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Transfering The Soul-Will

But the natural (soulical) man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 2:14)

When you look at 1 Corinthians what a lot of soulicalism there is: this wisdom of words, this wisdom of the world, these likes and these dislikes and preferences and partialities and antipathies, and then their jealousies. That is no good on this foundation. Do not bring your own soul-life into relationship with Christ; it will not tally and it will not go through, it will go up in smoke. Are you trying to make your Christianity a matter of how you feel? You will have a composite kind of Christianity of so many varieties, nothing consistent at all, a perfect patchwork. When you think you have arrived at a very good logical conclusion about a matter, something will come along and upset the whole thing.... You never get through that way. Your soul in the realm of its mental exercises and conflicts will never tally with Christ. And as for our own soul-will, strength to do, we may feel very strong, we are never going again to be caught like that, never going down that street again! It is not long before we are there. Oh, how ashamed our souls make us! How ashamed we have been because of the instability of our feelings or our wills or our thoughts. Ashamed! Ashamed! Ashamed! Our souls are making fools of us all the time. e that believes on Him shall not be put to shame.Paul says that this soul-life business must not come on Christ. It is a contradiction. It is not what you are, it is what Christ is.

When you cannot see and understand and work it out mentally, when you cannot feel anything, no feelings at all, or when they are very bad feelings that is one realm, that is just what we are. Christ is not that, and we have at such times to say, "Lord, this is my infirmity, this is how I am, but You are Other; I transfer my faith to You from myself and from these things." Christ is the foundation, and all that we build on the foundation has to be Christ Himself. He is not only the foundation, but He is the whole building in every part.

Fear not, for I have redeemed you.

Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. §  I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. § With the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is His name. He will thoroughly plead their case. § My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Isa. 43:1;  Isa.54:4,5;   Isa. 44:22;  1 Peter 1:19;  Jer. 50:34;  John 10:29;  Gal. 1:3,5

I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has bestowed on us.

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. § The Son of God . . . loved me and gave Himself for me. § He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? § God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. § Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Isa. 63:7;  Ps. 40:2;  Gal. 2:20;  Rom. 8:32;  Rom. 5:8;  2 Cor. 1:22;  Eph. 1:14;  Eph. 2:4;  Eph. 2:5;  Eph. 2:6

Llttle-known Requisite

My beloved children, I am again bearing the pangs of travail for you, till Christ be fully formed within you" (Gal. 4:19, Cony.).

It is essential that we "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," for three reasons: (1) that our Father may be glorified; (2) that the Lord Jesus might be manifested in us; (3) that the Holy Spirit might have a suitable instrument through which to win and establish others.

"Paul had one great consuming purpose to be brought to birth by his sufferings for the Galatians, and that was the living expression of the Lord Jesus Christ in them. Nothing less could satisfy God, and nothing less than this should ever satisfy a servant of God. Numbers were still good in Galatia, activities well maintained and zeal unabated, but the Lord Jesus was being crowded out - and that is the greatest tragedy possible." -H.F.

"It is a marvelous grace that we should be conformed to the image of God's Son. I think it is very sad that the highest thought which God has about us, and that which His heart is set on, is that which is least known by Christians; for I know no truth that is so little realized as union with Christ." -J.B.S.

"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim. 1:9).

Union and Communion - Growing In Grace (1)

Peace, Power, Purity