No Longer I...

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=168 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="129a11c3.png"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welcome to the Heart4God Website!"><U><B><IMG SRC="4b55a500.png" border=0 width="90" height="80" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Writings of Joseph Herrin"><U><B>Writings by Date</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id212.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Writings of Joseph Herrin Organized "><U><B>Writings by Topic</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.heart4god.ws/Audio/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.heart4god.ws/Audio/index.htm"><U><B>Audio Files</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id690.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Videos"><U><B>Videos</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id323.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writings of Others"><U><B>Other Authors</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id324.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id339.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Questions and Answers"><U><B>Q&A</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id328.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Heart4God Email List"><U><B>Heart4God E-mail List</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com"><U><B>Parables Blog</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id306.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="File Downloads"><U><B><IMG SRC="2b264140.png" border=0 width="100" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <div> <B>No Longer I...</B></div> <div> <IMG SRC="c2827160.png" border=0 width="807" height="22" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Joseph Herrin (2-8-2001)</div> <bR> <div> Galatians 2:20</div> <div> I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me...</div> <div> (NAS)</div> <bR> <div> God is restoring much truth to that remnant portion of the church that has, with eager anticipation, been looking for His return. This remnant has submitted itself to the fiery judgments of God that it might be purged, purified, and cleansed. As they have, God has been stripping away much deception from their eyes and replacing it with His truth. The truth written of in this article is the most foundational truth a son or daughter of God can possess, but it is hidden from multitudes who have been in the grips of the blackness of deception that prevails in this day. I ask you to with diligence, attend to the things the Spirit is speaking here.</div> <bR> <div> If you are like me, you have heard the words of Galatians 2:20 for most of your Christian experience, but the actual grasping of it and walking out of it has been elusive. It seems sort of an ethereal teaching. It speaks of concepts that seem hard to take hold of. What does it mean, “I no longer live?” What does it mean, “Christ lives in me?” I seem to be quite alive, and I do not see a physical Christ dwelling in my members, controlling all of my activities and words. How do we understand this truth and walk in it?</div> <bR> <div> Paul spoke of this truth as a great mystery.</div> <bR> <div> Colossians 1:25-27</div> <div> 25     Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God,</div> <div> 26     that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints,</div> <div> 27     to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Georgia" >which is Christ in you</FONT>, the hope of glory.</div> <div> (NAS)</div> <bR> <div> This was the whole message of Paul. He was sent as an ambassador of God to preach Christ, and not just to preach Christ, but to preach Christ IN YOU. Yet this teaching has remained a mystery to many. The church today preaches about Christ. The church preaches the benefits of Christ; salvation, righteousness, inheritance, etc., but it has by and large missed the most important truth of all. Preaching about Christ and His benefits is not the same as preaching Christ in you.</div> <bR> <div> Any saint today who has received spirit salvation and who has received the Holy Spirit of God, does not need to pray to ask God for power, or holiness, or blessings, or wisdom, etc., thinking that these things are somehow external to his person. If the saint has received the Holy Spirit, he has received Christ, and Christ is all of these things.</div> <bR> <div> Much of the church today has the concept that Christ sits up in heaven far removed from us, and we must pray to Christ in heaven. Yes, the scriptures say that He is seated at the right hand of God, but the scriptures also tell us that we are seated with Him. The scriptures tell us that we are IN CHRIST. We should never have a concept that He is anywhere distant from us. This is what Paul was telling the church in Rome in the following scripture.</div> <bR> <div> Romans 10:6-8</div> <div> 6     But the righteousness based on faith speaks thus, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down),</div> <div> 7     or 'Who will descend into the abyss?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)."</div> <div> 8     But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart"-- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,</div> <div> (NAS)</div> <bR> <div> We do not need to ascend to Christ in prayer, nor do we need to descend to find Him. What does it say, “The word is with you, in your mouth and in your heart.” Where do we find Christ? In our mouth and in our heart. I know, this scripture said that it was the word that is in our heart and in our mouth. It did not say Christ, or did it?</div> <bR> <div> Christ is the word! A word is a declaration and a revealing of something. A word is a communication, it is a making known, a manifesting of some truth. It can be a word of understanding about the person of God, or it can be a word of instruction concerning the outworking of His presence in our life. Yahshua was and is such a word. Look at the following verses.</div> <bR> <div> John 1:14</div> <div> And the <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Georgia" >Word</FONT> became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.</div> <div> (NAS)</div> <bR> <div> John 1:18</div> <div> No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Georgia" >he hath declared him</FONT>.</div> <div> (ASV)</div> <bR> <div> John 14:8-10</div> <div> 8     Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us."</div> <div> 9     [Yahshua] said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, 'Show us the Father'?</div> <div> 10     "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Georgia" >The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.</FONT> </div> <div> (NAS)</div> <bR> <div> The Greek word for “Word” in John 1:14 is logos, while the Greek word in Romans 10:8 is rhema. Yahshua was and is both the logos and the rhema word of God. He was and is the full declaration of the Father. He reveals the Father to mankind. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Here we see first the natural, then the spiritual. Yahshua the Messiah came as the Word in the flesh, and now He is made to be the Word in our flesh. Christ is revealed in us as the Word of God. He is both the logos and the rhema Word in us. “The word is near thee, even in your mouth and in your heart.” What word? The Word that is Christ that fully discloses the Father in and through us.</div> <bR> <div> I can hear some saying, “This is still unclear to me”, so we will try to bring a little more light. While Yahshua walked the Earth with His disciples they saw His form and heard His voice. He was abiding with them, alongside of them, but He was not yet IN them. But Yahshua knew that it was far better for Him to be IN man than it was for Him to be abiding along side of man, for only as He is IN man can He transform man and be revealed in and through us.</div> <bR> <div> This is why Yahshua told His disciples that it was far better for them that He go away, that is, that His physical presence and form should go away in order for the Spirit of Christ to be sent. Why was this superior to Him being along side of man? Because the Spirit would be IN man. The Spirit would become one with man. The last passage above states that Yahshua spoke only the words the Father gave Him. He was God’s Word. Yahshua then continues, telling His disciples that they too can become God’s Word, but only if He goes away and the Spirit is sent to them.</div> <bR> <div>            John 14:11, 12, 16, 17</div> <div> 11     "Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; otherwise believe on account of the works themselves.</div> <div> 12     "Truly, truly, I say to you, <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Georgia" >he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do</FONT>; because I go to the Father...</div> <div> 16     "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" >17     that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, </FONT>but you know Him because He <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Georgia" >abides with you</FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000CC" FACE="Georgia" >, and</FONT> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Georgia" >will be in you.</FONT></div> <div> (NAS)</div> <bR> <div> Look closely at this last verse. In what way did the Spirit of truth abide with the disciples? He abode with them in the person of Yahshua. Yahshua did not begin His ministry until the Spirit descended upon Him and remained in Him. Yahshua said that He was “the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life.” How is the Spirit identified in the above verse? He is the Spirit of TRUTH. How were Yahshua and the Father one? They shared the same Spirit. He tells us we too can share the same Spirit and be one with Him and the Father. Look at the following verse and note how the Spirit is identified in both instances.</div> <bR> <div> Romans 8:9</div> <div> However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Georgia" >Spirit of God</FONT> dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Georgia" >Spirit of Christ</FONT>, he does not belong to Him.</div> <div> (NAS)</div> <bR> <div> The Spirit is described as both the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. Yahshua declared that He and the Father were one, for Yahshua had the Spirit of God the Father. We too are one with Christ by having the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us. It is all the same Spirit as Paul testifies, </div> <bR> <div> Ephesians 4:4-6</div> <div> 4     There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;</div> <div> 5     one Lord, one faith, one baptism,</div> <div> 6     one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.</div> <div> (NAS)</div> <bR> <div> The scriptures declare over and over that we are IN Christ and that Christ is IN us. In the same way Yahshua declared He was IN the Father and the Father was IN Him.</div> <bR> <div> John 14:10</div> <div> "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me?"</div> <bR> <div> How is this possible? It is through the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, dwelling in us. To be IN Christ and for Christ to be IN us, means that the Spirit of Christ dwells in us. This Spirit takes from the things which are Christ’s and makes them known in us. Christ is not far away, He is near through the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit reveals Christ the Word, and the Word is found in our hearts and in our mouths.</div> <bR> <div> John 16:13-14</div> <div> 13     "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.</div> <div> 14     “<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Georgia" >He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and shall disclose it to you.</FONT>”</div> <div> (NAS)</div> <bR> <div> If you are indwelt by the Spirit of God then you have Christ living in you for the Spirit lives to disclose Christ in us. The Spirit does not glorify Himself. The Spirit reveals Christ in us and through us. In this way we can say that if we are being led of the Spirit of God, it is no longer I, but Christ living in Me for the Spirit does not lead us in a manner independent of Christ, rather He takes what He hears from Christ and discloses it to us.</div> <bR> <div> The very word Christ means “Anointed One.” With what was Yahshua the Christ anointed? He was anointed with the Spirit of God.</div> <bR> <div> Matthew 3:16</div> <div> And after being baptized, [Yahshua] went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he [John the Baptist] saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him...</div> <div> (NAS)</div> <bR> <div> In the same way, believers who have received the Holy Spirit share the same anointing. Consider the following words of John.</div> <bR> <div> I John 2:27</div> <div> And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.</div> <div> (NAS)</div> <bR> <div> The anointing is the Holy Spirit. He is the one who teaches us, for Yahshua said the Spirit would lead us into all truth (John 16:13). The anointed ones are those who have received the Holy Spirit. Yahshua was the Christ, the Anointed One, and if you can receive it, all those are Christ who share the same Spirit. The apostle John tells us,</div> <bR> <div> I John 4:17</div> <div> By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Georgia" >as He is, so also are we in this world.</FONT></div> <div> (NAS)</div> <bR> <div> Yahshua could not begin His earthly ministry until He received the Holy Spirit. Only then was He made one with the Father. Only then could He truly walk in such a manner that He could tell Philip, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” For this reason Yahshua clearly signified to His disciples that they too must receive the Spirit before they could begin to manifest Him to the world. They had to receive the Spirit before they could begin to minister Christ to the world.</div> <bR> <div> John 20:21-22</div> <div> 21     [Yahshua] therefore said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."</div> <div> 22     And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."</div> <div> (NAS)</div> <bR> <div> Yahshua’s commissioning of His disciples was tied directly to the receiving of the Spirit. He said, “as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” How did the Father send Yahshua? In the anointing of the Spirit. Christ also sends us in the anointing of the Spirit. Only in this way could people look at Yahshua and see the Father, and only in this way can people look at us and see Yahshua.</div> <bR> <div> We can see then how Paul could say, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me....” As we are indwelt and guided by the Holy Spirit of Christ, He reveals the Living Word within us. It is found in our heart and in our mouth. Christ is formed in us and we live, and move, and have our being in Christ. We become “as He is in this world.”</div> <bR> <div> Now comes the difficult part of this matter, and it is certainly a large reason why so few walk in this truth and understanding. Christ is only revealed in us, He only lives His life through us, as we crucify the flesh and die to the desires of the soul life. In order for Christ to live in us, there must first be an “it is no longer I who live.” We must cease living according to the desires of our soul and the dictates of the flesh. We must present our bodies as a living sacrifice upon the altar of God. As we crucify our flesh, as we daily take up our cross, then the life of Christ is able to be revealed in and through us. If there is no death, there is no life of Christ.</div> <bR> <div> The church of this hour prefers to dwell upon false doctrines that declare that the soul life does not have to be crucified. It prefers to preach a message saying that God wants to satisfy the soul’s longings for worldly goods, financial prosperity, ease and comfort. It is with difficulty that the church will accept “sound doctrine.” Paul warned of this day.</div> <bR> <div> II Timothy 3:1-5</div> <div> But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money... lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power</div> <bR> <div> It was quite a different message that the early church leaders preached, as is observed in the book of Acts.</div> <bR> <div> Acts 14:21-22</div> <div> 21     And after they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,</div> <div> 22     strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."</div> <div> (NAS)</div> <bR> <div> There is a great mystery being revealed in this day. It is the mystery of our union with God through Christ. This union is brought about as we die to self (the soul-life) and the flesh, in order that Christ might be manifested in our members. Yahshua spoke of this day. It was this He looked forward to and which He counted as joy, enabling Him to bear His own cross. What a glorious thought, being one with God. Not in some future in heaven, but here on Earth. Hallelu-Yah!</div> <bR> <div> John 14:20</div> <div> "In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”</div> <div> (NAS)</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>