October 1943
369
How the Spirit-Filled Life Is Maintained
II. Man’s Cooperation*
By RUTH P A X SO N
S WO BROAD classifications em brace all Christians, for each believer is e i t h e r a carnal Christian or a spiritual Christian. These two kinds of life are vividly set forth in Romans 7 and 8 , with the sharp distinguishing’ line drawn at the .last two verses of Romans'7: “ O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus ^Christ our Lord.” In our previous discussion on this subject, we noted that the pronoun “I”—representing the self life as in control—is everywhere prominent in Romans 7, the chapter of defeated Christian experience. But Romans 8 is the £tory of control by the Holy Spirit. ¿ 2 very believer occupies a position on the right side of Calvary, having accepted Christ in His atonement for sin on the cross. But Romans 8 - re veals the condition of the trusting Christian who is yielded to the Lord’s control. It is only such a one who can be described as “Spirit-filled.” What is our part in cooperation with God in this matter? This question brings us to two definite statements and commands in Romans 8 . First, we leam how the Holy Spirit gains in ward control, and second, how He gains outward control' over our lives. Inward Control: Having "The Mind of the Spirit" First, there must be inward control. The spiritual Christian will mind the things of the Spirit, “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” (Rom. 8:5). Next we read in the Revised Ver sion: “For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace.” Are you fleshly minded or spiritually minded? You are one or the other. Which are you? We often describe people these days as being money-minded, or air- minded, or food-minded, or war- minded. Every Christian is habitually either fleshly minded or spiritually minded. Which are you? Let us consider that reference to those who “mind . . . the things of *Part 1 of this two-part study, dealing with “ God's Provision,*’ appeared in the preced ing issue .
the Spirit.” . “Mind”—it is a very strong word. It refers to that which is the bent of your mind, not what is just your careless, casual thinking. What is the bent of your mind, friends? Oh, I know that some of you men are in business and you have to keep your mind on the affairs you are managing while in the offi’ce or shop. A woman in her home has to keep her mind on the things she is doing. • You have seen people who think that if one is spiritually minded it Is impossible to be practically minded. I believe the person that is most spiritually minded ought to be the most practically minded bfecause a spiritual mind is a disciplined mind. Thert what does this injunction mean? It refers to what your mind is focused upon as its center; what your mind flies back to in leisure moments; what is the fixed home of your thoughts. YoUr mind is a think ing machine, and it can think only upon what it is supplied to think about. It is sinful thinking that re sults'in sinful doing. We should guard our thoughts and should supply our minds with the right things upon which to think. There must be an object to our thinking, and we feed the mind through our eyes and ears. “Mind the things Of the Spirit.” Friends, are we minding earthly things or heavenly things? There was never in this world a time when we so needed to guard our Thoughts as today. I believe the devil is working overtime to confuse and pervert the
thoughts of God’s people, to instill into the thoughts of men and women fear and impurity and hate and devil ishness of all kinds and descriptions. Our Part in Cooperation The Holy Spirit is in us to make us heavenly minded and spiritually minded. Are we going to let Him do it? God gives us very clear teaching on what our. part is in cooperation. In 2 Corinthians 10:5, we read: “Cast ing down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of C h r i s t . ” “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoeyer things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatso- 1 Continued on Page 373] A dog was out walking with his master. He was just a tiny fellow, and a great, tall man had him on a leash. They were walking along and everything was going fine. Then the little dog got a notion into its little head that it did not want to go that way. And that little thing took an angle of forty-five degrees in rela tionship to that leash. Every muscle of its body was strained against the leash. And the tall master could not budge that bit of a dog one inch! Not an inchI The dog wanted to walk another way. The carnal Christian is like that dog, resisting, rebelling, re fusing to walk along with the Spirit.
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