Walking after the Spirit

[Allan Walker]

WALKING AFTER THE SPIRIT​

Despite the fact that the “body of sin” has been destroyed (Romans 6:6) and we have become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), something remains within us that can inhibit the development of a fully satisfying relationship with our Lord and blunt our experience of “the unsearchable riches of Christ.”

The Scriptures teach us that as God’s children we have a choice between living according to the Spirit or according to the sinful nature (the flesh).

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. (Romans 8:12‑14, NIV)​

But what is it that the Holy Spirit is teaching by these words? What is it within us that he is referring to by the words “sinful nature” or “flesh”?

The Bible describes the works of the flesh as follows:

The acts of the flesh are obvious: 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. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19‑21, NIV)​

However, it seems clear to us that the fact that we are (quite rightly) scrupulously avoiding so much as a hint of such licentious behaviour does not necessarily mean that we are “walking after the Spirit.”

Some have taken this a step further by denying themselves some of the quite legitimate physical needs and pleasures of life, sometimes to the point of asceticism. Paul actually condemns this sort of behaviour in that it is no guarantee that we are “walking after the Spirit” and is actually some inverted form of “sensual indulgence.”

Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. (Colossians 2:20‑23, NIV)​

Even beyond this, 1 Corinthians 13 teaches us quite forcefully that the fact that we possess powerful spiritual gifts and are deeply involved in charitable and self-sacrificial activities is again no guarantee that we are “walking after the Spirit.”

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1‑4, NIV)​

I believe therefore, that in order to understand what it is that is meant by these terms, we need to look a little deeper into our own psyche and makeup. As I see it, there exist within the redeemed child of God that which we could describe as two sources of life and energy. The first is the indwelling life of Christ (Galatians 2:20), the divine nature (2 Peter1:4). The second is what the KJV refers to as the “natural man” and the NIV as “the person without the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:14), perhaps what we could also call the “self-life.”

What this means is that although we have been redeemed through the blood of the everlasting covenant and been made part of the “new creation” in Christ, we still have the choice to derive the strength we need to live our lives from out of our own inner resources quite apart from the energising power and direction of the Spirit of God. In other words, it is possible to live out of the energy provided by our own will, our own strength, our natural wisdom and out of a sense of self-righteousness.

In so doing we are bypassing the glories of our inheritance in Christ in which he has already given us “everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). We are losing sight of the fact that it is Christ who is made unto us wisdom from God (1 Corinthians 1:30), has freely given to us, under the terms of the New Covenant, the “gift of righteousness” by which we are to “reign in life” (Romans 5:17; 2 Corinthians 5:21) and who lives in us (shares his life with us) to strengthen us with all might and power in our inner man that we might be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:16‑19).

To “walk after the Spirit,” therefore, means that the energy and activities of the “self life” are to be abandoned. This is, I believe, what is being talked about in Hebrews chapter 4.

Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. (Hebrews 4:1, NIV)​

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:8‑11, NIV)​

“His own work” from which we are to rest is the work and influence of the natural person. Paul certainly understood this very keenly.

…But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9‑10, NIV)​

I believe that the “weakness” that Jesus was referring to here was the weakness of the “natural person” or the “flesh.”

I think that a fundamental truth to be grasped here is that this “weakness” cannot be brought about by our own efforts or our own will. Such an idea is a complete contradiction in terms. It is completely the work of the Holy Spirit. The moment we try to become involved in this process all we do is mess things up and get in the way of the Spirit of God. Our part is to willingly and joyfully embrace his dealings in our lives.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2‑4, NIV)​

It is the difficult circumstances in which we find ourselves from time to time that the Holy Spirit uses to weaken the “natural person.” It is often only when we “come to the end of ourselves” and we have nothing but the Word of God on which we can rely that we begin to find the glory of our inheritance in Christ.

It is true that even the most earnest among us find it difficult to let go this reliance on their natural resources particularly in the early stages of this process. This is not because we are wicked and evil but because it is all we have known. We have been taught to rely upon our natural strengths and abilities and with all their limitations they have got many of us through reasonably well. At the deepest levels of our being, we are reluctant to let go our reliance on ourselves and reach out for the resources that are ours in Christ because to do so is a step into the unknown.

But this is what faith is all about. Abraham, who is described as “the father of us all” (Romans 4:16‑17) understood this very well.

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. (Hebrews 11:8, NIV)​

With infinite patience, gentleness and love our great Shepherd leads us through the sometimes difficult experiences of life so that he may usher us into the life that he had planned for us from before the foundation of the world. All he asks of us is our faith and our trust as that of a little child.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,… (Ephesians 3:20, NIV)​

How can we do anything less than wholeheartedly and joyfully embrace what God brings our way, the bad as well as the good, as he teaches us to “walk after the Spirit” and to draw upon “the boundless riches of Christ.”

This is no theory or something that will happen to us “some day.” God is at work within you and within me right now breaking down the strength of the natural man and, in so doing, transforming us into the likeness of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). Every morning we wake up a new phase in this eternal project begins. Often-times we are not conscious of what is going on. Other times we are acutely conscious that the Lord is bringing about a profound change deep within our being. Sometimes our hearts fill to overflowing with joy as we recognise him bringing to fulfilment something that we have longed for. Then again there are times when our faith is tested to its limits and seemingly beyond.

But in it all we have his presence, his strength and his unfailing love, most of all when we feel it least.

It is our understanding of and faith in the dealings of God in our lives that hold us steadfast as he separates us from the domination of the natural man and increasingly brings to our consciousness the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the day-by-day practicalities of our lives. It is the power of the Word of God that produces this understanding and faith.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit,… (Hebrews 4:12, NIV)​

In the midst of this process there are times when our hearts cry out to God – “why have you made me thus”? Quietly and gently the answer comes to us:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:7, NIV)​

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[hluke]

I believe therefore, that in order to understand what it is that is meant by these terms, we need to look a little deeper into our own psyche and makeup.

Great post!

I reflect on this passage and I definitely kick my body sometimes realising that I can be experiencing the pleasures of God without measure: all it takes is an act of faith, and recognition that I can do nothing without Christ in me.

I too agree that continuous practices of physical and mental self-denial are not conducive to proper spiritual growth. However, occasional fasting is an excellent way to go deeper with God, especially after we fill ourselves with spiritual/physical junk and other worldly cares.

It astonishes me that some groups are so harsh on themselves that they would literally commit suicide because of, for example, being unable to suppress natural lusting tendencies: and they see this is right!

It is a distorted view of taking up the cross and Matthew 5:30

As you may agree self-denial and taking up the cross is an act of faith, not what we do, or don't do.

 

[dqhall]

WALKING AFTER THE SPIRIT​

Despite the fact that the “body of sin” has been destroyed (Romans 6:6) and we have become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), something remains within us that can inhibit the development of a fully satisfying relationship with our Lord and blunt our experience of “the unsearchable riches of Christ.”

The Scriptures teach us that as God’s children we have a choice between living according to the Spirit or according to the sinful nature (the flesh).

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. (Romans 8:12‑14, NIV)​

But what is it that the Holy Spirit is teaching by these words? What is it within us that he is referring to by the words “sinful nature” or “flesh”?

The Bible describes the works of the flesh as follows:

The acts of the flesh are obvious: 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. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19‑21, NIV)​

However, it seems clear to us that the fact that we are (quite rightly) scrupulously avoiding so much as a hint of such licentious behaviour does not necessarily mean that we are “walking after the Spirit.”

Some have taken this a step further by denying themselves some of the quite legitimate physical needs and pleasures of life, sometimes to the point of asceticism. Paul actually condemns this sort of behaviour in that it is no guarantee that we are “walking after the Spirit” and is actually some inverted form of “sensual indulgence.”

Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. (Colossians 2:20‑23, NIV)​

Even beyond this, 1 Corinthians 13 teaches us quite forcefully that the fact that we possess powerful spiritual gifts and are deeply involved in charitable and self-sacrificial activities is again no guarantee that we are “walking after the Spirit.”

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1‑4, NIV)​

I believe therefore, that in order to understand what it is that is meant by these terms, we need to look a little deeper into our own psyche and makeup. As I see it, there exist within the redeemed child of God that which we could describe as two sources of life and energy. The first is the indwelling life of Christ (Galatians 2:20), the divine nature (2 Peter1:4). The second is what the KJV refers to as the “natural man” and the NIV as “the person without the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:14), perhaps what we could also call the “self-life.”

What this means is that although we have been redeemed through the blood of the everlasting covenant and been made part of the “new creation” in Christ, we still have the choice to derive the strength we need to live our lives from out of our own inner resources quite apart from the energising power and direction of the Spirit of God. In other words, it is possible to live out of the energy provided by our own will, our own strength, our natural wisdom and out of a sense of self-righteousness.

In so doing we are bypassing the glories of our inheritance in Christ in which he has already given us “everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). We are losing sight of the fact that it is Christ who is made unto us wisdom from God (1 Corinthians 1:30), has freely given to us, under the terms of the New Covenant, the “gift of righteousness” by which we are to “reign in life” (Romans 5:17; 2 Corinthians 5:21) and who lives in us (shares his life with us) to strengthen us with all might and power in our inner man that we might be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:16‑19).

To “walk after the Spirit,” therefore, means that the energy and activities of the “self life” are to be abandoned. This is, I believe, what is being talked about in Hebrews chapter 4.

Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. (Hebrews 4:1, NIV)​

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:8‑11, NIV)​

“His own work” from which we are to rest is the work and influence of the natural person. Paul certainly understood this very keenly.

…But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9‑10, NIV)​

I believe that the “weakness” that Jesus was referring to here was the weakness of the “natural person” or the “flesh.”

I think that a fundamental truth to be grasped here is that this “weakness” cannot be brought about by our own efforts or our own will. Such an idea is a complete contradiction in terms. It is completely the work of the Holy Spirit. The moment we try to become involved in this process all we do is mess things up and get in the way of the Spirit of God. Our part is to willingly and joyfully embrace his dealings in our lives.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2‑4, NIV)​

It is the difficult circumstances in which we find ourselves from time to time that the Holy Spirit uses to weaken the “natural person.” It is often only when we “come to the end of ourselves” and we have nothing but the Word of God on which we can rely that we begin to find the glory of our inheritance in Christ.

It is true that even the most earnest among us find it difficult to let go this reliance on their natural resources particularly in the early stages of this process. This is not because we are wicked and evil but because it is all we have known. We have been taught to rely upon our natural strengths and abilities and with all their limitations they have got many of us through reasonably well. At the deepest levels of our being, we are reluctant to let go our reliance on ourselves and reach out for the resources that are ours in Christ because to do so is a step into the unknown.

But this is what faith is all about. Abraham, who is described as “the father of us all” (Romans 4:16‑17) understood this very well.

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. (Hebrews 11:8, NIV)​

With infinite patience, gentleness and love our great Shepherd leads us through the sometimes difficult experiences of life so that he may usher us into the life that he had planned for us from before the foundation of the world. All he asks of us is our faith and our trust as that of a little child.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,… (Ephesians 3:20, NIV)​

How can we do anything less than wholeheartedly and joyfully embrace what God brings our way, the bad as well as the good, as he teaches us to “walk after the Spirit” and to draw upon “the boundless riches of Christ.”

This is no theory or something that will happen to us “some day.” God is at work within you and within me right now breaking down the strength of the natural man and, in so doing, transforming us into the likeness of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). Every morning we wake up a new phase in this eternal project begins. Often-times we are not conscious of what is going on. Other times we are acutely conscious that the Lord is bringing about a profound change deep within our being. Sometimes our hearts fill to overflowing with joy as we recognise him bringing to fulfilment something that we have longed for. Then again there are times when our faith is tested to its limits and seemingly beyond.

But in it all we have his presence, his strength and his unfailing love, most of all when we feel it least.

It is our understanding of and faith in the dealings of God in our lives that hold us steadfast as he separates us from the domination of the natural man and increasingly brings to our consciousness the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the day-by-day practicalities of our lives. It is the power of the Word of God that produces this understanding and faith.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit,… (Hebrews 4:12, NIV)​

In the midst of this process there are times when our hearts cry out to God – “why have you made me thus”? Quietly and gently the answer comes to us:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:7, NIV)​

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬​

God knows where the treasure is.

I was listening to video biographies of preachers with healing ministries. They had enough self control to be able to fast for a day or days if necessary. My weight is normal. I do not fast much. After reading about them I skipped supper last night. I woke up in this morning cured of my excess gas.

The load is heavy and the man is not given unlimited strength. He who appears strong may feel weak by the end of a week of hard labor. He will need rest and recuperation. People capable of lifting heavy loads in their youth realize their weaknesses in their old age.

 

[Allan Walker]

God knows where the treasure is.

I was listening to video biographies of preachers with healing ministries. They had enough self control to be able to fast for a day or days if necessary. My weight is normal. I do not fast much. After reading about them I skipped supper last night. I woke up in this morning cured of my excess gas.

The load is heavy and the man is not given unlimited strength. He who appears strong may feel weak by the end of a week of hard labor. He will need rest and recuperation. People capable of lifting heavy loads in their youth realize their weaknesses in their old age.

Yes. The New Testament actually endorses fasting, giving us examples of how this was a part of the ministry of the church in those days.

In some cases, fasting was used as a means to confirm that what they were planning to do was actually the will of God. Thus, by the weakening of their natural resources, they were able to be more attuned to how the Holy Spirit was directing them.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. (Acts 13:2‑3, NIV)

Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. (Acts 14:23, NIV)​

I don’t think that this is meant to be a complete list by any means. I would certainly agree that abstaining from eating for a while is a good way to help us deal with our stomach problems.

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