If we take to heart the above explanation of spiritual and we count the Word of God as accurate in it's own interpretation of spiritual; then we might wish to apply what He wishes for us as stated in His Word to the identification of our inner man, or our conscience awareness, knowingly applied to our being. Thus making His identification ours.
Yes I believe on some level most true Christians would acquiesce or at least be open to the Bible's application of the spiritual meaning as stated above in their born again lives. However if they are anything like me they are constantly frustrated by their lack of a spiritual experience. And also their weakness in the assimilation of their personality/actions that would indicate in some way a conformity to the bibles and therefor God's expectations of the Christian's true spiritual reality. Why is that?
Because we tend to manifest or evaluate our Christianity by a feelings/emotional/works/service sense, interrupting this [the good feelings] as the spiritual life. But God's life for us is not to be know by a experience alone. First, His thoughts of us, must become a conscious reality in our thoughts of our very own being. Then How is this manifested you might ask? A very simple biblical word is the answer "reckoning" or count it as true. That's it folks nothing more! But this process does carry a price: the burden of Christ....to be like Him, "Not I but Christ". This comes by the Spirit only! For the answer to how we see that we have to look to Him. Rest in His thoughts of us. Well again as always the Word of God has the answer, His very thoughts. "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead Col.2:9. "And you [all Christians] are [knowingly] complete in Him [Him as object, and identity] who is the head of all [spiritual] principality and power" Col. 2:10.
Reckoning is only lived by faith and faith is only accomplished by biblical knowledge. Faith is a responsibility not a gift. Yes there is much Grace but faith grows only by knowledge. The first blush of Christianity is given by grace in our salvation or redemption and thank God, it requires little to no faith. Most rest there, going no further, this is a fact. Really few Christians even read the bible on their own. So how could they know what it says about who they really are? It seems we are destined to suffer in order to learn to live His life. The one He sees us in as He views His Son. We first must come to enough need in the failure of self in order to began to reckon, to have a desperate enough need for His life of freedom; and thereby be catapulted on to the next step in spiritual discovery: our death upon the cross with Him. "For if we have been planted together [with Him in a mutual identified spirit] in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness of [have the same heavenly life as His, in spirit] His resurrection" Rom. 6:5.
"Likewise you also, reckon [think of it as true] yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord" Rom. 6:11. This death Paul is referring to, to reckon upon, is not one in which he is telling Christians in the Church body not to sin or that they must accomplish a moral behavioral death to sinning in their person. But is referring to the death of the Adam man [who we are] upon the cross judicially, God's judgment. Yes we are still clothed in the Adam man who fell in the Garden; in who's emulation, personality and propensity to sin we now are in condition and actually still exist in; as our life in the world should attest too. On the contrary Paul's reference here is to the man "us" upon whose behalf Christ was made sin and died unto [made dead] sin for. So the true reckoning is not a role we play but a mental position we take in identification. We who offended God are indeed DEAD, at least to Him!. This is the crux of Christianity in total!
Now comes the experience part the "reckoning" unto life. If we seek to escape death as reckoned upon the cross we will not experience life. In the life of most believers self has usurped the place belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ. The life which He provided by His death; which represented our death. The reason we fail to live on His terms is we do not realize the self life has been crucified upon the cross with Him also. Really the truth is, we don't believe Him. "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus" Rom. 6:11.
We wish to improve the manner of our lives, serve the body, do good, but this is all of thinking of what we are and not who He is. Here is the deal my friends: life [God's life for us] is not only a position to be grasped, or a life of fellowship and service, but is lived out moment by moment, suffering or not, by faith only, based upon the Word of God and Christ Jesus as our all consuming object. Brought into our mind as it describes our inner man; pursued and known on ones own private volition. To be ultimately found in fullness through the exercise of faith and in no other way. All else to follow! "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly" Col. 3:16. And, "Your life is hid with Christ in God" Col. 3:3.
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