3st Spirit, Soul, Body (11)
2005-02-13 | Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee | 1 John 2:24-25
Today, we will finish the field of the flesh and testify about the field of the soul by examining how to cast away the body and form the spirit in order to achieve the soul and body belonging to the spirit.
1. In order to take off the flesh and become the Spirit
Last time, he said that in order to put off the flesh and enter the spirit, we must first cut off the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. After that, you must cut off the work of the flesh and deviate from the work of the flesh. In order to get out of the flesh like this, you must have God’s grace, power, and the help of the Holy Spirit along with your own efforts to forsake sin, and only when the four powers come together can you thoroughly remove the fleshly elements in a person.
Then, how can we specifically throw away the things of the flesh?
1) The words of “Do, don’t, throw away, keep” must be fulfilled
The Bible says, “Pray, love, be humble, serve, do not judge, do not envy, do not murder, forsake adultery, forsake pride, keep the Sabbath,” etc. Keep it.” There are many commands from God. To obey the words, ‘Do not do this, throw it away’ in your heart, is to throw away the flesh. And to the extent that we obey the words of ‘Do, keep’, the knowledge of the Spirit, that is, the truth, will fill our hearts.
Just as a farmer must first pull weeds and plant crops in order to reap a harvest in a field overgrown with weeds, obedience to the word ‘Don’t do it, throw it away’ is like pulling weeds out of your heart. And if you keep the words of ‘Do, keep,’ it is like planting the seeds of truth in your heart. If you continue to sow the seeds of truth while pulling weeds of untruth, you will bear the fruits of the Spirit. As the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit, the fruits of love in the love field, and the fruits of light are produced one by one, you will soon be transformed into a spiritual person.
2) If you take out the big sinful nature first, you can easily throw away the rest of the sinful nature.
Some people say, “I have so much flesh in me that I cannot throw away, when will I throw it all away?” And try to give up from the beginning. However, no matter how many untruths there are, you just need to focus on the biggest one and take it out by focusing on it. Just as when uprooting a large tree, if you pull out only the big roots, the rest of the small roots will be pulled out accordingly. If you throw away the biggest sinful nature within you, you can throw away the other small sinful natures much more easily.
For example, if the greatest sinful nature within you is hate, you can pray and fast under the title of hate, and at the same time achieve love, which is the opposite of hate. It is sowing the seeds of truth by showing the deeds of love to the person you hated before. It is to hold hands one more time, smile once more, take a look at what the other person wants, and serve them first even if they don’t ask for it.
In this way, when hatred is cast away and spiritual love comes, you will find that you are not jealous, you do not seek self-interest, you do not judge, you do not condemn, and many other untruths have also been abandoned. It is a fact that the big root of hate was removed and when love came, even these small roots of the flesh disappeared at the same time.
2. Flesh belonging to the spirit
After taking off all the elements of the flesh, that is, the untruth, the human body also changes into the spirit flesh, not the fleshly flesh. Instead of getting sick and suffering from various diseases and being hungry and tired, it turns into a healthy body.
Before receiving the Holy Spirit, Peter sees that he cannot overcome one drowsiness. The disciples who were with Jesus praying to bear the sufferings of the cross could not stand it for only a few hours and fell asleep. Then Jesus said, “Watch and pray that you may not fall into temptation, and the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Here, the weakness of the body does not mean that the body is weak, but that Peter, who has not received the Holy Spirit, has not yet cast away all his sins and has not yet attained to become flesh that belongs to the spirit. If you throw away the flesh and enter the spirit, your soul and body will be under the control of the spirit, so even if your body is tired, you may not be able to sleep when you want to keep your mind awake.
However, Peter at that time had not yet given up all the flesh, so no matter how much he wanted his heart to be awake, he could not control the attributes of the flesh such as fatigue and laziness. After Jesus was arrested, Peter even denied the Jesus he loved out of fear for a moment. This was because the body was weak.
Some people try to justify their mistakes by using the appearance of Peter like this. “Even the disciple of Jesus could not overcome his drowsiness and denied the Lord, but a person like me could be at fault.” However, this statement does not hold. The reason Peter was weak in the flesh was before he received the Holy Spirit.
After receiving the Holy Spirit and putting off the flesh, he did not become tired or sick, but rather healed many people’s diseases, infirmities, and demon possessions, and even performed the power to bring the dead back to life. And he was transformed into a strong and courageous person who could endure all hardships without fear, even voluntarily and upside down on the cross.
In this way, as we achieve sanctification in our hearts, we are transformed into the flesh that belongs to the spirit. Even if they are not completely sanctified, they give strength to those who were weak in the past as much as they are transformed into the Spirit. Just as the soul is prosperous, so the word that all things are going well and that you are in good health will come to you as it is.
3. Spiritual Soul
After completing the field of the flesh among the third soul and body, we will examine the field of the soul. In the field of the soul, we mainly learn to change the soul of the flesh into the soul of the spirit.
1) Definition of soul
There is a memory device in the human brain, and the knowledge acquired during life, that is, innumerable contents that have been seen, heard, learned, and experienced are stored in the memory device. The idea is to recall the stored data, that is, the memorized contents. And those who know how to put that knowledge to good use are said to be wise. The memory device in the head, the knowledge stored in it, and the actions of recalling and utilizing it, all of these things are collectively called the soul.
If we compare a person to a computer, a computer machine has a memory device, and data can be stored in it, so that data can be searched for and found or used according to a program. Computer’s memory device, data, and all the processes of searching and utilizing it belong to the soul when compared to humans.
However, everyone is different in what knowledge they see, hear, and input, and how they recall and use it. The environment in which they were born and raised is different, and what they see, hear, and learn is different. Even when they are in the same situation, each person has a different way of thinking and responding, and the action of the soul is different.
2) You must think of the spirit through the action of the soul that belongs to the spirit.
The work of the soul is divided into two main categories: the action of the soul, which belongs to the flesh, and the action of the soul, which belongs to the spirit. In other words, there are cases of ‘thinking of the flesh’ and cases of ‘thinking of the spirit’. Since people recall and utilize the knowledge they have entered, they have thoughts of the spirit when the knowledge of the truth, which is the word of God, is utilized, and when the knowledge of untruth is utilized, they become thoughts of the flesh.
But just because you know a lot of the truth in your head doesn’t mean you can think of the Spirit. To the extent that the knowledge of the Spirit has come into our hearts, that is, to the extent that we have given up the flesh and formed a heart of spirit, we will begin to think of the Spirit. As an analogy, let’s say that in front of a large group of people, someone severely humiliates you with a vague thing that has nothing to do with you.
At this time, those who have the knowledge of the truth come into their hearts, meekness, peace, and compassion. You think, ‘I should not make this person feel uncomfortable, I should give an answer that can relieve their feelings’. Also, rather than feeling bad and disliked towards the other person, he has no choice but to utter such evil, and his soul is only pitiful. If you hit your right cheek, you can give up your left cheek as well. Even if you die, you want to be at peace with your opponent.
However, those who mobilize the thoughts of the flesh immediately stir in their hearts, saying, ‘Why do I have to endure like an idiot even though I have to do something like this, and I have to show that bad person the spicy taste’. Then, they raise their voices and argue, and by attacking the opponent, a fight ensues.
There are many people like this not only in the world, but also among people who believe. He knows the truth in his head, “If you hit your right cheek, give it to him as well. Do not be angry, repay evil with good.” However, you have not fulfilled it in your heart, so the thoughts of the flesh come first just like the people of the world. However, only by breaking these carnal thoughts can we enter the spirit and receive blessings from God.
Romans 8:7 says, “The mind set on the flesh is hostile to God, because it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it.” You cannot enter into the spirit or receive blessings while thinking of the flesh.
Dear saints,
If we cast away our carnal thoughts and act on the spirit of the spirit, we can clearly hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit masters the heart of Almighty God and clearly reveals God’s will to us. If we listen carefully to the Holy Spirit’s voice and obey it, we will walk in the path of blessing that God has prepared and enjoy the blessings of all things. In order to receive this blessing, you must first fully obey the words of “Do, do not, forsake, and keep”, diligently fill your heart with the knowledge of the Spirit, and work your soul with the truth.
Therefore, I pray in the name of the Lord that you may receive the voice and control of the Holy Spirit clearly in your mind and live in the blessing of God who leads you to a prosperous path in all things.
