2Corinthians 5 Verses 16-17 is the scripture I have based this New Creation teaching on. It's important we read and understand this scripture, as well as many others, but especially in these last days. We must let the Holy Spirit's revelation bring the Church into the reality of who we are now, in Christ Jesus.
For hundreds of years, we have remained a carnal Church and have tried walking in faith, without having a basis for anything to put faith in. We've been taught and led to believe that most super-natural things of God were for some other generation of Christians. Or, we've been taught that they are for only a certain few of His children, but these things are not true. We have never really seen ourselves as God sees us or have had much understanding of the new creation people that we have become through Jesus.
Let's examine some scriptures about our spirit man (which we have become by faith in Jesus) and see where our real Life and ability come from. We can never hope to walk in the super-natural being we have become, unless we know who we are now. Many Christians believe that we will become a new creation, when we go to heaven. Truthfully, God sees those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord as having died, when Jesus died. As far as our entering heaven, God Himself has now entered into us. The waiting period is over and eternity has now become our dwelling place with and in Him.
2Corinthians 10:3-5(Amplified) tells us why we're not walking in what God has made us to be in Christ Jesus. Thus, it says, "For though we walk (live) in the flesh [we are still living in this flesh and blood body] we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh, and using mere human weapons." We live in flesh and blood houses, but the ones who live in these houses are not flesh, but spirit. My house doesn't tell me what to do, I am the master over my house.
Verses 4 says, "For the weapons of our warfare are not physical (weapons of flesh and blood) but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds." It's only by knowing who we really are and understanding this truth, we will break the strongholds of satan in our live, our schools and our nations. Verse 5 goes on, "(In as much as we) refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the (true) knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)."
We must learn to distinguish the very differences between what is the carnal mind and what is the Mind of Christ. We can only do this by allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of God's Word to us, instead of carnal people. Ephesian 4:22-24 (Amplified) says, "Strip yourselves of your former nature (the carnal man) put off and discard your old (unrenewed self) which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion." We have allowed the flesh to delude us into believing that spiritual things have passed away. Verses 23-24 go on, "And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind (having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude). And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's Image (God like) in true righteousness and holiness."
We are to renew our way of thinking and learn to think about ourselves the way God sees us as new creations through Christ, instead of seeing ourselves like we were before. We must allow our new man (our spirit), who is now in God's Image again, to be what we see. We've been trying to make our flesh submit by putting outside pressure on it, instead of bringing the power in our new man to bear from within.
We see the contrast between the carnal Christian and the Spiritual Christian in Galatians 5:15-16 (Amplified) which says, "But if you bite and devour one another (in partisan strife) be careful that you (and your whole fellowship) are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk and live (habitually) in the Holy Spirit (responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit) then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God)."
Instead of constantly fighting the flesh, we must feed our new man on the Word and the Truth of the Word and then, our new man will become strong enough to control the flesh. Fight over. Paul gives us a very clear picture of the flesh and Spirit minded persons in Christ in Galatians 6:7-8 (Amplified) saying, "Be not deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked, by mere pretentious or professions or by His precepts being set aside). (He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God) For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap."
We hear this scripture usually in reference to offerings, but Paul is saying that, "Fleshly things will not bring forth the plan of God in our lives and He cannot bless what isn't His." Paul goes on in Verse 8 saying to those who have ears to hear, "For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction; but he who sows to the Spirit, will from the Spirit reap eternal life."
We already have eternal life given when we received Jesus, so what is Paul really saying to the Church? He is saying that if we continue in the same things we did before becoming new creations in Christ, then we will continue receiving the same things we did before our salvation. These scriptures are not talking about such things as cussing and drinking, but about living the new life in the flesh and not the spirit. Our flesh can only produce decay and corruption in our lives. It is only knowing how to sow the Spirit that will manifest the eternal life that we now have.
Everything in our new creation life is in the spirit realm. As new creation people, we now have access to the Heavenly realm and everything required to meet our needs. This might seem like fantasy to some people, but if you stop and think about it, then you will see how everything we now see as material things on this planet came from the Spirit realm in the beginning. Why does it seem so far fetched to believe God can and does bring things from His presence and Spirit, into our lives here on earth.
Jesus spoke about the new life that was to come at His resurrection in Matthew 6:33 (Amplified), but they failed to understand what He was saying as Truth, because they were mere men. Jesus told the people not to worry about what to wear, eat or where to live, saying, "But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His Kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right) and then all these things taken together will be given you besides."
God has a way of "doing and being" right. His way in in the Spirit realm, but Jesus said it would produce here in this realm saying, "If the people would only seek His way first, then their needs would be met." We've somehow believed that the spirit realm is some sort of "Neverland." Everything in this universe arrived from the unseen realm of the Spirit of God. God is still capable of bringing the things we need into this realm, but we must first sow to the Spirit, in order to reap from the Spirit.
You are a spirit, made in God's very Image and Likeness. You have everything you will ever need to make your life here blessed and to bless others from that blessing, already within you. First, though, we must know that the blessing comes from the Spirit and is made manifest in the natural, by faith in Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment