THE BORN-AGAIN SPIRIT AND THE SCOPE TO BE LIKE JESUS

But whensoever it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, [there] is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. (2Cor 3:16-18). For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son (Rom 8:29).  But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit (1Cor 6:17). Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; (Gal 4:1). That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;… And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (Eph 3:16, 19).  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.(Eph 4:24). But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: (Eph 4:15). Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (Col 3:9-10).

BIRTH RIGHTS

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1Pet 1:3-5). And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Rom 8:17-18). For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; (2Cor 4:17). But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (1Cor 2:9). Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1Jn 3:1-2). And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. (1Cor 15:49).

SACNTIFICATION AND THE RENEWING OF THE MIND

OUR SOULS ARE NOT BORN AGAIN BY SUDDEN CHANGE. IT MUST UNDERGO THE PROCESS OF SANCTIFICATION BY GRADUAL RENEWAL OF THE MIND

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ. (1Cor 11:3).

While our spirits are born again and therefore "perfect" (Heb 12:22, 23) at the point of our confession of faith, our souls must be renewed daily by the Spirit. The body is constantly being influenced by other outside forces that are often contrary to the Spirit of God. Hence the warfare is in our souls, which is why James tells us that our souls must be "saved" or renewed day by day (James 1:21). So, all of Christian life involves the reversal process from death to life – coming back to life with God.

The Bible is clear that even though our spirits are born of incorruptible seed, our minds (souls) still need to be purified, that is, cleansed: "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." (1 Peter 1:22-23). Our spirit is instantly reborn and made new the moment we accept Christ, but the soul is not born again. Our souls are transformed by the renewing of our minds. "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:2). Our souls (that is, our minds) still need to be transformed and purified by the washing of the Word. "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word."  (Ephesians 5:26). The renewal of the soul begins with the renewal of the mind, which is your responsibility.  Renewing the mind means getting rid of the way that you used to think and begin to think the same way that Jesus thinks.  Once your mind starts becoming renewed, your will and emotions will follow. 

THERE IS A BATTLE INSIDE THE BELIEVER BETWEEN THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT WHICH OPPOSE EACH OTHER

God created your spirit, soul and body to be as one, but when we sinned in Adam, that oneness, triunity in man was broken and reversed to the extent our body (flesh) fights against the Spirit. In Christ we are primarily a spirit being intended to be controlled by spirit. But we live in a flesh body and soul that has desires contrary to the man of the spirit inside. This old nature, old man, carnal man, flesh, body of sin, sin nature, Rom 6:6,12, Rom 8:5-9, Eph 4:22, Col 3:5, is against the Spirit. “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other.” (Gal 5:17). There is a two-way pull. Your spirit man desires to please God, your flesh nature desires to go its own way contrary to God. The carnal mind is enmity against God. Those that are in the flesh cannot please God. (Rom 8:7-8).

Old man’s inner man and outer man – both are compatible to each other by the bond of sin and death. Hence there is no battle between them. They just die and go to hell silently. On the otherhand, the new man’s inner man and outer man are not compatible to each other now. They become so only in resurrection body.

THE MIDDLE MAN SOUL IS THE BATTLE GROUND BETWEEN THE SPIRIT AND THE BODY. IF THE SOUL ALLIES WITH THE SPIRIT, THEN THE  INNER MAN WINS, AND WILL WALK IN SPIRIT; BUT IF THE SOUL ALLIES WITH THE BODY, THE OUTER MAN WINS, AND THUS THE PERSON WILL WALK IN FLESH

The soul realm can be governed by either the spirit (a spirit led life), or by the flesh (a flesh led life). The soul is the mediator between the body and the spirit and it constantly get’s pulled in either direction. The body has its own wants and needs, and the spiritual body too has its own will and desire. The body wants to eat and sleep, but the spirit wants learn and grow. The spirit wants to go to church, but your body wants to sleep in. This is the battle for your soul where ultimately your mind must decide whether to take the physical path or the more spiritual path. The body seeks only immediate satisfaction. It always avoids discomfort, doesn’t like to sit still and read, and it is not our physical body that desires to learn.

THERE TWO WAYS BEFORE EVERY PERSON

: WALK IN THE SPIRIT OR WALK IN THE FLESH, EITHER LIFE OR DEATH; EITHER BE THE SERVANT OF GOD OR THE SERVANT OF DEVIL

See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil, In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it., But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. (Deut 30:15-18).

Man is not a master. Man is either a slave to God (which gives man the freedom and life) or a slave to sin and devil (gives real slavery and death). “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?... But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 6:16, 22-23).

WHEN YOU ARE WALKING IN THE SPIRIT, THE HOLY SPIRIT TAKES CONTROL YOUR SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY, SUBJUGATING THE FLESH, AND THE INNER MAN OVERCOMES OUTER MAN. THUS THE INNER MAN GRADUALLY GETS THE IMAGE OF CHRIST, AND GOD WINS IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE.

The believer who has experienced the new birth is a born-again person described in Scripture as a babe in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1), who is saved from the guilt and punishment of sin and is accounted righteous (justified) but who has yet to learn to “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16). Just as a new born baby has to learn to walk on its feet, so also a babe in Christ must now learn to walk in the power of the indwelling Spirit; this is the process of sanctification. But our profession of faith in Christ is only the beginning point of our walk with the Spirit of God who created the universe. The next steps involve allowing your newly created spirit to influence your soul and body, and this is the harder part where we learn to take up our cross and follow Jesus.

There's a tremendous battle going on in the life of every Christian. It's the battle between our inner man and our outward man. Our spirit man is supposed to be in control of our being. The spirit of a born-again person possesses the very nature of God. Therefore, it’s God’s will for our spirit man, to dominate all of the rest of our being. In other words, we believers are to receive our orders from the spirit and are to be led by our spirit man because our spirit man is submitted to the Spirit of God. Here’s the point: If we program our re-born spirit with the Word of God, then we'll become a partaker of God's very own divine nature. And because we have His divine nature within our spirit, our spirit is not going to mislead us and cause us to do something contrary to the Father’s will.

God not only created you as a spirit with a soul and body, but he designed you so that you (the spirit) would rule over your soul and body. When we are in proper alignment, all the other parts of man will submit to the spirit. Being in proper alignment is called ‘walking in the spirit’ while being out of alignment is called ‘walking in the flesh.’ When you (the spirit) are in control, the Holy Spirit can ‘direct connect’ with you (your spirit). This makes it easier to hear God speak to you, easier for the Holy Spirit to teach you, lead you, and operate through you in the form of the anointing. 

WALKING IN THE SPIRIT is overcoming in the conflict between the Spirit and the flesh. “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 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. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:16-25). But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. (Gal 6:14). 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. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 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. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 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 (Rom 8:5-11).

Although full payment has been made for your glorified body through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, you still have a corrupted body. One day it will be redeemed and changed into an incorruptible one, but for now, you still have the same body. Your soul wasn’t saved either. Because of that, some of you seriously doubt whether or not you were saved. You don’t understand that the change took place in your spirit. Typically, your body and soul are both impacted by what happens at salvation, but it’s not instant or complete. The good news is, you can change your soul as you change your mind. This renewed mind will have a mindset that is fixed "on things above" (Colossians 3:1-4). Your soul will be transformed to the degree you renew your mind, change your attitudes, and conform to the Word of God. This doesn’t happen automatically when you are saved. In your soul, old things did not pass away, and all things haven’t yet become new. For that reason, you could actually die from sickness or disease even though all of the power that raised Jesus from the dead is residing untapped within your spirit. It’s like dying of thirst while leaning against a well full of life-giving water. Think of your soul like the valve. It controls the rate and volume of the flow of the spirit into your body. If your mind is renewed and in agreement with the Word, the valve is wide open. But if it is in agreement with what your body is feeling or what your emotions are experiencing, then the valve is closed to God’s life in your spirit. Your soul has the power to keep every drop of life-giving power from ever reaching your physical body, or it can flood your body with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. If the valve is open, you’ll experience healing, deliverance, anointing, victory, power, joy, prosperity, and more. So, keep it open.

VICTORY IS IN RELEASING WHAT IS IN THE SPIRIT THROUGH THE SOUL AND THE BODY

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, (Eph 3:20). Everything you’ll ever need in the Christian life is already present in your born-again spirit   as a babe. After being born again, the rest of your Christian life consists of growing, renewing and releasing what’s already in your spirit into your soul and body.

FLESH IS HOSTILE TO SPIRIT. HENCE CRUCIFY THE FLESH, BY NOT ALLOWING IT TO RULE OUR LIVES

But the real problem we face is that our flesh also wants to be in control. We should not be led by our flesh, our outward man. If we allow our flesh to control and dominate, it will cause us to miss the will of God every time. Because that’s Satan’s realm, and deception is his specialization. Man’s flesh never wants to agree with the Word of God. The Bible refers to being fleshly led as being "carnal" - as being "body-ruled". Satan attacks through mankind’s soulish realm. The effects are manifest in the believer’s mind and flesh. But always remember this: He always attacks us from the outside, through the outer man. On the other hand, God communicates with believers on the inside, through man’s re-born spirit.

I am crucified with Christ: neverthless 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. (Gal 2:20). Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (2Cor 12:10). Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2Cor 7:1). These scriptures clearly instruct us that we must work at allowing our spirits to rule us, “…bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Co 10:5) - or, in other words, bringing our soul-mind and bodies into subjection to our spirit. But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (1 Cor 9:27).  

BODY WILL NOT BE REDEEMED THIS LIFE: The natural self-life of the soul and body together make up the life of the “flesh.” Man becomes flesh by birth [John 3:6]. The natural man, therefore, cannot live any other life but the life of the flesh. Man may educate himself and become highly cultured, but he will still live the life of the flesh. That is to say, selfishness in one way or another will be the controlling factor in his life. Every believer must fully realize that the corruption of the flesh is unrepairable [1 Corinthians 15:50-53].  Great though His power is, God will not transform the nature of the flesh into something that is pleasing to Him.  This is because the self-life of the flesh belongs to the realm of Satan, which realm is condemned by God unto destruction.  For this reason, at the cross Christ crucified the flesh [Hebrews 10:19-20]. In saving man, therefore, from the power of sinful flesh, He does not try to change the flesh but has put it to death through the cross of Christ, and instead gives man a new life, the life of His Spirit. The flesh must be crucified! My body is the means by which I look out at and communicate with the physical side of God’s creation. But my body us still corrupt and mortal. It has not yet been redeemed. And this body with its life of sin is beyond repair. For this reason, the believer looks forward to the Second Advent when our sinful bodies will be redeemed [Romans 8:23; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54]. Until then, the principle of the cross — which is the principle of self-denial — must daily be applied through the Holy Spirit to our sinful lives [Luke 9:23].

When the lust of the body dominates the life of an individual, such a life is full of wickedness. However, when the soul dominates a man he may live by high moral standards (like moralists), so that his civic character may be a fairly good one. Nevertheless, the lives of both of these individuals are the life of the “flesh,” even though their outward characters may be very different.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS THE BUILDING UP OF THE INNER MAN  - GROWING UP FROM THE NEWLY BORN INFANT STATE IN THE SPIRIT TOWARDS THE IMAGE OF JESUS CHRIST.

Spirit must grow from babe to man in Christ. Victory shall be in proportion to the growth. We spend a lot of time thinking about clothes, food, shelter, comfort for our body, but sadly none on the development of our spirit. Many people focus on the building up their bodies or their minds, but they often neglect to build up their spirits. One reason people neglect to build up their spirits is that they don't even realize they are spirit beings. Your spirit man is the man on the inside. It's the real man, the real you. So, when people look at you, they don't see the real you. They see the house you live in. It's important that you build up your physical body and develop your mind, but it's also important to build up your spirit man. You build up your spirit man the same way you build up your physical man through discipline.

FELLOWSHIP WITH JESUS - FEED ON THE WORD AND HIS PROMISES

The inner man is your spirit born again of God’s Spirit. Your inner man thrives on the things of the Spirit. Your spirit relies on the word of God to feed it. Jesus Christ is the Word. He is the Bread of Life. Daily communion with Christ feeds your inner man. Our inheritance is the land of promises in God’s Word. Set your mind on things of the Spirit, on things above. Fill your mind with the things of the Spirit and the Word of God. As your spirit grows you become more and more conscious of the Spirit and less and less conscious of the outward life.