Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Good morning, dear ones.
Light rain is falling. Little boys are here. I see Thano out with Nicholas. Now I hear sounds of a squawking chicken. Sure enough—Thano caught one to let Nicholas see up close and pet.
I was able to get off an earlier jog with Bimbo. No letting him off the leash yet while on the main road. But he’s doing fairly well on the leash. I picked up a pretty good size bag of beer cans…which I give to a guy who cashes them in as a fund-raiser for BGMC (Boys and Girls Missionary Crusade). Beer cans for Jesus. Not sure about that slogan.
Thinking more about this matter of the SUPERNATURAL and how it intersects with human behavior and social degeneration, I was reminded that Jesus certainly believes in its reality. He offered a disclosure of how it works in Matthew 12:43-45. Read it again. Is this not a commentary of where we are in our nation and history? Not good…but on schedule.
Blessings on your day.
Love, Dad/Ray
A bottom-line basis for sorting out the entire scope of human experience, in my view, is to accept the fact of THE FALL—the consequence of a NATURAL SIN NATURE deposited into the insides of all mankind. They are then faced with meting out their frail existence within a FALLEN WORLD (Consider Romans 8:12-25). Animals prey on other animals throughout the food chain. And humans prey on other humans in the power chain—the social chain of command. It’s easy to see reasons for the blanket overview of the whole world of tension and conflict explained by “the survival of the fittest.” This truly is the NATURAL flow of things.
But to deny the reality of the SUPERNATURAL behind the reality of the NATURAL, which so many attempt to do, is to guarantee a fatally flawed worldview. And even one that is preoccupied with the SUPERNATURAL can be seriously flawed if not handled with Biblical balance.
Saul was earlier empowered by the SUPERNATURAL “Spirit of God” for ministry and service (10:10; 11:6). But because he did not choose to “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25), even choosing to disobey the Spirit (15:22-23), “the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul” (16:14). He was now on his own to follow his default NATURAL SIN NATURE and the influence of the SUPERNATURAL spirit of deception and evil that drives that NATURE. Yet here we see him once again being empowered by the SUPERNATURAL “Spirit of God” to “prophesy” (declare the truth of God) while on his evil mission to kill David. In this case, it has to be a demonstration of God’s transcending Spirit over the spirit of evil. It offers no assurance that the one prophesying was righteous and holy before the LORD. He clearly was not.
The Apostle Paul later grapples with the same issue (Philippians 1:15-18). A conclusion to draw is that Biblical truth is true whether or not the teller of truth is walking in truth.
Therefore, Spirit-inspired seizures with Spirit-inspired utterances may be authentic Spirit-inspired manifestations, but they do not ensure Spirit-inspired living (thinking, choices, motivations, and behavior). Rather, the qualifying SUPERNATURAL “fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature (the key to living above the NATURAL SIN NATURE) with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other” (Galatians 5:22-26)—like Saul did.