Enemies

"While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.  Someone told him, 'Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.'  He replied to him, 'Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?'  Pointing to his disciples, he said, 'Here are my mother and brothers.  For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.'"  Matthew 12: 46-50 NIV

There are few that I can let my guard down with.  Only a few that I'm certain are always in the Spirit.  Always trustworthy.  Never in league with the enemy.  At least around me. (And I hope the few can say the same about me.)

Like in the movie "The Matrix," I have to remember who is plugged in and whose unplugged.  Satan is the architect of the matrix of this world.  The unsaved are plugged into his system.  The demons are his agents.  Everyone plugged into the matrix can be used by the agents at will, at every opportunity the agents need.  Satan and demons just need an opportunity. Though I don't wrestle against flesh and blood, flesh and blood are the opportunities of my enemy.  Like Morpheus said to Neo about those plugged into the Matrix:

"The Matrix is a system, Neo.  That system is our enemy.  But when you're inside, you look around, what do you see?  Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters.  The very minds of the people we are trying to save.  But until we do, these people are still a part of that system and that makes them our enemy.  You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged.  And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it."

Enemies.  Obstacles.  Distractions.  Oppositions.  People who are not following the Spirit, whether unbelievers or carnal believers, are a part of a system that is the enemy. True.  Paul said, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood."  Yet it's also true that Jesus said, "Love your enemies."  Jesus wasn't talking about Satan and the demons, or the principalities and powers Paul said are our truest enemies.  So people are also our enemies in the literal sense of the word:  they oppose us.  How?  Paul said, "The flesh wars against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. They oppose each other."  This must also apply to what Paul said when he wrote, "Those who live in accordance of the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh.  But those who live in accordance with the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit."  Paul also said, "The carnal mind is hostile towards God."  That must mean that those who live in the flesh are hostile towards and opposed to those who live in accordance with the Spirit.  That those who are in the flesh are enemies of those who are in the Spirit. 

Again, Paul said this to the Corinthians, that the relationship between believers and unbelievers is like the relationship between light and darkness, the temple of God and the temple of idols, Christ and Belial.  That these have absolutely nothing in common, no agreement, no common ground.  None.  True, Paul was speaking about unbelievers, and the separation between believer and unbeliever; that believers should "come out from among them and be separate."  But he also said to separate from believers who are living in unrepentant sin.  Jesus himself said to treat believers who are unrepentant "like tax collectors and sinners."  Like those with whom we have nothing in common, but whom we still love, because Christ commanded his followers to love their enemies, those who oppose them--unbelievers and carnal believers, those who live in accordance with the flesh.

I'm seeing this more and more as I strive to follow the Spirit.  Like Jesus said, my only "mother, brothers, and sisters" are those who follow the Spirit.  This is painful and lonely.  But it's reality.  And it's hard for me to remember.  I find myself letting my guard down and being attacked by Satan when I'm with an unbeliever or carnal believer.  Lord, please help me to remember.

The lie about the "sinful nature" (Part 1)

"Sin is crouching at your door.  It desires to master you, but you must master it." 
~God to Cain, before Cain murders Abel

I learned a lie in church:  that we were born with a "sinful nature," meaning we can't help but sin.  I heard things like "nobody teaches you to sin," which meant that we were "born sinners."  I learned that we have a sinful mind, emotions, and will from the womb, and that's it's only a "work of God in our hearts" that can save us.  And even then, we'll still sin.  Even when God "takes away our sinful nature" and gives us a "new nature," we'll still sin.  I heard that "Christians aren't sinless, they sin less."  All of this is a lie.  This is the truth.

We are born in a state of separation from God.  And left to ourselves we will destroy ourselves.  But we're not "born sinners."  We can't be.  Sin is a deliberate act of disobedience against God; we aren't born deliberately disobeying God.  According to the scriptures, sin means we "know to do good and refuse to do it." But we aren't born knowing knowing to do good.  Sin means we know we should "choose good and refuse evil," according to the Prophet Isaiah. And according to the prophet, we aren't born knowing to choose the good and refuse evil.  (See Isaiah 7:15-16)

You might think "evil" is a strong word.  Alright, how about going against your conscience?  I'm talking about doing something that you define as wrong.  Not that the Bible or any religious book defines as wrong.  Not that your parents define as wrong.  Not the law.  Not the government.  Not even education.  You think something is wrong, and you do it any way, knowing it's wrong, and feeling guilty even if nobody knows you did it.  You don't feel guilty for any other reason than you went against your own conscience.  I can't stress that enough.  No one is condemning you in this situation, because nobody but you made up the rule that you broke.

For example, a girl decides she's not going to have sex with someone unless she loves him.  Her mom didn't tell her this.  In fact, her mom said all she needs to do is make sure the guy has a condom.  "You're young," says her mom.  "You can explore your sexuality."  Her dad agrees.  Her friends agree.  Her school agrees.  She doesn't go to church, and her parents don't go to church.  This girl decided she wanted to wait until she's in love to have sex because she wants sex to mean something.  She thought about it, and feels very strongly that if she has sex without love, she's wrong.

But in spite of this, she has sex with a guy that she doesn't love; and she feels horrible.

This example shows what sin really is: when we go against our conscience.  And we don't have to go against our conscience.  We don't have to sin.  We don't have a nature that makes us sin.  The story of Cain and Abel proves this.

Read here to find out how.