What is the spirit nature?

[Rick C. Hodgin]

I wrote this reply to someone yesterday, and I wanted to share it here
with you because many people struggle with this concept of the spirit
nature since it doesn't correlate to our natural nature.

The spirit nature is something each of us can possess. It comes to us
automatically when we have our sin taken away, because in that very
moment we are made righteous again in God's sight, and we are no longer
under condemnation for sin.

This person was convinced the Bible could not be accurate because of a
game played in college whereby everyone in the class sat in a circle,
and they had to whisper to the person to their left a message that was
given them by the teacher. It went from person to person around the
class and when the final message was received back at the person it
started from, it had been contorted, distorted, changed.

The person concluded the Bible must be the same way because man is
fallible, makes mistakes, has purposefully hurtful agendas at times,
etc.

This response clarifies how it is God was able to 1) give His word
to man in the first place, 2) keep His word properly in tact, and
most importantly 3) able to guide us today in this war-torn world
filled with hate and violence against the things of God.

It is from within, through the spirit, and direct guidance by God's
Holy Spirit, which keeps us on the strait-and-narrow path to His
eternal Kingdom in Heaven, called the paradise of God.


-----[ Begin ]-----

Name wrote: [the bible is a book written by man... or many men]

It's natural to think that. Many men did write it over centuries.
But there's another aspect (unknown to our natural flesh) which
is also at work.

Man is a three-fold being made in the image and likeness of God.
Just as God is God the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, so are we soul,
body, spirit.

When God made Adam and Eve, they were both complete: soul, body,
spirit. They were eternal beings, and they had both physical life
and spiritual life in addition to their soul. When they disobeyed
God and ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, sin
entered in and took their life. They did not die naturally. The
Bible records Adam lived to age 930, but they did die spiritually.

This spiritually-dead-in-sin condition is passed down generation
to generation. As such, man's history is filled with an apparent
contradiction. The Bible records many supernatural things, and has
people in Israel telling others they were prophets of God and they
espoused things which they claimed were from God, many of which we
find in the Bible. We also have New Testament authors recording
more supernatural things, and more miracles, and of course Jesus
being God in the flesh, here on Earth, the Savior of the world!

It's lunacy, right?

It seems that way because our natural flesh has certain senses,
and supernatural things are, by definition, above or outside the
realm of the natural. Our natural flesh can't accept supernatural
things, only natural things.

Enter the spirit nature.

God is spirit, and when Jesus came here as a man, He wasn't just
flesh. Inside the flesh, driving it, making it animate, "quickening"
the flesh as the Bible calls it, was God's own Holy Spirit. It was
by that power, that authority, that invisible nature, that the
supernatural things manifested. It wasn't done by potions or hocus
pocus or mystical forces, but by something real, just impossible
for our flesh to reconcile, and invisible to our natural eyes.

Jesus came here as a man so He could be born under our laws, so He
could be before God literally as one of us. In so doing, and be-
cause He was God, He was able to live a sin free life and in the end
transfer the sin (of all who come to Him asking forgiveness) away
to Himself, so those who believe and ask forgiveness are made sin
free before God.

This transaction immediately makes us alive again spiritually, and
the essence of our being changes in that selfsame instant, as we no
longer possess only natural senses and inputs, but now possess also
spiritual inputs. We are able to then hear and understand / discern
God's Holy Spirit, but also the enemy spirit at work in this world.

We can then see how the spirit augments us. Our natural body is
moved by natural drives, but the born again spirit asserts itself
as well, and the things we do, speak, teach, and occupy our time
with notable change (notable to ourselves, and others).

So it can be seen how it was God's own Holy Spirit who reached into
man's natural body, and moved him from within, inspiring and guiding
him to write His (God's) words down here in this world. And similarly,
it was God's own Holy Spirit which also kept His words from corruption
over the centuries.

Oh there are corrupt versions around, but not all of them are corrupt.
God has always kept His written word secure here in this world so that
we who seek the true truth and follow Him have something tangible to
go to, which is both natural and spiritual, to corroborate our
spiritual guidance from within, so we aren't swept away by evil
spirits guiding us to do false things. And I'll be honest, Satan is
shrewd. He knows how to trick people into doing wrong things.

Bottom line:
God wrote the Bible through men. He wrote the words for the people
alive at that time, for later generations, and for us today. There
are layers and layers of understanding which the Holy Spirit leads
us to in ongoing study because, just like if you hired a yoga
instructor or life coach to follow you around 24/7 so that they're
always there to guide you, so God's Holy Spirit comes to dwell within
us spiritually, so that as we do things He's there guiding us, just
like the hired natural person would be. And just like the growing
child is able to understand at age 10 things thery couldn't at age
5, and things at 15 they couldn't at 10, so it is with the maturing
Christian in his/her spiritual walk.

Jesus makes all this possible by what He did at the cross. He went
there without sin of His own. He was condemned to die falsely. In
fact, He didn't have to die. He was justified in rightness and
guiltlessness before God, such that He would've been justified in
upon legions of angels to come and rescue Him. He could've commanded
His flesh be healed, and those who wrongly accused Him could've been
rounded up and dealt with. But He didn't do those things. He chose
to remain on the cross, innocent, willing to suffer the guilt and
shame in people's eyes, to be humiliated. Why?

For you, Name. For me. For your children, your parents, neighbors,
the drug addicts down the road, the ... [insert person or people
group here].

Jesus stayed on the cross innocent so that our guilt could be
supernaturally transfered to Himself, so that when He died in the
body, all our sin would die with Him.

It requires God giving someone an internal tweak for them to
receive this (John 6:44), without which only the natural under-
standing will be present, and it will seem like complete foolish-
ness. Only you will know truly within if God has given you under-
standing here. If He has, you are fortunate. You are one who is
being saved.

-----[ Begin ]-----


If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. You can send me
private email if you feel more comfortable.

Thank you,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

To be alive spiritually is to be different than you are born with.
Each of us is born physically one time, and we will die physically
at some point. But in order to gain eternal life you must not only
be born physically, but also be born spiritually, for it is there
in the spirit you gain eternal life.

If you are born once, you'll die twice: once here, once in Hell.
If you are born twice, you'll only die once: here.

-----
Jesus has already made the way for you to be saved. The hard work's
already been done by Him. He's come to the Earth and upheld all of
His requirements to make it possible for you to escape Hell.

Now, He simply issues the call to your heart and says, "Come, and be
with me in Heaven forever in a body like the angels."

Do you want to live forever? In a beautiful body like the angels?
In a place of everlasting love, and peace, and joy? With God Himself,
able to talk to Him face-to-face and ask Him questions and learn from
Him and explore all He's created in this vast universe?

That's what He's offering you. For free. He loves you enough to
forgive all you've ever done wrong. He will give you a new clean
slate, and a real purpose for living.

Say the name: "Jesus."
Say the name: "Jesus."
Say the name: "Jesus. Forgive my sin and save me."

He will do it right now where you are. Right where you sit. Right
this second. Just ask Him, and then watch your life change. You'll
be amazed, because He is amazing. You'll be amazed at how amazing
He is. You'll be wrapped up in awe for the rest of your Earthly
days, and when you see Him in Heaven and He greets you in peace and
love, you'll be in further awe. Any crowns you receive here upon
the Earth for your works in service to Him, you'll cast back at His
feet and you'll cry out at the top of your lungs, "WORTHY IS THE
LAMB WHO WAS SLAIN FOR THE SIN OF THE WORLD!"

"Awesome" never knew such meaning as it does when applied to Jesus.
He's the true Awesome. "That pizza was awesome." "That movie was
awesome." They can't hold a candle to Awesome with a capital "A".

I urge you, my friends, my brothers, my sisters here on this Earth,
come to Jesus and become part of the Kingdom of God. Become part
of the vast future that awaits all who are redeemed. Come and be
a part of something that's solid and real and eternal and secure.
Come and be a part of something that's not only bigger than you
are, but bigger than anything else is. Come and be a part of a
real family of real love, proper relationships, whole dealings,
perfect righteousness in Him, and a guiding Hand that will never
cease to be strong and who serves to demonstrate those things He
has for us.

God is inexhaustible. He isn't part of a working of man. He's
far beyond man. He created the Heavens and the Earth and all that
there is, and He gave us a choice. He didn't want robots following
Him, "Yes, master. Yes, master." He wants real living souls, those
who have their own choices, their own thoughts, their own opinions,
their own ways of doing things.

He makes them all righteous and spotless and blameless and perfect
so they are well-suited for entry into His eternal Kingdom. Nothing
of improper form will ever be there. God takes care of His House.
He maintains order. He maintains righteousness. He makes it so the
doors don't need to be locked, and there will never be night, where
the lamb will lay down with the wolf and both will be safe and secure.

There is no hatred in Heaven. No animosity toward others. No
jealousy. No loss. Nothing lacking. It is the existence God intended
for us before sin entered in to this world and destroyed everything.
But God has made all things new. He comes to us with all that He is,
and all that He has, and says, "I will give all of this to you. You
will be co-heirs with me in the resurrection. Not joint-heirs where
all that He has is divided, but co-heirs, meaning all that He receives
we also will receive, because those who are redeemed are married to
Him in Heaven. He's the Bridegroom, and we are the bride, with the
Earthly pattern of marriage given to mankind as a precursor to the
real form of marriage that will be for all eternity.

Heaven won't be like it is here. It will be better. It's described
as a paradise where even the streets are gold. Where there are new
colors to see, new experiences and types of input into our being.
Time will not operate there as it does here, for it is a place of
eternal existence.

But there will be some things that are familiar. We'll see each
other in Heaven, even in our new bodies, and we will recognize and
know one another. And we will shine like the stars, glowing, even
as Moses did when he came down from the mountain having spent 40
days with God. His face was glowing and he had to veil himself.
In Heaven, we'll all be glowing with the pure rich light of fullest
righteousness given us by Jesus Christ. We'll shine with beauty
and the remarkable creation of God unrestrained by any degree of
sin or sickness or disease or death. It will be all pure. It will
be God's full expression untainted. Our bodies will glow like the
most brilliant stones you can imagine, but they'll be not hard like
stones, they'll be proper bodies of soft and gentle, yet powerful
form.

We'll be able to whisk ourselves from place to place through our
will. No means of locomotion to get there, but the spirit of God
will give us power to move where we desire in an instant. Fire
will not hurt us, for Jesus came to the Earth even and saved three
men in a fire that was seven times hotter than normal, so that not
even the smell of smoke was on them, let alone anything burned.

The power and authority we'll have in Heaven will be unrestrained
in service to Him. We won't have to worry about building permits
or whether or not there are materials and labor forces sufficient
to complete our task, or if we have enough money to meet this week's
payroll. It will be all provided for by God so that when we are
seeking to express ourselves, painting our corner of God's vast
universe, so we will do so unabated. We want to go big, we'll go
big. We want to go grand, we'll go grand. We want to go small
and make petite beauty, so shall it be.

God has gone ahead and prepared a place for us. He is coming back
to receive us so we can go to that place He's prepared for us. He
wants us there. He longs for us to be there. He's done all of
the hard work to get us there. And now He says simply, "Come, and
be a part of all I have done."

He's not charging us with a cost. He's not demanding of us, His
very own family, that we should pay to be a part of what He's done.
He's done what a good Father would do. He's gone out and made a
way to correct the lies of sin introduced by Satan, such that we
can be redeemed from that which we all so richly deserve because
of our own sin. He's done it for free, but it was a real thing
that's been done. Jesus will bear the marks of the cross in Heaven.
He'll always be marked by what He did for us, so that when we
behold Him in His glory, there will be the marks on His hands and
feet and side.

God has made the way. He calls out to you. He wants you to be a
part of His eternal Kingdom. And He warns you with greatest and
most powerful warning of what's coming if you do not receive His
free offer of salvation. He's warning that holding on to your
rebellion against God, holding on to lies and evil doings, that
these will keep you under judgment, under condemnation, and there
will be no hope for you.

But for all who are wise, they will look themselves in the eye in
the mirror and say, "YES! I am a sinner. YES! I need to be
redeemed. YES! I need to run to the Lord right now because I am
not only a sinner, but I am filthy in sin. A wretch am I. A whore
of high standing in the kingdom of whoredom."

And that soul will cry out to the Lord, "Jesus! Come and save me!
I do not want to go to Hell, but I want to be redeemed! I am a
sinner and I need to be forgiven! Save me, Lord! Save me from the
flames of death's eternal grip on my soul. Save me into your
Kingdom of Gold. Save me, Lord, and restore me to the life that
once was, and was lost through sin, and is now made possible only
by You again! Save me, Jesus, for I am in need today."

Do this, and you will live. Ask Him to receive you and He will.
It comes with a promised change. It comes with a promised release
of the burden of sin. There's a book written about that release,
called "The Pilgrim's Progress." The man carries a burden which
slows him down, until he comes to the cross where the burden is
taken away and his load is made light by the Lord.

Come to Him and have that burden of sin taken off your back. Be
able to move rightly and soundly and assuredly. Stand up in this
world, knowing that you are here but for a time, and then eternity
begins. Stand up knowing with confidence where you will be going,
and where you will not be going. And then reach out to those
around you who, today, are perishing as you were, and teach them
as you were also taught. Taught by the Lord from within to be
able to hear this call, that the message goes out from us, and
in from the Lord, out from our words, and into the heart by the
Lord, so that the two meet up and encourage a soul unto life, and
move that soul from within toward the everlasting grace that lives
in Jesus Christ.

Be His, my friend. Be His in this world, knowing that you are also
His in the hereafter.

You'll never approach anything like service to Him here in this
world. There aren't other things which compare to it, for it is
a true expression of spirit to serve Him. The people of this
world who are perishing cannot understand it, but we do not labor
for them. We labor for those who will be saved. We must continue
to labor despite their railings to contrary so as to maximize the
return on the work done at the cross. Jesus paid a price sufficient
to save all men everywhere, but not all men will be saved, but only
those who repent, and come to Jesus asking for forgiveness.

There are many still out there who will believe. Teach them about
their sin. Teach them about Hell. Teach them that there is a way
to be saved, and that there is only one way to be saved, but that
because of who Jesus is ... one way is enough.

His arms are open wide on that cross. He has love to give out to
all who will come to Him. You can't exhaust Him. He remains not
only standing, but strong. He stands above the sin your wretched
life casts upon Him. He went down to the pit and took the full
burden of sin upon Him and on the third day He rose again triumphant
over death, Hell, and the grave. And all who put their faith and
trust in Him will never perish.

He is the Lord God Almighty, and He calls out to you because He
wants you to be saved. He wants you to thrive. He wants you to
express in His universe with everything that is uniquely you. He
wants you to be a part of His Kingdom in the form and manner that
you desire ... of fullest eternal expression ... better than gold,
better than everything that has ever been made, because it is your
life given unto Him in this magnificent whole creation.

Come be a part of His Kingdom. Come be a part of the fellowship
of mankind in His Son, Jesus Christ. Do not be hypocrites like
the world, but come and be real. Live it daily. Teach it always.
Stand strong for the Lord so that people can see the difference
between you and those perishing in the world. Do not walk in
darkness, but be a light shining so all can see.

The Lord has made you for greatness. Do not sell out to the weak
draws and pulls of this world. Shiny fleeting trinkets of nothing
that will not endure. Instead, take up the yoke of the Lord and
walk in assurance that does endure, that cannot be conquered, that
is eternal, that is guided by the One from everlasting to ever-
lasting.

He calls out to you, friend. Do not delay. Do not hinder youself
in coming to ask Him. From right there where you are right now,
lift your voice to Heaven and cry out, "Jesus! I am a sinner.
Come into my heart and save me from my sin!" And watch Him work
another miracle in your life today.

God bless you, my friend. I look forward to seeing how you will
shine here upon this Earth, and in Heaven.

Thank you,
Rick C. Hodgin