The unmanifested or the invisible is to be found in our being by trusting in and knowing His word, which we call spiritual and will also make our thoughts into a living experience, although one of being in spirit as a identity. However unlike the physical actions this spiritual character for the Christian is confined to manifesting awareness or a mental apprehension of our new creation being which is only found in the person of Christ Jesus through faith in apprehension of Him before the Father and ourselves seen within Him, just as the word tells us. Though few think of their Christian lives along such terms. "Having died to that wherein we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter" Rom. 7:6. So the question then is which of these two are we aligned with consciously, which are we interconnected with, Spirit or mere existence? The existing physical world system and our works attitudes and actions in it, or God, who is Spirit, and can only be accessed and lived out within the Spiritual realm of the mind, made in us by the very mind of God? "Not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of a endless life" Heb. 7:16
These two forces and our awareness of their power to control our defining thoughts are the precursors to the way in which our conscience develops our self identification as Christians. The existing is the natural mans way, it is bound by the ego and law which favors experiences, action, works and feelings, and is fully available to control the Christian who lives in the flesh realm or the old man as identity, really from a lack of awareness of any other way. The being or spiritual is God's way and is formed to include a experience of the mind only. But only within the faith of His Word's, and is therefore spiritual in nature; requiring one to be present in the personal identity of Christ Jesus Himself; by knowing and abiding in God's Word. The results are invisible or of the mind and is the way the Word encourages us to live before we conduct service or works. "According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness" 2 Peter 1:3.. However we must first see clearly the difference, between the being or spirit life and that of merely existing by our proclamations; in order to find the way God has shown His new creation children within the life of His Son. "As you have therefore received [by Spirit] Christ Jesus the Lord so you must walk in Him. " Col. 2:6.
The Word makes clear His way and our walk is by Spirit or being. He has made the spiritual way His way of displaying our life within His Own Will and Mind transferred to ours. Therefore the Spirit life must be the Christians driving force; toward acquiring His [Christ Jesus'] identity by the apprehension of His heavenly/Spiritual life [knowing His mind] as the true Christian life experience. "Mary....sat at Jesus feet, and heard His word. But Martha was encumbered about much serving" Luke 10:39,40.
In order to accommodate our new spiritual apprehension we must have knowledge. The biblical order of life for the saint is founded in facts that apply to him spiritually as seen in faith of their truth. All that we have received in our salvation was in fact manifested physically and Spiritually by another first: His suffering of the Cross, the shedding of His blood both requiring His earthly presence. These are His physical actions that apply to us but in spirit. The Word tell us we are to view ourselves as being in Him by spirit or contemplative thought and apprehension above all. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" Rom. 8;14.
So then we are also dead with Him, risen with Him, and ascended to Glory within Him. We are then made present in heaven, as the thought of us in the Fathers mind. But brought by His mind to us, and applied to us here by His Spirit; all in order to manifest in us by faith the forming of a biblical directed resting, in a new and accepted godly life; "hid with Christ in God" by Spirit. This is God's faithful reckoning toward us, accepting us in His Son as a position; we seen in what He has accomplished Physically and Spiritually. So all is in Spirit that marks us new creation saints before Him. Really our faith in what His Word says literally makes it so as our experience. His will quides us too a new spiritual conscience or a position [we co-sanctified, in His judgment, with Christ Jesus] all found and lived by knowledge. Lived out by faith and know or experienced by His Grace; for the reality in experance of our Christian walk here on earth. "Be filled with the Spirit" Eph. 5:18.
But we must have faith in definite facts for a spirit life that honors the Father. One in which we may live now in reality. Thus requiring a mind that seeks divine identity. We seeing our personhood/being eternally positioned in Christ for our current experience here and now. And not a mere profession of existence that is experienced as comfortable traditions or the seeking of the betterment of man in this world: both while often seen as a worthy Christian attitudes and probably most are done in sincerity of heart, are still simply a way of natural existence [reflects back upon self] and are spiritually lifeless and powerless in the Fathers sight in and of themselves. "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward Him" 2 Chron. 16:9.
Few in the Christian world seem to carry any concept of the vastness and formlessness of the spirit being we have become by belief in Christ Jesus. It seems the main effort is in acquiring that which most empowers our existence in a physical earthly mode. Giving the paramount place to fellowship, tradition and a feeling of corporate support and common goals and works. All these easily become a busy substitute for mindful contemplation of God's Word. While these attitudes can be useful even blessed under grace it is mans way in the world, and not true Christianity in it's self at all. A way most prominent in the religious world, which much of Christianity has become. "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" Gal 6:14.
Now we have the emergence of a new church that often embraces culture, man pleasing activities and environmental improvements as godly directed things of Christianity. As exampled in the emphasis upon entertainment, the doing, the form, accomplishment and the place given to the popularity of individuals. This is not a sound path for the pilgrim sojourner who is to be dedicated to a biblical fact based spiritual growth path on earth. No we will be lost to the emergence traditions as have all other worldly mimicking religious groups. Really ego has now taken control over what the world sees in much of the Christian life as proper Christian experience; seen often in their outward manifestation at least. And now many in the church and even the world consider the worlds betterment and the saints comfort the Christians obligation. We have become a accepted tradition, a nice way of life. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and is desperately wicked; who can know it" Jer. 17:9.
Although action is necessary and Christian works are very important in the physical world it is only a secondary manifestation. Spirit is found in things above by contemplating a new faith, one which looks down upon the things of the world in overriding power. Seeing things here of no value as accomplishments toward divine matters. Yes no matter as to how we might display Christian well doing our life in the physical is never the Fathers priority. For His way as life is only and always of Spirit. "Walk not after the flesh [morals and actions of the physical man], but after the Spirit" Rom. 8:4. So then the way of light as the Word encourages even commandes is found in the new creation consciousness of spirit, at least according to His Word. "For you [the old flesh man] have died and you life is hid with Christ in God" Col. 3:3.
Self regard is the product of todays understanding of God's Word and takes precedent: Recently while in conversation with a Pastor I asked; What is the definition of a Christian as to his function on earth? His answer was "We should love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind and our neighbor as ourselves" [Mark 12:31]. This is the most common response in my experience anyway. However when I asked how are you doing with that? He answered; well I am trying. In God's eye's we must be perfect so mere effort will never do, as God does not grade on the curve, and He demands perfection as His Being [I AM] requires. In actuality this church leaders entire Christian attitude or self defined quality of purpose reflected upon himself; that is to love your neighbor "as yourself ". It all [as yourself] comes back to objectification of mans actions on earth. A often repeated personal definition of Christianity, but really a earthly definition... which applied to man under the Law [and was given under the Law] but never under grace! For we now have a new law, one of; "the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" Rom. 8:2.
Our Lord is of course whom we are to look too in order to define ourselves in this the grace dispensation and not the letter of the old man or our own behavior. And if so we must see Him as He was, a all new creature on earth. He was perfect in all His ways and in His love. He had never to think, and did not think, what the effect for Himself would be of His association with others. He thought entirely of and for others. This also is to be our attitude toward all. Loving you neighbor sounds good, but if its as yourself we have a problem. As we can never escape the attempted control of the ego or old inner man if we follow, as is earthman's inclination, the old Adam life in spirit. As Law was the dispensation the world was under when the command to love your neighbor as yourself was given and grace was not a consideration.
We are told by Paul that we as new creation Christians within Him are now under grace, and are to look as into a mirror; which is made clear in the Word. There seeing ourselves yes but as we gaze at our image we see the Lord, as a moral effect, not for doing but being. We are not the Lord in the glass but His image is there morally [not a example to emulate but a life of being in spirit] as we see our new creation Spirit [Him as our life in glory] living within our conscience; know by His Word in faith. A instilled new conscience founded upon knowledge and faith."The Light of the Glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus" is now our life by the mental image provided by God's very Words. Could there be anything better?
This image is just as we have become anew, as seen in the Son by the Father. We have only this image [the Son] in the view and defining knowledge and personal apprehension of God the Father toward our very being soul and individualism. "We are as He [Christ Jesus] in this world" in His sight made so by His Sons representation in heaven. This is a spiritual biblical fact which changes our walk [our internal perception] by a change of mind, a new awareness and a desire to apprehend a new life, one of spirit. Therefore one of weakness and sacrifice, and a rejection of the world system [just as He was rejected] as having any possible godly value and never looking to ourselves for proof of a Christian life, not kingdom building here. But looking to Him as all defining for the new spiritual/heavenly life we now have and Him as our total object for that new spirit life. "Put on the new man" Eph. 4:24.
When our soul makes this discovery it learns that the deliverance from sin and the world, which we were formally incapable of attaining is neigh. We will see that our very nature as men of the earth has been set aside in death exampled by His Son. We will find that we have deliverance from attainment, the world and the disappointment of our actions. As all that pertains to mans identity before God has been wrought in the Son. For we have been made all new spiritual creatures within Him. His thoughts when followed will led us to be able to grasp that we must see the end to ourselves as Adam men, "dead in Christ" and live as new creatures by His Word. We may now not only believe it but trust Him for a entirely new life of mindful joyous apprehension. That He may make known the riches of His glory on vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand unto glory' Rom. 9:23.
However this so valued deliverance comes only when we have learned of the evil and weakness of the flesh and no longer even look to it as having any possible Godly value what so ever. Now our dominant thought of our life as a Christian must be not that of accomplishment or even morals but of deliverance from the flesh, dead with Christ by the mindful awareness of the Word. A spiritual condition and position. But we must and can only find this deliverance as the result of knowing the position of faith that we rest in glory with Him. A life made equal to His Son, in His sight, living eternally within His Resurrection and Ascension at the Fathers right Hand by the Fathers acknowledgement. "But now that you have been set free from the tyranny of sin, and have become the bondservants of God, you have your reward in being made holy" Rom. 6:22.
Christianity is in God's sight His view of His children as having not only Christ Jesus as savior but we are know to Him just as His Son, as ones first born from the dead and as His inheritance or new men, as brothers and sisters of The Holy one and risen ones, just as His Son. Now we are partakers of Him in His victory over death in a active way but all of faith in a fact know and seen by God Himself as we may live in a heavenly or eternal state even now. "Risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God who has raised Him from the dead" Col. 2:12.
We are risen and entered into the heavenly places or the spiritual world of God with Him by mental aquessance to His truth. He [The Son] is to be seen then, by the Word and in faith, as one who represents us there and is in fact our very life above. Even as He is associated Himself with us in His death unto sin that we may be Judicially pardoned and accepted by The Father for a spirit led life here. Not for works or a reflection of how we should treat others as how we would, in what can only be a self centered way, treat ourselves. But now we have a life as seen in His life; to apprehend, and live with no expectations, just as He did. The corresponding moral effect then will be: "changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord".
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