June 18, 2020 WE MIGHT KNOW
1 Corinthians 2:12-14 “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thought with spiritual words. But the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”
When I carefully read these verses, I am forced to ask myself if I am living by human reason and thought, or by the Spirit of God. There is a tremendous difference. It is my suspicion that many believers, without realizing it, are living out of human logic, traditions, and pre-conceived ideas and beliefs-basically on auto pilot. It’s possible that the only difference between some professing believers and those who are not believers is that the believers may be church-goers and may live by some moral code, trying to do the things that believers are supposed to do. I know this line of thought may sound judgmental, but it is not, because I realize that many are simply living out the gospel they have been exposed to for many years-a sub-standard gospel. With all of this being said, let’s look at the awesome truths presented in these verses. We can hear something so often that we come to a place where we no longer hear, and such can be the case here. Can we hear afresh that we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God? It is a fantastic miracle that we have received the Spirit who is from God! Think about it. How can receiving the Spirit of God not have a drastic impact on us; His Spirit does not improve us or refurbish us, but makes us new. Human wisdom is not the Spirit of God. One primary function and purpose of the Spirt is that we might know the things freely given to us by God. Having been given the Spirit who is from God changes everything. God has freely given us many things, including forgiveness from all sin, a new heart, a new spirit, a new mind, an inheritance that will not fade away, righteousness, a hope for now and for the future, has made a member of His family, has transferred us form darkness to light, spiritual gifts with which we bless other members of the body, wisdom that is from Him, and the opportunity to be about expressing the life of Jesus in us-the list could go on. We can now have spiritual thought and can express those thoughts with spiritual words. We must grasp anew that we are in His kingdom, and His kingdom is more real than this world’s kingdom that we see with our eyes. Because we are the reciepients of the Spirit of God, we think differently, we respond differently, we have new desires, we see the world around us through the eyes of God, and we know that real life flows from God. Of course, this all hinges on us learning of Him and discovering our new identity we have as His followers. As alluded to above, sad to say, we have been exposed to a sub-standard gospel (that’s another whole story) and it has had detrimental effect on many believers as it has resulted in not knowing and not experiencing our newness as a way of life. Paul is very clear, we have received the Spirit that is from God, and His Spirit has made us new, the old has passed away. Let us not debate, but let us receive what God has done and what God has given to those know Him.
Ephesians 1:18-19b “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.
Blessings,
Buddy
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