The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Corinthians 2:12,
"What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us."
I read of two spirits in this verse, "the spirit of the world" and the "Spirit who is from God". I note the first "spirit" is named with a lowercase "s" and the second is capitalized - an uppercase "S". That is because the first is a thing, the second a proper noun, a name, a person. The "Spirit" in this verse refers to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The verse also tells me that believers receive one of these, and it is not "the spirit of the world." We don't receive that spirit because we are born into it and partake of the spirit of the world as we live our lives. However, for those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith, that "spirit of the world" has been overtaken by the Holy Spirit. We are no longer of the world as we have received the Holy Spirit.
Paul talks about this in Romans 8:8-11 where he considers the impact in a believer's life when receiving the Holy Spirit. There he addresses "the realm of the flesh" as the existence of those who partake of the spirit of the world, "Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you."
This reality explains why there are two differing influences among mankind. There are those who are influenced by the spirit of the world and order their lives accordingly, and there are those who are influenced by the Holy Spirit and order their lives accordingly. The difference is stark and informs our positions on things, our understanding of things, our viewpoints, our thoughts, our cares and our concerns.
This creates a palpable tension among people. Those who are influenced by the world cannot understand or accept the perspectives of those who are influenced by the Holy Spirit. Those who are influenced by the Holy Spirit reject the perspectives of those who are influenced by the spirit of the world.
The whole discussion Jesus had with the unbelieving Jews in chapter 8 of John's gospel illuminates the reality of two (and only two) influences among mankind. In verse 47 he said, "Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." A person manifests either one or the other of these influences based on whether they are "in the world" or "in the Spirit."
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us."
I read of two spirits in this verse, "the spirit of the world" and the "Spirit who is from God". I note the first "spirit" is named with a lowercase "s" and the second is capitalized - an uppercase "S". That is because the first is a thing, the second a proper noun, a name, a person. The "Spirit" in this verse refers to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The verse also tells me that believers receive one of these, and it is not "the spirit of the world." We don't receive that spirit because we are born into it and partake of the spirit of the world as we live our lives. However, for those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith, that "spirit of the world" has been overtaken by the Holy Spirit. We are no longer of the world as we have received the Holy Spirit.
Paul talks about this in Romans 8:8-11 where he considers the impact in a believer's life when receiving the Holy Spirit. There he addresses "the realm of the flesh" as the existence of those who partake of the spirit of the world, "Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you."
This reality explains why there are two differing influences among mankind. There are those who are influenced by the spirit of the world and order their lives accordingly, and there are those who are influenced by the Holy Spirit and order their lives accordingly. The difference is stark and informs our positions on things, our understanding of things, our viewpoints, our thoughts, our cares and our concerns.
This creates a palpable tension among people. Those who are influenced by the world cannot understand or accept the perspectives of those who are influenced by the Holy Spirit. Those who are influenced by the Holy Spirit reject the perspectives of those who are influenced by the spirit of the world.
The whole discussion Jesus had with the unbelieving Jews in chapter 8 of John's gospel illuminates the reality of two (and only two) influences among mankind. In verse 47 he said, "Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." A person manifests either one or the other of these influences based on whether they are "in the world" or "in the Spirit."
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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