IT HELPS TO UNDERSTAND OURSELVES (1)
I taught a Bible College Counselling course for over 10 years called “Understanding People”, to help future Pastors to do just that, understand why people act and react the way they do, I hoped it would also help them understand themselves. The Bible teaches us that man is made up of three parts BODY, SOUL & SPIRIT. Paul prayed for the Thessalonian believers that “The God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY be preserved blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ”. (I Thess. 5:21) Some Theologians suggest man is only made up of 2 parts soul/spirit & body based on Hebrews 4:12 and only the Word of God can divide between soul and spirit. For ease of teaching we will highlight the 3 parts .In the last blog in this series I will insert a diagram that will help you to clearly seen what I am teaching.
LET US LOOK AT THE SPIRIT OF MAN
When we are born, there is only one thing that we understand is operating in our spirit that is our CONSCIENCE, please note everyone is born with a conscience, the best definition for the conscience is that something within that helps us discern that which is right or wrong. As we are growing up we violate it so many times that it ceases to work very well. Someone has said the Conscience is like a red flashing light, that when we come anywhere near being disobedient it flashes brightly. Like so many drivers we disregard the red light and keep on going. (and will eventually have a big crash). Paul writing to Timothy speaks of a conscience seared with a hot iron ( 1Tim.4:2) When a hot iron is placed on say our arm, the nerve ends are cauterised and thus there is then no feeling, so if we keep rejecting the promptings of our conscience, it ceases to operate effectively.
THE GOOD NEW IS OUR CONSCIENCE CAN BE RENEWED.
When we are born again, and especially with good Biblical Discipleship we can ask the Lord to renew our conscience, and so when we come anywhere near sin the lights flash, the bells ring and we back away from committing sin.
When we are born again, the Holy Spirit comes and dwells in our spirit and two other things then begin to operate.
INTUITION, firstly intuitively we are aware for the first time of God’s presence in our lives, it becomes the anchor. Intuition is made up of 2 words IN and TUITION. we now have a TUTOR who lives inside of us, and the Holy Spirit writes the laws of God on our hearts, and as we read and meditate on the Word of God He leads us into all truth.
COMMUNION, we now have the ability to commune with God in prayer. before we were saved we couldn’t feel God’s presence, and had no desire to speak with Him, but now, we should want to spend time in His presence and talk with Him and share our heart with him, and worship Him in spirit and in truth.
The diagram I will insert later is like an archery target, and the bulls eye in the centre is the spirit of man. Now God’s plan is that He moves into the soul and the body and we can become the person He planned us to be in eternity past.
