The Church is the Body of Christ. It is also the “Bride” of Christ. However, the relationship of the bride with the bridegroom has been defiled. There are those who have entered the bride’s dressing room, while she was preparing herself to meet the groom, and have forced her to submit unlawfully to the will of men.
The lust for authority and control over the people of God has caused men to spiritually and naturally rape the Bride of Christ. She has been forced to alienate her affection and submission to Christ, and surrender them to the shepherds sent to prepare her for the Master.
Ephesians 5:22
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
Submission is not to every man in the church, but to her husband.
Ephesians 5:23
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
The Church and all who dwell therein is to be subject to Christ only. Therefore, those in the Body are to only submit to that which is of God. However, there are leaders who have defiled the Body by demanding submission to their personage, rather than to the gift within them.
There is a hunger and a thirst for authority in the Body of Christ. Men want to rule over the creation of God. The purpose of God does not include men ruling men. It is the Spirit of Christ who is to rule the Body. He is the only Head.
Those who minister in the Body are to perform only that which is written. The Word instructs leaders as to why, what and how to lead the people of God. To operate in the Word is to operate in the Spirit of Christ. Nevertheless, in many churches, the Word is not the directive in the life of the leaders. It has been replaced by self-will, hidden agendas and greed.
Ephesians 5:24
Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Here, Paul uses the domestic relationship between the husband and wife to show the relationship of Christ and the Church. The Church is to be in subjection to its own husband. It has been espoused to Jesus, the Christ. Even as Mary was espoused to Joseph, though the actual ceremony had not taken place, so is the Church espoused to Christ. All are to be subject to Christ . . . Jew, Gentile, man and woman.
Ephesians 5:24-29
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church . . .
In the natural creation, the woman is of the man. She is bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. Therefore, the husband is to love his wife as himself because she is of him. But listen to the apostle, as once again, he takes that natural creation and places it in the Body of Christ.
Ephesians 5:30
For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
For we, the Church, Jew, Gentile, bond, free, man or woman are members of His body. We are now bone of His bones and the flesh of His flesh. All things are of God. There is no distinction. Race, gender and social status are lost. We are a new creation. When the woman ministers before the Lord in the Body of Christ, the power on her head is that of Christ. She is the bone of His bones and the flesh of His flesh. She no longer has the limitations of being the bone of her husband or father’s bone, or the flesh of her husband’s flesh, as it relates to operating in the ministry. She is a new creature, as is her husband, in the Lord.
Paul is trying hard to explain the spiritual creation by using the order of the natural creation. The law of submission in marriage is applicable to the Church. The husband is the Lord. The Word is His will. The Spirit is His authority.
Ephesians 5:31-32
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Again, we have a principle from the natural order inferred upon the Church. Just as the husband and wife are one flesh, so are Christ and the Church. We are of His flesh. We are one with Him. Just as in the natural union between the man and the woman makes them no more twain, but one, so is the union of Christ with His Church. In the union of the husband and the wife, his authority and power overshadows the woman. She is given a measure or subordinate power, to that of the husband.
The same is also true in the union of Christ with us. His authority and power overshadows the man and the woman. They both become subordinate to him. Just as the wife is subordinate to the husband in the natural they both receive a subordination or rather are given the Spirit by measure.
No longer should brothers in the Body hide behind the doctrine that women are unable to operate in the same office of the Spirit, simply because they are females. The women in the Body of Christ have made the same transformation as the men. They are now bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh. That qualifies them as ministers of the gospel in any capacity the Lord desires to use them.
MARRIAGE AND MINISTRY
The institution of marriage is one designed solely for the satisfaction of the flesh and the procuring of offspring. However, the woman was designed to be a helpmate to the man. It was the first purpose of God to give Adam a helper in the management of Creation, as well as a wife to fulfill his personal desires. The word “help-meet” also carries the meaning “appointed aide.” It is the woman who was appointed to be the helper of man. None of the other animals were appointed to do so. Eve was given the same power over creation as the man. They were to rule over the fish of the sea, the fowls of the air and all the animals who dwelt upon the earth.
Genesis 2:18
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Genesis 2:20-23
20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
I want us to look into the Creation a little bit closer. Note that the Lord formed the man from the dust of the ground. However, he formed the woman out of the man. Therefore, the man is of the earth, earthy, but the woman is of the man, mankind. Eve was born of Adam. Paul explains it in his epistle to the church at Corinth. The following passage has been butchered in so many ways, until it is necessary for us to take a microscopic look at the true disposition of the scripture. To so do, we must be sure to study it within the context in which it is written.
I Corinthians 11:1-6
1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.
3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.
Here we see the apostle reminding the saints at Corinth, to keep the ordinances in the manner in which he, the apostle Paul, delivered them. Apparently, they had deviated from the things he had installed in the church. Such deviation was causing confusion among the saints and the elders. The issue at hand in this particular scripture is whether the women in the church should wear a covering over their heads, while attending or ministering in the service. Paul was a very good preacher because he was always able to use the things people could relate to as a basic illustration of the truth. Jesus used this method also.
In order to explain the mind of God concerning this matter, Paul starts with the original natural order of creation:
God is the head of Christ.
Christ is the head of man.
Man is the head of woman.
Every man who covers his head in prayer or ministry dishonors his head, which is Christ.
Every woman who prays or ministers with her head uncovered, dishonors her head, which is her husband. (I know someone is thinking, Paul is not just talking about the husband being the head of the woman, he is saying the man is the head of woman. Let’s stay inside of this premise. The end result is going to be the same.) Nevertheless, for her to do so is the same as her being shaven or shorn. (To cut her hair short as a man, or to be bald in the Corinthian customs was a shame).
I Corinthians 11:7-9
7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
Here is where we begin to see the spiritual mind of God being brought into the picture. The man is the image and the glory of God. He was created in the image of God and given dominionship of the earth from the very beginning of creation. Being the image and glory of God, the man should not cover his head as he ministers. The glory of God is not to be placed under a covering.
As custom would have it, for the woman or wife, a covering is a sign of subordination. This means that she is in subjection to the power and authority of her husband or father, if she is not married. Being of the man, and for the man means that her power to operate is ordained by the man. Therefore, she must operate in subordination, or a sub or lesser ordination provided to her by the man.
This means that she has a lesser ordination than that of the man, simply because her power was given to be a helpmate to the man or husband. The man, being the head of all creation, was to delegate authority to the woman. She was formed to help him. Therefore, her directives were to come from the man. Her authority and power were a sub or lesser ordination than that of the man. Thus, the woman is the glory of the man.
This is the natural order of the natural creation. However, we must see how the natural creation fits inside the spiritual body of Christ.
I Corinthians 11:10
For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.
Paul makes himself very plain right here. He explains that because of the natural order, in which the woman is the glory of the man and having a sub or lesser ordination, in order for her to enter and operate in the ministry (he uses prayer or prophesy), she must have power on her head. In the natural order of creation, the father or husband is already the power or authority on the head of the woman. However, the moment she steps into the spiritual arena, Paul insists that she must have another power because of the angels. This power does not come by the wearing of a hat or a veil. Nor can this power to entreat the angels of the Lord be given to her by the man. This is the power and authority that can only come from God. She must be covered with that power, in order for the angels of the Lord to become her ministering spirits, as they are of the man.
The angels are spirits who only respond to the will of the Spirit or glory of God. It is the angels who work in cooperation with us in ministry. Therefore, the woman must have this glory of God on her head before she can perform in the service of the Lord. She must be given the same glorious power as her male counterpart.
I Corinthians 11:11-12
11 Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.
12 For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.
Paul continues along the same line of reasoning. However, this time he goes even deeper. The man is not “apart from” or “besides” the woman. Nor is the woman, “apart from” or “besides” the man, in the Lord. Just as the woman is of the man, the men in the body of Christ came into being by the woman. Therefore, there is no one, without the other; but all things in the Body are of God
Paul now places the natural creation inside the Body of Christ. In others words, the spiritual position of the female changed in the Body. They were both born of the same Spirit. One is no greater than the other. The anointing is by the same Spirit, thus there is no lesser or subordination for the woman, when she operates in the spiritual arena. She can move in the same gifts of the Spirit as the man. God is not a respecter of the personage or flesh of men. He has formed Christ in us. The work of the ministry is that of the Spirit of Christ. He is the head of the Church. He is the head of all who are in the Body; both male and female.
I Corinthians 11:13-15
13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?
14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given her for a covering.
Paul really continues to drive his point home. Once again he goes back to the natural to explain the spiritual. It is not common or proper for a woman to go before the Lord uncovered. In the natural, for a man to have long hair is a shame. Why? Because long hair is the natural covering and glory of the woman. Therefore, it is a shame for a man to come into the presence of the Lord so covered. Likewise, just as long hair is the glory and covering of the woman, even so is the power of God a spiritual covering for her. Therefore, it is not a shame for the woman to minister before the Lord in the presence of the holy angels without a hat or veil. Christ is her covering.
I Corinthians 11:16
But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.
Now in plain or laymen’s terms, we do not have such customs of headwear for women in the churches of God.
In conclusion, Paul does not remove the necessity for the wife to submit to her husband in their matrimonial relationship. However, he does maintain that in the Spirit, her body can be used by Christ in the same manner as her husband’s for the Lord is the Head of His Body of which she is a part. He is her spiritual covering which supersedes the natural limitations of her flesh. It is not the flesh of the woman or the man that will work the work of the ministry. It is the Spirit of the living God.
Ephesians 5:33
Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
I chose the next verses of scripture because they adequately explain the frustration of some of the brothers in the Body today. This frustration is a result of the obvious use of women by the Lord. There are instances wherein the Lord is using women to pastor churches and even form reformations through the gift of Apostleship. I admit that there are some abuses to ministry, however, the same is equally true or more so, in the case of men who have abused their gifts in the Body.
Nevertheless, God’s truly called out handmaidens are getting the job done. They are successfully doing the work of the Lord. They operate in the ministry as the bone of His bones and the flesh of His flesh. Their works speak for them. There are men who desire to move in God and are being drawn to these women, by God. Their gender is no longer an issue.
Let us see how this lines up with scripture.
I Corinthians 12:13-31
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
The handmaidens are among those members of the body which seem to be more feeble. However, they are necessary. We are also among those who are thought to be less honorable and less comely or desirable. However, God has tempered the body together by giving more abundant honor to that part that had no honor.
Yes, brothers, those handmaidens who have been persecuted because of their gifts are receiving more abundant honor from the Lord. He is vindicating the women of God, by allowing the Holy Ghost to work through them in a mighty way.
I Corinthians 12:26-31
26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
Note that the honor bestowed upon those who are without honor is defined as a privilege to work in the ministry gifts. He gave first apostles, secondarily prophets, then evangelists, pastors and teachers. Yes, God is bestowing this honor upon the handmaidens whom you think to be less honorable.
Paul said that you should rejoice with those upon whom more honor is given. You should not be frustrated. Purify your heart and the Lord will use you just as mightily.
I Peter 3:7-8
7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous . . .
Now this is an interesting verse. Husbands, live with your wives according to your knowledge of the grace of God bestowed upon her. Husbands give honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel. Once again the woman or wife is considered the weaker or more feeble vessel with less honor than the husband or man. Furthermore, note that the apostle also admonishes the husband to acknowledge that they (husband and wife) are heirs together of the grace of life. They are heirs of the same grace with more honor being, in some cases, placed upon the weaker or more feeble of the two.
I Corinthians 14:34-38
34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
First of all, Paul could not possibly instruct the Corinthian women to be silent for the simple fact that he acknowledges the power of God on the woman’s head for ministry in the presence of the angels of the Lord. Besides, all women in the church are not married. Some have no husbands nor fathers at home. Therefore, he merely repeats the issue the elders are concerned about.
His reply is very candid. He recognized the pride in which the elders were operating. They were concerned about their wives operating in the same manner as them in the house of God. Here again is an attempt, by man, to restrict the power of God from operating through the life of another. The same thing was true of Peter and the other disciples, when they attempted to restrict the power of God in the Gentiles, because they were not of the circumcision.
Nevertheless, Paul reminded them that the Word of God did not come out from them. It came from above. Likewise, the Word did not come to men only, but also to the woman. She, too, is the called of the Lord. She is not under the bondage of the law, but the liberty of the Spirit.
Colossians 3:18-19
18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
I Peter 3:1-2
1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
Ephesians 3:6-7
6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
The making of a minister is by the grace of God. The ministry is the effectual working of the power of God. The power is always of God, not of man. It is the Lord Himself working through His body to reconcile the world to the Father. The vessel through which He works is not determined by man. For God, the Father, has tempered the body by giving more grace and honor to the weaker and more feeble parts. Thank God for His grace toward the woman and others less honorable. Thank God He is the one who chooses the vessels to be used and not man. For if God had left the woman to the desire of a man in the ministry, she would forever be suppressed in most churches. But thank God that the gifts of the Spirit make room for themselves. The gift given by God cannot be bound by the pride of men.
DEATH IS THE SACRIFICE FOR SIN
When the Lord gave Adam the commandment not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, He warned him that to do so would mean death. Death became the penalty for sin. Death is spiritual separation of man from God and the return of flesh to the dust or ground. In order for the penalty of sin to be paid, the flesh must die. It must be destroyed. This was the law of God from the beginning.
KINSMAN
A male relative; a man sharing the same racial, cultural, or national background as another. In the Old Testament the word kinsman is most often used as a translation of a Hebrew word that means, "one who has the right to redeem."
Since an Israelite could sell himself, his family, or his land <Lev. 25:39-43> in cases of poverty, the kinsman-redeemer <Lev. 25:25> was provided to protect the clan. This person, a near relative, had the first option by law to buy any land being sold, thus allowing it to be kept within the clan <Lev. 25:23-28; Jer. 32:6-10>.
The outstanding example of the kinsman-redeemer in the Old Testament occurs in the story of RUTH and BOAZ <Ruth 4>. Boaz, a near kinsman of Naomi (Ruth's mother-in-law), acted as a redeemer in accordance with Jewish law, and married Ruth.
In the New Testament, Jesus is described as our brother <Heb. 2:11-12,17>,; who redeems us from the power of sin.
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
JESUS: THE KINSMAN REDEEMER
Hebrews 2:11-17
11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
When the Lord saved us, He left us in these bodies of vanity. This is a deliberate act of the Father to present us likened unto those who need to be reconciled to Him. We are the ones acting in Christ’s stead. We have the same ministry of reconciliation given to Jesus by the Father. Therefore, in order to be continuously touched by the infirmities of others, the new creature was forced to remain in the human body. This guarantees the likeness and kinsmanship of the new creation with the human race.
THE SONS: KINSMAN REDEEMERS
The law of redemption demands a kinsman. We are the kinsman of the human race. Our bodies make us so. Therefore, the flesh has become the sacrifice. According to the Apostle Paul, our bodies must be presented to God as a living sacrifice.
Now, A SACRIFICE IS NOT A SACRIFICE UNTIL IT IS DEAD. The body must be dead to sin, but alive unto righteousness. Just as it was with Christ, so it is with the sons of God. Through the death of the flesh we will destroy the power of death in the lives of those held captive by Satan. We must die in the flesh in order to become equal with Christ in the redemption of the lost. We have no other method to operate the gifts of the Spirit. There must be a sacrifice offered for the privilege of operating the ministry of Jesus Christ.
I Corinthians 2:12
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
This verse renders a powerful statement of the new birth. Note that we have not received the spirit of the world again. This means that before the Lord saved us, the spirit of Satan dwelt in us. Satan is the god of this world. It is his spirit that works unrighteousness in the children of disobedience. It can also be noted that Jesus referred to Satan as the father of the Scribes and Pharisees. It is the father who provides the seed or nature of the offspring. The nature of the old creature is that of sin. But we have not received this spirit of bondage again that we should fear death.
The Spirit that we have received is the Spirit of God; the Holy Ghost. It is by the Holy Ghost that we know and experience the things given to us freely by the Father.
Now those things that are given to the sons by the Father are indeed the attributes of the Father. The crucial issue is the “knowing.” We need to know in order to respond. This is the cry of the inner man.
Philippians 3:9-10
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death . . .
These are the things we need to know:
1. To know Him
St. Luke 10:21-22
21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.
It is by the Holy Ghost that we know the Son and it is by the Son that we know the Father. The true knowledge of the Son and the Father is by revelation. It is not by reading comprehension. It is the Father who reveals the Son, and the Son who reveals the Father. The revelation of the Godhead is given to us by the Spirit of God. Now we know Him because He lives in us.
I Corinthians 12:3
Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
Except it be for the Spirit of God who dwells in us, we would not know of a certainty that Jesus is Lord. However, the Holy Ghost bears witness with our Spirit that He is indeed the Son of God and Lord of all creation.
I Corinthians 2:9-13
9 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.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 What in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
The Holy Ghost is responsible for teaching us those things that are spiritual. For we have now become spiritual creatures. We must begin to learn about the world that transcends the natural.
I Corinthians 2:14
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The natural man cannot receive the things of the Holy Ghost. These things can only be discerned spiritually. Once again this proves that there are two races on the face of the earth; the natural man and the spiritual man. The sons of Adam and the Sons of God.
I Corinthians 15:45-47
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
It would be great if the Sons of God would acknowledge their deity in the earth. If so, we would be able to procure many more sons unto glory. But we fail to truly see who we really are.
Although we have the ability to discern the things of the Spirit, we have neglected to discern our very own selves. We talk, walk, act, think and pray with the fleshy mind. We are as babes, never maturing in the things pertaining to God and the new creation. We are failing in the grace of God. The inner man is groaning inside, awaiting a Word to help Him in His quest to come forth through the veil so that the world can entertain Him. He is the mediator and intercessor for the lost. He is the power of God in the earth. However, He was made weak through spiritual starvation. Nevertheless, now that we are receiving the truth mightily, we must somehow make the adjustment into this mind of the Spirit.
I Corinthians 2:9-16
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Those who are spiritual are able to judge for righteousness all things, comparing spiritual with spiritual. Therefore, we are able to judge between the good and evil in the world because we have the mind of Christ, in our inner man. However, the world is not able to judge nor instruct us, for it knows not the mind of God.
ONE WITH CHRIST
John’s gospel renders an awesome truth. He says the Comforter is the knower. He is the Spirit of the Father, therefore, He knows the Father and the Son.
St. John 14:16-18
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Notice that unlike us, the Lord makes Himself one with the Holy Ghost. This is the inner man talking. He is the one who was coming back to dwell in the apostles.
St. John 14:19-20
19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
The inference here is because we are alive unto God, we should now understand that we are in Christ and Christ is in us. We must become one with this truth. We must see our relationship for what it is. We are not separate from Christ nor the Father. We are one with the Father and the Son.
St. John 14:21-23
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
The Father and the Son will abide in the tabernacle of man. We will talk more about this fact later. Now I want us to receive the vision of the oneness of the new creation. We must come to acknowledge our oneness with the Father and the Son. We must acknowledge the deity of the new creature; that is, who we really are!
2. To know the power of His resurrection
I want you to take a closer look at the following passage. The Lord has caused me to see the true essence of these verses.
I Peter 3:18-20
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
This is the scenario: Christ suffered, died and was then quickened in the Spirit by the Holy Ghost.
The body of Christ laid in the tomb. It was His Spirit who went into the belly of hell to preach the gospel. His Spirit was quickened by the Holy Ghost and carried out of the body to preach to the spirits in prison. He showed up as a spiritual being and those in hell were in their spiritual state of existence.
The word quicken means, “to preserve alive.” The Spirit of Christ was preserved alive in the Holy Ghost. He preached the gospel in the lower parts of the earth.
St. John 5:25-29
25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
I Peter 3:21
The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ . . .
Here Peter describes the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as a baptism. In a like manner, so must the new creation experience the death of Christ and the power of His resurrection. Our baptism is not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Our spirit was buried with Him in death, since He died for all, then all died with Him. Likewise, the conscience experienced the power of His resurrection in that it was raised from death, alive unto God.
Now, the conscience is quickened to minister to those who are lost and out of the way. It is the inner man who will preach the gospel and do the work of the ministry. He is the one who is very Christ, not the flesh. It is the Spirit of the Father dwelling in the conscience who empowers it.
The inner man is a spiritual being who also preaches to the spirits of those who are disobedient. The Word is Spirit and must be communicated by the Spirit to the Spirit. Because the conscience of a man is aware of the God of creation through divine intellect, those who hear the gospel are without excuse if they reject this truth.
I Peter 3:22
Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
The same is true with the sons of God. Principalities and powers are made subject to the power of the new creature.
St. Luke 10:19-20
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
As it is with the Master, Satanic powers have been made subject to the sons. However, with the giving of the power of the Holy Ghost comes a warning and the development of a righteous mindset. Our rejoicing should be relative to the fact that we are the offspring of God and destined for heaven. We should not glory in the power to cast out demons, but rather in the power to live holy.
