingkindnesses of the LORD." Jesus too equated the term "wise", as so used by James, with the idea of somebody who was truly converted by grace through faith. We read in Matthew 7:24-25 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock."

2. To truly grasp what James is speaking about in James 3:14-4;6, we can read his words in light of Paul's words about these two types of Christians in 1 Corinthians 2 and 3.  Over the past couple of days I have been writing blogs based upon Paul's letter to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 2:1-3:4. Out of the three men described in that text, two are Christians. Both are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and both are forgiven of their sins by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. However the one who is spiritual in 1 Corinthians 2:10-13, 16 is ordering his soulish realm (mind, emotions, will) and body under the subjection of his spirit that is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The other type of Christian in 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 is called by Paul "fleshly" or "carnal", meaning that at some point he has grieved the Spirit and is ordering his spirit around the drives of his physical body as bound by his sinful self-life operating in his soul.The carnal Christian still has the new nature and like a bag of potatoes that contains one rotten one, the carnal believer has compromised in an area and that area, lest removed by repentance, will begin to affect other areas.

The Carnal-minded Christian, the Spirit & scripture

1 Corinthians 3:1-3 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?

Review of what we have studied over the past couple of days
In this amazing passage of 1 Corinthians 2:1-3:4, Paul is writing about how three types of people treat the Holy Spirit and the scriptures.  In summary form we have observed two of those types of men thus far:

1. The spiritual Christian digests the Spirit's words. 1 Cor 2:1-7, 10-13, 15-16
2. The natural non-Christian dismisses the Spirit's words. 1 Cor 2:8-9, 14

The "spiritual" Christian is called "spiritual" due to the fact that when we look at him as a soul, with a spirit, clothed in a body, this individual has his body and soul in subjection to whatever the Holy Spirit in his human spirit is saying.  Thus he is able to compare spiritual things with spiritual and to discern what the Holy Spirit is saying to him from the Word of God.  He has taken his soul, made up of his mind, emotions, will and conscience and along with his physical bodily drives placed them in order with the scripture and whatever the Holy Spirit is saying in his human spirit. 

The "natural" non-Christian or unbeliever is termed "natural" due to the fact that though he too has a human spirit, it is dead.  He only operates out of his soul, darkened and dominated by sin and the natural drives of his physical body.  The natural unbelieving man may very well be creative, intelligent, religious and morally upstanding in the community and still be lost.  Without the Holy Spirit setting up home in the human spirit, all that an unbeliever can go on is his reason, emotions, will and conscience.  He is natural, soulish and sinful in his bent and orientation.  The unbelieving person has no time for the things of God, since to him, this world is all that matters. 

In today's blog we are going to consider a Christian who for whatever reason has decided to operate out of his soul more than his spirit.  This Christian still has the indwelling Holy Spirit, however the Spirit of God has been "quenched" (1Thess 5:19) or "grieved" (Ephesians 4:300 due to the Christian holding onto unconfessed sin. (Ephesians 4:31) 

The Carnal-minded Christian dilutes the Spirit's words 1Cor 3:1-4
So what is a "carnal Christian"?  We must be careful not to view carnality as reason for condoning or giving excuse for compromise in a Christian life. If we describe a hypocrite as somebody who is acting opposite of what they are, then a carnally-minded Christian is a hypocrite in reverse, acting like something that they are not.  Carnally minded Christians still have the indwelling Spirit, however in a certain area they have compromised, given ground to the enemy and to the world. (1 John 2:15-17) Paul told these Corinthians that he could not speak to them as "spiritual", that is, as to Christians who are in fellowship with the Spirit in their human spirit.  To be "carnal" through and through is what an unbeliever is - that is - fleshly, operating completely out of the physical body and soulish realm.  What Paul is saying here is that these people are "like" or as "mere men".  They are not lost, however they are not acting saved either. 

Illustration: Three bags of potatoes
Lets say I gave you three bags of potatoes.  The first bag is full of good, robust potatoes. The second bag is full of rotton, moldy potatoes.  The third bag is full of good, robust potatoes, with one potato being mold and rotten? What would you do?  I'm sure the first bag would be no issue, the second bag would be tossed out, since it cannot be used.  But what about the third? Would you not say that those good potatoes are still useful and that the bad one needs to be tossed?  Its not that the third bag is lost, rather it just needs to be rid of the bad potato.  So it is with the carnally minded Christian.  He or she needs to deal with the compromising area so that functionally and experientially they can live like they truly are - a forgiven and saved individual who is called to grow progressively in sanctification. 

Illustration: Who owns the fence?
The story is told of a large white fence and several people grouped together at the one end.  They were debating as to who owned the fence.  One proud individual said with a loud voice: "well I know one thing, I'm going to sit on the fence.  I'm pretty certain that Jesus owns this fence, since its is beautiful, white, high and long.  Soon Jesus came along and said to the crowd: "come and follow me, for narrow is the gate, and few will find it.  However broad is the gate and wide is the road that leads to destruction."  It wasn't too long that the devil came along up behind the crowd and slithered in and among the people until he got right up next to the proud man sitting on the fence.  As Jesus began to walk off, some of the people followed him, leaving the fence behind.  The remaining ones looked on the other side of the fence and saw a beautiful wide road running parallel to the fence, and so they decided to go on that road alone.  However the proud man remained, deciding that he was satisifed in sitting on the fence.  As the Devil got closer to him, he whispered in the man's ear and said: don't you know, not only do I own the road running along the fence, I own the fence as well!  Needless to say, the man leaped off the fence and ran after His Lord, repenting and saying to Jesus: I forsake the fence and I follow you.  

Carnally-minded Christians cannot truly remain in their mindset
Paul's whole point in addressing those in the Corinthian church who tried to "sit on the fence" was not to create an excuse for their actions, but rather to call them to repentance.  He warned them that with such compromise, failure to grow significantly in their Christian life (3:1-3); arguing over who is the better teacher (3:4) and squabble over minor issues had to stop.  They were positionally still saved, however in experience and function they were in their soul thinking, feeling or choosing to act like lost people.  Paul warned them that if they did not change their course, God the Father would excercise Fatherly discipline and turn them back to Himself in repentance. (1 Cor 3:19-21; 2 Timothy 2:24-26)

Closing Thoughts
As we close out today's blog, let us understand that in this world, we only have two types of people: lost and saved.  Among those who are truly born-again are those Christians who are "spiritual", that is, they are subjecting their soul and body in line with what the Holy Spirit is saying in their human spirit.  Practically speaking, they are getting in order with God's words and digesting everything they hear and living it out.  The carnally minded Christian has compromised in a certain area or areas.  They are those who though still saved and still having the indwelling Spirit of God, are those who have grieved Him. We need to gently and humbly approach such fellow-saints and urge them to repent and forsake the pattern of sin they have become involved, praying of course that we won't fall into such disrepair. (Galatians 6:1-2) Natural-minded unbelievers are those who are souls with dead human spirits clothed in a body.  These need to be evangelized, urged upon to believe and repent and be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:15-21)

The Natural-minded non-Christian, the Holy Spirit & the Bible

1 Corinthians 2:15 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

Review from yesterday
In the wider context of 1 Corinthians 2:1-3:4, Paul is concerned with helping the Corinthians understand why it is they are dealing with so many divisions. In his discussion, Paul lays out three types of spiritual conditions: two of which characterize Christians (spiritual Christians - i.e Spirit-led Christians and compromising or carnally minded Christians) and one of which describes the unbelieving man (termed "natural man"). With that brief summary, we will now briefly outline the Holy Spirit's ministry of illuminating (making clear) the scriptures and how such ministry is rejected by the natural minded unbeliever who doesn't believe.  I would refer the reader to yesterday's post regarding the spiritual Christian in relationship to the Spirit and the scriptures. Since there are three men described in these two chapters, we will cover the carnally minded Christian in tomorrow's post.

The natural-minded unbeliever is a darkened soul, with a dead human spirit clothed in a dying body
As you look at 1 Corinthians 2:8-9 and 14, you get a completely different but illuminating picture as to why unbelievers unaided by grace regard the Gospel as foolishness.  Unlike the description of the spiritual Christian in yesterday's post, we see nothing said of the natural unbeliever's human spirit in this passage.  Why? Simply put, he is dead in his human spirit.  Ephesians 2:1-3 lays out the true spiritual and moral condition of natural, unbelieving man:

1. Dead human spirit. (Ephesians 2:1)
2. Darkened soul in mind, emotions, will & conscience. (Eph 2:2)
3. Dying human body.  The natural man is led totally by his soul and natural bodily drives.  He aims only to please himself and not God.  (Ephesians 2:3)

According to Paul, the unbelieving rulers of Jesus' day did what they did to Jesus due to the fact that they were spiritually dead.  If they  would had been operating with the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit in their human spirit, they would not had crucified our Lord. (1 Corinthians 2:9)  In 1 Corinthians 2:10, unbelieving natural man, operating as he does by his natural abilities from birth, cannot apart from saving grace understand nor grasp the Gospel with his mind, emotions, will and conscience (i.e his soul).  Think of some of the philosophies and world religions in our world today - none of them communicate the Gospel's main points: God the creator, man the sinner, God coming to earth as man, giving himself through death to be received by those who by His grace through faith believe. 

With the inability of natural man to receive the truth of scripture and the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-10) we see the inability of natural man to appreciate the things of God.  According to 1 Corinthians 2:14, natural unbelieving man cannot nor will not accept the Gospel on his own, since such things are "spiritually appraised". 

Appraising the value of jewelery - an illustration truth and relationship
Why is it that the natural-minded unbeliever sees the Gospel as a waste of time?  Quite frankly, they have never had a relationship with the Gospel's main subject - Jesus Christ.  A couple one time went to a jeweler with some old rings and two small diamonds.  They had hoped to receive a handsome sum, since gold and diamonds were valued quite highly.  When the couple walked into that jeweler, they confidently laid their "treasures" out on the counter.  The Jeweler put each one under her microscope and studied them.  The value she placed upon them was significantly less than the couple thought.  Her "appraisal" was by the appearance and substance only. Her life experience and reasoning made her conclude that the gems and gold were worth only pennies on the dollar.  As she told the couple about one diamond having a crack and another one being of poor quality, the couple politely thanked the jeweler and left.  It mattered not to them what was said, they saw the jewels differently. 

To the saddened couple, those gems  meant something, since each had a story and had been acquired through the years of the couple's marriage.  They had a relationship with those objects of their affections. As the scriptures says in 1 Peter 2:7 "This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone.”  The Holy Spirit functions this way for the unbeliever, convicting them of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8-11).  The only way an unbeliever can believe on God through Jesus Christ is by the convincing work of the Holy Spirit working in their human spirit. (Romans 8:1-11; Ephesians 2:5-6)  Only by the Spirit's working can the unbeliever be brought into relationship with the Supreme object of faith's affection - Jesus Christ.  Unlike the gemstones of our earlier illustration, Jesus Christ is inherently most precious, being that He is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being. (Hebrews 1:1-3)

Natural man only operates from his natural soul and bodily understandings
Natural man is called "natural", since his reasons for living are rooted in this "natural world" and in his "natural, sinful soul and body".  Natural man is a sinful soul, with a dead human spirit living in a dying human body.  The problem with unbelievers' lack of appreciation for the Gospel is not an intellectual one.  Many intelligent unbelievers with Ph.D's flat-out ignore the cross and the scriptures. Furthermore, there are some unbeliever's who live morally good lives, however they will not surrender to the Gospel, since they prefer there own human effort.  What gives? The Holy Spirit must accompany the preaching of the Gospel if anyone is to believe and be saved. (John 16:8-11)  Only He can convince them of the thrill of knowing the One who desires to make a home in their hearts.  Unless the Holy Spirit makes alive their human spirits, as so explained in Ephesians 2:5-6, the unbeliever will willfully, mentally, emotionally and morally continue in a course opposite of God and the Gospel. 

Being that the Holy Spirit is not indwelling the natural unbeliever's spirit, all they can go on is what they understand in their soul with their minds, emotions, will and conscience.  Furthermore, the drives and information gained from the five senses is interpreted by them to be the only thing worth living for - hence leading them to disregard the Gospel as foolishness. (1 Corinthians 2:15)

More tomorrow.....

Spiritual Christians, the Holy Spirit & the Bible

1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,

As the title of today's blog suggests, we are going to look at the Person of the Holy Spirit, the Bible and how He and the Bible are received by Spirit-led Christians or what 1 Corinthians 2:15 & 3:1 terms "spiritual".  As you consider 1 Corinthians 2:12 above, you will notice that Paul is concerned about reception of the truths of God, from the Spirit of God by those whom he wrote to at Corinth.  In the wider context of 1 Corinthians 2:1-3:4, Paul is concerned with helping the Corinthians understand why it is they are dealing with so many divisions.  In his discussion, Paul lays out three types of spiritual conditions: two of which characterize Christians (spiritual Christians - i.e Spirit-led Christians and compromising or carnally minded Christians) and one of which describes the unbelieving man (termed "natural man").  With that brief summary, we will now briefly outline the Holy Spirit's ministry of illuminating (making clear) the scriptures and how such ministry is received by those Christians who are submitting regularly to the Spirit's leading through the Word.  Due to the importance of these two chapters in 1 Corinthians and the sake of brevity, we will today cover the Holy Spirit's work of illuminating the scriptures to what is termed "the spiritual Christian" or what is elsewhere called "The Spirit-led Christian". (Romans 8:1-5; 16-17)

The Spirit-led Christian receives the Spirit's teaching
1 Corinthians 2:1-6 has Paul describing what it is he is communicating to us and the church at Corinth, namely "the testimony of God" (2:1); "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (2:2); "message and preaching in the Spirit and power" (2:3); "the power of God" (2:4) and God's wisdom (2:5-6).  All of these various descriptive terms define the nature and content of the scriptures.  The Holy Spirit of course is the One who makes their beauty and power known and understood to the Christian who is in fellowship with Him.  We must hasten to add that the term "spiritual Christian" is not referring to a higher class of Christians.  Rather the term "spiritual" is speaking of the main source of the spiritual Christian's attitudes and behavior - namely the Holy Spirit in his human spirit.  1 Corinthians 2:10-13 outlines for us how the Spirit-led Christian receives the things of God from the scriptures.

The Holy Spirit makes clear the things of God. 1 Cor 2:10,12
The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, indwells the Christian's human spirit at salvation, making a permanent home. For the unsaved natural man the Spirit's work is required to lead him to salvation and spiritual understanding, since human reason and will power alone cannot produce a saving response. (1 Corinthians 2:9) In the remaining two men of our passage: the Spirit-led Christian and Compromising Christian of 1 Corinthians 3:1-4, the Spirit's working is necessary.  The Spirit alone knows the depths of God's mind, since He is One with the Father in nature and life. Jesus told His disciples in John 16:13 that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth, disclosing everything He hears from the Father and the Son.  Furthermore this ministry of the Holy Spirit to Christians, called "illumination", can be likened unto a little light bulb that lights up when you finally "get it" in terms of scripture's meaning and application for your life.  Passages such as Romans 8:16-17; Ephesians 1:16-18 and 1 John 2:20,27 explain how the Holy Spirit brings understanding to the Christian about the scriptures and the things of God. 

The Spiritual Christian's human spirit interracts with the soul and body to produce obedience. 1 Corinthians 2:1-7; 10-13; 15-16
1 Corinthians 2:10-13 could be summarized as describing the Spirit-led Christian as an illuminated soul, with the Holy Spirit actively communicating in their human spirit, clothed in a body surrendered to His leading.  When we speak of the soul of a man - that refers to the man himself -  thinking (mind), feeling (emotions), choosing (will) and making moral decisions (conscience).  Thus we see the remarkable order of how the Holy Spirit and the scriptures are received by the Spirit led Christian.  The scriptures in our text define such a Christian as "spiritual" since his life and efforts derive from the Holy Spirit's work in his human spirit (i.e spiritual). (1 Corinthians 2:15)  Thankfully Paul explains in three parts how the spiritual Christian digests spiritual truth.

First we see the human spirit, the center of God awareness in the Christian and the home of the Holy Spirit. (Proverbs 20:27).  The Holy Spirit speaks in my human spirit, equipping me to discern and to know with certainty what I cannot see nor hear with physical eyes and ears. (1 Corinthians 2:11; Hebrews 11:1)  Jesus for example in his humanity perceived the impending level of betrayal by Judas in his human spirit, even though the plot had not been told to him or the others.  How did he know? As much as Jesus Christ was God in human flesh, the text's emphasis is that as man, his spirit was in tune with God's plan and purposes. 

Next we see the soul of the Spirit-led Christian. (1 Corinthians 2:11-12)  The soul is the true me who thinks, feels, chooses and makes moral decisions.  The soul, being the area of my self awareness, interracts with the Holy Spirit in my human spirit.  As a Christian, I must hear and memorize scripture if I ever expect to know the will and leading of the Spirit.  The thinker of my soul, the mind, takes in the scriptures, positioning me to communicate with the Holy Spirit in my human spirit.  Being that He speaks through scripture, He sends guidance, warning or whatever the case may be.  As a Spirit-led Christian, you can sense the Spirit's call and movement as He engages you through the level you give yourself to His word.  1 Corinthians 14:15 reminds us of the crucial link between the thinker of the soul - the mind - and the Holy Spirit speaking forth in my human spirit.   

Then thirdly, as I engage the rest of my soul: (emotions, will and conscience) - I soon am comparing "spiritual things with spiritual". (1 Corinthians 2:11-12) As the Spirit-led Christian uses his mind to take in the scriptures, his ability to bring his body to act and obey leads to a more effective Christian walk. (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 119:130)  

More tomorrow.............

Knowing God's Will - P5 "Logos and Rhema"

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. (6)In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths."
 
For the past several days we have been featuring blogs that have to do with the will of God.  We began by noting the necessary ingredients for knowing and following His will more effectively, namely: Word of God, Indwelling Holy Spirit, Living Obediently and Loving your fellow Christian.  We have also explored the necessary distinctions of God's will that help us to better understand how God's excercises His desires and purposes in our lives.  For instance, God has a Sovereign or ultimate will that includes unrevealed, revealed and permissive aspects.  Having spelled out some of the Biblical foundations for better understanding the will of God, I want us to explore how God enables us as Christians to practically discern His will in everyday decisions.

Two helpful concepts: Logos and Rhema
We now come to the point where we ask about God's will for your life? How does one know it?  Two words translated "word" in the New Testament, "Logos" and "Rhema", aid us in understanding how God's word in general in the scriptures is made specifially knowable and applicable in your life.1 

To see how "logos" (God's general word) and "rhema" (God's word brought to you) function further, consider how we see Paul describing the preaching of the scriptures in the book of Romans.  In Romans 9:6 Paul speaks of the "Word of God", the scriptures, having been delivered by God to the Jewish nation who failed to believe them.  The term for "word" in 9:6 is the Greek word "logos", meaning the scriptures or God's word to all people.  The Bible had not failed, rather the people had.  When you come to Romans 10:8 and 10:17, Paul speaks also of the "word of God", however the term translated "word" is a different Greek word, the word "rhema".  In those verses we see the Holy Spirit taking the objective "logos" or written word and bringing it to bear on the heart of the unbeliever so as to bring forth a response of saving faith.  This pattern, which results in saving faith, comes to characterize for the remainder of the Christian walk how you and I know God's will from His word.  When the Spirit accompanies the preaching of God's general word (logos), and I am able to see how that word specifically applies to me (rhema), I know what I know I need to do - and thus I have just heard God's will on a given matter.  Even when God gives you an insight (a rhema) throughout the day, that came as a result of your prior meditation and reading of the scripture (that is, the logos). 2
 

With these thoughts in mind, I want to lay out principles that I have found helpful in discerning God's will for my own life. The first principle acts as the reference point for the other three. My prayer is that you will find these principles to be helpful as well.

1. God's Will is Discovered from the scriptures.

-Psalm 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

-2 Timothy 3:16-17 "¹⁶All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: ¹⁷That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

2. God's Will is Clarified through Godly Counsel

-Proverbs 15:22 ^"Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established."

-Proverbs 24:6 "⁶For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety."

3. God's Will is confirmed with peace by the Holy Spirit

-The Holy Spirit may say "no" as in Acts 16:6

-The Holy Spirit may say "yes" and give you confident assurance about a particular direction as in Acts 16:10

4. God's Will uses circumstances to steer in a certain direction

-Acts 17:16 ¹⁶Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.

May God bless you dear reader, as you aim to not only know, but do His will. 

End Notes______________

1  The Old Testament illustrates these two ideas in Proverbs 22:17-18 states: "¹⁷Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge. ¹⁸For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips." In these two verses we see two aspects of God's voice speaking to us from the scriptures: God's word in general, or logos (written word applicable to all people, at all places at all times) and God's specific word, or rhema (a specific insight from scripture that is applicable to a specific person, at a particular place at a particular time).

2 Remember, a true rhema never conflicts nor replaces the objective logos of the scriptures. When Jesus was speaking for to the disciples in Luke 24, He was giving them the Logos or general word of the law and prophets of things concerning Himself. By God's grace their eyes were opened, they heard what Jesus was saying and they were given a specific word (a rhema) that the one speaking to them was Christ. They saw that those words had immediate application to them. 

Knowing God's Will - P4

Ephesians 1:11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will
 How God's Will helps you understand the purpose and meaning of life

An Illustration - The Persian Rug
Think of an expensive Persian rug. If you flip it over on its back, the threads appear to be woven together in a hap-hazard manner. However, when you flip it over on its front, the rug has a beautiful and orderly design. God's permissive will, unrevealed will (will of decree) and revealed will (what He intented to make known) function in much the same way. Whenever we flip the rug of His Ultimate or Sovereign will to the front we see a beautiful design.

A Quick Review
We were concerned with the areas of responsibility we have in doing those things that He has revealed to us. We had begun this current series by noting the four essential elements necessary for knowing God's will: Word of God, Indwelling Holy Spirit, Living Obediently and Loving your fellow believer.  In today's blog we're going to briefly trace out the various distinctions that exist within God's will as God exercises His Sovereign will in the lives of people in general and Christians in particular.

Beginning with a further description of God's Ultimate Will
When we refer to God's Sovereignty, we are referring to - "His Comprehensive Reign over all people, places and events". Ephesians 1:11 gives us a very clear understanding of God's Sovereign Will: "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will". It is by this Sovereign Will (or what we termed His "Ultimate Will") that God excercises His rule and reign in history and salvation. God's will is mentioned some 40 times in the scriptures, and it is a theme that is helpful in understanding life's purpose and meaning. 

With this big picture idea, how then does God work forth His will in your life? The Apostle Paul gives us the story of how God worked His will in his own life in Galatians 1:13-16. My prayer is that this will help you to understand how God's Ultimate Will typically will function in your own life. So how does the Rule of God's will work in your life? Please note the following distinctions:

1. God's Permissive Will,
Galatians 1:13-14 "For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: 14And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers."

Why was Paul, who was called before his conversion "Saul", able to persecute the church? Furthermore, how could he perpetrate such evil without being immediately destroyed? Was it God's will for him to do this? Clearly God permitted Paul to do this, for in Acts 8 we read that such persecutions caused the church to scatter throughout the world and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God permits what he hates in order to accomplish His own good purposes. Romans 8:28 tells us this: "28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." God's Sovereignty does not preclude human responsibility - rather he includes the choices of his creatures. Truly what Paul (Saul) meant for evil, God was using for his ultimate good.

2. God's Will of Decree (His Unrevealed Will), Galatians 1:15 "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace"

Did Paul choose Christ, or did God have His purposes set on calling Paul? Paul reveals here that God had decreed to call Paul to His service. If you will recall, we noted God having an unrevealed aspect to His will, meaning that there are things that are known only to God that He chooses not to reveal.  Obviously when He does reveal His will, it then becomes His revealed will, as expressed in scripture. (compare Deuteronomy 29:29) God had Paul picked out before He was born, a fact that at least for Paul was unrevealed until the time of his conversion. God desired for the Gospel to be spread among the Gentiles, and Paul was to be his chief instrument. We know from passages such as Jeremiah 1:5, 2 Timothy 1:9 and Titus 1:2 that God's will of decree extends all the way back before creation. Despite Paul's sinfulness, God had chosen to set His affection and purpose on calling this persecutor of the church to be the church's great apostle.  As God called Paul to himself, with Paul then responding by faith, it was clear that what was previously decreed or unrevealed had become revealed.

3. God's Intentional Will (His Revealed Will) Galatians 1:16a "To reveal his Son in me..."

That word "to" speaks of intention on God's part. God had intended a particular purpose, namely to reveal Christ in Paul's life. Again you may recall how we talked yesterday of God's revealed will.  God's intentions, desires or wishes are at the center of His will: whether we are speaking of His permissive, unrevealed or revealed will.  The reason I chose to include this term "intentional" to describe the revealed aspect of His will is because God has "intended" to make His heart known to His people. Whenever we speak of God's intentional will, we must make sure we include the other aspects of His will. God had intended to reveal Christ in Paul, but He also permitted Paul to first persecute the church, and He had decreed to ultimately call Paul prior to his birth. These first three aspects of God's permissive, unrevealed and revealed wills interrelate with one another. Many times in your own life, you'll will not always see how they relate.

4. God's Ultimate Will, Galatians 1:16b .."that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:"

Did God have an ultimate purpose in putting Paul through the trials and triumphs that accompany Christian life and ministry? Notice the underlined word "that". "That" is a word which speaks of purpose. God indeed has an ultimate will. At times we may see what His ultimate will is for a given situation in this life. Then there are those situations where the purpose is not realized until after we have passed off the scene. Joseph was able to testify of god's ultimate will in His life in Genesis 50:20 - "20But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." However, God's ultimate will for Abraham was not realized until after his death, as we see in Hebrews 11:13 "13These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."

Concluding thoughts
Dear friend, whatever your situation is in life, remember, God's rule is at work. He has an ultimate will, which includes some unrevealed aspects, some revealed aspects and then those things He was willed to permit in your life.  God has ordained whatsoever comes to pass but he has also at the same time included your responses and choice in the fulfillment of His purposes.  Let me close with these words from Jeremiah 29:11 "11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." That is the joy of God's rule in your life.

Knowing God's Will - P3

Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.

 

For the past couple of days we have been noting what is necessary for effectively knowing and folloing the will of God.  In the past two blogs we used the acrostic "WILL" to understand these necessary components:

 

1. Word of God

2. Indwelling Holy Spirit

3. Living in Obedience

4. Loving your fellow believer

 

With the necessary elements in place, I want today's blog and the next couple of blogs to deal with related issues that Christians commonly deal with when trying to do and follow God's will for their lives.  At times mis-conceptions can arise, as well as not realizing that within God's will there are certain distinctions that exist.  Understanding some of the practical issues associated with knowing the will of God can relieve a lot of confusion and doubt that Christians battle in their faith-walk.  My prayer is that you will find these blogs helpful to your own life, since loving God and living out His will for His glory is your chief purpose as a believer.   

 

God's will is not a game of "hot and cold"

Do you remember the game you used to play as a kid called: "Hot and Cold"? It was a game where you would have to find a person or an object in a room. Depending upon your proximity to that hidden person or object, another individual would cry out the words "hot" or "cold" or the in-between phrases: "you're getting hotter" or "you're getting warmer".

Unfortunately many Christians conceive of God's will in this fashion. Many operate under the assumption that God is playing a cruel game of "hot and cold" with Christians, and that the will of God is a lost item, needing to be found. In today's blog, and over the course of the next few blogs, we will be aiming to encourage you as a Christian that it is not only possible, but certain that you can operate knowing what God's will is for your life.

Why Christians are so concerned about "God's will for their lives"
Whenever we engage in discussions about the will of God, people immediately sense that there are areas of responsibility. At what points am I responsible to God for certain areas and what areas does God not hold me responsible? So many Christians approach the will of God with more fear than faith. God is the only One whom I'm to fear. Whenever we are operating with God's will, we are to fear Him, that is, we are to live our lives in such a way as to not have broken fellowship and intimacy with Him. It is in the midst of our circumstances that we are to proceed in faith (2 Corinthians 5:7).

God's Unrevealed and Revealed Will
If I were to point a believer to one passage in God's word which speaks to guiding them in the area of God's will, and their level of responsibility, I would refer them to Deuteronomy 29:29. Moses writes there: "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."

Two of the most fundamental aspects of God's will are described here: namely His Unrevealed and Revealed will. Clearly His revealed will entails areas that only man can know form the Bible. His unrevealed will cannot be ever discovered by human beings. The revealed will of God is that which is meant to be known, discovered and lived. Notice where the revealed will of God is discovered here in this passage: "that we may do all the words of this law."

So then whatever God has revealed to me in His word, that is what I am responsible to do. Proverbs 25:2 states: "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter." According to Ephesians 2:6, the Christian is seated positionally with Christ in the heavenly realms, thus making him or her a person that operates with delegated authority from Jesus Christ. It is within the realm of God's revealed will that I operate and proceed.

This we know - there is no conflict within God's will
Even though there are aspects of God will that may be unrevealed, we do know this: that if God can be trusted in the areas He has revealed (the scriptures, illumination from the scriptures), then He can also be trusted in the areas He has not revealed (details about the future for example). The Bible tells us in passages such as Psalm 136:1- "O Give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever." Because God is a Good God, I can trust Him, in both the areas I know, as well as the unknown.

Therefore this gives us an absolute foundation for the Christian's journey of operating in God's will. More lessons will follow as we begin to understand the distinctions that exist within His will that will aid us in attaining greater confidence towards knowing and doing His will.