Spiritual growth, 3

Spiritual Growth 3
The Believer in Christ is born of The Spirit of Christ.
This is the Spirit of God. The Spirit of the Son. The Spirit of
Adoption.
Hence He lives in the Spirit.(Romans 8: 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16)
He is to walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5: 22-25).
Walk means to conduct his ways, thoughts and life patterns
from His Spirit, The Spirit of God.
Spiritual growth is the means to these. It is not the growth of
the Spirit of Christ in measures or size or age but in influence.
It is seen primarily through our thoughts and consequently
actions.
This growth is by the Word.
The Word of Christ. The Mirror of the New Creature. This
mirror isn't the Old testament. It’s the New Covenant. The
Finished work of Christ. As he (the believer) feeds on this,
there's a manifestation of Eternal Life- The Life of God. The
Spirit is life.
Paul refers to two classifications of Humanity in 1 Corinthians
2.
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor
ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the
things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the
Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit
of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no
man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the
spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are
freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's
wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth;
comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of
God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know
them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is
judged of no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may
instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.
Here we have the natural man and the Spiritual man. The
natural man is unsaved. He is in the flesh. From it. By it. Of it.
This is the unbeliever.
The Believer is here described as Spiritual. He has received
the Spirit. Freely Given of God.
2 Corinthians 6: 14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with
unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with
darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath
he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for
ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will
dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and
they shall be my people.
He is the temple of God. He is Christ. The Believer. Light.
Righteousness.
The unsaved man is the temple of idols. Belial. The infidel.
Unrighteousness.
This is a result of believing or otherwise.
Very simple. The unbeliever hasn't accepted grace. The
believer has.
This is the position of each class or kind.
However in 1 Corinthians 3 Paul addresses a different class. It
is a class within a class. This time he speaks strictly to
believers and about them.
1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as
unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye
were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you
envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk
as men?
4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of
Apollos; are ye not carnal?
He refers to babes in Christ. They aren't new converts as Peter
suggested in 1 Peter 2:2.
They are experienced believers who have refused to grow up.
He refers to their diet. They have refused meat and stuck to
milk.
Milk isn't a type of the word. It is a mode of communication.
He couldn't speak unto them as unto spiritual. He had to not
assume that because they have the Spirit, things of the spirit
should be expressly said to them.
So just like Jesus he often used the natural to explain the
spiritual. Parables are the means to communicate to non-
believers.
Mark 4:11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know
the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are
without, all these things are done in parables:
12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing
they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they
should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
Parables are illustrations where we use the natural to explain
the spiritual. You cannot keep feeding this way and grow!
Yet we have to use this when the believer is not developing.
Strange but true. He rhetorically says to them. Are you not
carnal? Carnal! A believer?
He uses the oxymoron to drive home his point. He however
safely and carefully picks his words. Because there can’t be a
carnal Christian. It’s like saying animal-man, good-bad. light-
darkness. This phrase is to jerk them to reality. They have
been acting up. Acting as though they were unsaved!
The Greek scholars gave us some explanation. He uses
Sarkikos (Like the flesh) for the believer. It is metaphorical not
actual. While for the unbeliever he uses sarkinos (from/ of the
flesh). It is actual reality. Because the Believer is NOT in the
Flesh (Romans 8: 8-9). He has the Spirit. The unbeliever is in
the flesh and cannot please God!
This folks acted like they didn't have the Spirit. They fought
over water, head covering, associations, they held more to
persons than to the word- Christ! They had arguments and
fights over food, bread and wine. Marriage! (1 Corinthians 6:
1-5). They went to court with fellow believers, right before
unbelievers! The Spirit coming to the flesh for wisdom! They
couldn't recognize their new status. They had not been feeding
on the Word!
The Solution is the Word!
Hence Paul retorted often in this letter to the Corinthians.
KNOW YE NOT!
Babes need to grow up in Christ! Tarry on what Christ has
done. Feed on it till their minds are renewed, lives changed
and transformed.
Many still love to hear stories to enjoy church. Illustrations,
other peoples’ testimonies, and experiences. They are feeding
on the wrong diet. Jesus used this approach for the spiritually
dead!
You (the believer) can comprehend the things of the Spirit,
without the aid of carnal illustrations!
You don't need the story of the boy who left home, ran a
riotous life and came back home to see God’s forgiveness
(Prodigal story). You have the Spirit, you look at Christ, His
work, sufferings-The Word, you lift your voice to the Father.
You are forgiven for Christ’s sake.(Colossians 1:14, Ephesians
1:7, 1 John 2: 12)
The Samaritan story isn't for you. You are born of God. You act
like Him! Love is our nature. We are born again!
Hence, diet determines our growth in Christ. Let’s feed on the
Word, The epistles, Our mirror and we are changed into glory
(2 Corinthians 3: 18).The Glory within now shows up outside!
Blessed? Say I feed on the word- the finished work. I see a
manifestation of the glory within me in my daily life!
Jesus is Lord,We win!