III. Apart from Me You Can Do Nothing: The Old Man vs. the New Man

Transcription

1 III. Apart from Me You Can Do Nothing: The Old Man vs. the New Man What we have learned so far: God s plan begins with our heart made ready to receive God s Word God s plan is for us to grow to full spiritual maturity during our lifetime God s plan is for us to abide in Christ, or live our lives by the person and protocols of Christ God s plan is for us to be empowered by God through his Holy Spirit The Nature of the Old Man or our Flesh The corrupt human body is the temporary housing for the human soul. It begins sinful at birth. It is under condemnation at birth by way of its lineage with Adam. It shares the same dilemma Adam shared when he sinned. It does not exist without affecting the soul which results in the decision by the soul to sin. But God has a plan. 1

2 Additionally, as you grow physically and mentally, you develop ways or patterns of expressing that sinful nature. Now understand, because you have a sinful human nature does not mean it cannot produce something good. Humans, with their fallen nature, can and do produce good but when we say good we are speaking relatively. That is, the good we produce is not the kind of good which can merit salvation or cancel out the fact that we are under condemnation for our sinfulness. It cannot produce divine good, only human good which is imperfect. The point is that our human nature has strengths and weaknesses, it does good and bad, but it is still a sin nature. And in order to more wisely navigate the Christian life, you need to understand yourself; this includes both the inherent weakness and strengths of your human nature and how they can act as antagonists, both in directly opposing true spirituality or attempting to replace true spirituality. 2

3 The Weakness of our Human Nature The categories I use here are not binding, they nevertheless are helpful in effectively looking at the types of sins our flesh expresses. I will be using three categories: Mental Sins Conduct, Behavioral or Physical Sins Communications Sins Mental Sins this is how we think. This form of sinning is generally less sensational, thus less alarming to others unless they become privy to our thoughts. However such sins can, at times, result in personal disasters of greater proportion that more dramatic sins. Some examples of the thinking identified in the Bible as a product of our sin nature are: 3

4 Pride this is arrogance in its most elementary form. It is the inordinate opinion of one s self which, if left unchecked, leads to arrogance and even a crusadership mentality Crusadership mentality the result of self pride left unchecked resulting in the exaggerated view that your causes and values are superior to others and are justly initiated and imposed upon people or organizations Jealousy the narcissistic inability to appreciate the lives of other people with respect to their gifts, blessings and similar contexts and instead responds with resentment Self pity feeling sorry for yourself which results in your becoming arrogant in your suffering Bitterness the result of prolonged self pity and a sense of delusional self entitlement which goes unfulfilled while others around you seem to receive more than you believe they should and an unwillingness to forgive others Vindictiveness dancing on graves, gaining joy from the failures of your perceived rivals 4

5 Implacability the unwillingness to get along with others or the need to constantly be an annoyance for the sake of control demonstrate an innate antagonism Judgmentalism the convenient placement of yourself as arbiter for matters which do not warrant your judgments nor for which you are qualified but because you have permitted yourself to believe that you are something or someone in possession of virtues of which you are not, you have become arrogant and inadequate thus, resulting in a propelled state of judging others in this manner, regularly Communication Sins this is how we speak with or about others. While this kind or class of sin is normally motivated by our thinking it goes into a new phase of sinful expression which is the verbal articulation of sin. Some examples of this are: 5

6 Judging this is not merely thinking our arrogant judgments but it also involves us sharing these toxic ideas with others. We further our bad thinking with sinful speaking. This, of course, is appealing to our weakness because in our sinful delusion where we qualify ourselves to judge matters for which we are not qualified, we extend that erroneous elevation by recruiting others to listen to and believe our judgments resulting in the false promotion of ourselves. Gossiping here is another empowerment sin to compensate for our arrogance and inadequacy. Lying obviously it is self defining. The question is why does the flesh enjoy lying? We conflate and embellish all the way to outright fabricate things to impress others so as to serve ourselves and not others. 6

7 The greatest way to changing our pattern of doing is to change our pattern of thinking. And for the Christian that way is through God s Word, sound doctrine, being consumed by the soul regularly which slowly and certainly influences our soul, its thinking and its subsequent actions. Physical or Behavioral Sins this is how we act with others. These are our weak and/or sinful interactions with others. Often they are related to our bad thinking but at times they are impulsive, an absence of thinking. Some examples of this category are: 7

8 Murder here one plays judge, jury and executioner. While there are regrettable but just causes for taking a life at times, murder is not. Arrogance here is at its peak Sexual Immorality the weakness of the flesh, here, can easily be seen on a daily basis, glorified in many ways, at just about every turn in the road in the world. Historically sexual immorality has been one of the most sensationalized and celebrated products of the sin nature by the unregenerate world and one of the most personally devastating failures in the Christian's life Physically Abusing here mental sins are translated into aggressive physical action against known weaker opponents. The need to express rage and control simultaneously which are both indulgences of the flesh and its sinful nature, are given their opportunity. But in truth and ironically, at that very moment, it is weakness and a loss of control expressing itself. Stealing derived from jealousy, bitterness, envy or self pity mental sins, stealing furthers these thoughts into action and actually takes what the individual believes he or she has a right for which they did not pay and that the person who is a victim generally has more than they need. Thieves are lazy, indulgent and immature by nature. 8

9 The Strength of our Human Nature Humans have the power to produce good deeds and can do so from their sinful nature. Again, this does not nullify their sinfulness or depravity to God. But still, they can perform good deeds. Your flesh, itself, has areas of strength. This are not sinful things but good things. Such things make contributions to humanity, but they cannot save you or justify you before God. Some areas of strength of our human nature are: Intelligence People Math/Engineering Science/Medicine Technology/Business Beauty Clothing Hair Jewelry Music Visual Arts Performance Arts 9

10 Empathy Care of the underprivileged Care of the handicapped Care of the elderly Care of hurting others Devotion Dedication to family Dedication to country Dedication to employer Dedication to a cause All of these are good things, relatively speaking, which come from the sinful human nature. However, while humans have areas of strengths, for the believer, these are to be employed as one whose life is abiding in Christ. God, then, sanctifies these strengths and uses them beyond human good and for divine good. When we do not yield our strengths or naturally positive qualities, they then become a source of self righteousness and distorted in their value. 10

11 Sin Patterns Each one of you, with your sinful human nature and its unique genetics, has gone through life developing patterns of behavior. And without question some of those patterns are sin patterns. Just like most creatures, you are one of habit. And over time you have developed in your personality a trend in your sinning toward one of two polar opposites: Legalism (another term is asceticism) Libertarianism (another term is hedonism) Legalism under the control of the sinful human nature a human being will instinctively attempt to compensate for his or her deficiency. He or she fundamentally understands that they are deficient in some manner and feels the need to balance this. Such people tend toward judgmentalism, passive aggressive behavior and the establishment of some arbitrary code of conduct by which others must live in order to gain personal approval. 11

12 Such people are easily shocked, easily (and often) offended, lacking in self awareness of their own shortcomings, and generally suspicious that others are thinking about them, the very things they are thinking of others which produces an antagonistic and unreceptive personality. The worst of these tend to become self righteous crusaders. They love to save others from themselves and often try to force on others something which they believe that other person should be doing. They know what is best for others. Libertarianism under the control of the sinful human nature, the libertarian is the man or woman who gives themselves license for whatever they believe they need. Like the legalist they are a law unto themselves except in this case, they redact the regulations. They see themselves as special, the exception to the rule because of the delusional idea that they understand a bit better than others, thus they may play with fire, producing what people instinctively understand to be an unsafe personality. 12

13 Exaggerated libertarianism blatantly misuses Christian liberty, most often siding on the least constructive, the least binding and the least constrained of contexts. Such people believe being offensive and shocking is clever and lack self awareness of their immature manifestations. The worst of these tend to become anarchists. They love to save others from others by disrupting or destroying establishment and tradition. While they may not believe they know what is best, they don t believe anyone else does, either. As a sinner you will trend toward one of these. Now, you might be a colorful person and find yourself waxing between both. That would be called a double curse, though you can at least say you are special. All jesting aside, what we can and should know, that of which God has informed us, is that no matter our weaknesses or strengths in our humanity, God s intends on us living by another power, the power of his Spirit and Word which will transform us. 13

14 Turn once again to Galatians 5:16 24 The main focus of our use of this passage is to highlight the differences between someone who is walking or led by the flesh and someone who is walking or led by the Spirit, i.e. filled or controlled by God the Holy Spirit. But before we do that I want to briefly have you look at a portion of the passage that is of some debate and offer some views which, at the end of the lesson, I hope will enable you to more personally determine with confidence what God is saying to us through the Apostle Paul. In verses Paul gives us a list of some specific kinds of things that being led by the flesh looks like, not a closed list but an open ended one and then he concludes with something a bit startling. He says, I warn you, as I warned you before, those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. What does he mean those who walk, gratifying the desires of the flesh, will not inherit the kingdom of God? There are a number of interpretations: 14

15 1. Is he saying that you can or will lose your salvation because you live carnally or according to the desires of the flesh in the fashion Paul describes? 2. Is he referring to those who walk by the flesh as a general reference to unbelievers and simply warning the believers that if they walk or live in this manner that it is quite likely they are not genuinely born again or regenerated, i.e. believers? 3. Is he implying that those who live this way, if they claim to be a believer, were never really saved in the first place since they are not inheritors of the kingdom of God? 4. Is he using the expression, the kingdom of God, not one as a synonym to salvation but of rewards as reflected in the following passages?: 15

16 1 Corinthians 3:1 3 3But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 2 Corinthians 5:10 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 1 Corinthians 3: According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. 16

17 As you consider these possibilities for your own convictions, I believe the greatest argument lies in the fourth option and is most harmonious with the rest of Scripture. But since this is not the main focus of the use of the text, rather as a springboard let s move on and permit this matter for your own further study. The Flesh or the Old Man in Galatians Paul, as noted before, gives us an open ended description of a life of carnality. In this list we can see mental sins, communication sins, and behavioral or sins of conduct or which can easily cross over one another in their exercise. 17

18 Idolatry Sorcery Enmity Jealousy Envy Sexual immorality Impurity Sensuality Fits of anger Strife Rivalries Dissensions Divisions Drunkennesses Orgies And things like these Have you ever heard someone say, The Bible does not say we cannot do that, specifically? And in hearing him or her say this, he or she does so as a justification for some kind of questionable behavior? When someone uses this approach in this context, they are not approaching the matter with wisdom nor with a thoughtful use of this passage. Paul leaves the list open, with and things like these with the assumption that you, the believer, not only recognize these but as well, can add to your own conscience and wisdom, other things like these. 18

19 In the Galatians passage, after God teaches us through Paul what a carnal or fleshly life looks like, we learn what a spiritual life looks like. But before doing that, what do we need to remember about being filled with the Spirit? It is something we yield to that God does in us through fellowship with God, honesty before him about our sins and saying yes to the things of God, in that state God s Spirit fills us. Following are the fruit or products that will be manifested in our lives as we live filled or controlled by God s Spirit: Love Joy Peace Patience Kindness Gentleness Goodness Faithfulness Self control 19

20 Since earlier in this study we examined in greater detail a few of the kinds of sinful manifestations of the person led of the flesh, let us take time to look at two of the list which God, through Paul, give us so that we may have an idea of this phenomenon: Peace: εἰρήνη (eiréné) a relaxed mental attitude and tranquil soul stemming from God s Spirit and Word of truth. What is the absence of war? It is peace. The war in our soul is laid to rest by the peace of God s Spirit. This peace is not one of temporal or earthly peace in which you finally paid the tax man until next year but one that is beyond human understanding, though quite real where God s Spirit is filling us resulting in poise, stability and tranquility in spite of our inner or outer obstacles and troubles or overwhelming abundance, in life.. 20

21 Self control: ἐγκράτεια (egkrateia) this is referring to the mastery of one s self through the Holy Spirit. It is not referring to personal mastery through human techniques. There is such thing as forms of personal mastery or personal discipline which are not necessarily bad but they are not this. This is something phenomenal and different. It is by means of God the Holy Spirit in which he fills us, then illuminates us as to the truth of God s Word, then enables us to apply the truths by faith in our lives resulting in his transforming us (Romans 12:2). While it is true in our elementary state, either as human children or as spiritual children, we often need to physically remove ourselves from certain things which tempt us to sin (and even later in life, to be honest), as we grow in a spiritual filled life, we very quickly learn and begin to experience the supernatural phenomenon of God s Spirit subduing us and enabling us to have control over our person through his presence. This quality and spiritual virtue expands as we spiritually mature. 21

22 A Guiding Principle This is peace, joy, and goodness and so on that surpasses all understanding. Earth bound or fleshly joy and peace are understandable. They are reasonable, but not that of the Spirit of God. And when you are experiencing the fruit of the Spirit in your life, it may not always be in some outstanding context that others may see but it is always in a context that you will know. The Law of the Spirit Against such things there is no law. In other words, when you are living a life controlled by God s Spirit there is no law that you must fulfill because you are led into righteousness. It is living the gospel. Precious promises, while we recognize some of them as imperatives, are not law but the road to freedom. It is only when we are not living a spirit filled life that God s Word, his precious promises, becomes a lawful burden in a practical sense. 22

23 Summation with a Comparative Passage As we close this lesson on the old man vs. the new man, we can gain further insight by touching on a comparative passage to the Galatians text. It astutely provides a summation of this entire lesson. This is found in Colossians 3:1 17: 3If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self [d] with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. 23

24 12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Now that I have softened my heart and understand my life is to be lived in Christ which is in a spiritcontrolled state, now what? Next Week: Epistemological Reprogramming or going from a Human Viewpoint to a Divine Viewpoint 24