Page 22 - The Gate and the Way

They are all decaying and growing old. What Paul declared in Romans chapter 7 continues
to hold true. “In my flesh dwells no good thing. Sin dwells in my flesh.”
It is given to those who are born again of the Spirit of Christ to do two things. They
must mature spiritually, and they must put the flesh to death. Only by putting the flesh to
death can a new creation arise and be manifested before the eyes of God and all creation.
This process of the life of Christ arising to maturity within us, while at the same time our
old Adamic life is being reduced to nothing, is summed up in the following statement of
John the Baptist.

John 3:30
“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

The apostle Paul expresses this two-fold process in the following manner.

Galatians 5:24-25
Now those who belong to Christ Yahshua have crucified the flesh with its passions
and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Christians are called to live by, and walk in, the Spirit, and they must crucify the flesh.
This is where the cross enters into the lives of those who are disciples of Christ.
It would be difficult for any Christian to determine for themselves the best way to
accomplish this two-fold goal. We are often blinded to the presence of sin in our lives, and
we cannot kill what we cannot perceive. Nor, do we know the best manner in which to
promote the advancement of Christ’s life within our beings.
Suppose God would ask you at the beginning of your life in Christ to design a path
through your coming days that would promote spiritual growth and lead to the death of the
flesh. Do you have the wisdom and understanding to design such a course? Of course not.
None of us do. This is why God never asks such a thing from His children. Yahweh alone
knows what experiences and circumstances will provide the optimum environment for our
growth as sons of God. Therefore, He requires that all who come to Christ be prepared to
surrender their lives to be led of His Spirit wherever He would direct. The invitation of
Christ is “Come, take up your cross, and follow Me.”
Yahweh sees with perfect sight those things in our life that need to be put to death,
and He also understands how to best promote spiritual growth. As we yield our lives to be
led of His Spirit we will find Him ordering our lives so that we encounter those
circumstances, trials, and provocations that will expose the sin in our flesh, while providing
opportunities for the spirit man to rise up and put the flesh to death.
If you perceive the goal of salvation, to deliver men from sin’s rule over their lives,
then you can understand the necessity of God leading all Christians down an afflicted path.
Although Christ has purchased this deliverance from sin’s bondage, it must yet be
manifested in our lives. There is a difference between being offered a gift and making it your
own possession. Christ has redeemed us from sin’s dominion, but we must arise and engage
in spiritual warfare in order to put every enemy under our feet. He has promised us that no
enemy will ever be able to stand against us, whether it be fear, or lust, or anger, or
covetousness, or pride, or any other thing. However, it is required of us that we take the
victory Christ has gained for us and apply it to our lives.
The apostle Paul explained the purpose of afflictions and suffering in the lives of the