No Longer After The Flesh – Part 1

“Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh…” (2 Cor. 5:16)

I do not know of many rich people who have any spiritual depth, and that’s a fact. The reason for this is because money has a way of blinding people to spiritual things. So does fame, worldly status, etc. That is why many of today’s Christian leaders are as blind as a bat. They allow themselves to become attached to their titles, soaking in the power and worldly esteem that comes with these things – and they go blind.

God has arranged it so that there is no man or woman who considers the things of this world who will see into His spiritual Kingdom. In fact, the Bible commands in 2 Corinthians 6:17:

“touch not the unclean thing”.

What do you think the unclean thing is?

We do not know sin as God knows it. With God, anything that is not of the Spirit is sin.

In order to have the things of God’s Kingdom, you must surrender this world.

But I digress. I was talking about the rich man. Not many have spiritual depth.

Am I the only one saying this?

Hardly. The Bible in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 expressly says,

“26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”

If you want to glory in any way in the Kingdom of God, you must glory in Jesus alone.

This is one of the most difficult things to penetrate our hard hearts. We are so twisted we have no inkling of how God operates. That is why, however hard we try, we keep coming back to glorying in men in the natural.

But God has not ordained it to be so. In fact, God has ordained it to be the exact opposite. We are to glory in the Spirit. The Apostle Paul says,

“Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh…” (2 Cor. 5:16)

How powerful could scripture get?

We know no man after the flesh. Who are we? What do we have? Do we have any knowledge?

We are nothing, we have nothing; and we know nothing. The Apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 12:11 states of himself,

“I be nothing.”

The only reason Paul wrote those words was because it was fact. He knew he had to empty himself of self in order for Christ to be in him.

If you, a man or woman of God, have anything, it can only be

“Christ in you” (Col. 1:27)

So how does the Apostle Paul present Christ?

He presents Him as

“Christ crucified” (1 Cor. 1:23)

In the natural He was weak.

And what does Paul say of himself?

“… of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.” (2 Cor. 12:5)

That is what it means to know God. That is why, as a rule, God denies the men and women who have something to hold onto in this world the heavenly things. It is too easy an opportunity for the flesh to exalt itself.

But God is merciful. He always has a remnant. Therefore there will always be men who are rich, educated or of high societal standing, who will be able to see into the things of the Spirit. As with everything to do with God, these are chosen as a matter of God’s mercy.

No man is ever allowed to say that they are where they are in their standing with God outside of God’s express mercy, choosing and grace.

This understanding brings God’s grace to a man’s life. It did with our Lord Jesus, and with the apostles.

[As unassuming as babes]

A Lowly Mind

“When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” Luke 14:12-14

You simply have to admire the gall that Jesus had. Instead of thanking His host – a top religious bureaucrat – and telling him what a wonderful and generous man he was, Jesus took the opportunity to lecture the fellow about what constitutes true Godliness! In fact, Jesus had some not too pleasing things to say to the people who attended this particular dinner. Apparently, it was a party for the social elite, and the host had made the mistake of thinking that Jesus – probably because He had all those crowds following Him – was also an elitist!

But Jesus was simply simple. He could interact with the lowest of the low. He was quick to lend an ear and a helping hand to the wretched folk of this world, men like Bartimaeus.

Jesus went on and taught people to shun high-mindedness.

I correspond with a lot of people, and I have come to notice that the people who are quick to reply to my correspondences are mainly the simple folk. And every time I read their letters I can feel the warmth flowing from their hearts. They are eager to interact. They are eager to give their all. That is not a judgment on those who do not write back. We all need God’s grace!

The human being is wired in such a way that the minute he crosses a certain level of “success” he metamorphoses completely. He becomes vain, pompous and, worst of all, he becomes contemptuous of those he considers lower than himself. Few humans can resist this force of nature.

But, in the Spirit, this is an incredibly weak characteristic and Jesus died to set us free from such weak attitudes (Romans 8:2-4).

It is unfortunate that even in church one sometimes finds categorizations and groupings. People coalesce according to social status, and it becomes a case of birds of a feather flocking together! And there is no denying the fact that the perpetrators of this unscriptural state of affairs in church are the rich, the privileged, and the educated – the so-called elite.

But God literally cares about the poor and downtrodden of this world. Did you ever read James 2:5? It says, “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” In other words God is saying, “All right, guys, do not think I have forgotten you in not giving you the riches of this world. In fact, I have something infinitely far much better that I have reserved for you!”

The scripture here says that God has chosen the poor of this world to be “rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him.” In recent years, a certain false gospel which teaches that God is on the side of the rich has slowly but inexorably crept into the church. But I don’t see such a teaching in the scriptures. Such a teaching only brings pride and arrogance into people’s hearts, and I believe that pride is God’s worst enemy. And God will do everything in His power to crush this most hated of His enemies.

Elsewhere, the Apostle Paul admonishes us: “Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.” Romans 12:16

I know this is tough, but if we really want to become true sons and daughters of God, to be like God Himself, then we have a lot of dust to bite.