J
Greetings everyone. I am working on a book currently entitled "Growth of the Heart" that is intended to be almost a textbook format of explaining many critical doctrines. This excerpt is from a section that explains the process from original creation to the fall to the full redemption at the end of the age. It covers the fall of man and the decline into sin nature. Let me know your thoughts.
Flesh and Spirit
The source you dwell on is what defines whether you live primarily from life or death. The things of the Spirit produces life. The things of the Flesh cannot produce life and only produce death and separation.
Romans 7:5-8 – For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
The mind is an active processor and gate of input from the physical and spiritual realms. As we allow things in, they become a part of us and grow within us. We can also actively change ourselves by adjusting our focus. In romans here, Paul is explaining how when our focus is on fleshly things, we grow fleshly desires and fruits. The ultimate end of this is death and separation from God. However, if we set our focus on God, we will gain life and peace abundantly. As redeemed believers, we are commanded to have complete an utter focus on Christ.
Total Focus
Proverbs 4:20-27 “My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to thec paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”
There is a lot packed into these seven verses but there is one common thread in all of them: complete a total focus on God and staying on the path. We can see many things we have already covered in earlier chapters such as listening, seeing, retaining and perseverance. Let’s use what we’ve learned and break down each of these verses.
20-22 “My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.”
These verses focus on listening, seeing and retaining the word. We know that we are able to choose to listen and look at things and what we choose to focus on will allow seed and nourishment into us and feed our soul with either things of the flesh or things of the spirit. Those things we dwell on go into our heart and grow either the fruits of the flesh or the fruits of the spirit. We must tend our hearts to give proper ground to the right kind of fruits we want to come forth. When we are successful, the fruits of the spirit bring life, happiness and joy.
23-24 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.”
Again, it is being reiterated that the heart is the source of our life and that we must protect it from the seeds of the flesh. We also know that out of the mouth from the heart comes what we have planted. Luke 6:45 “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” It begins with discerning and protecting the heart to keep our mouth from perverse speech. We do not change our character by forcibly changing our speech but by changing what we listen to and guarding our heart from corruption.
25 “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.”
The first verse seems a bit redundant but its showing a picture. “Your eyes” is the hebrew word ayin, which when used in the scripture is often talking about the action of positioning yourself to be able to see something. It is not talking so much about the actual action of looking but how you arrange your body and your sight to be ready to receive by means of visual observation. “Fix your gaze” is the hebrew word “aphaph” which mean literally “eyelids.” This is more literally talking about the actual act of seeing and perceiving by sight. So what this verse is saying is twofold; if we wanted to paraphrase its meaning, we might say: “Position yourself straight ahead that you are completely focus and ready to receive and cast your vision upon what is ahead.”
Image yourself running in one direction but looking in another. It is very difficult to maintain balance if your gaze and your body’s position are not in total alignment. Christians who falter often are trying to run towards God but are looking off to the side or even backwards at what lies behind. In Luke 9:62 Jesus says: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” We must be running and looking straight ahead in order to run properly.
26-27 “Give careful thought to thepaths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”
We are given the choice to consider our path and make a decision. We are encouraged to reason together with God and determine what is His best path for us. Isaiah 1:18“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”
God is able to see all the paths before us and gives us the choice. Deuteronomy 3:19-20“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”
The path of God is straight and narrow. In order to find it, we need God to lead and guide us. Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
Without God, we would easily tread off the path, which is why we need total focus on Him. John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (Jesus speaking)
The Fall of Man
So what does this mean for man after their initial rebellion at the fall? We as we can see, when we choose to not focus on God, we will move off the path and begin to feed on the things of the flesh instead of the Spirit. John 3:6 – That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (Jesus speaking)
As man got more and more sidetracked with his own desires instead of focusing on God, he continued to produce more and more of the flesh instead of the fruits of the Spirit. Because of this, man declined further into sin to the point that God could no longer dwell within man.Genesis 6:3 – Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.
Abide means to strive, dwell, or to make habitation within something. Mankind had lost his focus and gone his own way. We see this culminate in Genesis 6:5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And so while the fall into the sin nature was begun with Adam and Eve, the full sin nature of man was cultivated by the growing focus on the things of the flesh over time to the point where man no longer had any piece of righteousness left within him.
Ecclesiastics 7:20 “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.”
Flesh and Spirit
The source you dwell on is what defines whether you live primarily from life or death. The things of the Spirit produces life. The things of the Flesh cannot produce life and only produce death and separation.
Romans 7:5-8 – For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
The mind is an active processor and gate of input from the physical and spiritual realms. As we allow things in, they become a part of us and grow within us. We can also actively change ourselves by adjusting our focus. In romans here, Paul is explaining how when our focus is on fleshly things, we grow fleshly desires and fruits. The ultimate end of this is death and separation from God. However, if we set our focus on God, we will gain life and peace abundantly. As redeemed believers, we are commanded to have complete an utter focus on Christ.
Total Focus
Proverbs 4:20-27 “My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to thec paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”
There is a lot packed into these seven verses but there is one common thread in all of them: complete a total focus on God and staying on the path. We can see many things we have already covered in earlier chapters such as listening, seeing, retaining and perseverance. Let’s use what we’ve learned and break down each of these verses.
20-22 “My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.”
These verses focus on listening, seeing and retaining the word. We know that we are able to choose to listen and look at things and what we choose to focus on will allow seed and nourishment into us and feed our soul with either things of the flesh or things of the spirit. Those things we dwell on go into our heart and grow either the fruits of the flesh or the fruits of the spirit. We must tend our hearts to give proper ground to the right kind of fruits we want to come forth. When we are successful, the fruits of the spirit bring life, happiness and joy.
23-24 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.”
Again, it is being reiterated that the heart is the source of our life and that we must protect it from the seeds of the flesh. We also know that out of the mouth from the heart comes what we have planted. Luke 6:45 “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” It begins with discerning and protecting the heart to keep our mouth from perverse speech. We do not change our character by forcibly changing our speech but by changing what we listen to and guarding our heart from corruption.
25 “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.”
The first verse seems a bit redundant but its showing a picture. “Your eyes” is the hebrew word ayin, which when used in the scripture is often talking about the action of positioning yourself to be able to see something. It is not talking so much about the actual action of looking but how you arrange your body and your sight to be ready to receive by means of visual observation. “Fix your gaze” is the hebrew word “aphaph” which mean literally “eyelids.” This is more literally talking about the actual act of seeing and perceiving by sight. So what this verse is saying is twofold; if we wanted to paraphrase its meaning, we might say: “Position yourself straight ahead that you are completely focus and ready to receive and cast your vision upon what is ahead.”
Image yourself running in one direction but looking in another. It is very difficult to maintain balance if your gaze and your body’s position are not in total alignment. Christians who falter often are trying to run towards God but are looking off to the side or even backwards at what lies behind. In Luke 9:62 Jesus says: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” We must be running and looking straight ahead in order to run properly.
26-27 “Give careful thought to thepaths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”
We are given the choice to consider our path and make a decision. We are encouraged to reason together with God and determine what is His best path for us. Isaiah 1:18“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”
God is able to see all the paths before us and gives us the choice. Deuteronomy 3:19-20“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”
The path of God is straight and narrow. In order to find it, we need God to lead and guide us. Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
Without God, we would easily tread off the path, which is why we need total focus on Him. John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (Jesus speaking)
The Fall of Man
So what does this mean for man after their initial rebellion at the fall? We as we can see, when we choose to not focus on God, we will move off the path and begin to feed on the things of the flesh instead of the Spirit. John 3:6 – That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (Jesus speaking)
As man got more and more sidetracked with his own desires instead of focusing on God, he continued to produce more and more of the flesh instead of the fruits of the Spirit. Because of this, man declined further into sin to the point that God could no longer dwell within man.Genesis 6:3 – Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.
Abide means to strive, dwell, or to make habitation within something. Mankind had lost his focus and gone his own way. We see this culminate in Genesis 6:5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And so while the fall into the sin nature was begun with Adam and Eve, the full sin nature of man was cultivated by the growing focus on the things of the flesh over time to the point where man no longer had any piece of righteousness left within him.
Ecclesiastics 7:20 “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.”