11/06/21 WE NEED EARS TO HEAR

11/06/21 WE NEED EARS TO HEAR

I don't like explaining spiritual truths in simply human terms, but that is what we must do. However, understanding spiritual truths requires a relationship with God and His word. This may be called esoteric by some people, however it is not esoteric in the normal use of the word.

Basically, three forms of knowledge can be termed, Esoteric, Exoteric and Christian.

Esoteric knowledge is personal understanding of something from within yourself and only available to those with a special insight or understanding, not usually referring to the knowledge or understanding that God imparts to His children. This is the seen in the "hidden" knowledge claimed by non-Christian religionists such as "spiritualists," gnostics (ancient and modern).

Exoteric knowledge is knowledge, which is outside of self and is knowledge that is available to everyone. Though the spiritual truths of Christian salvation are made available for everyone, not everyone is in a living relationship with God and therefore, being dead in sins and trespasses they are dead (blind, deaf) to spiritual truth, without the enabling work of the Holy Spirit.

Christian knowledge is knowledge from God (outside of ourselves), about God and our relationship with Him, which He communicates to people of various spiritual conditions, from the lost to the most mature Christian. This knowledge or understanding always aligns with the infallible, written word of God in the Holy Bible. It is from God, to us (by His Holy Spirit) and is only known by those who have a living, faith relationship with God, through Christ.

The Bible refers to three kinds of people, when it comes to knowing and understanding God's enlightenment from His word.

The NATURAL MAN, or the man without spiritual life cannot know, understand Divine truth, reality because his sins have separated him from God and spiritual truth is only understood when the Holy Spirit enlightens a person. All of us have been Natural Men until we were regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

The CARNAL BELIEVER, or the person who has been saved, converted, justified, born of God, but still has the corruption of the sinful nature waging war against the knowledge and will of God. This person needs to recognize his own inherited and inward rebellion against God and that person needs to realize that there is deliverance from the Old Man, through faith in Jesus Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

The SPIRITUAL BELIEVER, is the Christian who has been redeemed, is walking in obedience to the light of God's word and has made total surrender, resulting in the purification of the heart from the Old Man (the mind of the flesh, the Double Mind). This person is not only forgiven for his own sins, which he has committed, but he is delivered from the inner pollution (rebellious attitude), which he (and all other people) inherited from Adam.

Remember, there is...
Human Nature, the nature to be Human (body, soul, spirit). Adam was created with human nature. Jesus was born with human nature, lived and died with human nature. Human Nature is not the same as sinful nature. Adam was created with human nature, but his disobedience corrupted his human nature and also introduced the Adamic or Sinful Nature.

Sinful Nature (Old Man, Adamic Nature, Fleshly Nature, Carnal Mind, Double Mindedness) is the inherited, internal, attitude of disobedience and rejection of God. All of humanity has received this from Adam (except for Jesus Christ, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary). Before we are saved, we have the human nature (the nature to be human) and we have the sinful nature (the nature to be sinful). Before we are saved we do not have the Divine Nature (the nature to be like or to be in the image of God). Through salvation God imparts Divine Nature (aka our New Man).

Divine Nature, is the imparted nature, which makes it possible to be conformed to the image of God. The Divine Nature tends toward God, while the Sinful Nature tends toward sin. Therefore there is an internal spiritual battle in new converts. God's plan for believers is to purify their hearts by the infilling and abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.

All Christians grow in grace and knowledge, but the Spirit filled, believers, who have purified hearts, grow more readily and completely, because they are set free from the inner corruption and conflict of the sinful nature.
It is like a piece of ground that grows nothing but weeds. Then the land is prepared and planted with good seed. The land now has good growth, mixed with weeds. The husbandman then clears out the weeds, which allows the good seed to produce more and better plants.

The purification of the heart has many Biblical passages that explain, admonish and prove that God has a second, definite, instantaneous, crisis salvation experience for believers. Few preachers preach or teach this great truth. But even when it is preached, few of those believers hear the message of God in their hearts. This is why we need to have, "EARS TO HEAR."

If you have any questions about my Biblical support for this post, please let me know.