Paul
was comparing our natural life to the spiritual life; he wanted to compare the
two and show that there is a vast difference between the two. There is no
comparison at all; the natural life is living for one's self-interest while
walking in the Holy Spirit is seeking after the power of God in our lives and
what pleases the Lord.
Even though the two are different, they are deeply and uniquely intertwined together. The natural and the spiritual exist at the same time in the same space. The natural is corrupted by the effects of sin and death, while these
limitations do not bind the spiritual.
All of natural creation suffered the
loss of the spiritual dimension when Adam fell from his position as God's
imager in the garden of Eden. His original purpose was to make the entire earth
a garden and expand it in creative ways with what God had given him, which was always
the plan and purpose of man. God's economy is always focused on expansion and
not contraction.
The accuser (known
as Satan) had a different
plan in mind for man; he wanted to usurp man's God-given ability as God's
imager and rebel against the divine order and image the world after his
likeness instead. The difference was Satan's image had no permanence or
stability because that is not how creation was designed. In some ways,
this was God's blessing that there would be an end to this folly by the death
of the created things. All of creation was never meant to have an end and die;
the intent was eternal permanence. All of the creation groans for permanence to
return for this is how it was originally designed.
"For we know that up to the present time all of
creation groans with pain, like the pain of childbirth. But it is not just
creation alone which groans; we who have the Spirit as the first of God's gifts
also groan within ourselves as we wait for God to make us his children and[a]
set our whole being free." Romans 8:22-23 (GNT)"
Paul is making an assumption here "As you yield freely," he is expecting us to see the beauty and
wonder of this "dynamic
life and power" and be drawn
to or captivated by it. The moving Holy Spirit is the outflow or dynamic
response of Christ as we seek after a relationship with Him.
What Paul is
alluding to is we are restored to the position as God's imagers once again when
we yield to Christ. Jesus removed the curse of sin and death, and we are able
through Christ to speak creative life into all of creation that we encounter.
"For since we have become one with him in dying as
he did, in the same way, we shall be one with him by being raised to life as he
was. And we know that our old being has been put to death with Christ on his
cross, in order that the power of the sinful self might be destroyed, so that
we should no longer be the slaves of sin. For when we die, we are set free from
the power of sin. Since we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also
live with him. For we know that Christ has been raised from death and will
never die again—death will no longer rule over him. And so, because he died,
sin has no power over him; and now he lives his life in fellowship with God. In the same way you are to think of yourselves as
dead, so far as sin is concerned, but living in fellowship with God through
Christ Jesus." Romans
6:5-11 (GNT)
Paul
continues on "..you will
abandon the cravings of your self – life", he speaks of this as a surety that once you
experience Christ that there will be nothing else you desire more than to know
Him and encounter the new-life in Him. Paul is speaking from experience and not
just making a false assumption; he knows that Jesus will capture our hearts if
we let Him.
"Jesus replied, "Listen to my words: anyone who
leaves his home behind and chooses God's kingdom realm over wife, children,
parents, and family, it will come back to him many more times in this lifetime.
And in the age to come, he will inherit even more than that—he will inherit
eternal life!" Luke 18:29-30 (TPT)
There is
little we give up in comparison to what is given to us in the spiritual realm.
The sheer beauty of the Kingdom of God is beyond our ability to comprehend. We
are literally ruined for anything less.
This is such
a small scripture in Galatians chapter 5 but is packed with so much information
that it boggles the mind.
Be Blessed;
Stephen
Barnett
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