Bible Studies
Living after the Spirit takes work on our part. It takes daily effort. And because it is something that we do in conjunction with the Holy Spirit, we must do it over and over on a regular basis. Even the children of Israel, after they entered the Promised Land, still had to keep the law of Moses to stay in a right relationship with God. Many of the Psalms and most of the Proverbs were given to us as ways to live after the Spirit. In Proverbs especially, you can see the correlation between the person who does not die to self is living after folly, and the person who does die to self as being a person who seeks Godly wisdom.
This dying to self, to the old nature, takes effort. We cannot do it on our own.
That is why Jesus tells us in John chapter 15 to “abide in me.” It is something we have to do constantly, not just on Sunday mornings. Psalms 1:2 says blessed is the man whose “delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
It seems strange to me that for the first two parts of our being – spirit and body, we want to be made alive. But for our soul, we are trying to become dead. We are trying to die to the sin nature, to the wants and desires of the flesh. Luke 9:23-26 puts it this way, “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.”
Living after the flesh is easy. It comes naturally because we have that sin nature. Sometimes we think that living after these things makes us alive, or at least like we feel alive. The drinking, the drugs, the sex, all these other things that we do to try and make ourselves happy, are really just causing us to be dead. They are things that the dead do to try and mask the fact that they are dead.
What is death really? Some people think that death is annihilation, or the end of all things. But I believe that the Bible teaches that death is separation. Spiritual death is the separation of our spirit from having a relationship with God. While in this condition we cannot know God or the things of God. 1 Cor. 2:14 says, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” When a person dies physically while separated from God spiritually, God will put them where everyone and everything that is separated from God goes – hell.
Soul death is the separation of our soul from the fellowship, peace, and joy, of God. Those spiritually dead are in this category, but Christians can also be here.
We can loose our fellowship with God, and we all do at times. But we can never loose our relationship to Him. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” And Jesus answered, “I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” (Matt. 18:21-22) Then in Luke 17:3-4, Jesus says, “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.” If my brother can to me even three or four times in one day asking for forgiveness about something, I would begin the question if he was really sincere. But I think God is using this example to show us how He forgives. Some people believe that God is up in heaven looking down on us looking for ways He can punish us. Looking for ways or the least little excuse He can find not to bless us. I think God is looking for the least little reason or excuse He can find to bless us and to forgive us. He wants to forgive us. He died to forgive us. If we have at least the little bit of faith to come and ask Him for it, He will give it – even if sometimes we are not the most sincere when we ask.
But this is not a license to sin. Even though He will and does forgive us, there are still consequences for our sins. As children of God, Jesus took the eternal punishment for our sin on Himself on the cross, but there are still the physical consequences of our actions. King David committed murder. Later on he repented and got forgiveness from God, but that did not bring back Uriah the Hittite. Some people contact aids as a result of certain sins that they choose to commit. God can and will forgive those people when they ask Him to, and He will no longer hold it against them. And He can use and bless these people in a mighty way. But He may not choose to remove the disease. Gal. 6:7-8 says,
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” There are consequences for everything we do, good or bad. We need to strive to do the good.
Then physical death is the separation of the spirit and soul from the body. It is not the end of all things like some believe. When God breathed into Adam the breath of life, it says that “man became a living soul.” (Gen. 2:7) As a living soul, no aspect of man – body, soul, or spirit – ever ceases to exist. Even the body that turns to dust or has been cremated, still exist and will be brought back to life one day.
One other thing I need to say about true baptism as opposed to water baptism. True baptism, as is also described in 1 Cor. 15 as a seed, starts off in one form, but through the course of baptism – life, death and burial, resurrection – it is transformed into something different. Only by going through this process can we be transformed into a vessel that will bring honor and glory to God.
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