Is Will Being Kept Safe?
“Whatever you call him, we all worship the same god.” Have you ever heard someone make such a statement? Have you made it yourself? The truth is, God sent His people into captivity for buying into that type of thinking.
The Lord “is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” (Deuteronomy 4:24) The first commandment is: You shall have no other gods before Me. This was defined even further by Jesus when He said, “”I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) Jesus there declared Christianity to be the only valid religion and, by default, all others to be false and idolatrous. Let’s return to the allegory of the body, soul and spirit one last time. In the soul (mind, will and emotions), Will makes decisions based on the influence of Thinker and Feeler. These two get their input through the doors of the spirit and the body (Looker, Hearer, Smeller, Taster and Toucher). Like the passageway to the body, the gate of the spirit must also be carefully guarded. Paul asks the rhetorical question, “What agreement has the temple of God with idols?” (2 Corinthians 6:16) The answer is that there is no agreement. He goes on to say, “You are the temple of the living God.” The spirit can receive data from both the Holy Spirit and the devil. Spiritual perspective shapes (for good or evil) faith, conscience, wisdom, creativity, fellowship, worship, and discernment. Thinker and Feeler use these spiritual resources to influence Will’s decisions. As believers, we are warned to “not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God.” (1 John 4:1) The primary test is whether they believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the incarnation of God the Son (vv. 2-3). Hebrews 1:2 declares Him to be the final revelation. Paul stated that the Scriptures are the standard for the Christian. (2 Timothy 3:16) What are you allowing through the door of your spirit? Is Will being kept safe?
Sin cera, Erik
Erik O. Garthe is Associate Pastor at Canton Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland.