day 1578

“the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge”

 (Col. 3:10, NASB)

It is immensely important to God that his sons gain knowledge, so that of them, like of David, can be said that “(they) served the purpose of God in … (their) own generation” (Acts 13:36, ESV).

How can believers be absolutely certain of what exactly the plan or blueprint of God is? There is a very interesting Scripture early in the book of Revelation which reads as follows: “Blessed is he that readeth … for the time is at hand.” (Rev. 1:3, KJV).

There are seven Beatitudes in the book of Revelation; likewise, there are seven great songs, as well as seven announcements regarding those who overcome. I think the seven Beatitudes necessarily lead to the seven songs which make it manifest within us, and this necessarily leads to the seven states of being of those who overcome. We will not focus on this remarkable progression right now – this will occur later – but just highlight the first of the Beatitudes as it is relevant to our current discussion.

“Blessed is he that readeth …” Spiritual literacy does not mean that you are versed in theology. Spiritual illiteracy is literally an inability to interpret or read things in a spiritual manner. You then cannot understand the language of the spiritual realm, and thus are forced to rely on your carnal thoughts. “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor. 2:14). Carnal man relies on his intellect and human understanding, the Adamic brain capacity. Of this the intellectual, dogmatically-educated Saul is an excellent example. He understood nothing of the spirit nor of the spiritual world. Therefore scales had to fall from his eyes, so that he could, after his experience with the risen Christ, not only physically see again, but also spiritually see, and this caused him to immediately take action (Acts 9:18), and as a spiritual person start making decisions in according with what God has asked of Him.

The Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge makes this good distinction: “the natural man … the animal man, one who lives in a natural state, and under the influence of his animal passions; … the inferior and sensual part of man, in opposition to … understanding”. The spiritual man is distinguished based on how he thinks and understands in accordance with the will of God. Throughout the New Testament it speaks of thoughts that need to be renewed (Rom. 12:2) by the “enlightened eyes of understanding”. Col. 3:10 makes it clear that the new man needs to be clothed by having his thoughts renewed, and that this leads to KNOWLEDGE according to the image of his Creator. The NASB rightly translates it thus: “the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him”. For this reason, it is of great importance that we learn that within the ability to discern things on a spiritual level lies an enormous Beatitude of God: “he who is spiritual judges all things” (1 Cor. 2:15).

 

  • Selah: Can you read things in a spiritual manner?
  • Read: 9-11 (the most misunderstood chapters in the Bible when it comes to the issue of spiritual reading)
  • Memorise: 9:4