2Corinthians 5:17 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ Jesus (the Messiah), he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come."
The above scripture seems radical and fanatical to the way of thinking for many in today's Church. We've been trained and taught carnally for so long, that it's difficult for them to see themselves like who they truly are in Christ Jesus and after the new creation and after the Spirit. For centuries, until Jesus came on the scene, the people had remained in the carnal realm and couldn't receive the Truth of the Spiritual teachings He taught.
They couldn't understand the Truth Jesus taught, until the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. These people were still old covenant people and were not born-again yet. The things Jesus taught were so foreign from what they were taught and knew and sounded radical and fanatical to their ears. When the Holy Spirit came and man could actually be born-again of the Spirit of God, things changed.
Because we've been trained in the carnal realm more than in the spiritual realm, many thing still seem over-the-top to many of God's children. We've grossly misunderstood what is means to be a new creation and we've tried patterning our spiritual walk after the things of the old covenant, without realizing the people of the old covenant were not born-again of the Spirit. God had to deal with them from the outside-in, instead of the inside-out, because the old covenant people were still dead in their spirit. This is what Jesus referred to in John 10:10 when He said, "I come that they might have Life."
Those present when He said this, probably thought to themselves, "Don't I already have life?" They didn't know He was speaking about their dead spirit that was separated from God by sin and trespasses. Under the new covenant, we (through Jesus) have been made alive in our spirit and our spirit has been made one with God. This is the new creation that Paul speaks about.
Most of us have never really pursued this relationship to the full extent of what it actually has in store for us. God now deals with us by our new creation, born-again spirit and not by our flesh with rituals and traditions like in the old covenant. We are now to be led and instructed by our spirit, which is alive to God again. Much of our preaching and teachings are directed at our natural man, and not by our new creation man.
We were to be controlled by our spirit and not our flesh, from the beginning. We are a spirit being and our spirit was to be in charge of our earthly body and soul. We were to hear from God in our spirit and to be directed by the Holy Spirit in our lives. When Adam fell and severed communication from the Father, we were left to rely on our carnal nature for instructions on how to live.
After many years of not hearing from God, we set up our own ways of doing thins and functioning in this world. And, because we were only able to function in this world system, we set up a kingdom that was still ruled by satan, instead of by God. We know God as "Father," but the unsaved people know Him only as "God." Jesus told the old covenant people that they were, "Like their father, the devil."
Under this new creation, we are now, no longer ruled by our senses, but by our new creation spirit man (who was made in the Image and Likeness of God). This knowledge has been nearly lost in today's Church. We continue relying on rituals and tradition to appease God. These things have held God's people in bondage and fear, instead of fellowship and liberty in God's family.
We've been in "The time of the Church" for many years, but continue functioning on the religious order of the flesh. In 2Corinthians 5:1-4, Paul says our flesh and blood body is the "house" that our spirit lives in. A house doesn't tell the inhabitants how to live, the inhabitants are to rule the house. How foolish would it be for us to ask our houses how to live, instead of our having dominion over our house? My house provides a place to shelter in after a long day is done, it isn't something that tells me when my day is over.
Can you even imagine your house telling you how to live? Of course not. Why should we ask our natural house (where our new man lives) how we are supposed to live? Our natural body is only a temporary "house" for our spirit to live in, while we're here on earth. It's a servant and not to be in charge. When asked, "How are you feeling today?" Smith Wigglesworth answered, "I never ask Smith Wigglesworth how he feels, I tell him how to feel." This man walked in and was led by his spirit, through the Holy Spirit.
Some might say, "Yes, but he was the famous Smith Wigglesworth." This is true, but he didn't have anything more than what we have. He simply chose to train his senses by his spirit, to only do what the Holy Spirit told him to do. Some categorize Mr. Wigglesworth as a "fanatic for God," but he would only say that he was an obedient son. We haven't been taught how to live in the spirit, but only how to discipline our flesh.
I've found that by a strong spirit, the flesh will not get out of control, but become a servant and house for us to live in until we go home. Carnal sermons make carnal Christians. We must learn to teach the spirit man (the new creation) how to operate and function on the level with our new identity in Christ Jesus. The flesh will always remind you of its weaknesses, while the new creation (your born-again spirit) will reveal to you, its new strength in Christ and your ability in Him.
We've mostly looked at Galatians 6:8 as about "being in sin," but I don't think that's what it's really about. Of course, we aren't to live in sin, but this scripture is about "sowing to the flesh." Not everything the flesh does is sin. I can provide for my family, protect my loved ones, be a witness for Christ, and give food and clothing to the needy. These things in the flesh are not sin. What Paul writes about in the above scripture, has more to do with still living by the flesh or carnal mind (through ritual and traditions) and not living by the Spirit. Verse 8 says, "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."
This can mean that those who will only continue in life without Jesus, will perish in the end. It can also mean that those of us who are born-again and continue only in our "lower nature," will not see the things and have the full Life of God in our earthly walk with Him.
Only our new creation spirit can comprehend the many things the new birth has made available to us. If we only sow to our lower nature, then the higher nature of our new creation cannot be expressed in our lives. When the flesh rules the spirit, we are out of control in our walk with the Father. Jesus was speaking to men of a different class and order when He taught the people. He was teaching Spiritual Truths, that carnal men couldn't imagine. This is no longer true for the believer, but should be opened and illuminated by our spirit to His Truths.
In order to do what we were left her to do for humanity and God's Kingdom, we must learn how to be led by the Spirit of God and break satan's hold on mankind. Government and politics are not weapons for the Church. We can only set people free with the Truth of God's Word. When Jesus said that, "He can only do what the Father says to do," He was simply saying, "I am being led by My Own Spirit, through the Holy Spirit. This is how the new creation man is to learn to walk.
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