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Christ came to do more for us than merely forgive past sins. He came to
strengthen us against our human weakness by His Spirit abiding within us.
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We don't go inward to find God because the only thing that we will find there is the weakened human nature that we are all born with. Biblical surrender is also called humility toward God. Humility opens us up to God's grace. Christ made this possible by His death and resurrection. He can now enliven us by His Spirit within us.
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Surrendering
to God is the basic mysticism or spirituality of the Bible that brings us inner
peace and strength from God the Creator.
It's
as simple as being anxious for nothing by casting all of our care on the Lord (see 1 Peter 5:5-7 and Philippians 4:6-7).
This
would generally be categorized as a patriarchal spirituality.
All
other spiritual practices, which are generally from matriarchal earth or
nature-based spiritualities, can only bring us a temporary worldly peace.
Biblical spirituality brings God
directly into the act because when we rest our minds on Him, He brings our
minds to rest.
Isaiah 26:3-4 says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on
thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD forever; for in the
LORD God is everlasting strength" (KJV).
We
thrust our minds outward in unconditional trust in God instead of attempting to
go inward as is promoted with other spiritual practices even when they may have
biblical imagery associated with them.
No
imagery, mental or physical, is required with unconditional trust in God.
We
also surrender our imagery in order to enter into complete rest in Him.
Isaiah 55:6-9 says: "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he
is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our
God, for he will abundantly pardon."
This
makes room for God to fill.
Proverbs
3:5 tells us to "trust in the LORD
with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding."
We
don't attempt to abandon our thoughts. We merely relegate them to second place.
Our
thoughts are not the problem; but they have been elevated to a place which they
should not have because of the law of sin that Paul describes in Romans 7:14
through 8:2, which is our human weakness and our weakened willpower.
We
are born without trust in God, and this is why we have an excessive dependence
on our own weakened minds.
This
is why we are prone to worry, anger, unforgiveness, compulsions and addictions.
Romans
5:6 says: "For when we were yet
without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."
Christ
came to do more for us than merely forgive past sins. He came to strengthen us
against our human weakness by His Spirit abiding within us.
The
fruit of the Spirit, which contains our peace and strength, is the result of
this (Galatians 5:22-23).
The
Spirit strengthens and moderates us. We are not born with this presence of God,
but we acquire it later.
We
don't go inward to find God because the only thing that we will find there is
the weakened human nature that we are all born with.
Biblical surrender is also called
humility toward God.
First Peter 5:5-7 says to "be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth
grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of
God, that he may exalt you in due time, Casting all of your care upon him; for
he careth for you."
Humility
opens us up to God's grace.
In the New Testament, this
biblical spirituality is also applied to Christ because He is part of the
Godhead in spite of His humanity.
The
Godhead now has a human component which it did not have prior to the birth of
Christ. Because of this, humanity can avail itself of salvation.
Christ
made this possible by His death and resurrection. He can now enliven us by His
Spirit within us.
In the plan of salvation, the
humanity of Christ is as essential as His divinity. There could have been no
shed blood without His humanity.
The
man Christ Jesus now intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father. His
divinity allows us to surrender to Him and receive His Spirit within us.
The
fruit of the Spirit is the transformation within us that occurs through the
Spirit of Christ: "But the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's
have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts" (Galatians 5:22-24).
Notice
that these are all personal qualities. This is what sanctification looks like.
These are the qualities that counteract the law of sin.
Temperance
is the one that specifically deals with our human weakness. It is translated
"self-control" in newer translations of the Bible.
The fruit of the Spirit moderates us. It is the rest
that comes from resting in Christ. It enables us to escape "the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:4).
"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless" (2 Peter 3:13-14).
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