This has been very useful for me, thank you.
Amen. What could be more spirtitual than being born again, then baptized into a NT church and continually obeying the Word of God as a member of the Lord’s body? Sadly, to some such a concept is not “exciting.” They seek after something other than what the Lord has commanded.
This series would make a nice booklet when you finish it.
I’m a bit confused, Bro. B., hopefully you can clear this up for me. Under “Who is Spiritual” you assert that all believers (and no one but believers, are spiritual, period.
Does that allow for the full semantic range used in the scriptures. I think of Galatians 6, If one is overtaken in a fault, those “which are spirtual” are to restore him in a spirit of meekness. I understand that to be believers restoring sinning believers. In which case “spiritual” is used to mean “spiritually stronger”. Thoughts?
Also, is the section titled “How does the Holy Spirit manifest Himself?” intended to help us recognize those who are spiritual as in saved, or those who are Spirit controlled.
Finally, the fruits of the Spirit are all or nothing??
That is a good question, and I did think about it when I wrote that small section. Lewis Sperry Chafer got the title for his best-selling book, He That Is Spiritual, from there, and it is the subject of much controversy. Warfield wrote a criticism of it, which you can read in his complete works. Both present two different views of spirituality.
I believe that spirituality is an either/or not a more or less. Only Christians are spiritual, and in the context (looking back at the end of chapter 5) people either are walking in the Spirit or they are not. You either submit to the Spirit or you don’t. I do believe it is the Spirit-controlled person, which is not a matter of degree, because again, you only have one Spirit.
I think that we see spirituality in those means. Only saved people will show those things, and that is how the Spirit manifests Himself. When we don’t see that, it is true, that we are not seeing Spirit-control.
All or nothing. Yes. Which is one reason for “fruit,” singular.