CHAPTER 3
OUR SPIRIT AND SOUL
I do not want to repeat the things which are already clearly written in my two previous books “Word to the Church of Jesus Christ” and “The Tragedy and Glory of Believers” unless absolutely necessary. What the Lord desires to show us in this chapter is the following.
Man has one spirit, one soul and one body (1Thes. 5: 23). All three are a natural creation permanently inoculated and penetrated throughout by evil since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Therefore, in their natural, corrupted, filthy and sinful state, they must be destroyed as totally unacceptable to Him! All three must be replaced by new spirit, new soul and new body, that is, by a totally new creation. That is accomplished by our death and resurrection. The Lord showed us the way by His Death and Resurrection. Therefore, if we die to our natural life, we are then resurrected INTO Christ and there we become “a new creature, old (natural) things are passed away; behold all (old) things are become new.” (2Cor. 5:17) But THIS will never happen just by believing in Jesus, getting redeemed, getting baptized in water and attending “church services”!
Believers can discern their SOUL – HEART, MIND AND WILL, but they cannot discern their SPIRIT, which is also filthy in its natural state (2Cor. 7:1). Our spirit and the Holy Spirit are TWO DIFFERENT PERSONS, they never mix; they become ONE wherever the Holy Spirit takes over our spirit
IF WE REFUSE TO DIE TO OUR OLD NATURAL CREATION, TO OUR OLD SOUL AND OLD SPIRIT, WE CANNOT BE RESURRECTED AND THUS BE IN CHRIST AS A NEW CREATURE. IN OUR NATURAL STATE WE CANNOT ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN OR THE NEW JERUSALEM. HENCE, OUR DEATH AND RESURRECTION ARE NOT OPTIONAL BUT ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL FOR OUR SALVATION AND LIFE ETERNAL.
The Word of God speaks about an “old man” and a “new man”. The “old man” is corrupt, unrighteous, filthy and sinful; it has the devil’s nature, which became our nature. The “new man” is created after God in righteousness and true holiness. We are to put off the old man and put on the new man and be renewed in the spirit of our mind (Eph. 4:22-24). So, I repeat: THIS IS THE SALVATION OF OUR SOUL, OF OUR SPIRIT AND LASTLY ALSO OF OUR BODY. NOTHING ELSE!
Most of the believers are not putting off the old man and putting on the new man nor are they led to it by their ministers. After their redemption, they are kept in their deception that they are “fine” and do not have to “move their finger”. “Once saved, forever saved”, they are told by many doctors of theology–turned-ministers, who believe that they themselves live in the new man and understand everything. Such ministers live in dreams and logical understanding of spiritual things, but spiritually they understand nothing! Believers keep living in their old soul and many remain in the danger of losing their salvation (Lk. 13:14// Heb. 6:1-6// 2Pet. 2:20-22// Rev. 3:5, etc). Every believer is the temple of God and if he defiles the temple of God, God shall destroy him! (1Cor. 3:16,17). Are you unable to defile God’s temple?
This above deception is very dangerous as it comes straight from hell and is designed by Satan to turn believers into “zombies”, who would readily receive this comfortable doctrine of men and never strive toward anything. It is far more comfortable and thus preferable to sit in the church or in front of a TV and just listen to such sweet deceptions.
What is even more dangerous is the simple fact that NO BELIEVER WILL PUT OFF HIS OLD MAN AND PUT ON HIS NEW MAN VOLUNTARILY OR OUT OF HIS OWN INITIATIVE! He must usually be “cornered” by the Holy Spirit like a “wild kicking horse”. Then the Spirit must sovereignly show him the naked facts about himself, his behavior, deeds and fruit, what he is in God’s eyes, how deeply he may be deceived, how deeply he may sin against God and what evil he is able to do through his “good flesh”. Honest, sincere and humble believers might admit this fact though they may not fully see, imagine or understand it. Proud believers, many leaders, preachers, teachers, pastors, doctors of theology will never admit it or believe it. Pride veils their spiritual eyes making them blind to these facts so they cannot see themselves!
I wonder which church leader would dare to believe or even publicly declare that he is greater than prophet Isaiah. Do you know one like that? I don’t. But prophet Isaiah was also blind toward himself as a man though he was a mighty prophet of God prophesying quite extensively about Our Lord, His birth, life, sufferings and death, which means, about man’s coming Salvation. But, there was a day when the Lord decided to show Himself to His prophet in a way that would show a deep spiritual fact of man’s future Salvation, which even he did not see or realize.
Since the number of man is six (Rev. 13:18), we should not be surprised that in chapter six of the Book of Isaiah, the Lord showed to His prophet similar scene from Heaven which was shown also to His Apostle John (Rev. 4:8) and showed him also Himself seated on His Throne (Is. 6:1-3). And in this heavenly Vision, Isaiah saw himself and cried: “Woe is me! For I am undone (I am finished!); because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” (Is. 6:5) The Lord showed him that though in his SPIRIT he may have been sanctified, holy and a chosen vessel, yet in his SOUL there was leprosy! His ministry was shaken through that discovery! And if that unexpected shaking and discovery happened to the great prophet Isaiah, then where DO WE stand before God? Are we not all deceived in our pride and vanity?
THIS NEED OF SHAKING AND CRISIS IS APPLICABLE TO ALL PEOPLE OF GOD SINCE ALL, SMALL AND GREAT, HAVE A DEGREE OF LEPROSY IN THEIR SOULS! AND IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO PREPARE THE “REMNANT” – THE BRIDE OF CHRIST – FOR THE COMING OF CHRIST AND THE KINGDOM. THE LORD WILL NEVER MARRY A LEPROUS BRIDE! TRUE? REALLY?
Fortunately, the heart of Isaiah was open to God and thus he was not undone, not finished, because the fire from off the altar was applied to his lips and his iniquity was taken away and his sin purged! (Is. 6:6,7) Does this mean that the first five chapters of his Book are not good? Not at all! The Lord kept them as perfect and infallible parts of His Holy Word!
Well, what do these things mean to us today? This tremendously important picture is applicable to the New Testament Church far, far more than to the Old Testament Israel. It shows all believers, including apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers and preachers chosen by the Lord and given to the Church (Eph. 4:11) which may be sanctified and holy in their SPIRIT, that they are yet lepers in their SOULS! And they minister to a people, which are also lepers in their souls. In order that our iniquity be taken away from us and our sins purged, we must all experience the fire from off the altar of God! I believe that there may not be even one soul in the entire Church of Jesus Christ that is aware of this fact because no one has seen the King, the Lord of hosts as Isaiah or John or Saul of Tarsus had.
Granted, there is no believer in the entire Church that would be like Isaiah, Saul of Tarsus, John, Noah, Abraham or Moses. So I doubt that the Lord will show Himself as He did to those men because of their great and specific calling in the Purposes of God. I have not seen the King, the Lord of hosts either and I may not see Him in that same way as Isaiah, John or Saul of Tarsus did before He comes for me. The point is that the Lord knows I may not have to see Him in that specific way because I BELIEVE and SEE a degree of leprosy in my soul and a need for the fire from off the altar. It is not a shock for me. My iniquity has been taken away and my sin purged in my spirit, but my soul has not been perfected and so I am open to the Lord and to the fire of His altar, which means, to the work of His Cross and my cross (Mt. 16:24). This applies to all believers whether they see and believe in the leprosy of their souls or not. I agree that it is not easy to admit any “leprosy” in our soul.
So, not because I am already perfected, but because I BELIEVE and SEE and am available to the LORD for His continued perfecting work, that I have been called to go to the people that have leprosy and DO NOT BELIEVE IT, and tell them: “Hear ye indeed, but understand not: and see ye indeed, but perceive not”. And I am to “make their heart fat and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.” (Is. 6:9,10) And, Lord, how long? His answer is in Is. 6:11-13. The most important Word touches the Remnant with the holy seed being its substance (Is. 6:13). Maybe your eyes will see what is written there and also perceive what its spiritual meaning for us today truly is.
Another very unusual spiritual fact about our soul, which the Lord desires us to consider, is the following: Our soul may be a genius with university degrees and a high intelligence, capable of creating marvelous engineering projects, sending man to the moon and back safely, creating marvelous artwork, composing symphonies, transplanting hearts, developing all kinds of religions with gods for every taste and desire of man’s mind and heart, etc. Now, our natural soul may also be very foolish, have a limited common sense or be of a low degree of intelligence. Our natural soul may thus be of any kind within these two bordering levels of intelligence. But during all our earthly life, the following unusual, but important fact is also true.
Though our soul could be a TRUE GENIUS IN NATURAL EARTHLY LIFE, IT COULD AT THE SAME TIME BE A COMPLETE FOOL IN SPIRITUAL LIFE! Why? Because natural world and spiritual world have nothing in common, just as Earth and Heaven have nothing in common. Hence, a natural genius may easily be a spiritual fool (1Cor. 3:18-20// Rom. 1:22, etc.). To put a man on the moon and return him safely back takes a human genius. At the same time, the geniuses in this project could be spiritual fools, if they were not born by God’s Spirit; with the spirit of their mind unrenewed having NO KNOWLEDGE of the spiritual world whatsoever. The same also applies to any “religious geniuses” or even “theological geniuses”, whose mind on this earth is limited within the mental box of their natural head.
So, he that is born-again and is the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is still greater than any “great man” in this world that was never born-again and thus cannot be in the Kingdom of Heaven (Mt. 11:11). This is an example between pagans and born-again believers. But THE SAME applies between spiritual believers and carnal believers.
THE SOUL OF CARNAL BELIEVERS IS NOT MUCH DIFFERENT – IN GENERAL – FROM THE SOUL OF PAGANS. They both live by their natural life in this world and have no understanding of the spiritual world. The Lord is clearly distinguishing carnal and spiritual believers in His Word by saying:
“BUT THE NATURAL MAN (carnal man, which rules the soul of pagans and carnal believers) receives NOT the things of the Spirit of God, for they are FOOLISHNESS unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is SPIRITUAL (the Spirit of God rules his spirit AND SOUL) judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.” (1Cor. 2:14,15)
One very important fact that we must draw from the above Word of God may also be phrased as follows:
OUR NATURAL MAN CANNOT TRUST GOD, CANNOT HAVE FAITH FROM GOD SINCE HE CANNOT RECEIVE ANYTHING FROM GOD. HE CANNOT COMMUNICATE WITH GOD IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM ACCEPTABLE TO GOD. HE CANNOT UNDERSTAND ANYTHING OUTSIDE OF ITS OWN SPHERE OF NATURAL LIFE, AND THAT INCLUDES THE SPIRITUAL WORLD IN ITS ENTIRETY WITH ALL ITS SPIRITUAL BEINGS, INCLUDING GOD.
THEREFORE, HE CAN ONLY TRUST IN HIS OWN SENSES, IN HIS OWN BELIEFS AND CONVICTIONS, HE CAN ONLY TRUST IN HIMSELF AND IN NOBODY ELSE. HE CAN ONLY PRODUCE HIS OWN TRUTH AND SENSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS BY WHICH HE THEN JUDGES ACCORDING TO HIS OWN STANDARDS, WHICH ARE UNTRUE AND UNRIGHTEOUS SINCE HE HAS NO WAY TO KNOW THE TRUTH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD. THESE ARE THE DEVASTATING AND CRUCIAL LIMITATIONS OF THE NATURAL MAN, WHICH HE CANNOT BREAK FROM AND BECOME FREE.
TOO MANY CHRISTIANS KEEP LIVING IN THEIR NATURAL MAN AND HIS CARNALITY. THEY SUBSTITUTE THEIR NATURAL UNDERSTANDING FOR THE FAITH, TRUTH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD. THESE CHRISTIANS ARE SELF-DECEIVED, DO NOT KNOW THE LORD AND DO NOT LIVE BY FAITH (Hab. 2:4// Rom. 1:17// Gal 3:11// Heb. 10:38).
AS A CONSEQUENCE, THEY HAVE NO FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (GAL. 5:22,23) AND LIVE IN THE EVER INCREASING DANGER OF BEING TAKEN AWAY FROM CHRIST, THE TRUE VINE, BY THE FATHER! (Jn. 15:1,2a,6) NO MINISTER SEEMS TO REGISTER THIS WORD AND WARN SUCH PEOPLE ABOUT THESE DANGERS. BUT EVEN THIS WORD OF GOD WAS NOT WRITTEN IN VAIN!
SINCE OUR NATURAL MAN COULD NOT EVEN BRING US TO OUR REDEMPTION, GOD HAD TO PROVIDE US WITH SOMETHING THAT WOULD ENABLE US TO DO SO. AND HE DID!
God had given to all mankind the necessary light-faith showing the Grace of God that brings Salvation, which had appeared to ALL MEN on this planet (Tit. 2:11). Man could then use this light-faith to be humbled and then believe and be redeemed (Rom. 10:9,10). Light may be equated with faith and faith with light, since every man that lives without faith lives in darkness. Hence…
OUR NATURAL, SPIRITUALLY DEAD MAN HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH OUR REDEMPTION! AND AS SUCH, HE WILL HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH OUR SALVATION EVEN UNTO ITS END, WHICH IS THE PERFECTION OF OUR SOUL, WHICH IS THE END OF OUR FAITH (1Pet. 1:9), WHICH FAITH OUR NATURAL MAN NEVER HAD IN HIMSELF AND NEVER EVEN COULD HAVE HAD OR PRODUCED.
FINALLY, OUR NATURAL MAN COULD NEVER DISCERN AND THUS JUDGE ANY SPIRITUAL MAN WHILE OUR SPIRITUAL MAN CAN DISCERN AND THUS JUDGE (ASSESS) ANY NATURAL MAN.
Hence, from the very beginning of the fall of mankind, the Devil has been delighted to use our natural man and his humanistic senses and “qualities” for his own purposes and goals and thereby put both Judaism and Christianity UPSIDE DOWN THUS FRUSTRATING THE TRUE WILL OF GOD!
No wonder that the Lord Himself doubted whether He will find faith on the earth when He comes again (Lk. 18:8b). His question clearly alludes to the possibility that He may not find true faith at His coming. The simple reason for His question is the great probability that multitudes of Christians will be waiting for His return in their natural, religiously educated man, which doesn’t have true faith. And that is also the explanation of His Word in Rev. 3:16, why He will spue His Church out of His mouth and why His Church is in such a terrible spiritual state. Our natural, religiously educated man cannot produce or build a church of any other kind. In fact, he cannot produce or build any church acceptable to God; he can only destroy what the Spirit started and built.
All “churches” produced by man, organized by man and directed by man have nothing to do with the Church of Jesus Christ, which was started by Him, built by Him and governed by Him. And very few believers are able to see the difference between His true Church, which is not of this world (Jn. 17:14) and all the other imitations made by man, which are of this world.
The differences in the kind of spirits that rule our soul and our spirit form the main basis of all the problems in the Church, of all the divisiveness, enmity, misunderstandings and an absolute lack of effectiveness and unity therein.
BECAUSE OF THE UNRENEWED SOUL OF THE MAJORITY OF BELIEVERS, WHICH SOUL IS NOT GOVERNED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HAD PRODUCED NO FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST HAS FAILED TO FULFILL HER CALLING BY THE LORD IN THE SAME WAY AS ISRAEL FAILED THEIR CALLING AND PURPOSE FOR WHICH GOD CALLED THEM. BOTH ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH HAVE BEEN BLIND AND UNABLE TO SEE AND CONSIDER THE FACT THAT THE LORD IS ONLY DEALING WITH THE REMNANT OF THE ISRAEL-CHURCH – THE OVERCOMERS. IS THERE A BELIEVER, WHO WOULD BE TRULY CONCERNED WHETHER HE BELONGS TO THE REMNANT? NOBODY SEEMS TO CARE AS IF THIS IMPORTANT FACT WERE NOT APPLICABLE TO BORN-AGAIN BAPTIZED BELIEVERS.
IN THE SEVEN LETTERS TO HIS CHURCH (Rev. chpt. 2 and 3), THE LORD IS GIVING PROMISES TO THE OVERCOMERS ONLY, THE REST OF THE BELIEVERS ARE NOT EVEN MENTIONED IN HIS LETTERS. IN HIS CONCLUSION, THE LORD CONFIRMS THAT IT IS ONLY THE OVERCOMER THAT SHALL INHERIT ALL THINGS AND GOD WILL BE HIS GOD AND HE SHALL BE HIS SON: AND THE FEARFUL, AND UNBELIEVING, AND THE ABOMINABLE, AND IDOLATERS AND LIARSSHALL BE CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE, WHICH IS THE SECOND DEATH (Rev. 21:7.8).
Can a born-again baptized believer be fearful? Can he be unbelieving? Can he be abominable or an idolater or a liar? What do you say? Can you judge righteously or even admit this fact as possible?
And how do we view the Judgment Seat of Christ and the fact that WE ALL shall be standing there (individually) and shall be judged by Christ? (Rom. 14:10) What shall our judgment be like? I will give you a small example.
In Canada, there is “Small Claims Court” where ordinary people sue one another with “small claims”. In the Court room, there is only the Plaintiff, the Defendant and the Judge. Both Plaintiff and Defendant may be accompanied by their witnesses, if they have any. No Prosecutor, no Defense lawyers, in fact, no lawyers whatsoever are permitted in the Court room. The Judge asks the Plaintiff to present his/her claim, then he asks the Defendant to present his/her defense and then he may ask any party any questions based on the available documents and facts or lack of them.
The Judge is considering not only the available facts and documents, but is also evaluating the characters of the persons involved in the case, their truthfulness, motifs, true intentions, sincerity, etc. Then the Judge usually renders his or her judgment on the spot or may postpone it for some time, if conditions so require. But the judgment is always final and there is no chance for an appeal. If you have never experienced such a trial, you may have no idea about it, about yourself, your fears, insecurities, unpreparedness, lack of appropriate or convincing answers to possible “awkward” questions from the Judge which may be challenging your defense, lack of awareness of possible additional unexpected accusations from the Plaintiff, etc.
I am not saying that it will be exactly the same when we stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, but it may be very similar. There will be no prosecutor, no defense lawyer, in fact, no lawyers at all, only the Judge –Christ Jesus– and us alone, or a plaintiff, who will have claims against us with possible witnesses on his side. The Judge will have all the necessary documents handy since all our thoughts, intentions, words, deeds, works and unforgiven sins have been recorded, even those that we forgot long time ago. Just as the books will be open at the Last Judgment (Rev. 20:12), so the books will be open here also – except the Book of Life, which will not be opened because this is the Judgment of believers only, who are all written in the Book of Life.
Can you picture yourselves standing in front of this Holy and utterly Righteous Judge, Who knows EVERYTHING about you, and answering His “awkward” questions? Why did you do this evil?… and that evil? with so much damage (names, dates, places, values of damages recorded in the open books)? Why have you judged unrighteously and deeply wounded this and that brother or sister (names, dates, places, wounds)? And why have you never repented to him or to her? Why have you never repented to Me? And why have you preferred the servants of Satan and rejected the servants that I sent to you (names, dates, places)? And why have you neglected, ignored, despised My Words that I sent to you (dates, Words, messengers, etc.)? I believe that that trial will not be a “picnic”. And we might become speechless just as that man who was caught without the wedding garment and questioned by the King (Mt. 22:11-14). And it was not even the day of his judgment.
You see, it will not be a place of joy and peace where you will be rewarded for your good works. Reread the Word of God (Rom. 14:10) and see that you will be asked exactly the “awkward” questions described above, like: Why have you judged your brother(s) (names, dates, places, judgments)? And why have you ignored your brother and reduced him to nothing (names, dates, places)? And why have you separated yourself from your brethren (dates, names, places)? Do you have truthful answers? Really? I guarantee you that your forehead will be sweating and there will be no smile or joy on your face! And IF you truly desire that such passages in the Lord’s books be wiped out, you will have to repent to the Lord first and THEN ALSO to the brother(s), sister(s) or other persons (names, dates, places) at least those that you remember. Apostle Paul knew the “terror of the Lord” so he persuaded men including brethren (2Cor. 5:7-11).
Furthermore, the Lord says sufficiently clearly that He will not judge us even if any man heard (or read) His words and believed not (Jn. 12:47a). BUT, the word that He has spoken (or is written), that same word will judge us in the last day! (Jn. 12:48b) That means His Word, written or spoken to us, which we had not believed, not received, but rejected, despised and ignored, that same Word will judge us whether it was declared to us by the Lord or by His true servant(s), whom He chose and sent to us.
* * *
To be continued next week in chapter 3 – part 2
brother Hanola
…