1)
O foolish
Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before
whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
2)
This only would
I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the
hearing of faith?
3)
Are ye so
foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made
perfect by the flesh?
4)
Have ye
suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
5)
He therefore
that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the
law, or by the hearing of faith?
6)
Even as Abraham
believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
|
I |
ndisputably, the human mind finds it difficult
to relate to spiritual things. This is to be expected, since the very idea
of spirituality is contrary to the mind of man. This is yet another illustration
of why it is essential that the mind of Man be changed to be able to relate
to the mind of God. Man is also attached to the notion that what he has learned
as a man is important. He is so attached, in fact, that he runs the risk of
hellfire because of it.
Anyone who has ever aspired to “greatness”
in his life should accept salvation as his great purpose. After all, it is
the appointed destiny of all human life. We have all been created by the Father
with our salvation in mind, but our “rationality” talks us out of positive
salvation to certain destruction. Often, the man with a chance to be great
for God succumbs to the mediocrity of flesh. Keeping its company makes it
impossible for us to attain any spiritual position in Christ.
The fleshly mind will never be submitted
to the will of God—nor does it desire to be. That is why, with our fleshly
minds in control after salvation, we find our lives no different than before.
The “deception of sameness” has snuffed out many lives destined to be champions
for the Lord. As hard as we try to hang onto much of the fleshly life, all
that we gain is cheating ourselves out of a productive, spiritual life—and
the fleshly life will always fall short of what the Lord says must needs be
accomplished.
If we find some rebellious amongst us,
we have found one who relies on his flesh. For as we have
already established, the flesh will always rebel against the Spirit of God
for they are unable to “relate”. Contrary to how some might view it,
the Lord does not give us the Holy Ghost that we might be constantly upset
and unhappy. Scripture teaches us that He has come “...that (we) might have
life, and that more abundantly”.
The church of today is looking for power
in all the wrong places and in all the wrong ways. The misconception arises
from the fact that the power of salvation does not come from any physical
reaction, but from the mind. That is, the mind is changed when one comes to salvation. We are freed so that we need
no longer live by the dictates of the mind and this is what makes us
saved.
Unfortunately, common to the “saved experience”
of many are feelings that “something” has gone “wrong” in their lives when
tribulation comes—to the point that one will sometimes question as to whether
he has “lost” the Holy Ghost. Not believing that what God is doing, He is
doing for our benefit not only gets
us in trouble, but keeps us in trouble.
Many jokes are made and many derisive
comments offered on the subject, but the state of perfection is indispensable
to salvation. It may be fought, it may be downplayed, but one who is not perfect
is not “heaven material”. And no one will ever be perfect as long as he reacts to or in the flesh.
The sinlessness
for which God is calling is not achievable by anything that can be done or
any law that can be followed. It is the Spirit of God which leads and guides
and it is He Who will keep us from sin. So, are there those who are “perfect”
(sinless)? Absolutely, positively “yes” , for there
are those who are indwelled by the Spirit—and
follow Him! As long as we follow Him, we will do “perfect” things, but one
who relies on the flesh will always do imperfect things.
The perfection that comes through the
Spirit is achieved only through following the path that the Lord has set for
each individual life. This path leads to our salvation and the glorification
of God. If we would “lay claim to His name”, we must begin
conducting ourselves in the same fashion as He. What, exactly is meant
by this?
The God to Whom
we lay claim is a God of action, not just talk and therefore, we, too, must
get busy.