I am going to attempt to explain one of the problems with modern Christianity: first and foremost, mere Holy words are useless until/unless those words are put into action. That is simple enough to understand, and yet, the vast majority of people who claim to be Christians never get beyond only Christian words. With just words alone, the mystery of Christ can never be penetrated.
When Holy words are put into action, that continued action would verify one’s acceptance of Christ as their Lord and Savior. Put another way, when New Testament teachings are activated by obedience, then and only then is the mystery revealed.
God reveals that mystery when He gives a person a replica of Himself by giving that person His Holy Spirit. Some may say, “What else is new?” Here is the problem: a vast majority of people who claim to be possessed by that Holy Spirit never went beyond mere words, and are therefore powerless to live as the Spirit of Christ dictates.
The Holy Spirit cannot force anyone to adhere to the holiness that He advocates. It must be freely desired with no coercion. Divine action on the part of the individual will allow the Spirit of Christ in that person to live and do all that He requires.
How can one be certain of being possessed by the Holy Spirit? When through their thought process, the Spirit’s Holy prompting (to continue the work that Christ started) will collide with our natural worldly desires. That is pretty good evidence that one has the Spirit of God. But then it is obedience to those promptings that will keep the Spirit of Christ from leaving that person. He has no choice. It is that simple. The Holy Spirit isn’t given to someone just for the hell of it, but to do extremely important work.
The person who has actually accepted and activated God’s Spirit will be the same person outwardly, but inwardly is becoming a totally new person. Worldly desires will start disappearing while being replaced with all that is Holy and good.
I am certain everyone has heard of people who are possessed with evil spirits. Those people can’t help but live as that evil spirit commands. That spirit and its much-needed human accomplice are literally inseparable. The same inseparably is true when obedience is practiced, to all who actually have the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
When obedience to Biblical commands is not visible in anyone who claims the Holy Spirit, you can bet your bottom dollar they have not gone beyond words. And if active changes do not become apparent in a short while, that person may be fooling him/herself. The apostle Paul, in not so many words, wrote this in Romans 8:9. “And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Mystery solved.
1 comment:
One confused individual. Act divine to activate the Spirit of God. If you could act divine you would not need the Spirit of God. The Spirit transforms us, not ourselves. Then walking in obedience, we will continue transformation. The Spirit never leaves a true believer (Romans 8)
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