Jiminy Cricket

Jan. 3, 2022

The Transformed Life, Lesson 2

Read: John 3:1-21, 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, Romans 12

Jiminy Cricket

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” - Jesus

The SPIRIT is the part of a human that connects with God. It is our spirit that is united with the Holy Spirit when we are “born again” and “come alive” in Christ Jesus. It is with our spirit that we interact with the Lord. This is God’s design for us as his children. When things are put into their correct order, the spirit of a person is united with the Holy Spirit of God and is taking the lead in guiding a person and overseeing both their soul and body. We see this idea worked out in John 3 when Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus.

We must be born again OF THE SPIRIT before we can see the Kingdom of God. The spirit of a person must be brought to life - literally “born”- within them before they can begin to see the Kingdom of God as it is being worked out before them. Without Christ, what do we have guiding us a people? When the spirit of a person is “dead” or “unborn” within them, they are left as a “natural person” as opposed to a “spiritual person”. (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14) The “natural person” is led by their “flesh”… they are led by their soul and body. More often than not, the natural person allows their body to be the highest priority, and their fleshly desires rule them. Even when a persons mind and emotions are given priority over their body - think “mindfulness” and “intentional living” - they are still a “natural person”. It is only when we are “born of the Spirit”… when our spirits are brought to life and united with God through the Holy Spirit… that we become a “spiritual person” led by the Lord. This is what the scriptures declare: “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one…Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God… (again) unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (1 Cor. 2, John 3)

When our spirit is brought to life, we receive an avenue to be connected with God. We become partakers of his “divine nature”. (2 Peter 1:4) We are no longer functioning as a “natural person” with only 2 facets (an active soul and body with a “dead” spirit); in Christ we enter into life as a person with 3 parts - spirit, soul, and body. What is made alive in us (our spirit) is what God designed to be leading us as his children. (In a way, it is like our own “Jiminy Cricket”… a conscience that comes to life within us.) There is a part of us (our spirit) that should rule over and guide our thoughts + emotions (soul), and our body. The spirt of a person who is a child of God is the only fit guide to the soul and body. This is the distinction between the “natural person” and the “spiritual person” spoken about.

Are you living like a “natural person” or a “spiritual person”? Has your spirit been brought to life by Christ? Are you letting your flesh (your body) or your thoughts and emotions (your soul) continue to rule you like a natural person? Or is your spirit in communion with the Holy Spirit and leading…shaping your thoughts and emotions and keeping in check your fleshly desires? It is the word of God (see Heb. 4:12 and yesterdays Devo) that helps us to see the distinction between our soul and spirit. The word of God works within us… amplifying the voice of the Holy Spirit within us and giving shape to our own spirit. This is crucial for us to understand when our thoughts and emotions turn against us. There is hope! There is within us as “spiritual persons” - children of God - another element that guides and corrects… it is our TRUEST SELF… our spiritual self is our truest self. We are spirits overseeing souls in bodies. The word of God and the Holy Spirit within us join with our spirits and correct our broken thinking, shape our emotions, bring us joy and direction, and keep our “fleshly bodies” in check … heading in the right direction. We have a conscience… a guide within us! Romans 12 comes to life in a new way when we understand this: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Love you guys - and more to come. - JDP