The Law of the Spirit of Life
The Bible is a book about Life and Death, and the Laws that govern life and death.
We are told that it is God's desire that we should live, and that Jesus came so that we may have life, more abundant life.
In order to experience abundant life, the abundant life God is speaking about, we need to know about the Laws that govern that experience and abide by those laws. I should say - that Law - really it is one law, the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.
Right away some questions come to my mind. Are we talking about a Law of the Spirit? Who's or what spirit? The Holy Spirit or man's spirit? Or a Law of - -the Spirit of Life? What is this Life? It is clear, however, that we are talking about Life that is found in Jesus. To be sure, it is a different life than we find in ordinary, physical living.
When we place our faith in what Jesus did at Calvary, the Holy Spirit is imparted to us as Jesus said. The Holy Spirit comes to live in us. There is a "Law" which governs that and makes it possible for the Holy Spirit to direct our path and guide us properly.
By "Law" I do not mean "legalism" - to try to obey a standard in order to obtain righteousness for our own exaltation. Rather I am speaking of "Law" as in the guarantee that this works every time. Like gravity. It is what it is. Until people understood gravity and its laws they could not institute guidelines on how to build an airplane properly and cause it to fly. All physical life follows along the lines of spiritual realities. So it is with the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. Until we understand the Law that governs that Life, we can not successfully operate in it.
Now obviously, this Life in Christ Jesus is different than the life that every living person is experiencing. In Eden, God had said to Adam that, "the day you eat of it (the tree of knowledge), you shall surely die." We know that when Adam ate from that tree something did happen. However, he continued to live physically for about 900 years! What died in Adam was Spiritual Life.
So we see that there is physical life - which is still from God; but there is a life on a higher level. A life that Jesus called "life more abundant". A life lived in connection to the "Power Source". A life that is greater than an ordinary physical life. A purely physical life is marked by limits. Because man was created by God he can do some amazing things, but in the end it is all for naught. It ends in death. Its source is limited to man's ability and strength. Outwardly it may look great, but inwardly it is marked by sin.
The difference between these two kinds of life is vast. Physical life alone is a false life. It looks like life, but its fruit - its outcome - what it produces in the end is death. The source of life, God, has been cut off. While outwardly there is an appearance of life, it cannot last. And it is marked by sin and selfishness along the way. It cannot measure up to God's standard of perfection and holiness. A standard by which we will all be measured when we give an account for our lives.
Now the only way to be reconnected to our Creator - our Source, is to place our faith, our trust in Jesus' death at Calvary, and take that death into our own lives. We recognize that He died in our place and we identify with that. We likewise die to ourselves. When He died in our place, we died with him as far as we are concerned. Is that right? Scripture tells us that it is so. II Timothy 2:11 tells us, "IF we are dead with Him we will live with Him." Romans 6:5 says, "IF we have been planted in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection. Knowing this: that our old man is/was crucified with Him. . ."
So here we have two kinds of life. One life - the false life - leads to death. But the true life begins with death and leads to life. (It begins with death as it relates to us, not as it relates to its source. I am speaking from our human viewpoint.)
There are 7 aspects which we must understand in order to comprehend the working of this True Life, the Life in Christ Jesus in us. Author T. Austin Sparks writes: "Jesus is a prism. A prism through which manifold expressions of life shine forth."
These expressions are seen in the Book of Genesis. "Genesis is comprehensive of the whole ground of death and life, and it's comprehensiveness is gathered up into 7 persons; each of whom brings Christ into view in some aspect of Life. The 7 are from Adam to Joseph." (T.Austin Sparks)
We are told that it is God's desire that we should live, and that Jesus came so that we may have life, more abundant life.
In order to experience abundant life, the abundant life God is speaking about, we need to know about the Laws that govern that experience and abide by those laws. I should say - that Law - really it is one law, the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.
Right away some questions come to my mind. Are we talking about a Law of the Spirit? Who's or what spirit? The Holy Spirit or man's spirit? Or a Law of - -the Spirit of Life? What is this Life? It is clear, however, that we are talking about Life that is found in Jesus. To be sure, it is a different life than we find in ordinary, physical living.
When we place our faith in what Jesus did at Calvary, the Holy Spirit is imparted to us as Jesus said. The Holy Spirit comes to live in us. There is a "Law" which governs that and makes it possible for the Holy Spirit to direct our path and guide us properly.
By "Law" I do not mean "legalism" - to try to obey a standard in order to obtain righteousness for our own exaltation. Rather I am speaking of "Law" as in the guarantee that this works every time. Like gravity. It is what it is. Until people understood gravity and its laws they could not institute guidelines on how to build an airplane properly and cause it to fly. All physical life follows along the lines of spiritual realities. So it is with the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. Until we understand the Law that governs that Life, we can not successfully operate in it.
Now obviously, this Life in Christ Jesus is different than the life that every living person is experiencing. In Eden, God had said to Adam that, "the day you eat of it (the tree of knowledge), you shall surely die." We know that when Adam ate from that tree something did happen. However, he continued to live physically for about 900 years! What died in Adam was Spiritual Life.
So we see that there is physical life - which is still from God; but there is a life on a higher level. A life that Jesus called "life more abundant". A life lived in connection to the "Power Source". A life that is greater than an ordinary physical life. A purely physical life is marked by limits. Because man was created by God he can do some amazing things, but in the end it is all for naught. It ends in death. Its source is limited to man's ability and strength. Outwardly it may look great, but inwardly it is marked by sin.
The difference between these two kinds of life is vast. Physical life alone is a false life. It looks like life, but its fruit - its outcome - what it produces in the end is death. The source of life, God, has been cut off. While outwardly there is an appearance of life, it cannot last. And it is marked by sin and selfishness along the way. It cannot measure up to God's standard of perfection and holiness. A standard by which we will all be measured when we give an account for our lives.
Now the only way to be reconnected to our Creator - our Source, is to place our faith, our trust in Jesus' death at Calvary, and take that death into our own lives. We recognize that He died in our place and we identify with that. We likewise die to ourselves. When He died in our place, we died with him as far as we are concerned. Is that right? Scripture tells us that it is so. II Timothy 2:11 tells us, "IF we are dead with Him we will live with Him." Romans 6:5 says, "IF we have been planted in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection. Knowing this: that our old man is/was crucified with Him. . ."
So here we have two kinds of life. One life - the false life - leads to death. But the true life begins with death and leads to life. (It begins with death as it relates to us, not as it relates to its source. I am speaking from our human viewpoint.)
There are 7 aspects which we must understand in order to comprehend the working of this True Life, the Life in Christ Jesus in us. Author T. Austin Sparks writes: "Jesus is a prism. A prism through which manifold expressions of life shine forth."
These expressions are seen in the Book of Genesis. "Genesis is comprehensive of the whole ground of death and life, and it's comprehensiveness is gathered up into 7 persons; each of whom brings Christ into view in some aspect of Life. The 7 are from Adam to Joseph." (T.Austin Sparks)
posted by Laurie T at
11:32 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home