Understanding Spirituality in discipleship to Jesus Christ, will always be conducive to the Bible.
The functions of the Holy Spirit is rooted to the human spirit in conscience and intuition; whereas the soul is rooted to the emotions and intellect of the mind. Without a clear understanding of the scriptures, people often confuse “emotional intelligence” with the intuition of the Holy Spirit’s leadings as exemplified in the Bible. This is an “all to common mistake” made within the Christians development.
The Holy Spirit functions to show the believer just who the Lord is in Christ, by experience and personal revelations which are comparable to Jesus, Mathew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, and other early believers in the New Testament, who received the Holy Spirit on and after the day of Pentecost.
The Old Testament Saints are used in example to men’s hearts towards the Lord; if they be soft or hardened, while siting how obedience in faith was required in receiving the promises of the Lord.
David was an outstanding example of continued repentance of heart towards the Lord, and the infinite mercy shown to him.
The “Lamb of God” – Jesus Christ was the promised one (Messiah) first to the Jew, then to the Gentiles, who took away the sins of the world on a cross to all who would believe on him!
The law was given to Moses as an example of a school master – a measuring stick, to show how Holy the Lord God is, and how utterly hopeless humanity is in keeping even one aspect of the law within the hearts of men! As an example; this is why adultery was used by Jesus in explaining even if a man didn’t engage in the physical act (like under the law of Moses) the human heart is still corrupted by sin, and even our thought life needs forgiveness!
Anyone who believes that apart from Christ, they can conform or perform to the Spirituality required to commune with the Father, has completely misunderstood the scriptural texts as to who Christ is, and the utter depravity of humanity!
The bottom line is that it is impossible to move in Holiness apart from the Spiritual connection to the Holy Spirit as for the atonement of Christ, and nothing less!
Paul said in Hebrew 6:1 “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,”
Paul understood that the atonement of Christ has already been made complete in Christ for the believer by faith, which is the “Doctrine of Christ”. It is imperative for our understanding and growth that we grasp this doctrine fully.
He is speaking of the total depravity of man, and the tremendous cost paid for our sinful souls by Christ on the cross!
Without a complete understanding of this “sound” doctrine, we could end up like a bunch of Monks once did, while attempting to continually move in Holiness within in the dark ages from 5th–15th century – prior to the reformation! Legalism is always the result from the Scribes of old to the present age, if our minds cannot grasp the infinite grace and mercy shown to us by the completed work of Christ on the cross!
It is ironic how sound Biblical teachings of who Christ is to the believer spiritually, can be twisted by the mind and soul into a convoluted understanding of the New Testament Gospel as being soulish rather than spiritual, when confusing the emotional intelligence of the soul with the actual spiritual life, which once and for all was provided and completed for us in Christ Jesus.
One thing which I can testify to is that my life is not my own since coming to the Lord! Providentially, although I attempted to plan for my life, it is the Lord who allowed or disallowed how I attempted to move forward. A major example of this is how I tried to go to sea with the Merchant Marine after my time in the Coast Guard.
My application continually became ensnared within the hiring administration of the Military Sealift Command again and again, till I finally gave up and moved in the direction of obtaining a job as a Marine Machinery technician aboard Army watercraft instead. One of the reasons for this is that I would meet my future wife (who I had prayed for 20 years) and direct her towards Christ for her salvation.
It was not me who chose any of my life’s course, but rather Christ within me, and in whom the Father offered me my bride in 1997. Yet only after a years’ worth of confirmations (almost daily) to my soul of what the Lord had indeed orchestrated. It was the most transformative time in all my Christian walk!
I can still remember where I was standing on the day the Lord spoke to my heart proclaiming that “my life was in his hands”! What a joyous “Spirit filled moment” that was for my soul; and is one which has proven itself again and again even to the point of my own death, and afterwards when being accused of loving the world more than the Lord, by some poor doctrinally confused brethren.
The main thrust of my point is; that understanding sound doctrine is imperative to ones emotional and spiritual health, even when the Lord has moved from within you by his spirit in giving significant understanding to our souls of just who we are, and the grace given to us freely in Christ by Grace, and not of our own merit!
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