Ormly,

Lately,I have been talking with a couple of believers, looking into some Scriptures and commentaries over the difference or lack of difference between: Soul/Self/Flesh/Sensual Man/Natural Man.

Watchman Nee, emphasized much over what he called the 'soulish' man vs. the spiritual man. In lCor 2:14, in KJV, we see "the natural man", but Nee quoted it to be the "soulish man". In my Bible, it has the Greek word "psukikos" next to 'natural man" on the margin, which supposedly means the psychy of a man. Isn't psychy the same as the soul, which consists our natural emotions, desires, affection..?

Self and soul are different entities in your analogy,and I had no trouble seeing it that way too.

The 3 roles in the analogy, could I arrange them to be :

child = self, sin nature. in the flesh (old-self)
parent= self, new nature, in Christ
man = Word or the Holy Spirit, who tries to get our attention.

So now it goes like:
When our sin nature takes over (when the child acts up), the Holy Spirit (that man) draws us and corrects us, enables us to live in the new nature ( the parent ) by us having to deny the sins of the flesh?

Okay, it's getting confusing, sorry..

:)
mamaluk

I hear what you are saying/questioning and Nee is correct. An incorrect perspect can lead us astray especially if our desire is to protect the thing we cherish either in our "selfs" or even from outside ourselves, as in "I want that new car [and will justify it] and I don't care how much costs".

There many reasons a parent [soul] CAN have for insulting you [Holy Spirit] by allowing the child [self] to have its way. All reasons would be wrong unless the child was [actually] in danger. The scriptures clearly state that the soul must deny its-self.I.e., The parent must deny the child for reasons of instructing him; bringing direction into his life.

Now ask the question, when? Or under what circumstances is the "self" of us to be denied except when self is at odds with promptings of the the Holy Spirit or the spirit of the individual that is bringing conviction into the situation. There are times when we say, "I don't know about that, something in my spirt didn't seem to agree with me and I checked my 'self' in the matter."

We must remember that the soul is our mind, will and emotions that can be greatly affected by temptations/solicitations and evil. With the seeking Christian, challenging evil is mostly to do with overcoming covert "worthlessness" rather than overt iniquity.

"Worthlessness" OOPS! I mean foolishness is bound up in the heart of a "self", I mean child ......."
:-?

[b]Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Psalm 39:6
Surely every man walketh in a vain show: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them

1 Corinthians 3:20
And again, The Lord knoweth the [b]thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.[/b]

Absolutely right, the mind, for the most part, when controlled by lusts, "...the lust the eyes, the lust of the flesh,.and the pride of life" , can bring disaster to a Christian life. The only way I find helpful, is to draw near to God through Scriptures, and fill my mind with them.

Denying the old self is a 24/7 task for me, just by reviewing the above verses, seriously, can anyone afford to boast, ever, in self, without the preservation of the Triune God?

[b]2 Peter 3:2
That ye may be [i]mindful[/i] of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour[/b]

Crsschk brought out the issue of contentment yesterday, surely verses like

[b]1 Timothy 6:6
But godliness with contentment is great gain
Philippians 4:11
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
1 Timothy 6:8
And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
Hebrews 13:5
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee [/b]

These verses help me tremendously, especially in surviving this everso volatile corporate America and world economy.
They stabilize my mind, so to speak, whenever I'm reminded of how little it really takes a person to live on this earth, with just basic 'food and raiment', freedom from worldliness kicks in.

sorry so long, I'm digressing
thanks Orm for bringing out this self denial issue
mamaluk

Haha,

You got me, I went right back to "me",self, again. This stinking old self...never wants to leave, may be that's why Paul said in Romans 7:24,
[b]"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death"[/b]


haha,"oneupsmanship", you
mean "oneupswomanship" !? Nah, I don't have the needs to win a conversation or to have the last say. In doing that, it would become a manifestation of self-love. Self-esteem, self-aggrandizement, self-worship, self-righteousness, self.......hmm.

Please do remember me in your prayer that I'll be ever so conscious of loving Him more than pampering self.


mamaluk

:-D :-D