"But the hidden man of the heart in the incorruptible adornment of a meek and quiet spirit, which is very costly in the sight of God" 1 Peter 3:4.
The question of the apprehension of out Christian life should be the most paramount of issues for the saint who seeks understanding of his value and purpose upon the earth. The road I have traveled has had many diversions as I searched to know the esteem in which God holds me, viewed in His Son, it is a long and continuous road; but so worth the journey.
The struggle for all of mankind is the establishment of identity. The child seeks manhood, the man seeks purpose and confidence. Once established the man then turns to security. It is no different in the search for meaning in spirit.
This word spirit has been the catalyst for many books, sermons and various alternative roads in attempt to find spirits meaning as a personal discovery. I believe and hope everyone reading this knows on some level the vital need to touch their own spirit. In a understanding or at least rest in some sort of conclusion as to its nature and then find a way to establish a Christ centered mentality; a discerned foundation for their spirit. In it's experience as life, not merely a doctrine. Any Christian man or woman not seeking that on some level is ruled by their base instincts, not knowing their true nature, a most sad and sorry state, especially so for a Christian. "When they lifted up their eyes, they saw no man except Jesus only" Matt. 17:8.
Man in the beginning was given a spirit, became a living soul, received life requiring a spirit as the breath of that life entered him; a gift from God. "So God created man in His own image" Gen. 1:27. A transference if you will of God to man, for man was formed in God's image, man became living, like God. This is not referring to the physical body only. But the function of mind as transposed to his personality/soul emanating from his spirit as a sense of life. "God is Spirit" and He is the very definition of Life. Man's spirit, given by God, is the center from which he contacts God, a natural spirit intuition. Adam in the inward man was a living spirit, from which all other functions of his being were managed, it was from the beginning God's plan to construct him as such. He gave him life. "Then God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it" Gen. 1:28
For the purpose of this essay I choose to present spirit as life found in what we know as conscience, meaning in general; conformity to ones own sense of right conduct, understanding one's own-self. To clarify this more for the Christian to be applied to spirit and life, by conscience I refer to a personal inward appraisal or intimate self defining, of our being in consciousness; a informed mental awareness of purpose and that purposed life found in Christ Jesus.
This is our Christian identity, which comes to us and is made more known, from the result of success in the development in our mind of God's gift given us by the Holy Spirit. A personal image of ourselves, as declared by God's Word. "For if you live according to the flesh, you must die, but by the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body, you will live" Rom. 8:13. A godly Christian biblical world view of our presence and life in Christ, shown to us by His Spirit in our minds, as that life. The Spirit will show us the Father has positioned us by Jesus in our place before the throne of God, free from sin, we are viewed in the object before Him, a Man in Spirit and perfection, whole and complete, recognizable as a Man; Jesus Christ the Son. This is the identity and position we have in heaven which is then transferred to the earth as its truth enters our mind by His Spirit. "On earth as it is in heaven"
Giving our spirit priority as growth in the Christian life has caused much confusion in the Church and for good reason. In the beginning man walked with God in a natural normal awareness, by his spirit, to which his mind, will and emotions were subject. He was a spirit man like our Lord Jesus. He had life one with the Father, like Christ. No confusion or interruption, no lack of communication with his Maker, this is life."Oneness with God". Why? Because mans original condition or formed conscience was life with and as spirit, a natural condition then applied to the practical life on earth. Which drove all other faculties and even the physical life toward God's image. God as the originator of mans present being, thought and purpose. A life defined by the Divine. No interference from mans body or soul, all of life was motivated by the center or spirit, attuned directly to God Himself."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" Gen. 2:7.
Then things changed. Why? Because man changed. The central aspect of mans identity was the gift from God of God's own image, which is life in spirit. It included, individual volition of choice or free will just like God. Man then was tempted by Satan and desired to seek his own identity, by selfishly exercising this privilege he lost life; defined as open free communication and fellowship with the living God. Man abandoned the Fathers open communication thus he entered death, Satan's one goal. Man went his own way and by that act his spirit became deadened, no direct and open communication with God, which is death. "And the Lord God commanded the man saying, "of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die" Gen. 2:16,17. He no longer walked in the cool protection of the garden with God after his fateful decision as we all know.
Man was not then left without a spirit, there can be no physical life without a spirit, but with a spirit that was dead to a open fellowship with the Father, it became inert and withered. A spirit and mind without contact with God is living in death. The new condition of the natural man Adam, which was passed on to all his progeny. The bible calls the result of Adams decision the sin condition of the flesh, which is a moral condition allowing sin to enter man. Man as his Adamic self, not directionally connected to God but to a sinful propensity. Not to be confused with our physical body and our Adam nature which are a federal or overriding condition producing like kinds. This Adam nature flowing through all men is simply man going his own way, not requiring sin but leading to it, possessed of a natural mind, feeling and tastes favoring his earthly existence...all apart from God, also a result of the death of spirit or life.
All humans now on the earth live in this condition by nature. The body and Adam man is simply the package which contains the biblical termed definition of what man has become; sinful flesh. And also the Adam man who is naturally self centered. His being or personality now redefined by sin and separation. Now man became unable to openly and freely be present with God, as a result falling victim to a free will triggered self centered Adam/human nature and sin. This is the permanent condition of all non-believers, resulting in permanent death, but a temporary condition for those who believe. A condition which is overcome by power from the Holy Spirit and by faith in God's word. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God" Rom. 8:14.
This loss played havoc with our soul or personality, mind, will and emotions. Which are really a non-material aspect of the original gift of life as a image of God, designed to flow from the spirit, but now spoiled, left to its own devises, if remained unchecked. This is our old nature. The Fathers perfection could not accept this, despite His deep and abiding love for the central essence or being of all of mankind. He must find a new way to know us as His intimate children which would allow open freedom of fellowship."If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things are become new" 2Cor. 5:17
For one thousand six hundred years man was on his own under his own volition after making his fateful decision. Man, perhaps unknowingly served the evil one Satan in his death march, for he has been given dominion over the world systems. Finely evil became so pervasive God destroyed all of mankind. A small remnant of some who still by faith held on to their origins, survived and were so honored for their faithfulness by being chosen to begin a new society. God was recognized in the new order, but still the old Adam nature and the flesh or sin remained. But God blessed man and brought about the historical addition of the Jewish or Hebrew tribes establishing a open earthly system of recognition of the Father for the purpose of ushering in the dispensation of Jesus Christ. God returning to give life by Spirit. Under whom we now have a new open door to communication in spirit to God Himself. A New Adam Man.
Then came the restoration of spirit or life, open communication with God as in the garden: but in a entirely new way. You see we still had the Old Adams volition and retained the flesh condition in a practical way, impacting our soul or personality. But now we humans, still in such a pitiful condition, have a living Spirit Man; who has entered our mind and body as a Spirit imparting life by faith, giving us a brand new identity also by faith. His own identity. The New Adam. He is now, by Him identifying with us in becoming a Man: Then entering the world and pronouncing our death on our behalf by dieing to the sin in the flesh. Demanded by the perfect justice of the Father. He then entered heaven as a Man, again in our behalf and has been made a intersession between us and God. A permanent condition made by the Fathers power and choice over all things. This fact can be realized in all who care to believe it true and take it as such. Honored and imparted to us by God by Spirit, in our faith of it's truth. By this our own volition or choice we enter the inheritance of The New Adam. Our new man identity.
This position now affords us, still by choice, to approach the Father as in the beginning, but with a new re-born fully restored spirit, really a completely new spirit, as in "new creation life", presented to us by God in the form of The New Man or New Adam, Jesus Christ. He is now our Spirit inheritance. We are no longer seen in the morally dead position of flesh, which Christ killed on the Cross, or even the old Adam, in God's judgment. No longer needful of a earthly ministry seeking the Father in a practical practice as the Jewish tribes had. Who had ultimately came to established their worship in a religious form, as flesh men, as worldly men, despite it's Holy origin. The great difference now being all is gained by spirit in faith. Our old nature still with us, as natural men upon the earth, cannot make a proper choice, so the Spirit has entered into man by grace to establish the faith principal as the only way to please the Father.
The relationship which was first available in the garden to mankind is renewed. A new way is made but now only by Spirit. The flesh and the Adamic mans permanent present condition [the old man] has for the purpose of choice as a qualifier, been killed/annulled on the cross; because it so failed and fell into sin. A judicial decision made by God, carried out by Himself in the form of Jesus Christ, His Son. "The penalty of sin is death". Now the door is wide open for life once again. "The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God" Rom. 8:16.
Well where does that leave us in the attempt to gain a understanding of spirit/life? My hope in using the word conscience as a platform is limited by conscience being a formed condition by mental input which is open to all philosophies, Buddhists Confucianism etc. some very successfully. But the question for the Christian is; how has God's Spirit formed His Own conscience in us?
The bible says that "Jesus Christ is the way, the reality and the life". This should be for the Christian a Spirit as life truth, defining his conscience awareness of his present personal inner man condition upon the earth. Any other defined quality as to our person hood as Christians is of no godly value what so ever. All else is the Adam nature flesh sin man. It may look good even do good, but if we are not aligned with a Spirit as life consciousness, identified in and by Jesus Christ as our life, in our mind, we miss the mark."For the anxious watching of the creation eagerly awaits the revelation of the sons of God" Rom. 8:19.
This reality is of course implemented in the mind. But cannot be limited to the mind: God is Spirit; is He to be limited to a mind only? Spirit must be much more, as our mind is fully capable of many varied thoughts and conclusions, the source of much confusion and sin, germinated by the ever present old nature. So we can only count on the mind to form spirit as reality in a renewed form. Renewed by the word of God, flowing from The Holy Spirit in us, which is life. Requiring a active biblical fellowship and constant application and pursuit of our Christian life based on the word of God. All else is of little value in forming Christ on the earth in His Body.
Then what are we to believe to become and remain of superior conscience to the earthly man in us? We must come to know that Christ is life, as a matter of conscience appraisal and therefore we can exercise our spirit as life. "Jesus said to him, I am the way and the reality and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me" Jn. 14:6. "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God has not life" 1 Jn. 3:12. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of God and is life. He dwells in heaven and manifest himself to us by "The spirit of life in Christ Jesus". This means that Christ who is the expression of God is producing life in us by the Holy Spirit, His very life. Which should impact our self defined personality in totality. This is who we are by believing it in faith. We have become the expression of God on the earth."For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God" Rom. 8:14.
Finely we need to understand that our life is wholly defined by the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit imparts the reality of Christ. "The first man Adam became a living soul; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit" 1 Cor. 15:45. "For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death" Rom 8:2. That He, Jesus Christ, fully embodies all the attributes of the Triune God, which is now living in us. But we have this treasure [ His Spirit] in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" 2 Cor. 4:7. Our focus should be that God in union with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit has positioned us in Themselves in heaven in salvation and that positional /identity displayed in Jesus Christ, is mingled with us and has established the finality of eternal life for us in Spirit here and now. That They The God Head, have dispensed themselves into us as life. Yes this is a mystery, but a biblical fact, this is spirit and this is life, made available in our mind. Impacting and forming our consciences by God's word. The living Word of God has becoming our life and spirit as one and the same. To the degree that this truth becomes our life in a reckoned [counted as true] faith forming our conscience, it will be realized as a practical reality of our life on the earth. Forming a new creation spirit conscience defining our Christianity.
All of this my friends should led us to one undeniable conclusion: God the Father has fully restored the Adam man in His Son. That He has imparted life once again into His loved ones via His Spirit. That we having this Spirit are not merely instruments and not only servants, but vessels who contain God Himself. Further more we as Christians will live His Son's life on this earth in a permanently self centered old Adam body mind and soul fully capable of sin. But despite this great weight of unworthiness, that we are clothed with a old Adam retained human disposition, which also contains the flesh, or moral sin propensity. He will use all of us even our sin and weakness to carry out the function of His Church upon the earth. Making way for the return of His Son. And that He will take us up to dwell in the New Jerusalem of Heaven, transfiguring us to a body like His. All that the Christian need do upon this earth for his part, is live in faith and trust of Him as Lord, nothing more! He will do all that is necessary, accomplished by His Spirit in us.
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