Yet you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that Gods spirit is making its home in you. Now if anyone has not Christs spirit, this one is not His.
Paul to the Romans 8: 9, Concordant New Testament
It's a question of our one true identity. Growing up, I was convinced that I was defined by the flesh image that I, and everyone else, saw each day. When I looked in the mirror, I saw myself in the flesh. Yet as I matured in my understanding of my life in Christ, I began to see myself for who I truly am. That is, as a container for Christ Jesus who is in me. I first came to this realization through the writings of the apostle Paul. It is Paul who proclaims in Galatians that it is Christ who lives in me {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}. It is also Paul who tells us that we are not defined by our flesh, but by our spirit image of God {Paul to the Romans 8:9}. It is this spirit image in which He created us in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}. This is our one true image. It is our flesh which the Lord created from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life, creating a living soul {Genesis 2:7}. Why is this important? Because as I grew in my understanding of Jesus, I struggled with the idea of having Christ in me. How could Jesus ever be present in my wicked flesh? Indeed, scripture suggests the wickedness of the flesh {Paul to the Romans 8:6, Paul to the Galatians 5:16}. But is this the real depiction of our flesh? Would a holy God create a wicked flesh? On the contrary, I suggest that our flesh is nothing more than a container that reflects whichever spirit it contains. The apostle John refers to this as knowing the difference between the spirit of truth and the spirit of deception {First Epistle of John 4:6}. The author Norman Grubb illustrates this with the cup of coffee example. Grubb explains "I am His coffee cup, He is the coffee" {Norman Grubb, Yes I Am}. Know this, that our flesh will be defined by whichever spirit is present within us. When we see someone who we feel is acting in a godly way, it is easy for us to see which spirit fills their cup. On the other hand, what are we to think of someone who knows the Lord, yet continues to feel that sin remains the issue in their life? One would think that the Lords spirit of truth is indeed making its home in them. But is it? The reality is, that Christ Jesus has given Himself that sin would be nullified {Paul to the Romans 6:6}. To believe that sin still haunts our life is to believe in the lie the accuser spoke in the garden {Genesis 3:5-6}. Adam and Eve were deceived that they could "Be like God" outside of God. Of course, being His creation, they already WERE like God. Thus the spirit of error inhabited our flesh containers.
For even as, through the disobedience of the one man, the many were constituted sinners, thus also, through the obedience of the One, the many shall be constituted just.
Paul to the Romans 5: 19, Concordant New Testament
The very words of Jesus proclaim that we are to renounce the lie of the accuser spoken to Adam and Eve. Jesus tells us that a man should "Renounce himself and pick up his cross and follow Me" {Matthews Account 16:24}. Deny that you are separated from God! Renounce the belief that you are your own independent self. Deny yourself! The meaning of these words spoken by Jesus couldn't be more clear. In Grubbs coffee cup example, the importance is not on the cup itself, but on the coffee inside the cup. When we look in the mirror, what do we see? Do we see the outward expression of the Father through us? If we don't we might just be missing something. For this is the purpose of our flesh containers, that the world would see the Father through us. One of the greatest desires of God is that He be known by His children. What better way to present Himself than through those who know Him? This is the very essence of our union life in God {Johns Account 14:20}. It has never been our flesh that has been wayward, but our own belief in who it is that we are.
Then Jesus said to His disciples: "If anyone is wanting to come after Me, let him renounce himself and pick up his cross and follow Me."
Matthews Account 16: 24, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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