Insolomonsporch's Blog

“Do you not know that if you continually surrender yourselves to anyone to do his will, you are the slaves of him whom you obey, whether that be to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience which leads to righteousness (right doing and right standing with God)? Rom 6:16 AMP

“…Adam was a type (prefigure) of the One Who was to come [in reverse, the former destructive, the Latter saving]” Rom 5:14 AMP

“But now the righteousness of God has been revealed independently and altogether apart from the Law, although actually it is attested by the Law and the Prophets, namely the righteousness of God which comes by believing with personal trust and confident reliance on Jesus Christ (the Messiah). [And it is meant] for all who believe. For there is no distinction,…”  Rom 3:21-22 AMP

“For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do.”  Gal 5:17

The day the Lord saved you, you entered a struggle. You may not yet recognize it, or you may indeed sense the battle.  You may even be like Rebekah, Isaac’s wife pregnant with twins and wondering why she was thus…

So, a little background to the struggle.  When you were saved you were given a new heart and your spirit was made new and also the Holy Spirit came to dwell in your spirit.  But your soul was not made new nor recreated. That would have made you a completely different person… 

You are given the ability and charge to renew your own mind (in the spirit of the mind), by the word of God Rom 12:2).  Furthermore, it is the task of your life to continually choose to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and to walk out in obedience what you are led to do. So then your own thinking that is renewed (your mind) will agree with and be in obedience to the Holy Spirit and the word of God.

So imagine it:

Kind of like the old cartoon pictures, with an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other.  Even though you are saved, you have two forces pulling at you to follow them. One is of the flesh, one is of the Spirit…

The flesh is your old man, or lower nature… your sensuality.  The other is your new man, your new life in Christ by the Holy Spirit (Rom 6:5-6).  They are opposed to each other!!!  And if you sow to your flesh (meaning you listen and obey its leading), you will reap destruction, but if you sow to the Spirit (listen to the Spirit, obey His leading) you will reap eternal life. (Gal 6:7-8)

The pivot point is your soul.  The requirement after salvation is for us to learn to possess our souls for the Kingdom of God, to actually allow the victory of Jesus Christ Who is the Overcomer to have His Way in us. We have been purchased with a price, we are no longer our own! We are called by faith to live a life of obedience to the Spirit of Life in Christ!!! (Rom 8:1-2)

So how does this all happen? In our soul there is a will, our intellect, and emotions… these are required along with your physical members to continually be yielded to Christ, as instruments of righteousness. This becomes a consecrated (set apart) life, a sanctified life for the Lord’s purpose. (Rom 6:11-14)

Let’s focus for a moment, on the functioning of the soul in each of us.  Sometimes we are taught that your soul must actually die. Like, “I have been crucified with Christ” Gal 2:20. But words and their rendering can convey meaning that was not intended….

Watchman Nee makes a great case for agreeing with the word of God and the work of the Cross – that I must reckon myself as dead to sin, but alive to God.  I can’t crucify myself, but I can agree and enforce the word of God over me that like Rom 6:14, sin shall no longer exert dominion over me, since I am now not under law as a slave, but I am under grace as a subject of God.

I bring myself in submission to the power of the Holy Spirit and habitually put to death (make extinct, deaden the evil deeds prompted by the body… and thus I shall live forever….(Rom 8:13).  It is not me mortifying… it is me surrendering to the Holy Spirit and my agreement with Him to render my flesh as powerless…

In all of this regarding of soul and spirit and flesh, there is a paramount understanding that must be achieved in every believer.  It even harkens back to the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve fell.  The understanding that is critical to success and living according to the Spirit is that:

“…while we recognize that, the soul has been seduced, led captive, darkened and poisoned with self interest, we do not regard it as something to be annihilated and destroyed in this life…” (T.Austin Sparks, What is Man).

Rather, as Watchman Nee weighs in, it is the independent action of the soul that must be destroyed. This independent action of the soul is what the serpent targeted to stir up in Eve, and is the reason for the fall in the Garden.  Prior to the temptation and the fall, all of Eve and Adam’s right and wrong were perceived to be in the hands of God alone. With the apple incident, all this changed.

What must be seen for then and now is the most dangerous adversary!!! It is the component that tripped up Adam and Eve eternally and it is operative in the same way today!!!

Any believer who is trusting in their salvation, yet at the same time is operating and surrendering to their independent soul, making all their own decisions and choices according to their own faculties and members is deceived concerning their status.

God did not save you to then have you live life on your own terms, and according to your own desires and reasonings.  He saved you that as a vessel you would demonstrate as a servant His ownership and authority over you… and glorify His Name!  This is your witness of Him, even without words!

The enemy of our souls says to himself, “I can’t keep them from being saved, but I can nullify their testimony. I can cause them to come under judgement as ones who sowed to the flesh and will reap damnation, and show the world that the Christ is false.” (Maybe think about Balaam here…) All this happens if we fail as believers to live by the Spirit and walk according to the Spirit.

This is what happens when we retain independent action in our souls. Our soul is designed to obey the spirit and our spirit the Spirit of God. When our soul serves the Spirit as a steward, we are living as witnesses to the Kingdom!  When our souls serve our flesh, we reap destruction and ruin our witness for the Lord.

Think of that old story of the stallion. The master must break him (the horse) of his independent will before he can be taken to war.  Without that breaking, the stallion is untrustworthy, and dangerous. At the wrong time he will bolt or do his own thing, according to his old nature.

But with breaking comes the ability to obey the command of the master, and to be a known quantity and one that can be trusted.

Now, align this all with Matthew 7:21.  It says that not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father Who is in heaven…

He will tell those, depart from Me, I never knew you…..

These people professed to know Christ, and even did works in His name.  But what they missed was a vital connection of having the life of Christ in them, and being in Him – a vital connection.

Yes they did miracles – but ultimately miracles prove nothing (Clark). Miracles can be granted through pretended believers.  It is relationship that matters.

Spurgeon said, “That if preaching could save a man, Judas would not have been damned. If prophesying could save a man, Balaam would not have been castaway…”

Davis Guzik says:

“In the end, there is one basis of salvation; it isn’t mere verbal confession, not “spiritual works,” but by knowing Jesus and being known to Him.  It is our connection to Him – by the gift of faith that He gives to us—that secures our salvation.  Connected to Jesus we are secure; without connection to Him all the miracles and great works prove nothing.”

I would add here, the proof is in the pudding – if you truly know Jesus, you are being changed from glory to glory… and that is that you are being led by the Spirit and you are following! Your soul is not operating in independence, but it is like a butler with a napkin on his arm, ready to serve all things of the Spirit! (Rom 8:5-9) 

Garcon! Come forth!