Spiritual blindness

 

1.      Spiritual blindness

The fourth reason why we are alienated from the life of God and unable to bear spiritual fruits it is because of being spiritually blinded which is caused by refusing to retain God in our knowledge, and for this reason, God gave those who does not retain Him in their knowledge over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.

Those who do not like to retain God in their knowledge their minds degenerates from first being knowledgeable to becoming ignorant and from being ignorant to becoming debased which is a state of being lowered in dignity, character, or importance which manifest itself in being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful.

Satan also takes advantage of those who do not like to retain God in their knowledge as illustrated by the apostle Paul who wrote; “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

And so, without being judgmental it is not a difficult task to differentiate a spiritually minded individual from one who is carnally minded and spiritually blinded because it is clearly manifested in our lifestyle and the danger is, who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. Therefore, even though we personally may not be practicing these things but approve of those who practice them are subject to the righteous judgment of God.

But the sad reality is, when the Lord has poured out on an individual the spirit of deep sleep, closed their eyes and covered their heads the whole vision becomes to them like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, "Read this, please." And he says, "I cannot, for it is sealed."

Then the book is delivered to one who is illiterate, saying, "Read this, please." And he says, "I am not literate." Therefore the Lord said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden" (Isaiah 29:9-14).

Again, without being judgmental it is not a difficult task differentiating a carnally minded individual from one who is spiritually minded as exemplified by the apostle Paul who wrote; “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).

A carnally minded individual is one who is antagonistic to the law of God and whose mind is set on the  things of the earth as explained by the apostle Paul who wrote: “the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” And, "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is and sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Romans 8:7; Colossians 3:1-3).

Being carnally minded and spiritually blinded is the main reason why so many professing believers are unable to perceive the insult, the defilement, the abomination and profanity that the COVID-19 vaccination impacts on the human body and the dire consequences which follows. The apostle Paul alerted us by saying; “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)..

So the crux of the matter is, “Are we only looking at things according to the outward appearance? Or are we also looking at things inwardly? The reality is, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when our obedience is fulfilled” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6).

What is essentially taking place around us in connection with this mandatory vaccination is a spiritual warfare with the intention to defile and ultimately destroy the temple of the Holy Spirit and so the admonition is; “Put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places: Therefore, let us take up the whole armor of God, that we may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

.Nevertheless, let us not be ignorant of the fact that, having accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior does not necessarily means that the individual is spiritually minded and can understand and distinguish spiritual things and the sad reality is, perceiving things only in a physical perspective and being merely human will not permit us to understand  the spiritual things that are taking shape around us because, the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Having faith in the wisdom of men

 

1.      Having faith in the wisdom of men

The third reason why we are alienated from the life of God and unable to bear spiritual fruits it is because, we have placed our faith in the wisdom of men instead of having our faith in the power of God. Despite the fact that we have been admonished by the apostle Paul saying; “And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1Corinthians 2:4-5).

The stark reality is, the wisdom of men regardless of how brilliant it appears to be will ultimately result in death as alluded to by the wise king Solomon who wrote;  “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25).

The huge mistake which most people make is to affiliate and associate the works of man’s wisdom with the power of God. Man has been given the power to achieve whatever he sets his mind to achieve. From the moment Adam ate the forbidden fruit of the knowledge of good and evil the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" And during the time of the tower of Babel the Lord said; “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them” (Genesis 3:22; 11:6).

In our present age of technology the world is as united as it was during the days the tower of Babel was being constructed and nothing that man in their wisdom proposes to do will be withheld from them. So man has the capability of achieving whatever they set their minds to achieve. Therefore, to attribute all of man’s achievements to God is gross error on our part for thus says the Lord; “I am the LORD, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images. For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; for how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another” (Isaiah 42: 8; 48:11).

The irony of truth is, God does not share His glory with man’s wisdom for it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God; it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe” (1Corinthians 1:19-21).

There is therefore, a huge disparity between the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God. Man indeed has the power to achieve things that are both good and evil, but the good that are to be attributed to God are those which are administered by the Holy Spirit and believers should be able to echo the apostle Paul’s sentiment  by saying; “        I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Because, it is the Holy Spirit living in us that does the work and not we ourselves or electrical gadgets.

And so the admonition is; “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy --- meditate on these things.” And of course set out to do it in faith because, faith without works is dead and knowing that it is not by our might nor by our power but by the Holy Spirit, for it is Christ living in us who does the work.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BFP1SMV

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Glorify God in spirit

 

Not only are we to glorify God in our body which has become the temple of the Holy Spirit, but we also have to glorify God in spirit which is being manifested:

a.       Through praise

For we have been admonished saying; “Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver: Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God." We glorify God in spirit; through the inward man by continually offering the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name, and allowing the word of Christ to dwell in us richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Psalms 50:22-23; Hebrews 13:15; Colossians 3:16).

We glorify the Lord in spirit when we present ourselves before Him at His appointed times and adhering to the protocol which states: “Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns; the world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously" (1 Chronicles 16:28-31; Psalms 96: 7-10).

We glorify God by being productive as stated by Jesus Who said; “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:7-8).

We glorify God by rendering excellent quality service as we have been duly admonished saying; “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Peter 4:11; 1Corinthians 10:31).

Last but not least, we glorify God through suffering in the flesh and so we have received the consolation saying; “If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter” (1 Peter 4:14-16).

And so, in this critical and trying times our consolation is; “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy” (1Peter 4:12-13).

With this pandemic the faith of every believer is on trial, but in this we are to greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, we have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of our faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S9QXQ4E

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The hardening and insensitivity of the heart

 

1.      Alienated from the life of God because of the hardening of the heart

The second reason why we are alienated from the life of God and unable to bear spiritual fruits it is because of the hardening and insensitivity of the heart, because although we claim to know God, we do not glorify Him as God, nor are we thankful, but we are futile in our thoughts, and our foolish hearts are darkened. Professing to be wise, we became fools, and are changing the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, birds, four-footed animals and creeping things” (Romans 1:21-23).

So how are we to glorify God? We are to glorify God in both the nature of the first Adam and that of the last Adam as we have been duly instructed saying: “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

To glorify God in our body necessitates that we do not desecrate of defiled our human body because, from since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the human body is not simply dust and to dust it shall return, but instead, we have been reminded saying; “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh."

And so the admonition is, “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:15-19).

So let us now think and walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise and consider this for a moment, if sexual immorality, be it homosexuality, sodomy, bestiality, adultery, fornication, all defiles the human body and deems it unworthy to inherit the kingdom of God, I therefore beg to ask the question, what will be the outcome of the human body, the temple of the Holy Spirit which has been injected directly into the blood stream with aborted human fetuses in order to mutate and facilitate whatever is in the vaccine with the human body, whether it be aids viruses or all sorts of stem cells directly into the blood stream?

Be our own judge! For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world, the choice is ours to make and if we are not chastened it is simply because we do not believe that sexual immorality is sin and that our human body is indeed the temple of the Holy Spirit.

But the scriptures categorically state; “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

So then, the multimillion question to all professing believers in Jesus Christ is, do you personally believe that, the Corona virus vaccines with whatever its composition defies the temple of the Holy Spirit? The choice is for each individual, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S9QXQ4E

To be continued, stay tuned

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Do not be ignorant of who we are?

 Now, there are basically four reasons why some people are alienated from the life of God and fail to produce spiritual fruits.

1.      Ignorance

Ignorance to the reality that humanity is both the offspring of the first and last Adam is a major reason why many are failing to produce spiritual fruits. As the offspring of the first Adam, man has no advantage over the beast as alluded to by the wise King Solomon who wrote; “For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust. Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?” (Ecclesiastes 3:19-21).

But with the advent of the last Adam he second man from heaven mankind has the preeminence over the animal for we have been duly admonished saying; “The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.’

“However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man” (1 Corinthians 15:42-49).

As the offspring of the first Adam, we were all by nature children of wrath, children of the devil as confirmed by the apostle Paul who wrote; “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others” (Ephesians 2:1-3).

Jesus Christ also made mention of the fact that we by nature were the children of the devil when He said to the Pharisees; “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:42-44).

And so, because of this huge disparity that exist between living the life which is in accordance to the flesh and the life which is in accordance to the Spirit, we have duly instructed saying; “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness” (Ephesians 4:17-19).

How often do we hear people saying, “I have only one life to live,” in the context of "Let us travel, eat and drink, for tomorrow we die?" But the irony of truth is, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.

The reality is, there is a daily struggle between the flesh and the Spirit, between the nature of the first and that of the last Adam, and so the admonition is; “ I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Galatians 5:16-17).

Let us therefore not be ignorant of who we are, the freedom of choice we all are required to make and. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians 6:7-8).

Let us all therefore be mindful of the life in the flesh which is contrary and in conflict with that of the Spirit and originated from two different sources. In addition to this; "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. 

   https://www.amazon.com/dp/145385777X

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

The reality of the new and living way

The new and living way is as literal and practical as that of the old way; it is the practical way of living by which one has access and relationship with the Father. The comparison between the old way and the new way is identical to a good tree and a bad tree as illustrated by Jesus Christ who said; “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33).

The irony of truth is, since the resurrection of Jesus Christ humanity stemmed from the tree of life which is Jesus Christ who is eternal life as we have been duly instructed saying; “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life’…And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1John 5: 11, 12, 20).

 

Jesus Christ said quite explicitly; “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:1-2).

The stark reality is that, “in Him (Jesus Christ) we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17: 28-30).

It is therefore incumbent on everyone to start examining ourselves to see whether we are living in the spirit and bearing the fruits of the Spirit and so the admonition is; “Examine ourselves as to whether we are in the faith. Test ourselves. Do we not know ourselves that Jesus Christ is in us? --- Unless indeed we are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5-6).

It is important that we continually reminding ourselves that, from now on, meaning, from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:16-17).

Unfortunately, not too many people have been taught the way of life in the Spirit which is diametrically opposite to the way of life in the flesh, or the way of the inward man as compared to the way of the outward man, for which we have been duly forewarned saying; “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Galatians 5:16-17).

We should all therefore echo the sentiment of the apostle who wrote; “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 in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Unfortunately, our society, education and religious system have all failed to educate us about the struggle the exist between the outer man and the inward man or between the natural man and the spirit man as we have been duly admonished saying; “if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:21-24).

And so although it is right to say that, “I have only one life to live” It is also important to know how we should live this life, whether we should live it in accordance to the flesh, the outward man, or whether we are going to live it in accordance to the Spirit which is the inward man. For we have been duly instructed saying; “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians 6:7-8).

So you see, our success depends on how we spend our lives whether it is living to gratify the outward man and reap the benefit of corruption or, living to gratify the inward man and reap the benefit of everlasting life which is the immortality of the human body. The choice is ours.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BFP1SMV

To be continued with brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Walking in newness of life

 

Walking in newness of life

Anyone one has truly accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and has been buried with Him through baptism into death, should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

If indeed we have heard Him (Jesus Christ) and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: we are to put off, concerning our former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of our mind, and that we put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness because,  just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6: 1-7; Ephesians 4: 21-24).

The crux of the matter is, since the resurrection of Jesus Christ we should regard no one according to the flesh, meaning that we should regard no one as being carnal but as being spiritual. Why? Because at the resurrection of Jesus Christ the carnal mind which is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God nor indeed can ever be was crucified and buried with Christ and as raised in newness of life.

With the carnal mind man had no access to the Father except through multiple animal sacrifices which were offered year by year and still could not make those who approach perfect, but through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ a new and living way was consecrated for us giving us direct access to the throne of grace And so we have received the consolation saying; “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, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10: 19-20).

What has eluded the mind of most professing believers is the fact that, humanity received from Jesus Christ a new mind and a new nature and has been reconciled to God. For we have the consolation saying; “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Romans 5:10-11).

It is imperative to note that, it is not only the believer that has been reconciled to the Father but humanity as a whole, for we have been admonished saying; “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

God in Christ reconciling the world to Him is the new life in the spirit. Man was separated from the life of God due to sin as we have been duly admonished saying; “Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.  But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2).

The death of the spiritual man came as the result of Adam and Eve’s transgression, for the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17).

But the devil tempted Eve and said to her, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:4-5).

The irony of truth is, although Adam lived for nine hundred and thirty years physically before he died, but the same day he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he died spiritually and so, to prevent Adam and Eve from partaking of the tree of life and eat, and live forever He drove out the man from the garden and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

But in the advent of Jesus Christ we have received the assurance saying; “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:1-7).

This new life therefore, is the rebirth of the sprit in man which gave man access to the Father. But how many of us who profess to be believers are able to make a clear distinction between living in accordance to the flesh and living in accordance to the spirit, or in our present dilemma the difference between having faith in the wisdom of men and having faith in the power of God.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

What is the significance of the soul?

 

What is the significance of the Soul?

Since the soul and the spirit are mysteriously linked together and forms the heart, which is central to all our emotions and will, it is considered to be the new man in the spirit, and its significance is to:-

a. Keep and sustain it

This we do by taking heed to ourselves, and diligently keep ourselves, lest we forget the things our eyes have seen, and lest they depart from our hearts all the days of our lives, and we should teach them to our children and our grandchildren. We also are to "Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits" (Deuteronomy 4:9; Psalms 103:1-2).

b. Seek the Lord

For we have been admonished saying; "You will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 4:29).

Also, with my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You" (Psalms 119:10-11).

c. Love the Lord

For the admonition is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with our entire mind and with all our strength.' This is the first commandment." And the way the love of God is expressed is by obeying Hs commandments, for thus says the Lord, "For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments" (Deuteronomy 5:9-10, 6:5, Mark 12:30).

The Lord said again, "Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!" And Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (Deuteronomy 5: 29; John 14:15).

d. Serve the Lord

For this what the Lord said to His people, "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?" (Deuteronomy 10:12).

And as we have been duly instructed saying;" And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ" (Colossians 3:23-24).

e. Store God's word

For the Lord instructed His people saying; "Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up" (Deuteronomy 10:18-19).

f. Keep God's law

To those who are special to God this is what He says; "this day the Lord your God commands you to observe these statutes and judgments; therefore you shall be careful to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.'

"Today you have proclaimed the Lord to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that you will obey His voice. Also today the Lord has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments, and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken" (Deuteronomy 26: 16-19).

g. Obey God

For this is what the Lord promised those who returns to Him, "And you return to the Lord your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, that the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you.---And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live".

"The Lord your God will make you abounds in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 30:2, 6, 10).

h. Get Wisdom

There is security in wisdom, and one is advised to, "Get wisdom! Understand! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace; a crown of glory she will deliver to you." And, "He who gets wisdom loves his own soul" (Proverbs 4: 5-9, 19:8).

 The soul is definitely not the same with the body, because Jesus said in no uncertain terms, "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).

And so, the significance of the soul, the living being is to allow the nature of Jesus Christ to be formed in us and ultimately at the first resurrection will be reunited with the physical body which will be transformed from corruptible to incorruptible and from mortal to immortal. Only those in the first resurrection that will inherit immortality,

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

What is the soul (part three)

3. The Soul

To have a better and thorough understanding of the soul one should give consideration to the fact that man is dual in nature, and therefore, he is both a natural being and a spiritual being, and the soul differs in both instances. This can also help resolve the issue as to whether the soul is mortal or immortal.

For example, we have been admonished saying; "There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man" (1 Corinthians 15:44-49).

Bearing the image of the man of dust, which in effect is the natural man, the soul is regarded as that which animates man, the living being, the self, it is the life of every creature and it is found in the blood which contains man's DNA and chromosomes.

For example; A vivid illustration of this is in the case of Noah's flood where it is stated that, "And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive."

In this instance we see thtat all the human beings that died in the flood were regarded as souls, as alluded to by the apostle Peter who wrote, "When once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water." (Genesis 7:21-23, 1 Peter 3:20).

We see also in the New Testament that living human beings were regarded as souls, for it is written; "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles" (Acts 2:41-43).

With reference to Jesus Christ coming to earth in the form of the natural man in order to die and pay the penalty of sin in man's stead, it is stated that; "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.'

"He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:10-12).

The way Jesus Christ poured out His soul or gave up His life unto death, was by shedding His blood, which is the life of every creature. The composition of the natural man is, body, soul and spirit, and so it is written concerning the death of Jesus Christ that; "But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out" John 19:33-34).

Blood and water (flesh) is the symbol of our humanness and the certainty of Jesus Christ as God's witness, as it is written; "This is He who came by water and blood --- Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water (flesh), and the blood; and these three agree as one" (1 John 5:6-8).

Therefore, soul, in its natural state refers to " A living being" whose life is in the blood" and it is mortal as clearly states; "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood (soul) cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption" (1 Corinthians 15:50).

In the spiritual state however, soul carries a different connotation, it refers to something that is spiritual and indwells in man and leaves the body at death. It refers to the inner being, that is being developed whilst the physical body is being animated by the breath of the spirit of life, as we have been admonished saying; "Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith --- the salvation of your souls." And, "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart."--- "Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator" (1Peter 1:8-9, 22. 4:19).

Also in the case of Rachel during her difficulty in giving birth to Benjamin, it is stated that, "Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, "Do not fear; you will have this son also:" And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin" (Genesis 35:17-18).

And in the case where the prophet Elijah revived the widow's son by stretching himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, "O Lord my God, I pray, let this child's soul come back to him." Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived" (1 Kings 17:21-22).

Therefore, the assumption that, the soul and body being the same is preposterous, because the soul is the end product of the life which has been animated by the spirit in the body.  The analogy of the soul can be compared to, body + spirit = Soul. Or, cellular phone + batteries/electricity = the production of music or picture. Or, light bulb + electricity = light. The soul therefore is, the inward man which is being formed in the body while it is being animated by both the breath of life and the spirit in man.

The soul consists of the mind, including the conscience, the will and emotions. It is the seat of the senses, desires, affections and appetites. The soul and the spirit that is in man are mysteriously linked together and make up what the scriptures call the heart, and we have been instructed saying; "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23).

We have also been admonished saying, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).

There is therefore, an outward man and an inward man, the outward man is our physical human body and the inward man is the soul, the living being and so we have been duly admonished saying; “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

The outward man is being sustained by, air, water and food, in like manner; the inner man is being sustained by the Holy Spirit, the blood and body of Jesus Christ; and hence the reason why Jesus Christ said unequivocally, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed” (John 6:53-55).

But the huge question is how many professing believers believe this passage of scripture and take it literally?

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

What is the soul (part two)

 

To have a thorough understanding of what the soul is, I think it is imperative that one should begin with the creation of man, where it is clearly stated that, "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Here one can see clearly that there are three distinctive features of a human being.

1.       Man formed of the dust of the ground

2.      Breath of life breathed into his nostrils

3.      Man became a living being

The apostle Paul also alluded to the three distinctive features of man by stating; "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1Thessalonians 5:23).

On another occasion the apostle Paul admonished believers by saying, "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Corinthians 6:20).

Here we see the apostle Paul admonishing the believer (the living being), to glorify God in his/her body, and in his/her spirit, signifying that the body and spirit are properties and responsibilities of the living being. To properly understand how significant the soul is, we should look at all three distinctive aspects of a human being so as to know how to deal specifically with the soul.

1. The body

The creature or the man which was formed by the Lord from the dust of the ground is the body, the mortal and physical aspect of man, which will at death return to dust as the Lord reminded Adam after the fall saying, "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; For dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19).

The patriarch Job and wise king Solomon respectively echoed a similar sentiment by stating; "If He (God) should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust." And, "Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the well. Then the dust will return to the earth as it was" (Job 34:14, 15, Ecclesiastes 12:6-7).

Now the body is not synonymous to the soul as some people are suggesting, because at death, the soul is said to leave the body. One example is that of Rachael's death during child birth, where it is written, "And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin." There is also the example of the righteous dead, who while their bodies were buried and turned to dust, their souls lay under the altar, and later will live and reign with Christ (Genesis 35:18; Revelation 6:9, 20:4).

Jesus Christ also attested to the fact that the body and the soul are two separate entities by saying, "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).

Thankfully, due to the second Adam, the heavenly Man, the body is not simply dust you are, and to dust you shall return, but it is now the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we have been therefore admonished saying, "Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).

And finally, those who are heavenly and bearing the image of the heavenly Man will win the final victory when, this corruptible body will put on incorruption, and this mortal body will put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" (1 Corinthians 15:53-55).

The crux of the matter is, man is incomplete without the three aspects of body soul and spirit and so the soul is not immortal unless the body is immortal, and so, the soul who sins shall die.

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To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph