| E-MAIL SERVICE | Sign me up to receive the daily Word of Righteousness free via my E-mail address! ( ONLY AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH ) | |
| ARCHIVES | I want to check out the daily Words of Righteousness for any of the last fourteen days or from previous weeks. ( ENGLISH ONLY ) | |
| FEEDBACK | I have a question or comment about today's Word of Righteousness. ( ENGLISH AND SPANISH ONLY ) | |
| BOOK LIST | I would like to see the complete book list of the Words of Righteousness author Robert B. Thompson. (SOME SPANISH TITLES AVAILABLE ) |
The Daily Word of Righteousness
Without Sin Unto Salvation, #6
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. (Galatians 2:20)
Precisely who is Paul now? Has Paul become Christ? Who has been crucified? Who is living in Paul's flesh?
Again:
For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. (Romans 7:19)
Notice the two separate wills, the two "men," living as one. First, there is the "I" who desires to do good. Then there is the evil nature.
Which one of these two wills is Paul? They both are Paul.
We understand, therefore, that the human being is a complex creation.
There is in each individual a conscious will, a unique identity. We do not know whether it is his spirit or soul or some combination of these. It appears that the conscious will of the person is not his brain or body. His spirit, or mind, seem to be the most likely candidate.
Whatever the conscious will of the person is, it is this that chooses to obey or disobey the Lord.
The human personality is part of the first creation, the adamic creation, and is assigned to the cross. It cannot be saved as it is. It must die and be resurrected as part of Christ before it can enter the Kingdom of God.
The first man is a living soul. He is of the earth. He cannot be saved in the sense of being preserved. He drinks lawlessness like water.
The second man is a life-giving spirit (I Corinthians 15:45). He is of Heaven. He is eternal. He is of the Kingdom of God. He cannot sin because he has been born of God (I John 3:9).
The human personality comes into the world as a living soul. If the "I" chooses to receive Christ, the whole original personality is brought into death and then is raised again in Christ. The personality is transformed from a living soul into a life-giving spirit. This is the new covenant (Hebrews 8:10-12; II Corinthians 3:18). This is what it means to be "saved" in the fullest sense.
If the "I" chooses to reject Christ, the "I" finally is banished from the Presence of God along with the whole first personality. This is what it means to be "lost."
The Christian salvation, the Kingdom of God, is not the forgiving and reforming of the first personality. The Christian salvation is the changing of the individual from a living soul, which is hopelessly corrupt, to a life-giving spirit.
While it is necessary for us to hold our animal, earthly personality in check, such restraint is not the final result of the new covenant. The final result of the new covenant is another kind of creature—a life-giving spirit.
The judgment of the saint is based largely on the decisions the "I" has made throughout life on earth. Righteousness and holiness of behavior, or the lack of it, come only from God. But the decisions made by the "I," whether or not to serve God diligently in each incident, each issue, are our responsibility.
We cannot save ourselves. Only God can save us. It is the responsibility of our "I" to turn to God continually, calling on Him for every aspect of our personality and behavior. The Lord Jesus will judge the "I" for the decisions it has made.
To be continued.