The Rightfulness of the Soul
by Andrea Garzón on Monday, 17 October 2011 at 04:58
We
see that there is so much apprehension concerning the soul among
Christians generally, but these verses prove that our whole being was
designed to function in harmony. When we realize that “the spirit of
man” in many contexts refers to the soul, our whole perspective about it
will change radically. To which use is a lamp designed? It is used to
light the way. Therefore, if “the spirit of MAN” IS the Lord’s lamp, we
can trust our ‘selves’ in totality as new creations. We could say that
the soul is the means in which the desires of the Spirit are expressed
(externalized).KJV: “The SPIRIT OF MAN is the lamp of the LORD” -Proverbs 20:27
Young’s Literal: “The BREATH of man is a lamp of Jehovah” -Proverbs 20:27
Aramaic Bible in English: “The SOUL of the children of men is the lamp of the Lord” -Proverbs 20:27
KJV: “And the lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living SOUL” -Genesis 2:7
“For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the SPIRIT OF THE MAN which is in him? Even so, the thoughts of God no one knows except THE SPIRIT OF GOD” -1 Cor. 2:11. This distinction between the two in this instance is important. The reason why is that it shows that the soul of man is RIGHT! It didn’t say: “the Spirit of God is the lamp”, but “the spirit of MAN” is the lamp of the Lord!
When people talk about walking after the flesh vs. walking after the spirit, they make it sound like: “Do not walk after the soul, but after the spirit.” That is nonsense, because the soul is not ‘the flesh’. We could say: “Walk by the SPIRIT (human spirit in perfect union with God's Spirit) and you will not satisfy the lusts (pulls) of the FLESH (Satan's deception of separation which to us, most often, is manifested in this subtle urge to try be “good” and to control the desires of our souls or condemn ourselves for them).
"For the mind of the flesh (The mind of Satan) is death; but the mind of the Spirit (the mind of Christ—our new mind) is life and peace: because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God...and they that are IN THE FLESH cannot please God. But you are NOT IN THE FLESH, BUT IN THE SPIRIT, if the Spirit of God dwells in you." -Romans 8:6-9. We are not "in the flesh" anymore —The truth is that we don't have a flesh anymore (I mean, we have a body made of flesh, but that's another thing). The "flesh" (that foreskin that covered our hearts, also called 'the body of sin') was severed off at the cross. I believe the term 'flesh' in regards to the new creation is an “image” of Satan's deceit which objective is to bring us back to a separate consciousness, but that is all what it is; an image, a ghost. We DIED to that deception—died to sin ONCE and for all. We don't serve this lie (sin) anymore. We are not slaves of this lie (sin) anymore. The law of this lie (sin) does not operate in us anymore.
At Gethsemane, Jesus said: “Not my will but Yours". Wait a second; is Jesus here, who always functioned in perfect oneness with the Father, saying he has a will that opposes his Father’s? Let’s not forget Jesus came to revert the effects of the Fall: Incarnation’s aim was to eradicate our estrangement in the body of a substitute. The 'sin' that Hebrews 12 talks about is Satan's mindset of separation (Adam’s “inheritance”) against which Jesus had to fight to the point of shedding blood. We are encouraged not to faint, because just like Jesus, we are trained in the obedience of faith (establishment in union). This deception has no more power over us, but it still harasses us now and then.
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Ole Henrik Skjelstad This is great and the truth! Since God is one and there is only one God and we are one with Him then we have to be one too. Seeing ourselves as separate parts that are warring against each other is a deceit and lie which makes life unnecessary confusing and cumbersome. Thanks!
Yesterday at 09:54 · ·2 peopleLoading...
Dean Delker I love how you think with the Mind of Christ, Andrea. Tis always refreshing.
5 hours ago · ·
Nancy GilmoreFlesh is good. God came in the flesh, and He still comes in the flesh of those He lives in, and 'as'. It's only 'sinful flesh' that would be the problem, and we are no long a part of sinful flesh. Paul's says...- the life I now live in the... FLESH is lived by the faith OF the Son of God who loved me, and gave Himself for me; Galatians 2:20b. I am living in the flesh as a whole person; meaning as a spirit person in union with the Spirit of the living God I am operating as a WHOLE Person in Christ, with Christ living as me. Christ living AS me, means there are no gaps between us. Christ is our inner-Christ-consciousness. We are awakened by the Spirit to an inner-Christ-conscious of Christ living 'as' us; thus I live in the flesh by His faith. I live it.See more
5 hours ago · ·
Dean Delker I joyfully agree with you & John Crowder has a good "Jesus Trip" video about the unity of spirit, soul & body in 1 Thess 5:23 I want to go back & listen to again also. I am also curious though what you would say about Heb 4:12?
5 hours ago · ·
Nancy Gilmore Hebrews 4:12 is alive in us as the Spirit is the One who reveals the soul-spirit differentiation in us, for us; spirit is too deep for us to know without a spirit revelation, and it is the Spirit who divides soul and spirit for us, thus revealing our union of spirit-Spirit as 'one spirit'. He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit. 1Corin 6:17
4 hours ago · ·
Troy CriderOle Henrik, did Peter teach a deceit and a lie, and essentially make life unnecessary, confusing and cumbersome, when he said beloved, I BEG YOU, as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts/sinful desires which war against the so...ul? Elsewhere, we are told to "put to death the deeds of the body, by the Spirit." Though the old man has clearly been put off ("put off" is language used in other contexts for garments being taken off) once and for all through death and burial, we then must learn how to "put off" our former conduct concerning the old man. The only way this can take place is if the mind is renewed, the will is converted, emotions are healed, memories are redeemed, and the imaginations are sanctified. And all this is takes place from the Holy Spirit. We now bear the image of the heavenly man, but we are being transformed into His likeness through the renewal of the mind, and this has an inseparable correlation to our conduct.
I actually agree with what you all are saying, but I believe these promises and realities are only able to be lived out in full potential when one reaches motherhood and fatherhood in the faith. I don't mean to be divisive, but if you tell a new believer these things you all are talking about, you will do great harm to him and it will be a disaster. He will never be able to experience true transformation as taught by the Apostle Paul. This is why Peter also "said do not be conformed to the PASSIONS of your FORMER ignorance." If you tell a new believer that everything he feels, does, thinks, and wants is Christ living in him, he will continue to embrace lies, not being able to discern the source of those beliefs, ideas, convictions (many new believers are FULL of false convictions). Many of these are still part of his old identity because wile he still might see himself as forgiven, he might not see himself crucified, buried, and resurrected anew by the mighty power of the working of the Holy Spirit. So it is actually NOT nonsense to say "do not walk after the soul," if it be that you are referring to the areas of one's mind that is not renewed, will is not converted, emotions are not healed, and memories are not redeemed etc. The flesh wages war against the soul, by hindering our consciousness, and awareness of the Spirit-union. This affects conduct.
For the new believer, as you say Andrea, "this deception has no more power over us, but it still harasses us now and then." When we walk in this deception, these things can manifest through our conduct: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. Don't be deceived, if you sow to the flesh, you will reap destruction in your mind, will, emotions, imaginations, and ultimately create new memories filled with corrupt events and experiences. It might not cost you eternal life, but there will be consequences in this life, and in the age to come. You all have a great and wonderful revelation, and see the full potential and reality one can arrive at, BUT, some of you are creating a whole grid of perception and mental framework where you are trying to fit the other passages and teachings into this framework, and denying clear scriptures that don't fit it, ignoring them altogether, o This will be to your own hurt. We all must learn how to rightly divide the word of truth, and grow in our ability to know who needs what truth in any given season of their life.See more
4 hours ago ·
Nancy GilmoreChrist will not reveal an "inner-Christ-consciousness" in and to a person He has not first made 'safe' by the cross; 2Corn.4:7-12. We are made SAFE sons as well as SAVED sons. "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live, but it is NOT... I but Christ, and the life I now live in the flesh is lived by the faith OF the Son of God who love me and gave Himself for me". 1John 5:18 is speaking of "safe sons"."he that is born of God sinneth not for he keeps himself.See more
4 hours ago · ·
Troy CriderWould you agree that not all of a new believers attitudes, mentalities, perceptions, views of the world/worldview, emotions, and memories are instantaneously made safe at the new birth? I'd say that they are the ones who need constant love,... teaching, and labors so that they can truly be grounded in teachings pertaining to the new covenant reality inaugurated by the death of the old race and rise of the new (Christ's death and resurrection). In fact, the babes/infants in the faith are susceptible to false teachings which has a direct influence on their life. In Ephesians 4 Paul describes "children" who are tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. They still belong to God and are the righteous, but they are still so very young in Christ. Actually, the word used for "children" is from the greek word "nepios" and means:
1. an infant, little child
2. a minor, not of age
3. is a metaphor for childish, untaught, unskilled.
It's the same word translated as "babes" in Hebrews 5:13 and 1 Corinthians 3:1.
Where are the mothers and fathers that can make them safe through nursing them and help facilitate their growth through discipleship and propel them forward to become safe sons and daughters? They are safe in the community in which Christ dwells, and they are safe in that the Father will discipline them with love, but they are still infants. They are not safe at first.
There are 4 stages of growth: babes/infants, little children, young men, and fathers.See more
4 hours ago ·
Ole Henrik Skjelstad Bless you Troy! If you carefully read Andrea's article you will find that she has perfectly answered that question you throw at me. Many of her other articles also perfectly answer that question. Andrea knows.
3 hours ago · ·
Nancy GilmoreI believe in only one teacher, and He is the Holy Spirit. He is the One who has the suffering work to 'redeem' us, and stabilize us, and 'make' us safe sons to bring glory to Christ as us. I see only Christ; for Jesus said, when our eye is ...single our whole body is full of light, and when our eye is evil (seeing something that isn't Christ) our whole body is full of darkness; the opposite of single is double not evil, but Jesus said evil. So I purposely see ONLY Christ and what He is doing. I do not have a divided outlook; and I speak the truth of Christ being the life to any and all, and tell that there is no such thing as an independent person. The final form of sin we are all forced to see is ourselves as an independent operator; the Spirit forces us to see 'an-independent' as the producer of ALL sin. So seeing oneself as an independent IS the sin-spirit as yourself. For there is no such thing as an independent-self, or a "referee" between God and the Devil. That is the deception of the fall, and the virus of the human race; and until we are redeemed and Christ IS LIVING AS us, we are sinners; good sinners, or bad sinners still eating from the tree of good and evil; which is all EVIL. When I am a co-saviour, a co-intercessor with Christ, I am not looking at a so-called "independent" operating as Christ; I'm knowing a so-called independent is NOT in union with Christ, and I do not expect him to live as though he is; he would be deceiving himself. Deception is dangerous since it make you think you are something you are not. I'm not trying to fix people. I simply say, Jesus is your life and He wishes to live AS you.See more
3 hours ago · ·
Mikkel Thomsen Amen Nancy. Seeing one self as independed is sin spirit as yourself. There is only One and that is right seeing and in His time(when we have come full circle) we will know. We don't borther, we rest and see Him doing the work in, trough and as us.
about an hour ago · ·
Jeff PateLove this... "The "flesh" (that foreskin that covered our hearts, also called 'the body of sin') was severed off at the cross. I believe the term 'flesh' in regards to the new creation is an “image” of Satan's deceit which objective is to b...ring us back to a separate consciousness, but that is all what it is; an image, a ghost. We DIED to that deception—died to sin ONCE and for all. We don't serve this lie (sin) anymore. We are not slaves of this lie (sin) anymore. The law of this lie (sin) does not operate in us anymore."See more
18 minutes ago · ·
