It's the Spirit that Gives Life

Before the fall, man had perfect fellowship with God. He lived in the realm of the spirit, but when he disobeyed God's command, he was driven from the presence of God and became dependent upon
his senses for his protection and 1ife. His spirit became the slave of his senses. When this happened man lost all real knowledge of spiritual things. As the history moved forward and although the senses gained supremacy over man, we see recorded in Hebrews 11 that there were people who did have spiritual discernment. One in particular was Abraham, because He believed God. (Genesis 15:6) Abraham's faith is one of the greatest example of the true type of the faith that believers can and should have. When I refer to the phrase "true type faith or true kind of faith" I mean the type of faith that pleases God. (Hebrews 11:6)

When Jesus left eternity and broke into time, all men lived in the realm of the senses. When reading the four gospels carefully you will notice that all the people (which includes the religious leaders) were not discerning of spiritual things. They believed only what their senses could comprehend. Jesus said to them, "...You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times." (Matthew 16:3) . Their spirit had no place in their daily life. In Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus He says, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God...That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:3, 6) Unless one is born again from above, they are unable to discern or understand the spiritual things of God.

Faith comes by getting acquainted with the Father through the Word. Not in studying the Word alone, but by actually living the Word; doing the Word; practicing the Word, and letting the Word live in us. James tells us, "...receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." (James 1:21) God's Word is able to save (to keep safe and sound; to rescue from danger or destruction; to make well, heal, restore to health) the soul (the mind, will, emotions and intellect). We see in John gospel the people asking Jesus, "...What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do?" (John 6:30 ) Interestingly enough, that generation is not any different than our generation. Like that generation, this generation does not believe God's Word either unless it sees signs and wonders and even then as Jesus said, "...neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead" (Luke 16:31) will most hardly believe.

I have come to believe that if one spends time in fellowship with God in His Word, under the illumination of the Holy Spirit, they will not require a sign to believe. In fact, they will actually live the Christian life used of God to perform signs and wonders. (Mark 16:17-18; John 14:12) God's Word is the food and life of the spirit. (Matthew 4:4; John 6:63) Through God's Word, we can come to know His will, nature, character, purpose and plan. His Word is the only avenue that we can come to know and understand God's most potent characteristic, love. (1 John 4:7-8, 16) If we walk in love, the spirit has perfect freedom to guide us because faith and love are a product of the recreated spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23) Faith grows through God's Word (Romans 10:17) as we practice love. (Galatians 5:6) As we practice love the Father becomes more and more real to us, because again, He is love (1 John 4:16). The reality is, God's love is already in our recreated spirit. (Romans 5:5) It is no longer something that we ask for, but simple act upon. But like everything else, the things of God come by revelation to our spirit, not knowledge through the five senses.

1 Corinthians 2:12 declares, "Now we received, not the spirit of the world, (the spirit of the natural man) but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given us by God." The believers recreated spirit, is able to know the things of God, while the natural mind that is dominated by the senses, is unable to know the things that are freely given in the Redemptive work of Christ. The natural man cannot understand the expressions "in Christ" or "in Whom" because their sense driven mind will not grasp the full meaning of such which prohibits them from receiving with joy their legal position in Christ.

Now we can understand why the Apostle Paul tells us "to renew the mind." (Romans 12:2) This is most likely the greatest need of the present day church, renewing of the believers mind through God's Word. It is God's Word which renews the mind and develops the recreated spirit to have dominion once again. Let's be honest, the average Christian today is carnal, that is, ruled by their senses. The sad thing concerning this, is, they are babes due to a lack of spiritual food given to them by church leaders who should be mature. (Hebrews 5:11-14) Although most say they believe God's Word is infallible and that scripture is the authority of the church, yet they are not doers of the Word, therefore never growing their faith, but remain completely dependent on their senses. They are ever striving, but never arriving. There is only one way to help these people (those who are mature and skilled in rightly dividing the Word of Truth, should) is to teach them how to take their place in Christ and do as James tells us, "be doers of the Word, and not hearers only." (James 1:22)

This can seem simple, but at the same time be a difficult task. But we must believe that God's Word is just as powerful today as it was when it was first spoken. Paul tells us, "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 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." (1 Corinthians 2:1-5) Let us help others in the faith as Paul, through humility, not relying on the wisdom of man, not trying to prove how much we know, but by letting the Holy Spirit do the work through us so the people we help will not place their faith on the senses, but on the power of God.