Strange Fire and the Corinthians

Reflecting on the Strange Fire Conference and Scripture one can’t help but wonder how John MacArthur would have written to the church at Corinth.

Here was a church where things were out of order – here was charismatic chaos! And what is Paul’s answer, what you are doing is of the devil? Or/and, I don’t think any of you are saved? No, his answer is to recognise the Spirit’s activity among them, and their responsibility in it.

And so he speaks to them about the fact that you can only confess that Christ is Lord by the Spirit, of being members of a body and everything being done for the benefit of the body – not selfish edification or enjoyment. About God being a God of peace and not of disorder, and of the spirit of the prophets being subject to the prophets – that even though they are moved upon by the Spirit they are responsible for the when and how – but one thing he just doesn’t say is that it’s not the Spirit and that they are not saved.

Rather he goes on to stir them up for more, not to hold back, or stop it, just make sure you do it well, in a way that honours God, and blesses all, and is not a stumbling block to the lost.

Promise or Promiscuity?

If ever there was a question that needs to be raised today it’s the one of promise or promiscuity? In fact it's a perennial problem/question.

Will we as God’s people live by the promise of God, or will we be seduced and fooled by the enemy and live in promiscuity – the enemy’s idea of what it means to truly live? Its a challenge every Christian faces.

To put it another way – will we live by the Spirit or by the Flesh?

Sadly the statistics show there are too many today who are choosing the latter. The statistics for people including Christians struggling with pornography are on the rise – statistics suggest that 50% of Christian men struggle with pornography; 20% women (2006) – pornography is about getting by media what you can’t have in the flesh.

The statistics regarding divorce are not that much different to the world.

The World has a habit of changing or dumbing down language to suit it’s own ends. Now we use words like ‘affairs’ when what we really mean are adulteries, or ‘sleeping with’ when what we mean is fornication, and ‘partner’ instead of husband or wife, each in there own way just taking something of the edge off the original word, and so anaesthetising us to what’s really going on.

A word that has really taken hold is addiction, we say ‘oh, he/she’s addicted to…’ as if it’s some disease, some ‘thing,’ a sickness even. The word originally meant ‘a leaning,’ and its only since the early 1900’s that it has become what it is today – habitual or compulsive – a word that suits a godless generation with no references to sin and its power over people’s lives. The truth is all are addicted in some way, because all are sinners.

You may not struggle with lust, it could be something else: drink, drugs, anger, gambling, possessions…. don’t let the enemy fool you:

• Sin is illusionary – it fools you with an empty promise, it’s not what it appears to be.
• It’s pleasures are momentary.
• It’s fruit is broken lives, damaged relationships, and unfulfilled potential.

To all of the above you could say, remember Adam & Eve.

Is there some temptation that keeps coming your way, more than that, is there something you are already indulging in and the devils fooled you it’s OK, maybe even that God understands – don’t be fooled! Listen, it’s not worth it! Never!

There’s only one life to live and that’s the life of promise – the life that says first of all, yes to God, and then no to temptation and sin – not the other way round. If you are not wholly surrendered to God, wholly convinced of his goodness and plan for your life you will never be an overcomer. Maybe you need to get a fresh vision of God and the promise of life he offers – unless you get that every attempt at living the life of promise will fail because it will run aground on a lower, less fulfilling vision that captivates our hearts.

When you have the vision and commitment you can then work effectively at making no provision for the flesh, and putting to death the desires of the flesh, in order to live the life of promise which is far, far greater.

Free in Christ - Romans 8

For many Romans 8 is something they aim at, but rarely get there. To often their experience is Romans 7, the wretched man, but that is to fall short of the gospel. Romans 8 is meant to be the normal Christian life. Some years ago after living as a Romans 7 Christian I studied Romans afresh, and realised I had missed something.

Frequently the realm of Flesh and Spirit is seen as interior, and so an inner conflict is set up (and I had many of them), but Romans reveals it to be two realms, and we are either in one or the other. Here is a paraphrase I wrote of Romans 8 that seeks to bring it out.

8:1,2. So, the conclusion of it all is this: that there is now absolutely no condemnation whatsoever (and neither can there ever be), for those who are in union with Christ Jesus. For, the law of the Spirit of life which is in and through Christ Jesus has liberated you from the law of sin that always leads to failure, defeat and death.

3,4. For what the law could never do (enable us to be right with God, and live righteously because of our sinful flesh) God did Himself, and He did this by sending His own Son in flesh just like ours under the domain of sin, and for sin itself. He then past judgment on sin in the realm of the Flesh, and condemned it once and for all, thereby destroying it’s power, so that now, the righteous requirements of the law might be accomplished in us who walk no longer in the realm of the Flesh (lives lived without reference to God); but now walk in the realm of the Spirit (lives lived in reference to God).

5, 6. For, those who live their lives according to the realm of the Flesh, their thoughts and affections, in fact their whole perspective is shaped by and set on the things of ‘the Flesh,’ but those who live their lives according to the realm of the Spirit, their thoughts and affections indeed their whole perspective is shaped by and set on the things of ‘the Spirit.’ For, the whole inclination and outlook of the realm of the Flesh, is death, but, the whole inclination and outlook of the realm of the Spirit, is life and peace.

7 – 9. The reason is this: the inclination and outlook of the realm of the Flesh is hostile to God, for it is not subject to the law of God, and never can be. So then, those who live in the realm of the Flesh can never please God. But, as for you, you are no longer in the realm of the Flesh and under its power, but in the realm of the Spirit, managed and energised by Him, since the Spirit of God inhabits you. Now if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they cannot possibly belong to Him.

10, 11. Now since Christ does reside in you, that means the body is dead because of sin, and yet you have life by the Spirit because of righteousness. Moreover since the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead resides in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to these mortal bodies because of His Spirit who dwells in you.

12 – 16. So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors and have an obligation – but it is certainly not to the realm of the Flesh, to live in keeping with the Flesh. For if you live in keeping with the realm of the Flesh, you are obviously still in the realm of the Flesh, unchanged, fleshly, and you will die; but, if by the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body by saying no to sin and not giving in to it, you will live. For those who so live are being led by the Spirit of God and show themselves to be true sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of slavery that leads again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of full sonship that enables you to call out with confidence “Abba, Father.” For the Spirit Himself testifies to our spirit that we are children of God.

© R. Burgess 2001 revised 2012