The born again
believer’s high view and low view of himself unite to provide the proper Biblical view.
“Without Me, ye can do
nothing… I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (John 15:5;
Philippians 4:13).
Human
beings exist to be inhabited by our Creator, and to live by His presence,
leading and enabling. “In this was manifested the
love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the
world, that we might live through
Him” (I John 4:9).
The outworking of this
Divine/human relationship involves the dual sensibility of “I cannot… I
can!” We kneel to acknowledge
that apart from the Spirit of the Lord Jesus, we are helpless and hopeless to
trust and obey God in even the smallest of matters. However, we arise to affirm that we are not apart from the Spirit of the Lord
Jesus! He dwells with and
within us to reveal His strength in our weakness. Are we “weak in Him,” as the Apostle
Paul described in his second epistle to the Corinthians? Yes. Shall we “live with Him by the power of
God,” as Paul declares in the same letter.
Yes. Both truths are true,
and while complete understanding of the enigma may not be possible to our minds,
consistent living by the Holy Spirit is more than possible, and to be expected
(II Corinthians 13:4).
The high view of
ourselves declares that we are not merely ourselves, but ourselves as inhabited
by the Spirit of Christ. The low
view of ourselves acknowledges that we can still live by our native weakness
rather than the power of God. The Biblical view encompasses both, while
acknowledging that the former is far greater than the latter. Indeed, while we still too often walk
after the flesh, the truth of the matter is that we are in the Spirit (Romans 8:9). Or, as Paul decisively affirmed in his
triumphant confession of Christ’s powerful presence with and within the trusting
heart…
“The law of the Spirit of life
in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
(Romans 8:2)
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