The first Adam was made a living soul. He was soulish in nature and thus bound to the earth. Man was not made for heaven, but was made for the earth (which God gave to the children of men according to Psalms). And as we know, through the male and female both partaking in sin and disobedience (one was deceived, one was not deceived) death passed upon all men. In this nature we are all born. God testifies of man that our imaginations are evil from our youth. Due to all of our disobedience, God has turned us to destruction. He has heaped upon sinners travail and grief. He has put the (spirit of the) world in our hearts so that we might not find out the work that God does or his plan for the ages. This is us in our NATURAL lost condition. He testifies that in this natural condition we are the enemies of God and not even aware of it. Our carnal mind is the enemy of God with NO FAITH (for it is evident because we cannot please him in the flesh). Paul testifies that we as NATURAL men CANNOT receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to us. Our hearts are deceitful, and desperately wicked apart from the light of God. And the enemy, Satan himself, has created a world system to play on our natural lusts to keep us bound to sin in the darkness and blinded from the light of the glorious gospel of Christ.

Enter Christ. Although he took upon him the likeness of sinful flesh and was made in the likeness of man, the scripture testifies that he, as the last Adam was made a QUICKENING spirit. He, in his resurrection power over sin, death and hell is not soulish in nature, but is a spirit man. He is the very Son of God, and he has been given the power to transform soulish sinners that are the enemies of God without faith into pure, righteous, sons of God. He does this by CALLING us (whom he has turned to destruction) to RETURN! He first purifies our hearts (through repentance and faith, (water & blood)) and then creates in us a new spirit that is born of his Spirit so that now we might be joined to him and receive of him! God is a Spirit, and thus, his sons will be spirit (that which is born of the Spirit is spirit).

Since he is a Spirit, he must be worshipped in spirit (and in truth). Paul testifies that he was of the circumcision that worshipped God in the spirit! He also testifies that he served God with his spirit! God is after our hearts… and what resides in the hearts of men and drives the hearts of men are spirits. Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh… and he testified that the words that he spake (out of his pure heart) were spirit and life! There are many spirits in the world. Not all are of God. That is why John exhorted us to try the spirits. But there are many good spirits that we can receive. The spirit of faith, of power, of love, of a sound mind, of wisdom & understanding, of counsel & might, of knowledge & fear of the Lord, of grace & supplications, of prophecy, of glory, & of God himself. In fact, God himself has 7 Spirits that are deity Spirits of him. Why do I say this? Because we cannot serve God in the soul, the mind, the intellect, and the body in and of themselves. We must first have PURE hearts that WHOLLY seek God and receive a new spirit so that we might be led by his Spirit.

This was the foundational promise and token of the new covenant in Ezekiel 36. That one day, Israel would be cleansed of ALL her filthiness and ALL her idolatry and would be sprinkled with clean water (not by water only, but by water & blood), and that God himself would remove their stony hearts and give them a NEW heart and put within them a NEW spirit that would CAUSE them to walk in his statutes and judgments. This is what we get to partake in in Jesus Christ! Hallelujah! Then and only then can we begin to be led by God himself; for he testifies that his Spirit bears witness with our spirit (not our soul, our mind, our reasoning, our intellect, etc…)! Now that we have had the spirit of the world taken away out of our hearts and replaced with a new spirit after the likeness of Christ himself, we can know the things that are freely given to us of God; for the Spirit searcheth ALL THINGS, yea, the deep things of God! And now we can be led of him as the sons of God following after the Spirit by our spirit (our new man), so that our soul might be healed, and our minds might be renewed, and that our bodies can be offered as holy acceptable offerings. But remember, it starts with the heart and spirit!

And understand this brethren, that the Spirit’s leading and guiding will ALWAYS go contrary to your CARNAL desires and NATURAL reasoning, intellect, education of the world, etc…. Because the world by wisdom knows not God. Learn to follow God by your new spirit. Learn to be led of his Spirit. It will crucify your natural mind. It will destroy all the wisdom of the world that you have heaped over the years. It will go against your flesh and it’s wicked desires. But if you allow yourself to become a spirit man after the image of Christ (not a soulish, carnal, emotionally driven person) what you will finally have for the first time is LIFE & PEACE. For the same God that heaped on you travail and grief for your sinful ways offers you to come unto him and unload your burdens and grief, and to take his yoke upon you (his spirit), and to learn of him, for he is meek and lowly in heart, and then and only then, can you find REST for your souls. As long as the soul leads, there is no rest for it. But when our new spirit follows the Spirit of God, and ministers the new testament (which is not the letter but the spirit) then we can find righteousness, life, peace, and rest for our souls.