Heb 10:20 KJV
By a new and living way, which hath consecrated for us, through the veil that is to say, his flesh;
Mar 15:37-38 KJV 37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. 38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
2Co 3:7 KJV But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
Exo 34:35 KJV And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
Deu 10:16 KJV Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.
I have heard it said that we are a soul that lives in a body. This is an idea that has its origin in Plato, not the scriptures. The Christianizing of Plato's ideas come under Neo-Platonism and is found among the writings of the early church fathers. Ideas such as a perfect spirit in a corrupt body created a dualistic concept of man.
This idea had acceptance in the gentile world for centuries before the spread of the gospel; so as the church leadership passed from Hebrew to gentile the understanding of the scripture gained a new leaven.
If the leaven of the Pharisees was that one could act well enough to please God, then the leaven of Greek thought was it does not matter how one acts if they believe correctly. I have said this so our understanding of the teaching of Jesus,the apostles, and specifically Paul can be made clear.
None of them taught a duel nature of man; in Hebrew thought the life(soul) is in the blood so it is not independent from the body any more than the body is independent. This makes clear the need of resurrection(a foolish thought to the Greeks).
When Paul speaks of flesh and Spirit it is not duality but a generative source of actions. In other words is the power source of our actions from what we have received from fallen Adam or from the Spirit we have received from trust and reliance on Christ.
Many of Paul's day and also of our day have tried to put Paul in opposition to Moses, sadly this misses that Paul was teaching us what was given to Moses with the veil removed.
The veil in scripture is a covering or separation, the removal of this separation between God and man is promised to Abraham with a token of remembrance of this promise being the removal of the flesh by circumcision. The truth of the token was given to Moses(the circumcision of the heart)but the glory which came from what God had given Moses shown so bright that the children of Israel placed a veil over Moses face when he spoke to them.
They did not see the glory but instead only the separation; they would carry the token of removal of the flesh while trying to obtain righteousness by their own generative power. The veil remained...in the tabernacle and later the temple separating the personal presence from the people.
This is not to say God was not present, He was and mightily so, but the God who desired to be one, who longed to be in his people, the God who foresees prepared through Israel a temple made without hands who is our Lord.
On that day when Jesus was hung on a cross, when his perfect flesh was torn, when He breathed his last and said it is finished the veil of Moses was removed. Moses had given us the teaching but not the attainment. Jesus gave us the truth and the gift of God living in us.
When I gave up my own works and ways and put my trust in what Jesus had done for me he baptised my corrupt flesh into his death. I died with him on the cross. The life in me from that moment was not my own...it was God living in me.
Since this is true; then how did I sin after that event? Jesus took me at my hearts desire but I could not see the glory because I placed the veil over it. So I set out to live for God better than any other man ever had...I was learning but not coming to knowing.
Sometimes you have to muck around with the pigs and wish you had as much as them before it occurs to you that your gracious father is still where you left him.
With this understanding we see Paul teaching us their is no duality either we are generating our life and frustrating the gift or he is generating our life and it is no longer I but Christ in me.
The flesh is deceitful and its way seems right so how do we know...if we see its works in our life then it is not dead. Be cautious. If we fight our flesh it is like Brear rabbit and the tar baby we just get stuck more. Jesus said if Satan cast out Satan his house can not stand...in the same way the flesh can not defeat the flesh....but Jesus has been given power over all flesh....if we put our trust and reliance on him he will bind our flesh and spoil its goods tearing down every stronghold and making captive every thought to the glory of God.
If you want to be an overcomer then let Him live in and through you.
Rick Rosamond
A bond slave of Jesus
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