17)
This I say therefore, and
testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the
vanity of their mind,
18)
Having the understanding
darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in
them, because of the blindness of their heart:
19)
Who being past feeling
have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20)
But ye have not so learned
Christ;
21)
If so be that ye have
heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22)
That ye put off concerning
the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the
deceitful lusts;
|
I |
t
is quite strange that man will accept what cannot be verified in the Word of
God. Sadly, it seems that men will accept the teaching of men over that of the
Word of God.
Upon
the infilling of the Holy Ghost, man becomes able to receive spiritual life and
revelation. This does not mean that one will automatically accept this
information, but without the means of acceptance, he would never be able to be
changed. In that knowledge comes only through the Holy Ghost, its acquisition
starts with baptism in Jesus' name and the infilling of the Holy Ghost.
Since
"the truth is in Jesus" and it is as easy as asking to receive from
Him, what explains our relative lack of progress? Primarily, it is our reliance
on human understanding which causes us to miss our blessings.
Isn't
it ironic that with the Power of heaven and earth residing within us, we still
want "step-by-step" directions to solving our problems, as opposed to
simply trusting Him?
If
the truth be told, it is impossible to trust God if one is unwilling to live
his life in the Spirit. Being changed from life in the flesh to life in the
Spirit is the point of salvation.
Man
has no understanding of the spiritual through fleshly things. Often, even after
understanding is gained and a spiritual solution offered, too many are ignorant
of how to implement it. These solutions will be no better than mere words if we
fail to leave the realm of human understanding.
Though
truth is more readily available to us than ever before, most do not really want
to hear it. Why? Because no one is supposed to preach on the sins that congregates commit. Therefore, man will quickly and readily
go anyplace where the true Word is not really preached.
The
"ignorant" spoken of in our scripture text refers to one who ignores
the truth. The truth of which many are ignorant is the fact that God is going
to judge all not led and guided by the truth.
Sin
is so commonly accepted today that many have lost the ability to be sensitive
to what they are doing in the flesh. But, this is not what we have been taught
about Jesus, because we know that He is about truth and righteousness.
Our
state of existence is that God has sanctified us—set us apart from the rest of
the world. The "rest" of the World will go to hell—but hell does not
exist for the saint of God.
The
truth that we have been taught is that it is praise that liberates and gives
victory. We are not to praise Him if or when we feel like it, but we are to
praise Him because of Who He is. Praise does confer its own responsibility, for
after we have praised, we must live a life consistent with that praise. The
soul that says "I praise You, Lord" and "I appreciate You,
Lord" must show it in his life. This will be a life content and at peace
with that Lord—and all that He does.
How
could we be any less than content with One Who, by His command, keeps nature
operating just as it has from the beginning? Because of His Word and His Word,
alone, the sun, moon and stars all continue in their orbits day-after-day,
month-after-month, year-after-year. Incontrovertibly, His Word is sure and we
can stand on it because He has already delivered
us.
What
begins as truth, remains truth, no matter the
circumstances. The current habit of "running" from one church to
another to find what pleases the flesh does not change the truth that one has
been taught. Isn't it interesting that the first thing the newly-liberated
saint of God does is to begin to wear that which was previously prohibited.
When one disagrees with a set standard, he looks to find a refuge for his
flesh. When he finds it, not only does he seek out those fleshly things, he
adds others, as well. Just as scripture says, one rebuilds what he has
(previously) torn down.
The
argument is frequently advanced that "if God hadn't wanted us to use our
minds, He wouldn't have given them to us." Don't be so sure. We have these
minds primarily to show us how much we need Him. Not that we are ignorant, dumb
or stupid, but we are limited by the
very thing we fight so hard to advance -- our mind. Because the Lord best knows
those limitations, He delivers us from living after them.
"Truth"
is the only problem-solver. We have been given it and pastors that we may have
access to solutions at any given time. Whether we agree with the truth given us
or not, that given us by God is the only thing that works. Neither excuses nor
struggling has, or will ever help
anyone, but realizing that all that concerns the child of God is spiritual , will.
From this point forward, we will see who is sincere toward the Lord. Those who are, will accept that "the truth is in Jesus" and get their solutions from Him. Those who don't—will be left behind.