As I have taught a Bible study through the book of Romans for the past six weeks, God has really been speaking to me about the flesh and the spirit. Obviously when we are born again we are born again in our spirit rather than our flesh or our soul realm. Paul speaks much of all of his endeavors being of the spirit rather than the flesh or the soul. 1 Cor. 2 is one such chapter. It is God's desire that we be led of our born again spirit which is in communion or fellowship with His Holy Spirit. The problem is that we are flesh and our soul is not born again. This is why dying to self is such a vital thing for a believer to understand and experience. Every one of us is in process and every one of us gets in the flesh occasionally.The problem is that being in the flesh vs. being in the spirit is not something that we can judge by the flesh or the outward appearance. We often believe that because we are doing something good or something that is "Godly" that we must be in the spirit, when in fact we may be acting out of our own soul and our own strength. At the end of all things our works will be tried by fire. Those that are of ourselves, no matter how good they may appear, will burn up. True, others may have been blessed and men and women may have been saved and delivered through our ministry. But if that work was done out of our own flesh and was not of the spirit, what credit will there be to our account? We will be saved as if by fire, but what works will we have, what crowns will we have to lay at His feet. The only crowns that will endure will be those of His own making and not of our own.We must put no faith in ourself, in our own efforts, abilities, ideas, etc. We must, as Paul shows us in Rom. 6, die to ourselves, be crucified with Him so that it is no longer us that live but Him that lives in and through us. In my own life I can look back and see a lot that was done in the flesh, and some things that I know were done in the spirit. As I look ahead I desire to die and allow Him to live through me. What about you?
_________________Travis
We must put no faith in ourself, in our own efforts, abilities, ideas, etc. We must, as Paul shows us in Rom. 6, die to ourselves, be crucified with Him so that it is no longer us that live but Him that lives in and through us.
_________________Sreeram
How true! We never arrive, but we must continually be in route.
Two of the most important concepts that dramatically revolutionized my Christian walk are 1) flesh vs. spirit and 2) trying vs. trusting. Before I had the wondrous revelation of the exchanged life in Christ I used to try to train my flesh (self, soul) to be holy and good by self-effort. There was some superficial conformity but it never lasted. Jesus is more interested in us letting Him live his life in and through us than in us working for Him. So now instead of trying, I have learned to trust the Holy Spirit to work the righteous demands in and through me as I yield and surrender to Him. This is an active faith, ever looking unto Jesus. There is nothing passive about it. The real key that made the life of Christ real to me and in me was "dying to self." Unless a corn of grain dies it abides alone. But if it dies it yields a great harvest. Life from death. How true. One who is surrendered and yielded to the Holy Spirit has died to self. Otherwise you are living in rebellion and not submitted to the Lord. If you empty yourself of self will and self pleasing the Lord is able to fill you and take control. You will experience true peace and contentment because the Lord is your focus. Living for self and the flesh to me was like drinking really salty water. You thought you were satisfying a thirst but it didn't last. It only made you more thirsty. You became a slave of your thirst.
