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So, each one of us is a spirit
that has a soul and lives in a body, but which is in
charge ?
When we decide to pull into
McDonald's for a Big Mac, our body is saying that is what we need. When we drive
around and pull back out onto the street without the body's desired Big Mac, we have
evidence that either our mind reasoned that all of those calories might not be good for us
or our spirit gave us a "heads up" that this wasn't a good plan.
Thus we see the three-way struggle for control of our lives,
Throughout the Bible we will see
heart used interchangeably with spirit. In
Matthew 19: Jesus talks about the hardnes of the heart.:
Matt 19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your
hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and
shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth
commit adultery.
But in in the third
chapter of John, Jesus explains to Nicodemus about a new heart that we receive when we are
born again:
John 3:1-36
CHAPTER 3
1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the
Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know
that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest,
except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see
the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he
enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of
the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof,
but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of
the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and
knowest not these things?
11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and
testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye
believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from
heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal
life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but
that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not
is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and
men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the
light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be
made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
(KJV)
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Okay, so now it all seems easy - I
accept Jesus, who died for my sins, as my Lord and Savior and my NEW born again spirit
will handle my body (flesh) and my soul (mind and emotions) . No problem
- wrong. Starting with the first born man, Adam, man has had a
sin nature that is the result of his body and soul (mind and emotions ). A few
weeks after I was born again, I heard a sermon that I will never forget. The Pastor
asked for 3 volunteers from the congregation to come up and assist him. He appointed
them titles of BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT. His teaching that evening was on Paul's
writing in Romans chapter 12:
Rom 12:1-2
CHAPTER 12
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect,
will of God.
(KJV)
The Pastor had the BODY and SOUL get up on a table
and lay down. He then appointed the SPIRIT to make sure that they stayed on
the ALTER (table) as a "living sacrifice". The Pastor had quietly coached
BODY and SOUL to continually jump off the ALTER (table) as run away. The PICTURE of
the SPIRIT continually chasing and returning BODY and SOUL to the ALTER is a picture
that I will never forget and it vividly displays how our BODY(flesh and desires of the
flesh) and SOUL(mind and emotions) create a daily challenge for the SPIRIT MAN that is in
every born again believer.
When we are born again we immediately receive a
NEW, born again SPIRIT, but our task of regenerating our mind and training our emmotions
has just begun. We are A NEW CREATURE :
A
New "Creature"
In 2 Corinthians Chaper 5, Paul
tells us :
2 Cor 5:17-21
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old
things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus
Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of
reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you
by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
(KJV) |
