The important issue in Christianity is not what church we attend or what doctrines we believe. The important issue is whether we are attending to the things of the flesh or the things of the Spirit.

A Christian believer may be quite sound in doctrine and may attend an assembly where the Scriptures are taught by the elders, and still be spending his time and energy in the things of the flesh. The greater part of his or her day may be occupied with what is being eaten, what is being worn, how his or her job is progressing, and all the other "legitimate" concerns of human beings. He thus will remain ignorant of God's will until the flood comes and carries away all his treasures.

In fact, it happens in churches and theological institutions that the Scriptures themselves become a thing of the flesh, a corpus of knowledge, a cadaver dissected by scholars who are as full of the pride of knowledge as scholars of any other discipline.

The Scriptures do in fact lend themselves to an intellectual approach, becoming an object of fleshly ambition. The lawyers and Pharisees of Jesus' day knew the Scripture but were dead spiritually. There is a great gulf between knowledge gained by a disciplined study of the Scriptures and other sacred books and knowledge that comes from the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. The Pharisees had the one. The Lord Jesus had the other.

Christians who are walking in the appetites of the flesh do not enjoy being around the true saints. They would not enjoy being around Peter or John or Paul even though they may pride themselves on their knowledge of the writings of the Apostles of the Lamb.

The true members of the Body of Christ, while they are diligent in secular affairs (they are commanded so to be), are occupied primarily with the Person and will of Christ. They are growing, growing, growing in the things of Christ. Christ is All in all to them. For them to live is Christ and to die is gain. The Spirit guides and comforts them in all areas of living.

For to be fleshly minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)

The believer who is spending the greater part of his time and energy in worldly concerns is not attaining eternal life. Even though he may have accepted Christ as his Savior he still is dwelling in death as far as his spiritual life is concerned.

His spiritual nature, if he hasn't already killed it, is at the right hand of the Father in Christ. However, his life on the earth is not reflecting his heavenly position. His human personality still is saturated with the death that always follows the lusts of the body and soul. "What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6).

After we are saved we must choose each day to come under the discipline of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise we are dwelling in the death that accompanies the lustful nature of our physical body rather than in the eternal life that accompanies our new nature in the heavenlies in Christ.

To be continued.