Gospel of John [16:12-15]. The Doctrine of the HS, part 57 - The World. 1Co 6:12-13; 13:23-33; 2Co 11:1-4.

Title: Gospel of John [16:12-15]. The Doctrine of the HS, part 57 - The World. 1CO 6:12-13; 13:23-33; 2CO 11:1-4.

 

 

There is a two-fold victory: 1) the conflict with foes. 2) the God honoring manner of life and service. Both depend on an unhindered relationship to the Spirit.

 

The victory both in the sphere of conflict with foes and in the sphere of a God-honoring manner of life and service depends wholly on a relationship to the Spirit which is unhindered with respect to the presence of evil and actively reliant on Him for the outworking of His perfect will.

 

The child of God has to confront the question of his actual dependence on the indwelling Spirit. This is one of the most vital elements of this age and is, like all things in this age, characterized by grace.

 

A brief look at our three enemies.

 

The world system: The arrangement and order of things in which man exists, which is alienated from God and acts in opposition to Him and His revelation.

 

The believer is in the world bodily, but spiritually “in the heavenlies.”

 

While all things are perverted by the world system, the believer who knows the truth behind all things is not of the world system.

 

So a believer may partake of anything in the world that is not in a manner of sin. He may go places that are not in a manner of sin. He may do things that are not in a manner of sin. Yet every believer must determine for himself if a certain thing, place, or exploit is going to lead him into sin or failure and he alone must determine if should partake, go, or do. No one is his judge in this.

 

ROM 14:4

Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

 

Therefore, the definition of what is exactly worldly can sometimes become blurry when a wide variety of Christians are considered.

 

Satan always sends errors into the world in pairs. In that way he knows that we will likely attempt to classify them, as we have this insatiable desire to do, as bad or worse. Asceticism or licentiousness, which is worse? Calvinism or Arminianism, which is worse? A totalitarian or an individualist, which is worse? They are always pairs of opposites and he always encourages us to spend a lot of time thinking which is the worse. He relies on your extra dislike of the one error to draw you gradually into the opposite one. We should not be fooled by the schemes of the devil which are threaded throughout his cosmic system. We have to keep our eyes on the journey and go straight through between both errors. We have no other concern than that with either of them.

 

As we have seen in this doctrine, rules are of little importance here. The believer's commitment to the ministry of the Spirit, the mind and person of Christ, and the Father's predestination is what is of extreme importance.

 

1CO 6:12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

 

1CO 6:13 Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food; but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord; and the Lord is for the body.

 

With the illustration of food, a hot topic in his day because much of the meat sold at the marketplaces were sacrificed to idols, Paul asks, "Why should I be mastered by anything that is destined to perish?"

 

But the believer must know this truth behind the material world. There is a truth behind all things. Thus known, those things do not become masters of the believer who is the eternal child of God.

 

The believer may partake of, go, and do anything in the world that is not in a manner of sin, but not all things are profitable for us, especially if that thing will hinder another believer.

 

1CO 10:23 All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.

 

1CO 10:24 Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.

 

1CO 10:25 Eat anything that is sold in the meat market, without asking questions for conscience' sake;

 

1CO 10:26 for the earth is the Lord's, and all it contains. 

 

Nothing belongs to demons who are behind all false gods. Just because some very misguided person sacrifices an animal to a carved image does not transfer the ownership of that animal from God to the demon. All things belong to God.

 

Satan and the demons pervert the good purpose of the things that God has made … food, wealth, marriage, etc.

 

1CO 10:27 If one of the unbelievers invites you, and you wish to go, eat anything that is set before you, without asking questions for conscience' sake.

 

1CO 10:28 But if anyone should say to you, "This is meat sacrificed to idols," do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience' sake;

 

1CO 10:29 I mean not your own conscience, but the other man's; for why is my freedom judged by another's conscience?

 

It's not that we should care that the unbeliever or weaker believer may judge us, since he is no judge, but we should care if we hinder him or the issue/reputation of the gospel.

 

1CO 10:30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks?

 

1CO 10:31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

 

1CO 10:32 Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God;

 

1CO 10:33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved.

 

It is extremely helpful not to lose sight of who you are as a new creature. This is a most perfect guide.

 

Consider, if the whole world, believer or not, took Christ's advice on how to live [do unto others, etc.], the world would be a happier place. We don't have to go as far as Christ. We could go back to the Law and the same thing would be true. In fact, if everyone in the world took the advice of Plato, Aristotle, or Confucius the world would be a great deal better than what it is. Morality came from God to men from the beginning and it was passed down to the next group of men through Noah and man, for the most part, hasn't listened to any of them. For those who have listened and still rejected Christ, they live better, but still without eternal purpose and eternal freedom in Christ. [Mormons are perfect example] The point being, if Christ's "Way" is just another system of morality then it's just thrown on to the trash heap with the rest. Why should we listen to Him above any of the others? If Christianity only means one more bit of good advice, then Christianity is of no importance. There has been no lack of good advice for thousands of years.

 

Christianity is not of this world, but is a revelation about another world, something about a world that is behind and beyond the world we can touch and hear and see.

 

Christ is not another sage or prophet. He is the Son of God. Those who believe in Him don't just become wiser, but they too become sons of God or children of God. Are Christians just moral and nice or are they brand new creatures who are soon to take on immortal bodies to go along with their immortal beings?

 

The natural man has desires and interests in the world he can touch, see, and hear. He eventually admits that his society makes claims on these in the form of morality or decent behavior. He knows that giving into those claims is being good. He has desires that don't conform and he is told, and he may conclude himself, that they are bad. Some of his desires and interests fit with the society or surroundings and he calls these good. He knows that there are some things he has to do and some things that he has to avoid while walking in the society. And in all this his heart has a great hope; that when all things that he needs to do or not do are done and complete that he will still have some chance, some time, to get on with his own life and do what he likes to do. It is like an honest man paying his taxes. He pays them and he hopes there is some left over for himself. This left over time is what many in the world like to call free time, and it is one of the most precious commodities in the world. Christianity is completely different from this.

 

I read an article recently of a pastor who was trying to teach his congregation that their spirituality or spiritual living was to be outside of the church building as well as inside and that their manner and way and witness should be exercised in front of all people and not just within the walls of the church building. I applaud the message but it saddens me that it has to be taught at all. This is no different than the world system's meaning of desire or interests - "I completed my church life, and now it's me time."

 

Christ says, "Give Me all of you." This is not as simplistic as the other and so in that sense it's harder. There isn't a checklist to complete and then go play. There is a brand new creature and a brand new life, both of which belong to Christ and are Christ at the same time. This is a far deeper commitment since it is a full commitment. But in another sense, "Give Me all of you," is easier. He kills the old self. He gives the new self. He gives the Holy Spirit to empower the new self and the word of God to make the new self wise. Grace makes the burden light. The difficult part for the Christian torn between the world and the spiritual is that the yoke is on him for life and forever - he has been redeemed and is in Christ forever.

 

The mature Christian has fully accepted the yoke in submission to the will of God and he has gotten so used to its place upon him that he realizes just how light its load is because Christ has borne all the weight.

 

When I first started wearing reading glasses I was not used to them and so I didn't like them. They weren't heavy, just different. A couple of years later, I forget that I have them on. I think the yoke of Christ is much like that.

 

Christ says, "Take up your cross and follow Me," and that sounds so hard and He also says, "My yoke is easy and My burden light," and that sounds so easy. It is both.

 

Pick up your cross is to hand over your whole self - all of your wishes, desires, and interests to Christ. All Christians find this hard at the outset. But when they finally determine to yield or relinquish themselves to Him they find that the burden is light.