People mean lots of different things when they say “spiritual.” For some it just means something religious. For others, it means someone who takes his religion seriously: “He’s a very spiritual person.” But what does it mean in the Bible?
The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 2:14-16, contrasts the spiritual man with the “natural” man. In chapter 3, he says that the Corinthians were not acting as spiritual men but as “fleshly” men. Yet, he affirms several times in this book that the Corinthians have received the Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit lives in them. However Paul had trouble discussing spiritual things with these Christians because they were looking at things from a human point of view, not a spiritual point of view.
So it seems that when the Bible talks about spiritual things, it is contrasting them with physical or natural things (see 1 Corinthians 15:44). You have the things of this world, the things of our human lives, and you have the things that go beyond that, the spiritual things. I’d like to suggest that we take more time this year to focus on the spiritual things. How? Here are a few suggestions:
1) Recognize the reality of the spiritual world. All right, I’ll admit it. Just thinking about such things makes me uncomfortable. I am a child of Western society, raised with the idea that logic is king and that the scientific process is our constitution. We are only supposed to believe that which can be touched, handled or tested in a laboratory. As Christians, we’ve learned to get beyond that point, yet we are still reluctant to truly believe in an unseen spiritual world.
The Bible says: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:11-12) There are spiritual forces, real powers that exist and work against us. Denying that fact won’t help us win that struggle.
Lest you become afraid, let me remind you that as Christians, we need not fear these powers. John wrote: “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) As long as we walk in the light, we have God’s protection. Just as there are spiritual powers that oppose us, there are spiritual powers that defend us and aid us. James says that if we submit to God and resist the devil, the devil will flee from us.
At the same time, we should not be complacent. Peter says that: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) We need to be aware that the struggle is real and that it is one of life and death.
2) Recognize how our actions affect our place in that struggle. We need to take sin seriously. When we sin, we are aiding and abetting the enemy, allowing these dark forces to have some degree of control over us. No, I’m not talking about demon possession as it occurred in the time of Jesus; I think that was a special situation limited to that time (which is why the epistles do not speak of casting out demons). But I do believe that, by our own actions, we can allow evil to have a real place in our lives. Paul warned the Ephesians not to give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27). He also says that when we offer our bodies to sin, we becomes slaves of sin (Romans 6:14-23). We must choose whether to walk in the light or crawl in the darkness.
3) Recognize the real power of prayer. He who is not spiritual sees prayer as a psychological exercises on the par with meditation and self-hypnosis. Those of us who are spiritual realize that prayer changes things, that prayer is a communication with the Supreme Power of creation, with the Almighty God. Prayer summons the aid of all that is right and holy. Paul concludes his discussion of our spiritual armor by saying “Pray at all times in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18). We need to pray often, pray fervently and pray with faith.
” No, I’m not talking about demon possession as it occurred in the time of Jesus”
Tim, why would you say we are possessed by the Holy Spirit, and not evil spirits, I believe the bible says we are inherently evil
Gen. 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil ———————-.:
Gen. 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually.
Jer. 31:33 ———————-I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Tim ever since Gen. 3:22 evil spirits have lodged within man, the spirit of greed leading the way for the spirit of hate, and deceit. Tim have you ever noticed how when a person becomes really angry how their outward features change, you can tell when a person is doing evil just by looking at them. Whether it is anger, deceit, lust, whatever it shows. Whenever we see that change in a person physically, that is evil trying to take over, and it is not coming from without. No the battle we face is within, that is the reason for Jer. 31:33. That is the reason the fight we have is spiritual and not a physical bout with the devil. These people who claim multiple personalities are right, we all have them, we just have to make sure the right one is in control. Tim, I could give you many examples of just this very thing, but this already looks more like a post than a comment :)
Tim – I seem to struggle to get the right balance — On one extreme we have the “fear of spiritualism” and so we deny the reality of actions the Holy Spirit and evil spirits in our lives.
On the other we have those who are “possessed of spirits” both good and evil and respond in very visible ways totheir presence
I personally think either of these extremes is a misrepresentation of reality –and I think you have shown that with your review of the scriptures.
There is another dimension of this question which you also touch on –which I think is different than the one I’ve mentioned above.
Namely the proper understanding of the role of the “worldly” nature (thinking) and the spiritual nature (thinking) in shaping and “controlling”our physical day-to-day actions and behavior.
On the one hand you have the gnostic extreme of complete separation of the physical and the spiritual — so I can be spiritual regardless of what I do physically. On the other hand we have the ascetic view of achieving spirituality through self-discipline and “spiritual” living( the physicalactioncreate spirituality)
I wonder if Jesus wasn’t calling for a more “holistic” view — that the role of the spiritual is to transform our minds and thinking so that that our physical actions reflected our new spiritual connection(nature) cf. Romans 12:2 and so that “whatever we do in word or deed, we do all in the name of the Lord” and “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,” (cf. Colossians 3:17,23)
Does this make sense?
Laymond, I feel that demon possession is not the same as the evil that lies within us due to our sarx, our human nature. From what I can see in the Bible, there was a type of demonic activity that occurred while Jesus was on earth that isn’t seen before his arrival and seems to disappear shortly after the resurrection. [Demon possession barely appears in Acts and doesn’t appear at all in the letters, to the best of my memory.
This type of “possession” doesn’t happen with the Holy Spirit, either; I don’t believe, as you state, “we are possessed by the Holy Spirit.”
Grace and peace,
Tim
Charlie, I think I follow you. I think that our physical lives should reflect our spiritual state.
Grace and peace,
Tim