Identifying the cosmic system, part 14 John 15:19; 1John 3:8-10.

Title: Identifying the cosmic system, part 14 John 15:19; 1John 3:8-10.

 

 

Analogies of the physical body to the new creature:

The physical man needs food, and so does the inner, or spiritual man.

 

Matt 4:4

But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

 

Unless a believer spends time daily in meditating on the Word of God, his inner man will lack power.

 

A converted Indian explained, "I have two dogs living in me - a mean dog and a good dog. They are always fighting. The mean dog wants me to do bad things, and the good dog wants me to do good things. Do you want to know which dog wins? The one I feed the most!"

 

A Christian who feeds the new nature from the Word of God will have power to live in the plan of God for his life as a lifestyle. It’s called a godly life, but too many people equate that phrase with sin. Sin can make a person ungodly if they do not use God’s provisions for it, but negative volition towards doctrine is a guarantee of an ungodly life. [Godly life = virtue love]

   

ROM 13:13-14

Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy [the norm in Rome]. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

 

The physical man needs cleansing, and so does the inner man.

 

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

A believer must examine himself and confess his sins and claim God’s forgiveness and stand on the foundation of his returned fellowship to God.

 

A believer should also look into the mirror of God’s word daily.

 

James 1:21 Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

 

James 1:22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

 

James 1:23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;

 

James 1:24for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was [Spirit and flesh, old man and new man].

 

James 1:25But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.

 

Otherwise the believer’s soul and body will become unclean and this uncleanness will breed infection and “spiritual sickness,” which can even lead to physical sickness.

 

Example: disease from dirty drinking water.

 

James 4:4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

 

James 4:5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us"?

 

James 4:6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

 

James 4:7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

 

James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

 

Unconfessed sin is the first step in reversionism - gradually moving away from a close walk with Christ into a life filled with the alien cosmic world in which we live.

 

And if you have found yourself in a state of spiritual sickness or reversionism there is only one hope and that is to return to God with confession of known sins, all unknown ones are cleansed by the grace of God and then enforced humility to sit under your assigned PT again.

 

JER 3:22

"Return, O faithless sons,

I will heal your faithlessness."

 

The word heal implies sickness. There is an infection in the soul which will cause gradual decline, loss of energy, loss of appetite for doctrine, loss of interest, loss of happiness and contentment, irritability, and then comes collapse.

 

One can remember this potential when temptation comes. Temptation is not sin. Christ was tempted in all things yet without sin [HEB 4:15].

 

James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

 

James 1:15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

 

Temptation appeals to our basic natural desires. There is nothing sinful about our desires, but temptation gives us an opportunity to satisfy these desires in an evil way.

 

It is not sin to be hungry or thirsty, but to satisfy them at the expense of someone else is sinful. That’s an easy one. It’s not a sin to have sexual desires but it is a sin to satisfy them or attempt to outside of the will of God. We have desires to be social, to be loved, liked, to be comforted, to succeed, to be noticed, to be attractive, to look upon beauty, to be happy, and there is nothing wrong with these desires. To attempt to fulfill any of them outside of God’s will become a sin. And satan is no dummy, for he knows that we have needs and desires and these are the places he tempts.

 

Look again at verse four; there are two words; carried away and enticed, both relate to hunting or fishing.

 

“carried away” - evxe,lkw[exelko] = to lure away, to draw away.

 

“enticed” - delea,zw[deleazo] = to catch or to lure by bait.

 

The first word I believe is used for getting you to look at the bait and then the second refers to the bait that you’re hungry for. Again, there is nothing inherently evil in anything it is the perversion of that thing outside of God’s creation purpose for it.

 

A fisherman has a box full of different lures and different types of bait. The wise fisherman knows which ones will lure certain types of fish. Satan is a crafty and wise fisherman.

 

In taking the bait, the animal or fish gets caught in the trap, or hooked. And the end is death.

 

Satan baits his traps with pleasures that appeal to the old nature, the flesh. But none of his bait appeals to the new divine nature within a Christian. If a believer yields to his old nature, he will hanker for the bait, take it, and sin. But if he follows the leanings of his new nature, he will refuse the bait and obey God.

 

Temptation to sin by the bait of the world system is a part of the believer’s daily conflict. Under grace this conflict is not a burden.   

 

GAL 5:16

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.  If you do carry out the desire of the flesh then confess it and walk by the Spirit again.

 

The word of God and the F/HS are the believer’s only defense: Ps 119:11

Thy word I have treasured in my heart,

That I may not sin against Thee.

 

If you have given in to the temptation then temporal death results and the only remedy is to confess the sin. Make temporal death a short lived as possible and keep short accounts with God. Live one day at a time.

 

The inner man not only needs food and cleansing, but he also needs exercise, 1Tim 4:7.

 

1 Tim 4:7 But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;

 

This is not an insult for all women of old age, but is an idiom of the time for insulting men and women who sit around telling myths and tales about absurd and silly things. A silly old woman has been silly for a long time and therefore she can be fooled into almost anything.

 

“discipline” - gumna,zw[gumnazo] = to exercise, to train naked. Present tense = present yourself to God’s word naked before Him.

 

The Greeks trained naked so that the manager of the gym could see how fit they were [easy now]. The analogy points to the believer who may come to Bible class with mental attitude sins or he may be concentrating of something else. Leave all that at the door and while you listen to God’s word there should be no barriers of thought against His thoughts.

 

1 Tim 4:8 for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

 

This is not putting down physical exercise, but rather states that it is profitable but only for a few things. I could be an Adonis and not have God’s love, for example.

 

Exercise for the body is profitable for a few things, but living the spiritual life is profitable for all things promising benefits for time and eternity.

 

"Spiritual exercise" for a believer, is living the spiritual life or otherwise stated, executing the plan of God for your life. Eusebia is a blanket term for all things pertaining to God’s plan for your life.

 

1 John 3:8 the one who practices [does or commits] sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

 

1 John 3:9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

 

1 John 3:10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of [from] God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

 

“children” is teknon a term for a child under training. We could translate it as student.