Lesson 18
The Brain Soul Complex
DOCTRINE: Rulership of Life (Part 3)
V. Only by knowledge of
doctrine can believers live the Christian life
Rom.
VI. The Power and ability to defeat the
sin nature's rulership and establish
God/HS's rulership is by grace not by the law. Rom
VII. Whenever
the Believer is under the rulership of one of the two rulers the other is
seeking to influence the Real You:
A. The flesh being hostile to
anything of the Spirit and all DVPT. Rom 8:7; Gal 5:17
B. The New man who hates the works of the
flesh. Rom
VIII. Issue for the believer who is carnal is found in Eph
IX. A significant
player in the battle between good and evil, which dominates or rules our life
is the operation of what is called the "conscience." [function of the conscience is critical]
It must be noted that one's
conscience is only as good as the standards that make it up. [by what standard]
A. Each person develops a system of right
and wrong. Rom
B. In an unbeliever the "good"
can either be the result of compliance with LDE (recognizes the consequences of
breaking the
law) or human good.
Adherence
to either cannot provide salvation or spirituality. Heb 6:1 (dead works);
relative righteousness
Isa. 64:6
C. The believer must reprogram their
conscience with Divine norms and standards. Heb 9:14; constant process
- Notice the
context vs:22-24: I think it's
significant that sandwiched between the decisive act of putting off and the
putting on is the constant renewing of the mind, an emphasis on the growth
process needed to live the CWOL.
Lit vs:23 "and that
you keep on being renewed in the spirit of your mind,"
- spirit and mind are used together to designate or focus on
the individual's innermost being as the focus of the renewal;
- There must be a
constant development of the believer's perception and discernment,
[distinguishing between] which results in practice, in the ability to choose
what is right in any given situation.
- This calls for an new mind set over against the empty, futile aimless mind
set of the UB'r.
** Point is this;
if your not learning, taking in the Word of God regularly, and being changed in
the way you think, in what you believe, you can forget about the way you
conduct yourself; W/O BD, truth, your conduct will be nothing but a
set of rules, legalism, you will be responding to some external standard, you
will do or not do some things because of a perception that, well, Christians
just don't do those things, not because your convinced in your own mind that it
is or isn't the right thing to do because that's what the Word of God teaches
and it is your desire to honor and please our Savior.
Also Col. 3:10
D. A new believer is said to have a
"weak conscience" because of their lack of a solid doctrinal
foundation. 1 Cor. 8:7,10,12
E. The advancing and mature believer
maintains a conscience with
Div/N&S. Acts 24:16 (example of Paul, a blameless conscience)
F. When we sense guilt it indicates a recognition of
failure to apply the "good" standards.
[no
guilt, a failure to understand the Righteousness of God, no norms and standards
based on His standards]
G. Failure to apply any known standard of
DVPT not only is sin but it leads to a searing of that N & S in the conscience.
Continual searing results in scar tissue. 1 Tim 4:1-2
- literally be seared in respect to the conscience,
i.e. refuse to listen to one's conscience
- The result is less sensitivity to DVPT in that
area; if it is perpetuated over a period of time, no guilt reaction, no
function of the conscience in that area.
Eventually
there is no conviction of sin in that area, with the resulting build up of scar
tissue.
H. Thus the
importance for the believer to maintain the Divine N & S and they're consistent
application in our life.
- this is critical if we're going to reflect the character of
Christ in our life as we are His ambassadors.
The “but” introduces the contrast between Timothy’s message and
that of the ones teaching strange doctrine, the pretended “teachers of the law.” [1 Tim. 1:5,19]
Their teaching produced
strife and contention, but the instruction of Timothy has as its aim the
production of true and pure love.
- Rem: Love is an
attitude that motivates you to do what is right and best for another in the
light of eternity no matter what the cost to you. [G/H-S motivates through the Word]
- It was love that
motivated the Father to send His Son.
- It was love that Jesus
demonstrated in being obedient even to death on the Cross.
It was just such love
that prompted Paul to give the charge to Timothy and this charge is aimed at
producing the same kind of love in the hearts of these deluded teachers.
The ultimate source of
this love is the love of God poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit (
The nature of this love
Paul says flows out of,
evk as a source, from the three things
mentioned; a pure heart and a
good conscience and a sincere faith.
[unhypocritical
faith]
What's Paul describing? One who is not dominated by Sin Nature, who is
empowered by H/S, walking by the Spirit, walking in the light, walking worthy
of their calling.
“A pure heart” is a heart made pure in affection and single
in purpose by consistency with faith. [essentially a
Hebrew concept]
- Prov. 20:9 Can you make your
heart pure? No!!
Some comments about the word heart first;
- whether its kardia
or bl
so rare is its use of the physical organ;
- its metaphorical use is most
important
- It is the most frequently used term for man's immaterial
nature in general; as the
seat of man's spiritual and intellectual life, the whole of the
inner mature!
- Range of use then is of the soul, the whole range of
emotion both pos/neg; as a synonym for life/living;
but also for the function of the mind, thinking.
* And we will
discover that the mind is under the control of the volition, our will!
Rabbit trail
> To see that the use of the
heart takes in the idea of mind; go to Prov
> INTRO:
As we look at heart in WOG we have to eliminate from our thinking our common understanding of
heart; what it conveys today.
If
I said; "This is an affair of the heart." then you would be
thinking emotion, feeling, I suspect.
This
is a bonifide use of heart,
but not the one which we are
looking at here.
> READ
- How is heart
used? Says here that its
the place to keep words!
- That it is the
place to keep sayings!
- What is it
talking about? He's talking about the
mind!
- As the writer says; give attention; incline your ear; do not let
them depart; keep them;
- There is a common thread; all are imperatives!
- What does that imply? Its an appeal to our volition, says there is a need to make
decisions to get the results desired.
- When God addresses us in His Word to do something; He appeals to our will, our volition.
- This says we are to act in such a way with our choices that we do
something with our mind.
Take in the Word, treasure it in our mind and then apply it.
Read Prov. 4:22-23
For love
to flow out of a pure heart there obviously needs to have been some decisions
made! And some ongoing decisions.
Back to 1 Tim. 1
The word “conscience” quite literally means
“knowing with” and “represents
the self sitting in judgment on self;
A “good conscience” is one that
first has been freed from the guilt of sin by the application of Christ’s work
on the Cross;
Secondly
is now operating or living consistent with the N&S of the Word of God that
is known.
Faith is
described here as “unfeigned” or “un-hypocritical” that is, it is not a mere
lip-faith, not mere pretense, but the sincere trust and confidence of the heart
in the revelation of God.
When our
whole moral and spiritual nature is thus purified by the Word of God it becomes
a fertile soil that bears an abundant harvest of the love that Paul mentions
here.
Passages on a good conscience which give us a flavor of what's in
view.
- Acts
23:1 - 2 Cor.
1:12 What's
the common thread?
- Heb.