By spiritual union with the living Lord Jesus, every Christian has the provision to be at "rest"  - avoiding the striving performance to achieve or overcome thoughts in the mind, feelings in the emotions, difficulties in decision-making, and urgings in one's desires. In the midst of temptations and the trials of life, Christians can experience the "rest for their souls" (Matt. 11:29) that Jesus promised

 

INTRODUCTION

            The world around us is restless hurrying and scurrying to accomplish something meaningful. They are seeking "rest" - but they are looking in all the wrong places. True "rest" can only be found in "union with Christ."

            "Union with Christ" is the essence of Christianity. Christianity is not a belief-system or a morality code, but is the union presence and function of the living Lord Jesus within Christians. In a previous study1, we charted out the "union of being" and the "union of doing" of Christ and the Christian. We are, for all practical purposes, extending that previous study in a sequel to consider how the theological theorem becomes psychological practicum. We want to explore the psychological and behavioral implications of "union with Christ."

            In other words, we will be considering "the divine outworking of the divine indwelling." That is, I believe, the choice that Adam and Eve faced at the "tree of life" as recorded in Genesis 2 - a choice to allow for the divine outworking of the divinely inbreathed life of God. God had breathed into them the breath/spirit of divine life (2:7), and the "tree of life" (same Hebrew word for "life" in 2:7 and 2:9) represented the opportunity to choose the divine outworking of the divinely inbreathed life of God. We know that they chose the other tree, "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," with disastrous consequences for themselves and the human race. Their choice did not lead to "rest," but to much work and performance - physical, religious, and otherwise.

            As Christians we have a similar choice. In spiritual regeneration we have been re-genesized (2:7), and the spirit/breath of the triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, has been breathed into our spirit. "If any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His" (Rom. 8:9), i.e. he is not a Christian. On the other hand, "He who is joined to the Lord (Jesus Christ) is one spirit with Him" (I Cor. 6:17). As Christians, redeemed and restored to right relationship with our Creator, we have the same choice Adam and Eve had prior to the fall - the choice to allow for the divine outworking of the divine indwelling life of Jesus.

 

Spirit and Soul

 

            Before we consider how "spirit-union allows for soul-rest," we need to note how important it is to distinguish and differentiate between spirit and soul - between spiritual and psychological functions. Christian religion, down through the centuries, has often failed to make the distinction between spiritual and psychological function. What they end up with is a mish-mash of psychological spirituality or spiritualized psychology.  Considering spirit and soul to be equivalent synonyms of the "inner man," Christian religion ends up with a hodge-podge of ambiguous admonitions to "receive Jesus into your soul/spirit/heart, and all is well," or "believe in Jesus with your soul/spirit/heart, and work like hell." Is it any wonder that Christians do not understand grace, "the rest of the gospel," and how to allow for godliness in Christian behavior? If soul and spirit are synonymous, then psychological principles should be able to resolve the problems of mankind. Sigmund Freud is our savior - God forbid! (or as J.B. Phillips worded it, "what a ghastly thought."2) That is why so much of what is called "Christian counseling" is nothing than a veneer of Christian and biblical terminology laid over the mush of secular psychological principles. Not at all helpful for Christian living.

            It is imperative that we differentiate between spiritual and psychological function, or we will never understand spiritual realities, and never participate in the practicum of Christian behavior and "rest." Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, saying, "Now may the God of peace sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass" (I Thess. 5:23,24). These are clearly differentiated functions that need to be "set apart" in order to realize God's holy intent in our lives. These verses in I Thessalonians 5 have recently been dismissed as but Paul's "sign-off" of his epistle, which cannot be viewed as having any doctrinal import.3 Apparently, in this view, "all scripture is not inspired, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (II Tim. 3:16). Another New Testament verse to be considered is Heb. 4:12 - "the Word of God" (this is not the Bible, but the living expression and revelation of God, Jesus Christ, the Word of God who was from the beginning and IS God. Cf. Jn.1:1,14),  is "living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing as far as the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." The Spirit of Christ is able to pierce into our inner being and distinguish, and cause us to discern, between our deepest spiritual intentions and the psychological thoughts that do not always coincide with our spiritual intents.

            I cannot over-emphasize how important it is for Christians to understand the difference between spiritual function and psychological function. Without this distinction the Christian life will remain ambiguous. When spirit and soul and body are distinguished, this has often been called the trichotomous or tripartite understanding of man's constitution. It is probably best to avoid such terms, for they leave a wrong impression. Trichotomous means, "cut in three," and tripartite means "three parts." A human individual is not cut in three parts, compartments, or partitions. A human being is a functional whole, who functions at three levels: spiritual, psychological, and physiological.4 To differentiate the spiritual and the psychological function of man is not an attempt to cut man into separate parts, but is a necessary distinction for understanding how God has created man to function.

 

SPIRIT-UNION

 

            In order to understand how "spirit-union allows for soul-rest," we must first reiterate the foundation of spiritual union with Christ. We must take the time to review the biblical premises of "spirit-union" with Christ, and carefully define what we do, and do not, mean by "spirit-union."

            By "spirit-union" I am not referring to the objective union whereby humanity at large was represented in solidarity with the incarnation of Jesus Christ, when as the federal or representative head of the human race, the Son of God became united with mankind to redeem fallen man. The incarnational union of Christology is not the "spirit-union" I am speaking of.

            "Spirit-union," as I am using the term, is not an objective attribution of "positional" truth of "identification" with the historical Jesus when He was crucified, buried, rose again, and ascended. There is truth indeed in the fact that "when He died, we died," that "when He was buried, we were buried," that "when He was raised, we rose with Him," and that "when He ascended, we ascended," but that objective historical union, often called "positional union" or "identification union," is not what I am referring to by the use of "spirit-union."

            Nor am I referring to an objective participation in the benefits of Christ's redemptive work, whereby those who assent in faith to Christ's substitutional and vicarious death for their sins are legally and juridically united with Christ in their standing and status before God in heaven. In such an attributed union with Christ, Christians are declared righteous, as Christ's righteous action is imputed to them in forensic justification. Though theologically valid, this objective union is not the "spirit-union" I am referring to in this study.

            By the term "spirit-union," I am referring to the subjective and internal union of the Spirit of Christ with the spirit of a receptive individual in spiritual regeneration. This has been called "regenerative union," "saving union," or "new-creation union." "If any person does not have the Spirit of Christ, he/she is none of His" (Rom. 8:9) - i.e. that person is not a Christian. This is the bottom-line of what constitutes Christianity. For, the one who is joined to the Lord Jesus Christ, receiving Him by faith, is "one spirit" with Him (I Cor. 6:17). That is the "spirit-union" I am referring to in this study. It is a personal, relational, and spiritual union that every genuine born-again believer participates in. If you are a Christian, you have spirit-union with the living Lord Jesus.

            The internal, subjective "spirit-union" that I am speaking of is not a subjective state or condition that the Christian has to seek to attain or achieve by a litany of spiritual disciplines such as "centering prayer" or "spiritual direction," etc. "Spirit-union" is not an elevated state of consciousness or ecstasy whereby a Christian transcends earthly concerns and becomes "so heavenly-minded, they are of no earthly good." "Spirit-union" is not a metaphysical merging or commingling with God wherein a person is consubstantially and essentially deified in an organic union that constitutes the person as "no longer human."

            "Spirit-union" is the spiritual condition of every Christian - every "Christ-one" who has been united with Christ, having accepted God's grace in His Son, Jesus Christ, by faith. Are you a Christian? Have you received the Spirit of Christ into your spirit? If so, then you have "spirit-union" with the Spirit of Christ, with the Spirit of God, with the Holy Spirit, i.e., with the triune God.

            This does not mean that you are essentially, inherently, intrinsically Jesus Christ. That would be blasphemy. This is not an essential union of fused coalescence or absorbed equivalence. The "spirit-union" effected at regeneration is a personal, relational union, wherein the distinction of Christ and the Christian is maintained. That is why it has traditionally been referred to as a "personal relationship with Jesus Christ." But the idea of a "personal relationship" with Jesus has often been viewed as but a contractual connection that fails to adequately explain the "spirit-union" of the Christian with the Spirit of God.

            One of the more important biblical verses that refers to "spirit-union" is I Cor. 6:17, where Paul states, "the one who is joined to the Lord is one spirit (with Him)." The context of the previous verse is a quotation from Genesis 2:24, which refers to God's intent in the marital union as a man and a woman become "one flesh" in marriage. The "one flesh" union of a husband and wife in marriage, and the "one spirit" union of Christ and the Christian are interrelational unions wherein neither party is diminished or denied in the union of the two, but there is a real integrated union.

 

What is Spiritual?

 

            Since the word "spirituality" is such a buzzword in our society today, we should probably consider how this word relates to "spirit-union," as we are using the term. Religiously, "spirituality" refers to everything from conformity to moral standards, amassing doctrinal knowledge, faithful participation in church activities, speaking in tongues, ecstatic flights of mystical fancy, and so on. On the other hand, the world around us views almost anything as "spiritual" today. Enthusiasm is "spiritual," and so is coincidence, the unintelligible, environmentalism, evolution, drugs, music, art, running, sobriety, sensitivity, and myriad other things (even selfishness and sinfulness). What is the biblical understanding of "spiritual"? In I Cor. 2:15, Paul wrote, "He who is spiritual appraises all things." In the context, a "spiritual" person is contrasted to the "natural man" in the previous verse (2:14), who cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God. The "natural man" is the unregenerate person. The "spiritual person" is one who has received the Spirit of Christ and been regenerated.  A few verses earlier (2:12) Paul had explained, "we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God." A "spiritual person" is one who has experienced "spirit-union" with the Spirit of Christ in spiritual regeneration. Such a spiritual condition of "spirit-union" is not an end in itself, but the character of the Spirit of God who lives within is to be expressed in psychological and physical behavior. That is why Paul went on to write, "I could not speak to you as to (those acting as) spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ" (I Cor. 3:1). And to the Galatians, Paul explained that those "who are spiritual" should restore one who is caught in a trespass with gentleness (6:1). Biblical spirituality involves the presence and function of the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, the triune God in an individual. In other words, what we are calling "spirit-union" and "soul-rest."

 

Spiritual Exchange

 

            Such a spiritual condition of "spirit-union" is predicated on the spiritual exchange that must have transpired in an individual's spirit at regeneration. We did not receive the "spirit of the world," but the "Spirit of God," Paul explained (I Cor. 2:12). To the Romans, Paul explained that "We have not received a spirit of slavery, but a spirit of adoption as sons" (Rom. 8:15). John explained that there is a radical difference between "the spirit of error" and "the spirit of truth" (I Jn. 4:6). In the fallen sons of disobedience there is a "spirit" that is working (Eph. 2:2), but Christians are those who have received into their spirit the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9), in a "spirit-union." A spiritual exchange has taken place.

            Since we have mentioned a "spiritual exchange," perhaps this would be the proper place to address the correlation of what we are calling "spirit-union" with the familiar designation of "the exchanged life" that is so common in Christian circles today. I think many Christians are befuddled by the terminology of "exchanged life." They are asking questions like, "What is being exchanged for what? Where does this exchange take place? Is it a spiritual reality or a psychological reality? When does such an exchange transpire? Is it a singular point in time, or is it a progressive process? How do I facilitate this exchange? What do I have to do?" Many have discovered that there is much ambiguity in the "exchanged life" teaching. Part of the problem is due to an inadequate distinction of spirit and soul - of spiritual function and psychological function. Much of the "exchanged life" teaching focuses on the soulical or psychological, emphasizing the need to "exchange" my selfishness for Christ's action. In the process it often degenerates into another form of "how to" performance religion, encouraging surrender, brokenness, and "more faith" in order to enact this exchanged life behavioral expression. If I were to use "exchanged life" terminology, and I cautiously try to avoid such, I would be referring to the spiritual reality of the spiritual exchange that happens at spiritual regeneration, when an individual exchanges spiritual death for spiritual life. When a person receives Jesus Christ by faith, the spiritual exchange takes place, and the Christian has "spirit-union" with the Lord. The living Lord Jesus explained to Saul on the road to Damascus that he would send him to the Gentiles to convert them "from darkness to light, and from the dominion of Satan to God" (Acts 26:18). Beyond that exchange of spirit, wherein we are no longer "deriving from the being" of the one spirit (Greek exousia), but deriving from the Spirit of God, there is no additional "exchange" required. Henceforth, the Christian participates in the overcoming activity of the Spirit of Christ, as the "positive swallows up the negative," and the grace of God facilitates the behavioral expression of His own character in our behavior.

 

Spiritual Nature

 

            The spiritual exchange that allows for "spirit-union" with the Spirit of Christ is also an exchange of spiritual nature. The humanistic premises of the world's philosophies posit that man has an intrinsic "human nature," and then go on to argue whether that nature is essentially good or evil. Biblical Christian teaching does not allow for such human essentialism, but recognizes that God created man as a derivative creature who derives his nature and character from one spirit or the other, God or Satan. Paul explained to the Ephesians that in their unregenerate state they "were by nature, children of wrath" (Eph. 2:3). The unregenerate "sons of disobedience" derive their evil expressions of selfish sinfulness from the "god of this world" (II Cor. 4:4), for the "whole world lies in the evil one" (I Jn. 5:19). But in the spiritual exchange from "Satan to God" (Acts 26:18), the Christian becomes "a partaker of the divine nature" (II Pet. 1:4), in "spirit-union" with the Trinity. The nature of a man is the nature of the spiritual personage that indwells him/her. Ours is a derived nature. But the humanistic premises of an intrinsic human nature are so pervasive in Western thinking, that evangelical Christian thinkers accept the premise and explain that the Christian has "two natures," a so-called human nature, sin nature, Adam nature, fallen nature, flesh nature, self-nature, or old nature, as well as the divine nature of Christ. These concepts of evangelical humanism explain that the Christian has "two natures," an "old nature" and a "new nature" (both phrases are not biblical), creating a schizophrenic duality that disallows Christians from understanding their "spirit-union" and who they are in Christ. Even some of the most popular versions of the New Testament have interpolated their interpretations of evangelical humanism into the text of scripture, mistranslating the Greek word for "flesh" (sarx) as "old nature" or "old sinful nature," etc. It is tragic how modern evangelicalism has obscured Christian teaching, and denied the realities of "spirit-union."

 

 

Spiritual Life

 

            The exchange that allows for "spirit-union" with Christ is an exchange from spiritual death to eternal spiritual life. This "eternal life" that we receive in Jesus Christ is not some "thing" that we possess; rather, "eternal life" is a Person, Jesus Christ, with Whom we have spirit-union. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life" (Jn. 11:25); "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (Jn. 14:6). "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life" (I Jn. 5:12). In "spirit-union" with Christ we have "passed out of death into life" (I Jn. 3:14), for "Christ lives in us" (Gal. 2:20), and "Christ is our life" (Col. 3:4). This spirit-union of eternal life in Christ is also a partaking of immortality. Immortality is not something we are waiting to participate in after physical death. "God alone possesses immortality" (I Tim. 6:16), but He has "abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (II Tim. 1:10). Our spirits and souls are not essentially immortal as evangelical humanism indicates, but we derive immortality and eternal life from the presence of Jesus in "spirit-union."

 

Spiritual Light

 

            The Christian in "spirit-union" has exchanged darkness for light.  The risen Lord Jesus told Saul that his mission was to "convert people from darkness to light" (Acts 26:18). To the Colossian Christians, Paul wrote, "He (Jesus) delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son" (Col. 1:13). "Called out of darkness into His marvelous light" (II Pet. 2:9), Christians are "saints in light" (Col. 1:12), "sons of light" (I Thess. 5:5), and "children of light" (Eph. 5:8), for "the life was the light of men" (Jn. 1:4).

 

Spiritual Identity

 

            Spirit-union is such an integral and intimate union that the identity of the Christian is based on the presence of Jesus Christ. Spirit-union is an identity-union. The deepest sense of any person's identity is in the realm of the spirit. A Christian is a Christ-one, identified by the presence of Jesus Christ Who forms the basis of his/her identity. It is of utmost importance that a Christian understand their spiritual identity, accepting and affirming "who they are in Christ" - their derived spiritual identity based on their spirit-union with Christ. If we do not know who we are, then we will never be able to behave like who we've become.

            Christians are "sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:26). We are "children of God" (I Jn. 3:1,2) - no longer "children of the devil," but "children of God" (I Jn. 3:10), for "as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). Christians are "the people of God" (I Pet. 2:10), intended to "rest" (Heb. 4:9) as God's own possession (Titus 2:14). Christians constitute the new "Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16; cf. Rom. 9:6). We are "members of God's household" (Eph. 2:19), and "citizens of heaven" (Phil. 3:20). Every Christian is a "priest" (I Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6) with access into the Holy of Holies of God's presence (Heb. 10:19). We are "kings" (I Pet. 2:9), who "reign in life through Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:17). Though our spiritual identity was once that of "sinners" (Rom. 5:19), we are now "saints" (Rom. 8:27; Eph. 1:18; 4:12), having a derived identity as "holy ones" by the presence of the "Holy One" (Acts 3:14; I Jn. 2:1), Jesus Christ, with Whom we have spirit-union.

            Whereas we were once "ungodly" (Rom. 5:6), we are now identified as "godly" (II Pet. 2:9). Whereas we were once "excluded from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18) and "separate from Christ" (Eph. 2:12), we are now the "chosen ones" of God (Eph. 1:4; Col.3:12), who have been "reconciled to God" (Rom. 5:10,11) and have been "accepted to the glory of God" (Rom. 15:7). Whereas we were once "unrighteous" (I Cor. 6:9), we have now been "made righteous" (Rom. 5:19), for we have been "created in righteousness" (Eph. 4:24), and have "become the righteousness of God in Christ" (II Cor. 5:21), as the "Righteous One" (Acts 7:52; 22:14), Jesus Christ, has become the basis of who we are. We have been made "holy, and blameless and beyond reproach" (Col. 1:22). Christians are even identified as "perfect" (Phil. 3:15; Heb. 12:23) in spiritual condition, because the Perfect One, Jesus Christ, dwells within their spirit in spirit-union.

 

 

Spiritual Newness

 

            Everything has become "new" for the Christian who is in spirit-union with Christ. The prophet Ezekiel prophesied about the great renewal that would be enacted in Christ when he spoke for God, saying, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you" (Ezek. 36:26). When the Christian receives Christ in regeneration, this "new heart" and "new spirit" become a spiritual reality within. This is not a mechanical replacement whereby we receive a new heart-part, nor is it a heart transplant. Rather, in the "inner man" (II Cor. 4:16) of our spiritual and psychological function we receive the "newness of life" (Rom. 6:4) of the presence and function of Jesus Christ. Jeremiah's comment that "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jere. 17:9) is no longer true for a Christian. The Spirit of Christ indwells our hearts (Eph. 3:17), and this constitutes a "new heart" wherein "God has written His laws upon our hearts" (Heb. 8:10; 10:16). "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away and new things have come" (II Cor. 5:17). By spirit-union with Christ, everything has become new spiritually in the Christian. We are a "new creation" (Gal. 6:15). We are a "new man" (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10). The "old man" that we were in our unregenerate state has been crucified (Rom. 6:6) and put off (Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:9), and we are a "new man" in Christ. We are not a schizophrenic "old man" and "new man" at the same time, as popular evangelical humanism has often suggested, but the "old man" has been exchanged for the "new man," the completely new identity we have "in Christ."

 

In Christ

 

            Perhaps the most frequent phrase used in the New Testament to refer to our spirit-union is the little phrase, "in Christ," and its variant forms of "in Christ Jesus," "in Jesus Christ," "in the Lord Jesus Christ," and "in Him," etc. "By His (God's) doing you are in Christ Jesus (I Cor. 1:30)," Paul writes. "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature" (II Cor. 5:17).  Whenever we see that phrase it is quite legitimate to read it as "in union with Christ." For example, "Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus (in union with Christ Jesus)" (Rom. 6:11). And later in the same chapter, "The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (in union with Christ Jesus our Lord)" (Rom. 6:23). The phrase "in the Spirit" can also refer to the spirit-union with the Spirit of Christ.

 

Indwelling Trinity

 

            Spirit-union is brought into being by the presence of the entire Trinity within us. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have come to dwell and take up residence in our spirit. When we become "partakers of the divine nature" (II Pet. 1:4), we become partakers of God the Father, "partakers of Christ" (Heb. 3:14), and "partakers of the Holy Spirit" (Heb. 6:4). Jesus explained to the disciples in the upper room discourse, "If anyone loves Me, We (My Father and I) will come and make Our abode with him" (John. 14:23). In his first epistle, John writes, "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in Him and he in God (in union with God)" (I John 4:15,16). It is the apostle Paul who is so clear about Christ indwelling us. This is the mystery of the gospel, Paul states, "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27). "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20), Paul tells the Galatians. Paul asked the Corinthians, incredulously, "Do you not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you - unless indeed you fail the test?" (II Cor. 13:5). Likewise the Holy Spirit dwells in us (II Tim. 1:14). "God gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge" (II Cor. 1:22), and has "sent the Spirit into our hearts, crying, 'Abba, Father" (Gal. 4:6). Spirit-union is established by the presence of the entire Trinity.

 

Spirit Actions

 

            Since God dwells in us in Spirit-form, the scriptures employ numerous explanations of how the spirit-union is established and functions. We must be "born of the Spirit" (John 3:5,8), Jesus told Nicodemus. We receive the "gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38), Peter explained in the first sermon of the church. We are "sealed in the Spirit" (Eph. 4:30; II Cor. 1:22); "sealed in Him (in union with Christ) with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1:13), as God's own possession. Every Christian is "baptized in the Spirit" (I Cor. 12:13) when our spirits are overwhelmed by the Spirit of Christ, and we become part of the one Body, the Church. Every Christian has an "anointing of the Spirit" (I Jn. 2:20,27), whereby the Spirit of God becomes our inner teacher. To the Romans, Paul explained, "All who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Rom. 8:14). Notice, he does not say, "Those who are following the leading of the Spirit are sons of God." Nor does he say, "Those who seek the leading of the Spirit are sons of God." No, he says that every Christian, every "son of God," has the inner leading and direction of the Spirit of God - whether, or not, they seek or follow that leading.

 

Inner Senses

 

In like manner, every Christian has an inner vision, whereby with "the eyes of their heart" (Eph. 1:18) they can "look at the things which are not seen, which are eternal" (II Cor. 4:18), and "behold the glory of God" (II Cor. 3:18). In spirit-union, Christians have an inner, spiritual hearing to "hear what the Spirit is saying" (Rev. 2:7,11). Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice" (John 10:3,4,16,27). "If anyone has an ear, let him hear" (Rev. 13:9) and listen to what God is saying. It might even be noted that we have an inner taste whereby we can "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Ps. 34:8).

 

Inner Knowing

 

            Those who participate in spirit-union with God often fail to appreciate and tune-in to the intuitive spiritual knowledge that the presence of God provides. Paul explained that "the natural man does not understand spiritual things, but he that is spiritual (i.e., has spirit-union) appraises all things" (I Cor. 2:14,15). This inner knowing is both an intuitive knowledge and an intimate relational knowledge. "We know (spiritual intuition) that we have come to know (spiritual intimacy of relationship) Him" (I John 2:3). To the Corinthians, Paul wrote, "We have received the Spirit of God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God" (I Cor. 2:12). We are "able to comprehend what is the breadth and length and height and depth (of God's ways), and to know the love of Christ which surpasses (natural) knowledge" (Eph. 3:18,19). Beyond natural logic and reasoning, there is the Theo-logic whereby we can apprehend the supernatural and unseen intents of God. By natural reasoning, God and His ways are "past finding out" (Rom. 11:33), but the Christian in spirit-union with God can "know God's ways" (Heb. 3:10), "know the grace of God" (II Cor. 8:9), "know that he has the anointing of the Spirit" (I John 2:20), "know that he has passed out of death into life" (I John 3:14), "know that he has eternal life" (I John 5:13), and, in fact, "know all things" (Jude 1:5) that God wants him/her to know. Paul exhorted the Philippians to let their "love (God's love) abound in real knowledge and spiritual discernment" (Phil. 1:9), able to "discern good and evil" (Heb. 5:14). "The Son of God has come and given us understanding" (I John 5:20), John wrote. And Paul prayed that the Colossians might "be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (Col. 1:9). To Timothy, he explained, "the Lord will give you understanding in everything" (II Tim. 2:7). God reveals things to the Christian with whom He has spirit-union. Paul told the Philippians, "Have this attitude, and if you have a different attitude, God will reveal it to you" (Phil. 3:15). "May God grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him" (Eph. 1:17), he prayed for the Ephesians. This spiritual revealing of God's character, God's ways, and God's direction cannot be "taught" by didactic methods; it must be "caught" in the spiritual perception and awareness of "spirit-union" with God. The Psalmist reported, "My inner man instructs me in the night" (Ps. 16:7). Much of evangelical religion is afraid of this intuitive spiritual direction, and seeks to limit revelation to the knowledge and understanding that can be drawn from study of the Bible, denying the inner instruction and direction of the Spirit of God.

 

Mind of Christ

 

            What does Paul mean when he writes, "We have the mind of Christ" (I Cor. 2:16)? One young man with whom I spoke adamantly reacted, saying, "I don't see how a Christian can say that." I began with the basic foundation, and asked, "Are you a Christian?" He replied, "Yes." I continued, "Did Christ come into your spirit when you became a Christian?" Again he responded, "Yes." Then I asked, "Do you think that Jesus came into you without His mind? Did He leave it up in heaven?" "No," he said sheepishly. "Then you have the mind of Christ," I concluded. But the "mind of Christ" is more than just a static presence, for the "mind of Christ" within is dynamically conveying the divine intents via spiritual revelation. That is why Paul admonishes, "Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5), encouraging the "renewing of the mind" (Rom. 12:2: Eph. 4:23) for the development of established attitudes in the soul.

 

Love of God

 

            Every Christian, in "spirit-union" with Christ, not only has the "mind of Christ," but he also has the "love of God" within his spirit. To the Romans, Paul stated, "The love of God has been poured out within our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Rom. 5:5). "God is love" (I John 4:8,16), so when He dwells within us in spirit-union, His love is present and active within us. The "love of Christ compels us" (II Cor. 5:14), and the "love of the Spirit" (Rom. 15:30) prompts us to express God's love for others. Whereas the unregenerate "want to do the desires of their father, the devil" (John 8:44), those in spirit-union with God have an inner "desire for goodness" (II Thess. 1:11), and a "desire to live godly in (union with) Christ Jesus" (II Tim. 3:12).

 

Will of God

 

            Paul explained to Timothy that those who are not Christians are under "the snare of the devil, being held captive to do his will" (II Tim. 2:26). Christians, on the other hand, have the will of God within them. God did not come into us without His will, and He is "at work in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). In spirit-union, we can "understand what the will of the Lord is" (Eph. 5:17), and "do the will of God from the heart" (Eph. 6:6) by the dynamic of His grace. The "will of God" is not something exterior to the Christian that we must seek to discover and find, and then aim at it as if it were the bulls-eye of a target. No, we have the "will of God" within us, and the "will of God" is always the life and character of Jesus lived out as us and through us to the glory of God.

            Every Christian has "the mind of Christ," "the desires of God," and "the will of God" granted to them in spirit-union. They can, and will, intuitively know what God wants to be and do in them. This is the reason why some teachers attribute mind, desires, will, and intuition to the spiritual function of man, but this must not be to the exclusion of mental, emotional and volitional capabilities in the psychological function of man also (as will be addressed later).

 

Lordship of Christ

 

            It is not possible to have spirit-union without recognizing the Lordship of Jesus Christ. When we receive the Trinity into our spirit at regeneration, we receive the Lord God. Some have suggested that Jesus can be received as one's personal Savior, and later accepted as Lord. This is impossible, for Jesus is both Savior and Lord, and to receive Him is to receive Him for all that He is. He cannot be dissected and received partially. The initial confession of the early Christians was a verbal confession that "Jesus Christ is Lord" (Rom. 10:9; Phil. 2:11) by the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 12:3). Those who think that they can agree that "Jesus is Lord," and disallow Him to "lord it over them," have no understanding of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus has been given "all authority in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28:18), and when we are converted "from the authority of Satan to the authority of God" (Acts 26:18), we are agreeing to submit to the "one Lord, Jesus Christ" (I Cor. 8:6). Watchman Nee referred to the indwelling Jesus as "Resident Boss." In spirit-union, we "sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts" (I Peter 3:15).

 

Spiritual Character

 

            When Christ comes to dwell in a Christian, He comes complete with the divine character of God, for His character cannot be detached from His Being. Paul describes the divine character as the "fruit of the Spirit" which is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and godly control of the self" (Gal. 5:22,23). These are not merely external behavioral traits or psychological attitudes, but they are the divine character that we receive when the triune God indwells us in spirit-union. For a Christian to complain that he/she lacks "patience" or "gentleness" or any other feature of divine character, and then to seek to develop such through educational instruction or psychological procedures, is to deny all that we have received in spirit-union. The inner spiritual character that is ours by the presence of God in spirit-union is intended to be transformed into attitudes in the soul and behavioral expression in the body.

 

Spiritual Gifts

 

            Even the charismata, the so-called "spiritual gifts," are all ours in spirit-union. These are but the grace-expressions or the Spirit-actions of the ministry of Christ. Christ enters into us in spirit-union with all the potentiality of His ministry within His Body, the Church. The spiritual gifts are not trophies of spirituality, nor are they power-toys with which Christians perform their "ministries." When the living Christ comes into each Christian, He comes complete with all of His abilities to minister and serve. "We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us" (Rom. 12:8), and "to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (I Cor. 12:7). In spirit-union Christ within us possesses and conveys all of His intended action and ministry through us.

 

Complete in Christ

 

            In spirit-union we are "complete in Christ" (Col. 2:10), lacking nothing spiritually. "All has become new" (II Cor. 5:17), and we have received everything God has to give. As one rather uneducated rural preacher expressed it, "You got all there is to get when you got Jesus. You ain't gonna get no more, 'cause there ain't no more to get." Paul advised the Corinthian Christians, "all things belong to you; whether things present or things to come, all things belong to you" (I Cor. 2:20,21). To the Ephesians, Paul exclaimed, "God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 1:3). Peter concurred, "God has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence" (II Peter 1:3).

            Jesus said, "I came that you might have life, and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). In spirit-union with Christ we have "abundant life." "He is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we could ask or think, according to the power that works within us" (Eph. 3:20). Union-life is grace life. "God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed" (II Cor. 9:8). "My grace is sufficient for you" (II Cor. 12:9), God told Paul. In union with Christ we participate in the "supplied life," living and ministering by "the strength which God supplies" (I Peter 4:11). "Not that we are adequate in ourselves, to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy/sufficiency is from God" (II Cor. 3:5). Christ within is "the power of God" (I Cor. 1:24), and we are "strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man" (Eph. 3:16); "strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience" (Col. 1:11). "We have this treasure (Jesus Christ) in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves" (II Cor. 4:7). That is why Paul could say, "I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13).

            How good can it get? Can it get any better than that? Impossible!

            Yet, one young lady angrily lashed out, "It's too good to be true. I don't believe it." That is her right, but she has a very inadequate view of God and His grace in Jesus Christ. Others have responded, "It sounds too subjective, too mystical. Are you sure you aren't spiritualizing? Is this some form of triumphalism or perfectionism?" Some have responded, "I heard a preacher say that these were just 'positional truths' that were true from God's position or perspective, but they couldn't be considered 'actually true,' or they would lead to passivism." No, these are actual truths of our spirit-union with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, abundantly documented in the new covenant scriptures. They are the essence of what it means to be a Christian. Until we understand who we are in Christ (our spiritual identity) and all we have in Christ (our spiritual provision or supply), we will never begin to behave like who we have become in accord with all we've been given by God's grace.

 

SOUL-REST

 

            Our premise is, "spirit-union allows for soul-rest." What do we mean by "rest"? The English word "rest" has two primary meanings. The first definition is that of "remainder," referring to "the part that remains." The second primary definition signifies "cessation and freedom from performance or activity." It will be the latter of these two definitions that will be the emphasis of this study on "soul-rest," for we intend to explain that the Christian can "rest" from the performance of trying to please or appease God, and can experience the freedom of ceasing from all performance activity that might attempt to gain or enact what he already has in spirit-union with Jesus Christ.

            Spirit-union allows for soul-rest, and should lead to psychological function that derives from the sufficiency that the Christian has in spirit-union with Christ. Notice that the title indicates that spirit-union "allows for" (we could have said, "provides for") soul-rest. Spirit-union does not inevitably and immediately cause and produce soul-rest. Soul-rest is not an automatic outcome of spirit-union. Soul-rest is a progressive experience of allowing the Spirit of God who dwells within the Christian to function within that Christian's behavior. Simply stated, "soul-rest is ceasing from our performance of doing and striving to get what God has already given to us."

            The cessation of the performance activity of "works" does not imply that "soul-rest" is acquiescent inactivity or irresponsible passivity. Soul-rest is not inertia or indifference. The religious advocates of a Christian life of treadmill performance often caricature "rest" as the passivism of reclining in the La-Z-Boy of life, doing nothing, and having no concern for what goes on. This is a most unfair caricature, for those who experience soul-rest are those who are receptive to the grace-activity of God, allowing the living Lord Jesus Christ to be the "performer" of their Christian lives as He lives His life out through them. In the "rest" of the Christian life, everything is ek Christos, derived out of the dynamic of the life of the indwelling Jesus. Christianity is Christ in action.

Survey of Christian Concepts of "Rest"

 

            A survey of Christian thought concerning "rest" reveals that this concept has suffered from various misemphases. Many have relegated "rest" to an expectation of heavenly rest that is longed for, only to be realized in the future. This is the theme of the Puritan classic by Richard Baxter, entitled The Saint's Everlasting Rest: A Treatise of the Blessed State of the Saints in their Enjoyment of God in Heaven.5 There is no doubt that the future heavenly experience will indeed be restful without any need for personal performance, but this is not the concept of "rest" that predominates in the new covenant scriptures. It is questionable whether any of the New Testament references to "rest" refer to heavenly rest. It is a favorite theme of Christian hymnody, however. Another form of future rest sought by many Christians is the paradisiacal repose in an expected earthly millennial kingdom, but this is a doubtful interpretation of Christian "rest."

            In a similar line of thought, many have pictured "rest" as the reclining repose of "resting on the promises of God." In this case "resting" is similar to "reckoning" that God will faithfully keep His promises. Though not illegitimate, this is primarily an old covenant concept. Jewish eschatology always focused on the future promises, whereas Christian eschatology revels in the fact that the promises of God have been fulfilled and realized in Jesus Christ. "For as many as may be the promises of God, in Him they are yes" (II Cor. 1:20). Rather than "resting on the promises," Christians are to "rest" in the ever-present grace of God realized in Jesus Christ.

            Many Christians think of "rest" in the context of the Sabbath, the "day of rest," either Saturday or Sunday, set aside as a "day of worship." There is no doubt that the biblical concept of "rest" is connected with the Sabbath, for God rested on the seventh day of creation, ceasing from His generative action of creation (Gen. 2:2). This does not mean that God ceased from all action, passively lapsing into inaction. God always acts like the God that He is, and does what He does because He is Who He is.  His Being is always in action, and His activity is always expressive of His Being. When the seventh day of the week was established as the Sabbath "day of rest" for the people of Israel (cf. Exod. 20:8), they were to rest from their labors to remember what God had done and was doing. Instead, the Jewish religion focused on the restrictions of labor, and turned the Sabbath day into a labyrinth of legalistic limitations. The "promised land of rest" (Deut. 12:9) did not provide rest (Ps. 95:11) either, for all the pictorial types of "rest" in the old covenant were designed to point to the "rest" that was only to be found in Jesus Christ. Christian rest is not connected to a particular day of the week, nor is it a geographical place in Palestine or heaven. Christian "Sabbath-rest" (Heb. 4:1-11) in the new covenant "day of salvation" (II Cor. 6:2) is the continuous opportunity to "rest" from all religious works (Heb. 4:10), by ceasing to try to perform religiously for God, and instead rest in His grace sufficiency through Jesus Christ. That rest from religious performance is the "rest" that we are responsible to diligently enter (Heb. 4:11).

            When the concept of "rest" has been considered in reference to the Christian life, it has often been referred to as "the rest of faith."  J. C. Metcalfe and D. M. McIntyre both have books entitled, The Rest of Faith.6 R. B. Thieme Jr. published a booklet, The Faith-Rest Life,7 regarding this to be a technique or procedure that one employs to live the Christian life, thereby changing "rest" into another form of performance. Wayne Barber has authored a book entitled, The Rest of Grace,8 correctly emphasizing that the Christian can "rest" in God's grace. It is important to note that "faith" is not something the Christian must "do" to get "rest." Faith must not be transformed into a "work" that contradicts the definition of "rest" as "ceasing from performance activity." It is probably better to refer to "grace-rest" or "Christ-rest" than to "faith-rest."

            Dan Stone and Greg Smith have co-authored a book entitled, The Rest of the Gospel: When the Partial Gospel Has Worn You Out,9 using the double entendre of the two meanings of "rest" mentioned above. The "rest" of the gospel is the remainder, the part that many people have not heard in popular Christian teaching, and that remainder pertains to "entering God's rest" (final chapter) by ceasing from the performance activity of religion.

The use of the term "soul-rest" in this study finds its precursor in the words of Jesus Himself. "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls" (Matt. 11:28,29). The final phrase, "rest for your souls," appears to be an allusion to the prophecy of Jeremiah (6:16). In a mid-nineteenth century book, A Treatise on Divine Union,10 Thomas Upham has an extended final section on "The Soul's Rest in Union," and it was this work that sparked my thought-processes to pursue the study of "Spirit-union allows for Soul-rest."

 

Explanation of "Soul-rest"

 

            The world of fallen humanity runs to and fro at a hectic pace, seeking "rest" on the weekends, in church services, and on vacations and holidays. The humanistic work ethic that drives men to succeed and be significant leaves little time for "rest" and quietude. When identity is determined by performance - who we are based on what we do - then contemporary society thinks those who take time to "rest" will be left on the side of the road as excess baggage or "nobodies." "Rest" is regarded as but a utopian goal at the end of the rainbow of success. Thinking they can generate their own future of "rest" by their self-sufficient performance, fallen man runs on the treadmill that goes nowhere.

            The contemporary religion of "evangelical humanism" has nothing to offer but a difference of scenery on the treadmill. Suffering from the "Martha complex" of "do-do-do for Jesus," Christian religion seeks to motivate people with the carrot of heavenly rest at the end of the rat-race. Proclaiming that "there is no rest for the wicked," the alternative is alleged to be a goodness achieved by striving performance. To achieve "rest" one must work for it. Meanwhile, God seems to be saying, "Be still (cease striving), and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10). Jesus said, "Observe the lilies of the field, how they do not toil or spin. Do not be anxious then. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you" (Matt. 6:28-33). Modern Christians find it so difficult to just "be" - to live in the "isness" of the I AM of divine Being, and to allow their "doing" to be an expression of the I AM in action.

            To reiterate, we note that "soul-rest" is not a super deluxe version of the Christian life. It is not a "higher life" or "deeper life" that only a few super-saints achieve. Soul-rest is not receiving something more than what every Christian receives when he becomes a Christian at regeneration. Soul-rest is not an added extra in the Christian life: Jesus Christ + (something else). In spirit-union with God, we are "complete in Christ," and soul-rest is allowing the indwelling presence of God to experientially permeate our psychological and behavioral function. Soul-rest is God's intended experiential out-living of the Christian life, i.e., of the Christ-life.

            The God we received within our spirit is the God of rest. He is not a Being who struggles and strives to act and achieve. He is not hurried or harried, hustled or hassled. He always acts out of His own Being, as His Tri-unity functions in perfect peace and harmony. Throughout scripture He is often identified as "the God of peace" (Rom. 15:33; 16:20; II Cor. 13:11; Phil. 4:9; I Thess. 5:23). Soul-rest is allowing the "God of peace to equip us in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ" (Heb. 13:20). We are to "be anxious for nothing, but (allow) the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:6,7). Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives (temporary external absence of conflict) do I give to you" (Jn. 14:27). Instead, Jesus is the "Lord of peace who gives us peace in every circumstance" (II Thess. 3:16), for He is the inner and eternal peace, tranquility, serenity of our souls. "He Himself is our peace" (Eph. 2:14), and we are to "let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts" (Col. 3:15). Soul-rest is participation in the peaceful harmony of Triune interaction and sufficiency.

            Soul-rest is what Watchman Nee called "the normal Christian life."11 It is God's intent for Christians. Soul-rest is the process of "being saved" (I Cor. 1:18), as we participate in what W. Ian Thomas called "the saving life of Christ"12 (Rom. 5:10). Salvation is so misunderstood in evangelical Christianity today, for it is regarded as a static transaction wherein we acquire the commodity of "eternal life" that delivers and preserves us from future consequences. A dynamic and living understanding of salvation comes in recognizing that we are "made safe" from the dysfunction of abused and misused humanity, in order to experience the dynamic presence and function of the living Savior, Jesus Christ, in our lives. This dynamic understanding avoids the contrived distinction between salvation and sanctification. Sanctification is the ongoing process of salvation whereby we allow ourselves to be "set apart" as the conduits of the manifestation of God's Holy character in the thinking, affections, and decision-making of our psychological and physical behavior. Soul-rest is participating in the "abundant life" (John 10:10) that Jesus came to bring. It is being "filled with the Spirit' (Eph. 5:18), and "growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (II Pet. 3:18). Soul-rest is getting beyond Romans 7 and into Romans 8 - beyond Christian religion and into Christian reality.

 

Soul-rest and the Mind

 

            Christians of the Western world, in particular, are steeped in the Aristotelian logic of attempting to explain God intellectually. With rational philosophical and theological syllogisms they seek to explain the infinite with finite reasoning, thinking that if they get everything categorized and systematized logically, they can then "rest" in their precise definitions and intellectual explanations. Seldom do they recognize that their rationalistic reasoning produces constant unrest, for "the more you know, the more you know you don't know." The mental machinations of scholastic theological research often ends up in the "analysis paralysis" of a cerebral logjam that makes Christian religion into "reasoned insanity." Man will never find "rest" in the unending attempts to figure out God and His ways.

            The "deep things of God" (I Cor. 2:10), the "ways of God are past finding out" (Rom. 11:33). Western man has such a difficult time with the "unknown," the incomprehensible, the unsearchable; with dialectic that cannot be resolved with synthesis; with Divine Mystery that involves infinite reality that cannot be explained with finite reasoning. Since the time of the so-called "Enlightenment" in the eighteenth century, when human reason was deified and elevated to the highest arbiter of understanding, humanistic rationalism has reigned supreme in Western thought. God's response has long been, "'My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts'" (Isa. 55:8,9).

            God graciously allows the theologues to engage in their academic gymnastics until they run into the wall of the outer reaches of human understanding, and then seek to find rest from their rationalistic reasoning. I know from personal experience. My natural tendency was to formulate a "believe-right" religion with all the correct doctrines and Biblically accurate exegesis. My personality was suited to theological fundamentalism. As a student of biblical hermeneutics, biblical theology, systematic theology, dogmatic theology, and the philosophy of religion, I set out to get God figured out - exhaustively evaluated, fixed in formulation, and boxed up in theological categories. Then, I ran into the dead-end of human reasoning, agnostically admitting that I could not know it all, and questioning whether I could know anything - even whether God existed. That was indeed a time of unrest! But, praise God, He led me towards soul-rest in the mind through spirit-union with Jesus Christ.

            Intellectual knowledge of informational content is not the way to soul-rest. Paul explained to the Corinthians, "Knowledge makes arrogant. . .If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; but if any one loves God, he is known by Him" (I Cor. 8:1-3). Better to be known by God, than to claim to know anything. Knowing all the details of scripture and theology will not provide soul-rest in the Christian life. On the other hand, the "knowing" of personal and relational intimacy with God is essential to soul-rest. Paul's exclamation to the Philippians reveals his awareness of this kind of "knowing." "I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,.that I may know Him." (Phil. 3:8-10). The relational knowing of an intimate relationship with the living Lord Jesus is of far greater value than a Ph.D. in any subject. The informational explosion of the modern era makes so much knowledge available, but leaves man in the unrest of his inability to know it all.

            There seems to be a God-given desire in man to seek for truth. But when truth is sought in propositions, proposals, and precepts it is never enough. It never leads to soul-rest. The deepest sense of Truth can only be found in a Person. Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (Jn. 8:32). "The Son shall make you free, and you shall be free indeed" (Jn. 8:36). "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (Jn. 14:6). Truth is a Person - Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate reality.

            Man seeks wisdom. "Where is the wise man"(I Cor. 1:20), who can solve all our problems, Paul asked rhetorically, and then explained that "in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God" (I Cor. 2:21). The writer of Ecclesiastes admits, "I set my mind to know wisdom,. but I realized this was striving after wind" (Eccl. 1:17), "for even at night my mind does not rest" (Eccl. 2:23). Also recognizing the vanity of human wisdom, Paul wrote, "Let no man deceive himself. If any man thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish that he may become wise. The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless" (I Cor. 3:18,20). Like truth, wisdom is found in a Person, for "Christ Jesus became to us the wisdom of God" (I Cor. 2:24,30). To know Jesus Christ, not just to "know about" Jesus Christ, but to know Jesus Christ in an ongoing relationship of spiritual revelation and intimacy, is to have wisdom that the world knows not of. James, the Lord's brother, wrote, "the wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy" (James 3:17).

            The mind of man is never going to figure out life and all its complexities. No amount of human reasoning is going to solve the problems of the world or the insecurities of our human lives. The "deep things of God" (I Cor. 2:10) are discovered not by human reason, but by divine revelation. Soul-rest is only experienced when we are willing to go beyond human logic and accept the mysteries of Theo-logic; when we concentrate on spiritual realities that are invisible and unseen, rather than on naturalistic observation. Paul noted, "We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (II Cor. 4:18). Soul-rest comes when we desire to know only what He wants us to know - all else is peripheral. Soul-rest in the mind is experienced when we are content with revelation, rather than reason.

 

Mental Attitudes

 

            Every individual has developed a full set of established attitudes in his mind. We have attitudes about things, events, ideas, God, other people, ourselves, etc. How were these attitudes developed? (1) By the recommendation of parents, educators, religious instructors, and the input of society via the media and enculturation. (2) By observation and experience, whereby we reflected on what we found acceptable and suitable. (3) By the revelation of God in natural phenomena (Rom. 1:19,20), the incarnation of the Son (Lk. 10:22; Gal. 1:16), the written record of the scriptures, and the personal revelation that God gives to Christians. Personal revelation is particularly important for the development of Christian attitudes that coincide with the attitude of Christ. "Have this attitude in you which was in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5), Paul admonished, and then in the same epistle, "Have this attitude (of pressing on to know Jesus), and if you have any other attitude God will reveal it unto you" (Phil. 3:15). As noted above, much of religion shies away from this ungovernable concept of personal revelation.

            Personal revelation is the primary means of our being "transformed by the renewing of the mind" (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23). This renewal of established attitudes in the mind is not a task that we strive to figure out and formulate, but is the work of the Spirit of Christ revealing Himself in the process of our discipleship as followers and learners of Christ. Where does this "transformation" take place that is accomplished by the "renewing of the mind"? Not in the spirit of man, for Paul was writing to Christians in Rome who had already experienced the spiritual transformation of regeneration. The "renewing of the mind" allows for a "transformation" of behavior, as thoughts and attitudes consistent with "the mind of Christ" within our spirit become the springboard for mobilizing God's character expression within Christian behavior.

            A particularly important area of our established attitudes is the attitude we have concerning ourselves. Many Christians seem to have a very negative attitude about themselves. They have self-denigrating, self-deprecating, self-condemnatory attitudes that identify themselves as "worms" before God, as useless, as amounting to nothing. Paul did indicate, "If anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself" (Gal. 6:3), but this is just a warning against prideful self-elevation and exaltation. To the Philippians, he wrote, "With humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself" (Phil. 2:3). And to the Romans, "I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith" (Rom. 12:3). The flip-side of "thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think" is "thinking less of ourselves than we ought to think." If a Christian views himself as a worthless liability to God, then he is failing to take into account the glorious asset that has been invested in him, his spiritual identity wherein "it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20). A positive personal concept of who we are in Christ allows us to "rest" in a confident sense of well-being that is cheerful, upbeat, and optimistic. Apart from such a consciousness of our identity in Christ there will be an attitude of inferiority that brings unrest.

            On the other hand, we must beware of spiritual pride that can develop among those who understand their spiritual identity in union with Christ, and because they "have the mind of Christ" (I Cor. 2:16) have experienced the intuitive "inner knowing" of revelation. Such Christians are tempted to develop a Gnostic and elitist sense of "knowing" that looks down its nose at those they deem to be at a lower level of spiritual "knowing," or who cannot articulate their spiritual understanding as they do. The words of James are pertinent: "If any one thinks himself to be devoted, and yet does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's devotion is worthless" (James 1:26).

            "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7). The meaning of this proverb has been much debated. Does it mean that a man's identity is established by his thinking? Though Descartes' statement, "I think, therefore I am," posited human thought as the basis of our existence, we cannot accept the essentialism that suggests who we are is based on how we think. Neither should we give way to a behavioral determinism whereby having entertained a thought, we cry out, "Oh no, I am a murderer, a thief, a rapist." Fleeting thoughts sometimes flood our mind, but these are the solicitous thoughts of the tempter, whereupon the living Word of Christ will divide between the "thoughts and intents" of our heart (Heb. 4:12). Neither do a man's thoughts portend a potentialism whereby the mind is the creative source of human action. The "positive thinking" of Norman Vincent Peale, and the subsequent "possibility thinking" of Robert Schuller are based on the humanistic premise of auto-generation or self-actualization. "What you can conceive, you can achieve. Visualize and actualize. Reckon and realize." These are the fallacious mottoes of the self-potential gurus who fail to understand the derivative function of man. The proverb of Solomon most likely means that "as a man thinks or reckons within his soul, so he is in the behavioral expression of the spiritual character that indwells him." Jesus stated it more clearly, "The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil" (Matt. 12:35). The Christian has "this treasure (the indwelling Lord Jesus Christ) in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves" (II Cor. 4:7). Our thoughts become the point where behavior is put in motion and mobilized, or transformed into action. Established attitudes and thought patterns allow the Christian to behave as who he has become in Christ, allowing the character of Christ to be re-presented in his life. On the other hand, inconsistent thoughts allow for the mobilization of behavior that is a misrepresentation of the character of Christ, i.e. sinful. This interpretation of behavior expressionism is apparently the import of the proverb.

            Soul-rest in our minds will be a result of keeping a unified perspective of our spirit-union with Christ. A "separated concept" of disunion will never allow for resting in His sufficiency, but will always provoke the pressures of performance to please God. As we appreciate and affirm that "we have the mind of Christ" (I Cor. 2:16) within our spirit, we can draw from the revelation of His Theo-logic in our thought processes. Paul's words are so instructive: "The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace (rest). Those who are according to the Spirit, set their minds on the things of the Spirit" (Rom. 8:5,6). "Set your minds on things above, not on the things of the earth" (Col. 3:2), Paul advised the Colossians. To the Philippians he wrote, "Whatever is true, honorable, right, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and worthy of praise, let your minds dwell on these things" (Phil. 4:8). But "setting our minds" on divine things is not something we "work" to maintain. "The peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7).

            Isaiah declared, "The steadfast of mind Thou will keep in perfect peace" (Isa. 26:3). "Perfect peace" might be interpreted to be synonymous with "soul-rest." Some, however, misinterpret "steadfastness of mind" to be the necessity of conjuring up a continual Christian consciousness in every waking thought, and they engage in an inordinate striving to "keep focused" on Jesus. In a strict surveillance of every thought, they seek to allow their minds to think only of Jesus, and to think only the thoughts of Jesus. There is no rest in that - only a relentless self-policing of one's thought life. A healthier understanding of "steadfastness of mind" is the steadfast recognition and awareness that "we have the mind of Christ," and that Christ is our reason, our knowledge, our doctrine, and our teaching. As we live out of that union awareness, the intents of our heart will be the expression of the character of Christ in every circumstance. In the midst of varying situations our psychological minds will align with the mind of Christ within our spirit, and in our wills we will make the continuing faith decision that says, "Yes, Lord, I want what You want."

            We do not want to imply by our statements about living beyond human reason in the reception of divine revelation, that the Christian should espouse any form of anti-intellectualism that refuses to use the mind and employ the reason that God has created us with. We just refuse to deify human logic, and instead make the faith-choices to be receptive to Theo-logic and God's action in our lives. Peter tells us to "gird our minds for action" (I Peter 1:13), and this will involve exploring the options and making plans. "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps" (Prov. 16:7).

            Soul-rest in the mind of the Christian frees us from thinking that we must figure out and know everything. It allows us to be content with knowing only what God wants us to know. Resting in the recognition that the living Lord Jesus is "the truth" (Jn. 14:6), and has "become our wisdom" (I Cor. 1:30), we desire to "know Him" (Phil. 3:10) relationally, and allow Him to direct our thoughts by personal revelation. We do not cease from thinking, but only from thinking that our mental knowledge is the source or guide for acceptable Christian behavior; remaining available instead to the "renewing of the mind" (Rom. 12:2) that allows the character of Christ to be mobilized in our behavior.

 

Soul-rest and the Emotions

 

            Many Christians seem to fight a constant battle with their emotions, which they regard as the culprits that keep them stirred up and disturbed. Emotions should not be considered as agitating enemies in our souls. Our emotions are not irritants that serve to "bug us" like pesky gnats. Emotions are not separate entities or powers, and are not essentially good or evil, but can be pervaded and activated by sinful or godly character.

            God created all humans with the ability to experience emotion. The English word "emotion" is derived from the Latin, exmovere, which means, "to move out." Emotions allow us to be moved, aroused, invigorated, and enlivened. To be fully human, as God intended, we need to experience sensation, affection, fervor, enthusiasm, and passion. Without emotions life would lose its luster - there would be no thrill of excitement, no flush of embarrassment, no frustration of failure, no wonder and amazement of that which is around us and beyond us. We should embrace our emotions, and allow them to provide passion in our lives.

Emotions sometimes seem to be so spontaneous and overpowering, overwhelming us suddenly and even violently. They are not demons, however, but are integrally connected to the rest of our being (psychologically and physiologically). In particular, emotions connect with our thoughts and attitudes. People usually feel what they think. For example, if a person feels inferior, it is based on established attitudes about their identity. Some seek to blame the events of life for arousing their emotions, but events do not produce emotion. We cannot say, "That situation or that person made me angry." We have to own our own anger. The situation simply allows established attitudes comprised of expectations, assumptions and perceptions, to bring forth emotional reaction. In his Meditations,13 Marcus Aurelius (2nd century AD) wrote, "If you are pained by an external thing, it is not the thing that disturbs you, but your judgment about it."

            Modern psychology is preoccupied with emotions, advocating that people "get in touch with their feelings," and "be true to their feelings." With the prevailing philosophical outlook moving towards "postmodernism," there is an extremely subjective orientation that evaluates everything by the emotional effect that it has on people, and often denies objective reference. This is not unlike the older "romanticism" that was the antithetical extreme of "rationalism." As Christians, we want to avoid both the rationalism of the mind and the romanticism of the emotions, in order to allow for the expression of the Christ-life through our thoughts and feelings.

            So, how do people deal with their emotions? There seem to be three main options: (1) To believe that emotions can have power over us and control us, passively crying that we are "victims" of our emotions. (2) To believe that we have the power in ourselves to actively control our emotions by mind over feeling, denial, or the suppression, ofr "stuffing," of our emotions. (3) To believe that God gave us the ability to experience emotions, and that the indwelling Christ can control our emotions, using them as appropriate expressive agents of His character. The third option is the only one that allows us to have soul-rest in our emotions.

            The range of emotional experience is so vast and diverse that it is impossible to identify all human feelings. In the 17th century, in a thesis on the Passions of the Soul,14 Descartes noted that emotional passions were a mystery that science could never understand. Despite the proliferation of the social sciences in the past couple of centuries, his observation seems to stand. We will, however, attempt to consider a few of the more common emotions.

 

Fear

 

            We have all experienced fear and some of its common variations such as apprehension, anxiety, and worry. What are we afraid of? These can be boiled down to (1) non-personal fears, (2) interpersonal fears, and (3) intra-personal fears.

            Non-personal fears include fear of the unknown, fear of change, fear of what "might be," and fear of the future. These may also include fear of being in want, fear of sickness, bodily harm or death, and a host of other phobias. How do we have soul-rest from these kinds of fears? Only in recognizing by faith that all unknowns are known in the sovereign omniscience of God. All change is His change; God is in all the change. All of the "might bes" are His opportunities. The future belongs to the eternal God who desires that we let Him take care of it, and instead focus on the "now" of God's present tense "I AM," without getting overly preoccupied with prophetic and futuristic concerns. The Psalmist understood, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want" (Ps. 23:1), as was illustrated by God's supernatural supply for Elisha via ravens (I Kgs. 17:4-6) and the perpetual supply of flour and oil for the widow (I Kgs. 17:8-16). Even sickness and death cannot separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:35-39). God has everything under control, so when we are in spirit-union with Him, we can "take things in stride," resting in His love and sufficiency.

            Then there are those interpersonal fears: fear of disapproval, rejection, loneliness, separation and broken relationships. Fear of offending someone. Fear of what others think. Fear of our enemies. Fear of what will happen to our children or grandchildren. Soul-rest in the midst of these kinds of fears comes from understanding that we "seek not the approval of men, but of God" (Jn. 14:23), who has approved (I Thess. 2:4) and accepted us (Rom. 15:7; Eph. 1:6-KJV). If God has accepted us, we are accepted by the only One who counts! He is not going to reject us, desert us, or forsake us (Heb. 13:5). In spirit-union with the Trinity, we are never alone for we are brought into the relation of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As the Psalmist wrote, "I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me" (Ps. 23:4). Jesus promised, "I am with you always" (Matt. 28:20). The solution to loneliness is not "get busy; get involved," but to recognize the union relationship we have with God and His people. Those who fear offending someone often need to understand that the problem is usually with people "taking offense," rather than our "giving offense," and Jesus was not at all concerned about the Pharisees' "taking offense" at what He did. Our desire is to "please God, rather than man" (Gal. 1:10; I Thess. 2:4). It doesn't matter what others think of you or your opinions. You are free to be uniquely you, with your own thoughts and your own opinions. We must not allow the opinions of others to control us. Fears of what will happen to our loved ones are relieved when we recognize that God loves our children and grandchildren more than we do, and seeks their highest good at all times.

            The third category, intrapersonal fears, includes the fear of failure and insignificance, the fear of inadequacy and responsibility, the fear of inferiority and impropriety. The fear of failure is always a result of thinking that we have to do something, and failing to appreciate the "supplied life" of Jesus Christ whereby we have "everything pertaining to life and godliness" (II Pet. 1:3). The fear of inadequacy is overcome by recognition that we "have all sufficiency in everything" (II Cor. 3:5). How can someone have a fear of inferiority when they know who they are in Christ? The fear of impropriety is based on "established attitudes" of what others have deemed proper and acceptable. When Christ is operative in us, the expression is always adequate, significant, and proper.

            When we allow the sufficiency of Christ to swallow up the self-orientation of our fears, we will experience soul-rest. The positive swallows up the negative. John's statement is, "Perfect love casts out fear" (I John 4:18). The question is not, "What is 'perfect love'?" but "Who is 'perfect love'?" The previous verses explain that "God is love" (I John 4:8,16), and this does not mean that God has some "love" to dispense, but that He is in Himself the essence of all divine love, whereby He acts out of His own Being, and overcomes our being with His peace and security.

 

Anger

 

            We hate to admit that we have emotions of anger, so we have devised many words to redefine our anger and justify our anger. "I'm not angry, I'm just mad, annoyed, provoked, irritated, irked, hurt, fed-up, griped, sore, on edge, disgusted, upset, indignant, vexed, ticked-off, agitated, aggravated, disturbed, hot under the collar, or blowing off steam, etc." Whatever word we might use, James advises, "The anger of man does not work the righteousness of God" (James 1:20). The "anger of man" is based on selfish attitudes of self-protection and self-assertion. On the other hand, there is the "anger of God expressed in a man," that allows us to "be angry and sin not" (Eph. 4:26). There is no doubt that Jesus expressed the emotion of anger without sin when He cleansed the temple of the merchandisers (Jn. 2:13-17), and when He pronounced the woes against the Pharisees (Matt. 23:13-37). There are times when the anger of indignation must be expressed against religious charlatans who are deceiving and using people. Paul exhibited such anger toward those who were using the girl who had a spirit of divination (Acts 16:16-18).

            Much of our anger, however, is the "anger of man" that stems from our patterns of selfishness, when we "take offense" that our so-called "rights" have been violated. We may become bitter and resentful of weakness in others. We may become critical, argumentative, impatient, intolerant, and complaining. We may become envious, jealous, hateful, or vengeful. And then there are those who bombastically "blow up" with a quick temper and a sharp tongue, cursing and yelling to make their point. The "anger of man" does not express the character of Christ in us. We must allow God to do what He wants to do in other people. "Vengeance is Mine, says the Lord" (Rom. 12:19). Christ is the Forgiver in us. He is patience in us. He is meek, but not weak. Soul-rest frees us from having to react negatively to defend ourselves in any way.

            We all have our own varieties of emotional insecurities. We don't have to be held hostage by these uncertainties, or retreat into "comfort zones" of safety. Our security of relationship with God is not to be found in a past "decision," or in church membership in a particular denomination, or in a particular doctrine of "eternal security" or "once saved always saved."  Our security is in Christ, the solid rock (I Cor. 10:4), the sure foundation (II Tim. 2:19), where the anchor holds (Heb. 6:19). Oftentimes God means for us to live in the insecurity of not knowing what God is doing or will do next, willing to take God's "curve balls," and to trust Him as we walk on the "swinging bridge of grace."

            Another set of emotions that we all experience at one time or another is discouragement, disillusionment, and despondency that may even lead to depression. These often come as a result of some kind of loss - a job, an object, physical ability, a relationship, reputation, freedom, opportunity, or the loss of a loved one in death. It's okay to be "down." Paul wrote, "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed" (II Cor. 4:8,9). There will be times when we have "dry spells," and seem to be "hoeing dry ground" in the "valley of dry bones" (Ezek. 37:1-6). Don't let the guilt-inducing religionists send you on a "guilt trip" by their statements, "If you feel distant from God, guess who moved." It may be that God intends for you to have a "dark night of the soul," to appreciate His light. Sometimes when we experience loss, we have the emotions of sorrow and grief. These are legitimate human emotions. It was at the news of the death of His friend, Lazarus, that scripture records, "Jesus wept" (Jn. 11:35). Granted, Paul wrote, "We do not grieve as those who have no hope" (I Thess. 4:13), but that means that we do not wail and mourn, and fail to get beyond the loss because we have a selfish attitude that what happened to us is unfair.

            The emotions that we experience in soul-rest are not a giddy happiness or a euphoria that "everything's going my way." The objective is not to get "high" on Jesus, paste on an "evangelical smile," and walk around with a Cheshire cat grin as if we just swallowed the canary. But neither do we want be sour-puss Christians, who look like they've been sucking on a dill pickle. Our countenance should reveal that we have the joy of the Lord (Jn. 15:11). Joy is far greater than happiness. Happiness is derived from the old English word hap, which meant "chance." Happiness is based on the chance that "everything's going my way." As the happenings and happenstances happen haphazardly, perhaps you might be happy, if you have no mishaps. The desire for happiness is a selfish desire.

            As we said previously, the experience of emotions is part of being human. The objective of the Christian life is not to negate our humanity or make us superhuman, but to allow the Christ-life to be lived out in our humanity, which includes our emotions. We need to embrace our emotions, and allow them to be the expressive conduits of the character of Christ. That will include the emotions of perplexity, frustration, confusion, frustration, fear, anger, discouragement, and sorrow, as well as the emotions of excitement, elation, amazement, amusement, wonder, awe, satisfaction, pleasure, jubilation, etc. Emotions allow us to have passion and vibrant expression. Granted, those passions can be tainted with evil character and become "degrading passions" (Rom. 1:26), "sinful passions" (Rom. 7:5), or "lustful passions" (I Thess. 4:5), but they can also express our passion for Jesus Christ, our passion for life, and our compassion for other people. The Greek word for passion is pathos, which refers to affection or suffering. Compassion is to have passion together with God in His love for others, which may involve sympathy and empathy for those who need such.

            Contrary to what some of us were taught, that "those who show emotions are sissies," and "big boys don't cry," God intended for us to express emotions, and even to weep. Emotional expression is not reserved for the feminine gender. Jeremiah was known as "the weeping prophet" (Jere. 9:1,10; 13:17). Jesus wept (Jn. 11:35; Lk. 19:41; 21:62). Paul was weeping for his readers (Phil. 3:18). We are admonished to "weep with those who weep" (Rom. 12:15). There is nothing wrong with emotional passion that causes us to weep.