Is there a higher walk for believers in Christ?

[Peterlag]

You have to understand we are 3 parts.
Spirit
Soul
Body.
That is our starting place.
It is your spirit that is indwelt by God.
We are born again in our spirit.
We talk to God in our spirit. He speaks to us in our spirit.
The mind is the soul.
The battle is in the mind.
If what you believe is true, then there is no opportunity of temptation.
You need to incorporate that into your position.
If we have no old nature, there is no chance of allurement away from the groom.

Now I finally know why when we follow after the spirit we will not walk after the lust of the flesh. The reason I cannot lust in the flesh when following after the spirit is because it's impossible to do so since the spirit of Christ does not lust after the flesh.

 

[Peterlag]

Saved sinners..

Amen

There might be a difference from Christians who can sin and those who are sinners or have a sin nature.

 

[Peterlag]

No, He said I AM (present tense) Chief of all sinners.

If your walking in the flesh everything you do is sin.

I'm going to put Paul here...

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

I live by the faith of the Son of God...

If Paul in Galatians 2:20 says he's crucified in the flesh. But he still lives, but not him, but Christ. Then I gotta think he's referring to the Christ within. The new nature. And that is the spirit of Christ, which we can shorten to spirit. Then it's the faith from the spirit. Well, one of the operations or manifestations of the spirit is faith.

 

[marks]

The thought comes that maybe that's why it casts out fear, because saving our own hide wouldn't be so foremost on our minds.

1 John 4:15-18 KJV
15) Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
16) And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17) Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Yes. As we grow in His love we become less afraid, being assured of our standing in Him.

Much love!

 

[marks]

The crisis comes twice: once when we first come to Christ and wish to be delivered from the sinful side, then once again when we see that even our best works are not in accordance with His desires.

Should we try to define other people's life experiences? Some have a major crisis and they experience what seems like a great change, and some revert back from that, and some don't. Some never have the major crisis having many "minor" crises, each adding to the accumulation of change. Or so it seems to me.

Much love!

 

[marks]

The problem is you have 3 people all who believe the Bible says something and they all claim they were told by the Spirit.

I mean look at eternal life. Look at how many views there are of what it means.. And all of them say God told them that.

can they all be right? Is eternal life really that difficult to understand?

So then who do they say Jesus Christ is? They all say they believe, but who are they believing? Doctrines don't exist in a vacuum. And does the man who denies Christ to be God come in flesh hear the Holy Spirit?

Much love!

 

[marks]

I would say we examine ourselves by the light of the Lord....what He reveals/shows us. Because without Him we can do nothing, not even see.

Associate this admonition with the following Scripture,

Philippians 2:12-13 KJV
12) Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13) For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

And the question is, am I putting into my life all that God is putting into me? Or am I falling short?

Much love!

 

[Eternally Grateful]

There might be a difference from Christians who can sin and those who are sinners or have a sin nature.

Oh I agree

yet they are all sinners.

Just one are dead in their sin.

the other their body is dead because of sin, but their spirit is alive because of Jesus righteousness.

ie. a Saved sinner..

 

[Eternally Grateful]

I'm going to put Paul here...

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

I live by the faith of the Son of God...

If Paul in Galatians 2:20 says he's crucified in the flesh. But he still lives, but not him, but Christ. Then I gotta think he's referring to the Christ within. The new nature. And that is the spirit of Christ, which we can shorten to spirit. Then it's the faith from the spirit. Well, one of the operations or manifestations of the spirit is faith.

1 Timothy 1:15
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

and if you have any question. In the greek am chief is present, active indicative first person singular.

so did Paul contradict himself?

 

[marks]

Living in the flesh is what it says

You are serving self. (The flesh)

A babe in christ still serves self. He or she has to learn to love as God loved them. Thats why they can only be fed milk..

but they are just as saved as the man of Christ who is mature in all ways..

Rather, Scripture gives specific definitions of being in flesh and in s(S)pirit.

Romans 8:5-11 KJV
5) For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6) For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7) Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8) So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9) But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10) And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11) But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Simply stated, you are not "in flesh" if you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

There is a lot more that can be said of course, which we can look at the various passages. We are in flesh, until we are reborn, at which time we are in the Spirit. I believe this refers to the source of our living. Prior to rebirth, we derived our "being alive" because we inhabited living bodies. Now, in Christ, we derive our "being alive" from God's spirit, a different sort of life.

Paul actually uses the language a couple of ways. Here, he is describing our source of life, and how this source survives our flesh death, even overcoming it. While in his letter to Corinth he speaks of being in flesh, but not warring after flesh. Just because we still live in these bodies, our battle isn't fought the way this body fights.

Much love!

 

[Eternally Grateful]

So then who do they say Jesus Christ is? They all say they believe, but who are they believing? Doctrines don't exist in a vacuum. And does the man who denies Christ to be God come in flesh hear the Holy Spirit?

Much love!

you have to listen to them

if you listen, you will hear who or what their faith is in.

 

[Eternally Grateful]

Rather, Scripture gives specific definitions of being in flesh and in s(S)pirit.

Romans 8:5-11 KJV
5) For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6) For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7) Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8) So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9) But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10) And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11) But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Simply stated, you are not "in flesh" if you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

There is a lot more that can be said of course, which we can look at the various passages. We are in flesh, until we are reborn, at which time we are in the Spirit. I believe this refers to the source of our living. Prior to rebirth, we derived our "being alive" because we inhabited living bodies. Now, in Christ, we derive our "being alive" from God's spirit, a different sort of life.

Paul actually uses the language a couple of ways. Here, he is describing our source of life, and how this source survives our flesh death, even overcoming it. While in his letter to Corinth he speaks of being in flesh, but not warring after flesh. Just because we still live in these bodies, our battle isn't fought the way this body fights.

Much love!

I can be in the flesh, if I could not. the bible would not warn me about being fleshly

romans 8 is our position in Christ. It speaks of spiritual life, verses spiritual death, or being in the flesh.

 

[marks]

I can be in the flesh, if I could not. the bible would not warn me about being fleshly

romans 8 is our position in Christ. It speaks of spiritual life, verses spiritual death, or being in the flesh.

What I'm saying is the Bible speaks in very particular ways about "in flesh" and "in spirit" and "after flesh" (according to flesh, or patterened after flesh), and "after the Spirit", and these are not the same.

Ephesians 4:21-24 KJV
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;
23) And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24) And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Here, "After God", means, according to the same design, our new man is created patterned after God.

For me, it was/is very meaningful to slowly work one's way through Romans 8 paying close attention to these different word uses, and making sure one fully understands what Paul is saying in each place. This is one of those difficult to understand places, but we can understand it in the Spirit.

Much love!

 

[marks]

Living in the Spirit
…7because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God. 9You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.…
Berean Standard Bible

This verse is clear, that there is a division and if we do not walk in the Spirit aka babes in Christ, they do not belong to Christ.

I'd suggest a more literal translation particularly for this portion of Scripture. There is a great deal lost in less than literal translations.

Personally, I find this passage to be one of the most intricate piece of writing in the Bible, and there is much gain in fully understanding what God is teaching us here.

Much love!

 

[marks]

I believe the spirit of Christ is my new nature and therefore I have been able to function in it. To live in it, walk by it, and be in it. When I finally figured this out is when the lights turned on. Most of my life I believed I was in a battle between what I thought was my old man fighting against what I thought was my new man. Now I'm not fighting. I moved right in the darn thing. It seems to me one cannot walk in or by the spirit if our old nature (which is dead) thinks it's fighting against our new nature.

Galatians 5:16-18 KJV
16) This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17) For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18) But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

What does this part mean?

Much love!

 

[marks]

Brother, to me everything is not always cut and dried since we're all individuals, who are growing at that. It's the flesh and carnal mind really that wants everything to be cut and dried, wrapped up and tied with a bow. We only understand in part and improve and refine our understanding as we go along, as well as dropping things that weren't true. One day at a time with the Lord. We don't have to know all because our God who we are following knows all. The foundation however, is non-negotiable. Christ and Him crucified and repenting of dead works. A hill to die on, as someone put it recently. We must not move from the foundation, but as we build up from it the reality is that there are things we each will need to tweek or dismantle and fix from time to time as we go along, building ever upward. That's how I think of it, just in my own words. Not as to make light of it though.....we don't want to be building with wood hay and stubble...it is important how we build and we want to be diligent and sincere, not being careless.

I wonder that we sometimes think we are in a spiritual mind, and we are actually thinking according to our fleshy mind.

Learning to differentiate between the mind of the Spirit and the mind of the flesh, very important! The mind of the flesh can seem OK . . . but it's not. I little leaven, and all that.

Much love!

 

[rebuilder 454]

Galatians 5:16-18 KJV
16) This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17) For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18) But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

What does this part mean?

Much love!

I would add to that vs 16.
It says it all.
Great point sir!

 

[marks]

When the love of something other than God is present we fall out of the Spirit.

Should we think that our life experience is duplicated in others? Or is that simply how it happened with you?

For me, the ending was different, and not related to that. I suggest only giving these "rules" if that is what the Bible teaches. Our experiences may vary.

Much love!

 

[marks]

Paul said he considered all his hardship a momentary light affliction. Why? because he understood eternity was forever. And he was assured if his inheritance.. So he could focus on doing all he could hear. Knowing nothing could seperate him from God.

I wish we all could be there. sadly most believers will never reach that state

If in fact it were Paul caught up to the third heaven (first heaven/earth= pre-flood; second heaven/earth = that now is; third heaven = NHNE), if this were what he was referring to in saying,

Ephesians 3:3-4 KJV
3) How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4) Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

Perhaps it was that he saw the completed church, understanding what it meant, all of us, everyone in Christ there, none lost. Perhaps?

Much love!

 

[marks]

Sounds to me like Paul was challenging some who were erring. Disqualified means not having Jesus Christ in them (His Spirit)....either because they never did receive Him yet, or because they have fallen away from Him and the Spirit departed (ichabod).

By the context I think this related specifically to his rewards. I can say more if you like.

Much love!