Paid Subscribing Members | The End Time Chronicles | Dr. Stephen Phinney | Visit DR. FOWLER: Soul Rest (Part 4)Those who participate in spirit-union with God often fail to appreciate and tune-in to the intuitive spiritual knowledge that the presence of God provides.
Dr. James Fowler is one of the leading authors on the believer’s union with Christ. He has written 20+ books on the topic. He is a theologian, Board Member of IOM America, and dear friend of Dr. Stephen Phinney. He is the founder of Christ in You Ministries. We hope you are blessed by his series, “Soul Rest.” INNER KNOWINGThose who participate in spirit-union with God often fail to appreciate and tune-in to the intuitive spiritual knowledge that the presence of God provides. Paul explained that "the natural man does not understand spiritual things, but he that is spiritual (i.e., has spirit-union) appraises all things" (I Cor. 2:14,15). This inner knowing is both an intuitive knowledge and an intimate relational knowledge. "We know (spiritual intuition) that we have come to know (spiritual intimacy of relationship) Him" (I John 2:3). To the Corinthians, Paul wrote, "We have received the Spirit of God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God" (I Cor. 2:12).
We are "able to comprehend what is the breadth and length and height and depth (of God's ways), and to know the love of Christ which surpasses (natural) knowledge" (Eph. 3:18,19).Beyond natural logic and reasoning, there is the Theo-logic whereby we can apprehend the supernatural and unseen intents of God. By natural reasoning, God and His ways are "past finding out" (Rom. 11:33), but the Christian in spirit-union with God can "know God's ways" (Heb. 3:10), "know the grace of God" (II Cor. 8:9), "know that he has the anointing of the Spirit" (I John 2:20), "know that he has passed out of death into life" (I John 3:14), "know that he has eternal life" (I John 5:13), and, in fact, "know all things" (Jude 1:5) that God wants him/her to know. Paul exhorted the Philippians to let their "love (God's love) abound in real knowledge and spiritual discernment" (Phil. 1:9), able to "discern good and evil" (Heb. 5:14). "The Son of God has come and given us understanding" (I John 5:20), John wrote. And Paul prayed that the Colossians might "be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (Col. 1:9). To Timothy, he explained, "the Lord will give you understanding in everything" (II Tim. 2:7). God reveals things to the Christian with whom He has spirit-union. Paul told the Philippians, "Have this attitude, and if you have a different attitude, God will reveal it to you" (Phil. 3:15). "May God grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him" (Eph. 1:17), he prayed for the Ephesians. This spiritual revealing of God's character, God's ways, and God's direction cannot be "taught" by didactic methods; it must be "caught" in the spiritual perception and awareness of "spirit-union" with God. The Psalmist reported, "My inner man instructs me in the night" (Ps. 16:7). Much of evangelical religion is afraid of this intuitive spiritual direction, and seeks to limit revelation to the knowledge and understanding that can be drawn from study of the Bible, denying the inner instruction and direction of the Spirit of God. The mind of Christ is at the core of… Mind of ChristWhat does Paul mean when he writes, "We have the mind of Christ" (I Cor. 2:16)? One young man with whom I spoke adamantly reacted, saying, "I don't see how a Christian can say that." I began with the basic foundation, and asked, "Are you a Christian?" He replied, "Yes." I continued, "Did Christ come into your spirit when you became a Christian?" Again he responded, "Yes." Then I asked, "Do you think that Jesus came into you without His mind? Did He leave it up in heaven?" "No," he said sheepishly. "Then you have the mind of Christ," I concluded. But the "mind of Christ" is more than just a static presence, for the "mind of Christ" within is dynamically conveying the divine intents via spiritual revelation. That is why Paul admonishes, "Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5), encouraging the "renewing of the mind" (Rom. 12:2: Eph. 4:23) for the development of established attitudes in the soul. Love of GodEvery Christian, in "spirit-union" with Christ, not only has the "mind of Christ," but he also has the "love of God" within his spirit. To the Romans, Paul stated, "The love of God has been poured out within our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Rom. 5:5). "God is love" (I John 4:8,16), so when He dwells within us in spirit-union, His love is present and active within us. The "love of Christ compels us" (II Cor. 5:14), and the "love of the Spirit" (Rom. 15:30) prompts us to express God's love for others. Whereas the unregenerate "want to do the desires of their father, the devil" (John 8:44), those in spirit-union with God have an inner "desire for goodness" (II Thess. 1:11), and a "desire to live godly in (union with) Christ Jesus" (II Tim. 3:12). Will of GodPaul explained to Timothy that those who are not Christians are under "the snare of the devil, being held captive to do his will" (II Tim. 2:26). Christians, on the other hand, have the will of God within them. God did not come into us without His will, and He is "at work in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). In spirit-union, we can "understand what the will of the Lord is" (Eph. 5:17), and "do the will of God from the heart" (Eph. 6:6) by the dynamic of His grace. The "will of God" is not something exterior to the Christian that we must seek to discover and find, and then aim at it as if it were the bulls-eye of a target. No, we have the "will of God" within us, and the "will of God" is always the life and character of Jesus lived out as us and through us to the glory of God. Every Christian has "the mind of Christ," "the desires of God," and "the will of God" granted to them in spirit-union. They can, and will, intuitively know what God wants to be and do in them. This is the reason why some teachers attribute mind, desires, will, and intuition to the spiritual function of man, but this must not be to the exclusion of mental, emotional and volitional capabilities in the psychological function of man also (as will be addressed later). Lordship of ChristIt is not possible to have spirit-union without recognizing the Lordship of Jesus Christ. When we receive the Trinity into our spirit at regeneration, we receive the Lord God. Some have suggested that Jesus can be received as one's personal Savior, and later accepted as Lord. This is impossible, for Jesus is both Savior and Lord, and to receive Him is to receive Him for all that He is. He cannot be dissected and received partially. The initial confession of the early Christians was a verbal confession that "Jesus Christ is Lord" (Rom. 10:9; Phil. 2:11) by the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 12:3). Those who think that they can agree that "Jesus is Lord," and disallow Him to "lord it over them," have no understanding of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus has been given "all authority in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28:18), and when we are converted "from the authority of Satan to the authority of God" (Acts 26:18), we are agreeing to submit to the "one Lord, Jesus Christ" (I Cor. 8:6). Watchman Nee referred to the indwelling Jesus as "Resident Boss." In spirit-union, we "sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts" (I Peter 3:15).
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