The First Three of the Seven Laws of the Spirit of Life
As stated in my previous post, there are Laws which govern our Spiritual Life in Jesus. Just as there are laws that govern nature and physical life, it makes sense that there are also laws that govern spiritual life. In his book "Things of the Spirit", author Austin Sparks expounds on seven "laws" of the Spirit that are evidenced in the lives of persons who are recorded in the book of Genesis. Since Adam is the first recorded human to be made in the image of God, his life example might have been one that showed what it means to live according to the law of the Spirit. However, Adam failed. He is instead an example of going from spiritual life to spiritual death. So when Jesus came to reverse that ("I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly" John 10:10), he is called the second Adam. Through Jesus (Yeshua), we can see the principles of Life expressed, and we can obtain Life by exercising faith in Him and what He did at the Cross. What a marvelous invitation He has given to us when He said "Come and follow Me". His graciousness is expressed in the many invitations He gave to the "whosoevers". He is our "bread of Life" (John 6:35, 48, 51). As we take His essence into our lives and partake of His nature, His Life is brought into our own being. His Spirit will live in us and we will have the evidence within our spirit of His indwelling.
In the generations that followed Adam we can see individuals whose lives are expressions of one or more of the laws of the Spirit of Life. By examining them we gain various insights into the Laws that govern the Spiritual Life; and all of these Laws are clearly expressed in the life of Yeshua our Messiah.
In Abel, Enoch and Noah we can see an expression of Spiritual Life in the stages of infancy. Their lives are an expression of faith in God, with a lesson for us in the necessity of being "right" with God but there is no record of them being a further witness and bringing that Life out into a greater manifestation in the world around them. Justification by faith is absolutely the foundation of Life in the Spirit and we see that in these three men. Abel's short life is so often quickly read over and yet is very rich in it's witness. Abel understood that right standing with God comes through blood. As Scripture records in Leviticus 17:11 "The life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul." The way to life is through death. While Cain brought an offering of his carnal labor, the fruit of his hands and the ground, Abel understood that the fruit of our own efforts cannot please God and cannot bring about the righteousness required to walk with a holy God. Carnal men hate that message. And so Cain became jealous and despised Abel so much that he killed him, just as we see that the religious rulers in Yeshua's time hated him. Cain was a religious person - he acknowledged God. He brought God an offering to worship God. People like to think that we can do good things that make us acceptable to God and can get angry when presented with the truth that Life with God comes through death and the recognition that we have nothing good enough of ourselves to offer God. Yeshua paid the penalty for our sin by the shedding of His Holy blood.
In Enoch we see a principle of the Law of Life in that Enoch "walked" with God. All around him was death as a result of sin. The verses in Genesis give us record after record of those who lived a certain number of years and died. But it does not record that Ecnoch died. It says that "God took him". Just as Jesus said, "He that hears my Word and believes on Him that sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." and "If a man keeps my saying, he shall never see death." (John 5:24 and 8:51) The prophet Amos asks, "Can two walk together unless they agree?" (Amos 3:2) And Michah writes, "He (God) has shown you what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy and to humble yourself to walk with your God." (Micah 6:8) From this we can see that Enoch did not put his trust in his own ability (humbled himself), but put his faith in God. To agree with God is to agree that we cannot save ourselves, and to agree with God that He is our salvation and deliverer. The first Adam chose to decide for himself to eat of the tree to gain knowledge of good and evil rather than being totally dependant upon God and agreeing with God. Yeshua, the second Adam humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death on the cross. Enoch shows us that faith in God requires agreement with Him - which is required to walk with Him.
In Noah we see the expression of the Law of Life in another way. The lesson we learn from Noah is that while Life in not found in this world system it comes by way of resurrection. The world in Noah's day was filled with death and violence. But of Noah we read that he, "found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Genesis 6:8) and he "walked with God" (Genesis 6:9) and he "did according to all that God commanded him" (Genesis 6:22). In finding grace (as Abel did) and walking with God as Enoch did (which as we just said, required humbling himself and agreeing with God), Noah repudiates the world system. His message is that as he patiently built the ark, day after day, he was looking to the resurrection side which the ark would bring him to after the death of all living things. In Noah we see that God will make all things new. Resurrection is in focus. The Law of the Spirit of Life requires us to live from resurrection ground. We repudiate the world system. We live in the newness of Life found in the Messiah as Romans 6:4 tells us "Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
So those are the first three principles as found in Abel, Enoch and Noah. Life on the basis of the Blood of Christ (His righteousness not our own), Life on the basis of agreement with God (His will, not ours) and Life on the basis of walking in newness of Life repudiating the world system - our life is now based on His Word, not the world system.
In the generations that followed Adam we can see individuals whose lives are expressions of one or more of the laws of the Spirit of Life. By examining them we gain various insights into the Laws that govern the Spiritual Life; and all of these Laws are clearly expressed in the life of Yeshua our Messiah.
In Abel, Enoch and Noah we can see an expression of Spiritual Life in the stages of infancy. Their lives are an expression of faith in God, with a lesson for us in the necessity of being "right" with God but there is no record of them being a further witness and bringing that Life out into a greater manifestation in the world around them. Justification by faith is absolutely the foundation of Life in the Spirit and we see that in these three men. Abel's short life is so often quickly read over and yet is very rich in it's witness. Abel understood that right standing with God comes through blood. As Scripture records in Leviticus 17:11 "The life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul." The way to life is through death. While Cain brought an offering of his carnal labor, the fruit of his hands and the ground, Abel understood that the fruit of our own efforts cannot please God and cannot bring about the righteousness required to walk with a holy God. Carnal men hate that message. And so Cain became jealous and despised Abel so much that he killed him, just as we see that the religious rulers in Yeshua's time hated him. Cain was a religious person - he acknowledged God. He brought God an offering to worship God. People like to think that we can do good things that make us acceptable to God and can get angry when presented with the truth that Life with God comes through death and the recognition that we have nothing good enough of ourselves to offer God. Yeshua paid the penalty for our sin by the shedding of His Holy blood.
In Enoch we see a principle of the Law of Life in that Enoch "walked" with God. All around him was death as a result of sin. The verses in Genesis give us record after record of those who lived a certain number of years and died. But it does not record that Ecnoch died. It says that "God took him". Just as Jesus said, "He that hears my Word and believes on Him that sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." and "If a man keeps my saying, he shall never see death." (John 5:24 and 8:51) The prophet Amos asks, "Can two walk together unless they agree?" (Amos 3:2) And Michah writes, "He (God) has shown you what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy and to humble yourself to walk with your God." (Micah 6:8) From this we can see that Enoch did not put his trust in his own ability (humbled himself), but put his faith in God. To agree with God is to agree that we cannot save ourselves, and to agree with God that He is our salvation and deliverer. The first Adam chose to decide for himself to eat of the tree to gain knowledge of good and evil rather than being totally dependant upon God and agreeing with God. Yeshua, the second Adam humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death on the cross. Enoch shows us that faith in God requires agreement with Him - which is required to walk with Him.
In Noah we see the expression of the Law of Life in another way. The lesson we learn from Noah is that while Life in not found in this world system it comes by way of resurrection. The world in Noah's day was filled with death and violence. But of Noah we read that he, "found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Genesis 6:8) and he "walked with God" (Genesis 6:9) and he "did according to all that God commanded him" (Genesis 6:22). In finding grace (as Abel did) and walking with God as Enoch did (which as we just said, required humbling himself and agreeing with God), Noah repudiates the world system. His message is that as he patiently built the ark, day after day, he was looking to the resurrection side which the ark would bring him to after the death of all living things. In Noah we see that God will make all things new. Resurrection is in focus. The Law of the Spirit of Life requires us to live from resurrection ground. We repudiate the world system. We live in the newness of Life found in the Messiah as Romans 6:4 tells us "Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
So those are the first three principles as found in Abel, Enoch and Noah. Life on the basis of the Blood of Christ (His righteousness not our own), Life on the basis of agreement with God (His will, not ours) and Life on the basis of walking in newness of Life repudiating the world system - our life is now based on His Word, not the world system.
posted by Laurie T at
11:11 AM
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