THE PURPOSES OF TESTINGS, AFFLICTIONS AND THE CHASTENING OF GOD…..FOR HIS CHILDREN PART 2 

There are two groups in the “Church of God”. By this, we mean those who have feared Him and have heard the redemptive call; both Jews and Christians. The Church of Jesus Christ is part of the Church of God. (The woman in Revelation 12 being a symbol of the Church of God. She is the “Body” of the Regenerated.) What follows the redemptive call has always been instruction in holiness. For example, immediately after the redemption of the Hebrews from Egypt, God gave the Torah at Mt. Sinai. Galatians 3 & 4 lays before our understanding the contrasts in pursuit of that goal of instruction. It contrasts the Law of Moses with faith in Christ Jesus and the work of the Spirit. Now what separates the pursuit of holiness between the two is the divine nature of the indwelling Holy Spirit with our spirit. Pursuit of holiness under or through the Law is likened unto children tutored under the rules of “thou shalt and thou shalt not”. There are many restraints with punishments for outbreaks of the old nature. The Covenant Law keepers having propitiation for the flesh but lacking the power of overcoming the flesh (Hebrews 8:7–8) due to the ineffectiveness of the Old Covenant offerings to completely propitiate the Holy Justness of God. You cannot begin in the Spirit and try to finish or be perfected by the flesh. In the Mosaic law, the old nature is restrained or suppressed while in the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, there is the killing of the old nature. 

But “…if ye are of Christ….”  (Galatians 3:29) you may then receive the “…adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father.” The indwelling divine power unto partakers of the divine nature is what’s necessary to be spiritually mature sons. Translation out of the ineffective group into the other is Faith in Christ Jesus’ propitiation work unto the gift of the power of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8 John 7:37-39) That translation alone does not mature us into “sons”, but the working out the salvation of the soul in fear and trembling can.  We do this by putting off the old nature and putting on the new divine nature and walking in the holy promptings of the Spirit/spirit in the ‘law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:2) apart from the Law of Moses and the Law of Sin and Death which first came through Adam. “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind: And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” [Ephesians 4:22-24]  

With “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified. And meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” [2nd Timothy 2:19-21 with 1st Corinthians 3] 

Now there is a further separation in the “Church” of God than those two groups of Jews and Christians. In the Body of Christ, there are 2 groups, one being those who are in Christ and the other being those who are of Christ. Those who are in Christ being merely regenerated and those who are of Christ being those who are Christlike/of His nature. These are the ones who will inherit through loving and faithful obedience to follow/mind the Spirit/spirit impulses of conscience and crucify the flesh. They will be found worthy for a place in His Millennial Kingdom. Those who merely believed but bore no fruit will be shut out as unfaithful, slothful servants. (See 1st Corinthians 6:9, Galatians 5:18-21, Ephesians 5:3-5, Luke19:12-27, Matthew 24:44-25:14:30) 

In these verses and throughout the Word it is Scripturally shown that a Christian that does not mind or obey the spirit, in the same manner in which Jesus Christ ordered His life by the spirit, will not be a part of Christ’s Bride. Romans 8:9 says, “if any man has not the Spirit of Christ…he is none (not) of his”. This means that person is not of Christ’s entourage, not of His inner Circle. The theologian and Greek scholar Henry Alford, (1810-1871) declares that the interpretation of the Greek words  “he is not His” is referring to one who “belongs not to Him, in the higher and blessed sense of being united to Him as a member of Him”. So while all believers have the Spirit of God, to have or exhibit the spirit of Christ is being like Christ who minded the things of the Spirit and not the things of the flesh. Being “of Christ” means to be worthy of Him upon His Return. (1st Corinthians 15:22-23) It means to be a faithful Servant and wise virgin with oil in the vessel. Jesus was the prototype for saying “not my will be done, but Your’s.” 

Now carnal man (including carnal Christians as well….see 1st Corinthians 3:1) will not try to surrender self-will as long as all is well with it. God is to them an interruption in their own lives. Suffering unto the carnal soul reveals that all is not well. And it causes one to ponder sufferings’ meaning. (With the carnal Christian, sometimes the still small voice has to become a shout in order for them to listen. Lord help us to discipline ourselves so that You don’t have to discipline us.) Until the carnally–minded Christian finds evil erupting in their very own existence, they are encased in a false sense of security. (Often caused by being taught that being merely born-again of Christ means that He has thereby done all the overcoming for them.) They have eaten the leaven of a false ‘peace and safety’ message and are complacent and dangerously close to losing a glory-filled inheritance. (Similar to how the people of Jeremiah’s time only believed the ‘peace and safety’ messages from the false prophets as opposed to the warnings of Jerusalem’s destruction spoken by Jeremiah in Jeremiah 23:16,17. See also Revelation 2:5, 3:15-19 where the church also falls prey to a false sense of security.) 

Believers don’t suffer for suffering’s sake, rather it is so a further work can be done in them.  “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.’ [Revelation 3:19] Rebuke and Chastening opens the door to our alteration in thinking and behavior, and in regarding Him who is Holy and the Judge of holiness in His people. (1st Peter 4:17, Luke 13:6-9) We may not abuse His Goodness by making light of His Severity. If we do, we shall be sadly disillusioned. See also John 15:1-2. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”  

For it is God Who has appointed suffering in fiery trials and afflictions and temptations to form in us faith, patience and endurance which leads unto perfection, the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 6:8-7:12 10:32-39) Wherefore God makes His children’s “own soulish life” more uncomfortable for the perfecting of their faith, “Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” [1st Peter 1:1-9] God had the power to redeem our souls at the same time He did our spirit. But he chose to leave enmity between the carnal soul/flesh and the spirit. He overcame sin but we overcome our sin nature. Leaving that nature within us serves a further purpose. If we overcome, he holds out rewards “to the one who overcomes.”  The righteous “in Christ” are made holy by trials/prunings that they might be of Christ’s inner circle, entourage, and household as a first-born son at His Return. If more Christians understood the important usage Old Testament types, they could see that our goal is to be more than children of God but our goal is to be first-born sons of God who receive that far greater double-portion inheritance. 

Christ’s Kingdom was deferred in this World. The Father had in mind this certain spiritual dynamic to be set up in this World in order to take out of it a people for His Name (Acts 15:14). That man may legally choose to exercise the means to overcome the flesh, and that by the crucifixion of the flesh, (not of ignoring, or satisfying, or suppressing it) in willing suffering servitude, has the inheritance of His promises in view. This appointed spiritual dynamic would bring His redeemed children through Christ unto a certain first-born type sonship… unto glory”. (Luke 2:21, Hebrews 2:10,11) This dynamic providing such a worthiness, in those who exercise it, that they would even be found worthy to judge angels. “Know ye not that we shall judge angels?” (1st Corinthians 6:3)  

And so Jesus Christ yielded His own will for the will of the Father (Matthew 26:29, John 5:30), for the joy of that which was set before Him; that Oneness in glory at the right hand of the Father. So then likewise, for us regenerated to obtain unto that oneness, we must abdicate self and crucify the flesh, in loving faith, and must serve in testimony of Him. It is a Christ-like work gradually developed internally by discovery of Him in knowledge revealed and empowered by the Holy Spirit. “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” That is to say; to be glorified in the First Resurrection out from all other dead, unregenerate, and the regenerate self-righteous religious folk, Jew or unwise Christians. It’s a task with great promise of reward.