Wonderful and Profound Things presented in a Familiar yet Reverent Way
As we read the sayings of the Lord Jesus and the apostles in the gospels and the epistles, we cannot but be impressed with the familiar way in which wonderful things are presented. As we are near to God, we should be able to present things in a familiar way by reason of our own experience. Of course, we speak of these things very reverently, especially as we recognise our own imperfection. We can, at the same time, show reverence whilst being familiar with such blessed things. We say, ‘The Father loves the Son’. What could be simpler or profound? Apart from it being in scripture (John 3:35, John 5:20), we know it because we ‘have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things’ (1 John 2:20).
God has given us the Holy Spirit
God has revealed Himself in love and light, as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But God has given us the Holy Spirit, to indwell us, so that we become partakers of the divine nature. The Spirit assures us that we have been accepted in the Beloved (see Eph 1:6). The more we know the Holy Spirit, the more we know that He is God.
In Ephesians we are strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, and are able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height and know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge (see Eph 3:16-19).
Eternal Life
By the Spirit we enjoy eternal life. But to fully enjoy eternal life, our thoughts and actions must be more controlled by the Spirit. Christ expressed this perfectly. He is‘declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead’ (Rom 1:4) The power of the life is in resurrection, and Christ is our life. He created a path for believers to walk like Him in wisdom and patience. We must remain in the path to do right. If I leave the path I cannot do right, however much I try. But I can return to the path.
The life of Jesus should be manifested in us. Our life should express something totally new: divine life in the midst of a world that is away from God. Only in the new man can this be done ‘the new man which after God is created in righteousness and in true holiness’ (Eph 4:24). It is not the old man reformed: the old man could never have divine motives, even if it seeks to walk correctly. It may be decent and respectable, but it never can be right. It is the nature that has departed from God, and it cannot be right before Him.
Spiritual Knowledge
But we have spiritual knowledge. We have ‘put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him’(Col 3:10). Now we know that our bodies are not our own
- they have been redeemed
- They are temple of the Holy Spirit
- They are members of the body of Christ
What a feeling God must have about me – to make a poor creature like me His temple – the dwelling-place of the Holy Ghost, seal of His love and of the redemption. But for this we are absolutely cleansed. The Holy Spirit could not dwell in a defiled tabernacle. The Holy Spirit’s presence is the expression of God’s perfect love; for ‘the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us’ (Rom 5:5).
The Result:
– We are not to sin. How can you go and sin with a body that is the temple of the Holy Ghost? We do fail, and that humbles us. If we feel our wretchedly low ways and shortcomings, so much the better.
– We have a desire to glorify God, knowing that we are not our own – my body (formerly a slave of sin) no longer belongs to my corrupt will. We have been bought with a price: we belong to God. As we walk in His Spirit, our motive is Christ, and have a power the world knows nothing of.
– We have joy of heart and thankfulness of spirit.
Sosthenes
April 2018
Based on J N Darby: ‘Indwelling of the Holy Ghost – 1 Corinthians 6’ – JND’s Collected Writings Vol. 21 Evangelical 2 page 215.
