10/10/26 In IAM
1 Corinthians 6:17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
Paul starts our 15th portion off in a message about unity. Given what we spoken on last week & the importance of in Christ meaning giving forgiveness. To truly be in Christ means the necessity of conversion by being redeemed in the blood of Christ, but it also means not placing yourself above God & forgiving even when it is not easy. This message was the gate way to today’s teaching.
This knowledge is the very essence in two ingredients which leads to a life of purpose, a life of reason which I will demonstrate in this message. Unity is represented here which flies in the face of what was discussed last week in discussion of the things that cause unforgiveness, namely divisiveness. In this series we covered that all in the Lord are equal. No one is shown a nepotistic edge by the Lord. The push for divisiveness is a push by principality spirits of darkness not of the Kingdom of God.
This phrase joined unto the Lord, is thought to be taken out of Deu 10:20: To him shalt thou cleave. Paul as he does occasionally gives a nod to what we know as the OT drawing from there to take something that was given to the Hebrew & makes it relevant to the gentiles. This gives us a richer context that drawing from Paul’s writings alone. The weight is underscored by the emphasis of drawing on our source in all things, which is why we are to praise the Lord in all things & why James said count it as pure joy when you experience various trials which seems like a concept of a person who is self-masochistic. We are to cleave, which is a term not commonly used today. Cleave can replace hold fast or cling to which is where we get our meaning in the Hebrew. It is the HEB word debaq, to cling or adhere.
Here in the NT Paul pens being united with the Lord. United as in walk in unity, which is what in Christ means. We started this series intentionally not being overly vocal about just what this means, just that there are benefits & we sought understanding scripturally when the phrasing says in the Lord or in Christ. This is the closest possible union. He is your highest priority. He is the one you aim to please. He Is as close as your spouse is supposed to be. This is the nearest, dearest relationship.
For those who cannot sadly identify with the analogy of the spouse, this is what it means, you long to make the Lord happy, to fill what he calls for you to do. You will seek him passionately, you will seek him reverently. He is not an afterthought, & is the driving force behind who you are and have come far from who you used to be. The Lord isn’t someone you wait to experience just on Sunday’s, because the Presence is something you long for which is indeed unity.
The verse continues that you are one with him in spirit. The original translation is rendered properly, The one however being joined to the Lord, one spirit is. In the modern English it sounds a little clunky but it is easy to understand despite the awkward nature it is translated. This unity, it is more than a legal unity, because when you are in Christ there is a legal relationship. This unity is more than a mere knowledge of & being able to cognizant articulated testimony of. This is a unity in the spirit. Many of my beloved are thinking, yes, we are joined in the Holy Spirit. The problem is many of us are not sensitive enough in the Spirit to really know if the Holy Spirit is calling to us because the only voice, we are accustomed to is our own.
You cannot be in one spirit if you are only obeying your own. Your spirit is different than your soul, as your soul is your mind will & emotion. Some would declare they are the same, but I reference this, 1 Thessalonians 5:23: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
3 components mentioned there. The soul is the housing for the spirit, your soul is tied to your body & the material & can be influenced by culture, & bias due to that culture. But your spirit is the only way we can experience God is (through our spirit). The soul is merely a channel. It is the inner most core of who you are, who you were created to be. This is the inner most being that the Lord prepared as he formed you in the womb. The joy that we feel from our redemption emanates from our spirit.
Now check this out, your body is the inner most portion of you obviously. But you are like an egg, you have 3 sections. Next your egg white portion, no that is not racists, is the soul. Like I said, the soul can be shaped by bias. It can be moved by public opinion, regionally, or even within your family leanings. Then there is your spirit, the yolk of you. No, I am not calling you yella, them fighting words to some. This is the inner most being, but I need to inform you that this inner most being can shape the rest of you.
When you are in Christ, walking in unison in the spirit, your steps are not your own. If you recall way back in lesson #3 I spoke of surrender to the spirit. That means you surrender your soul, you surrender your body to the leading of God. IT is God that will purge your soul of ungodly bias, it is the Lord who will reshape your values, it is the Lord who will instruct you throughout the day. When you seek the Lord thru the spirit he says I can do something with you now 7 he will as the Great Shephard lead you to quiet waters & make you lay down in still pastures.
If you walk in obedience to the spirit the Lord is your guide and your helper.
