The Opposition of the Natural

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ebdesroches

Well-known member
Aug 20, 2022
976
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#1
Oswald Chambers

The Opposition of the Natural
Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. GALATIANS 5:24

The natural life itself is not sinful. But we must abandon sin, having nothing to do with it in any way whatsoever. Sin belongs to hell and to the devil. I, as a child of God, belong to heaven and to God. It is not a question of giving up sin, but of giving up my right to myself, my natural independence, and my self–will. This is where the battle has to be fought. The things that are right, noble, and good from the natural standpoint are the very things that keep us from being God’s best. Once we come to understand that natural moral excellence opposes or counteracts surrender to God, we bring our soul into the center of its greatest battle. Very few of us would debate over what is filthy, evil, and wrong, but we do debate over what is good. It is the good that opposes the best. The higher up the scale of moral excellence a person goes, the more intense the opposition to Jesus Christ. “Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh….” The cost to your natural life is not just one or two things, but everything. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…” (Matthew 16:24). That is, he must deny his right to himself, and he must realize who Jesus Christ is before he will bring himself to do it. Beware of refusing to go to the funeral of your own independence.
The natural life is not spiritual, and it can be made spiritual only through sacrifice. If we do not purposely sacrifice the natural, the supernatural can never become natural to us. There is no high or easy road. Each of us has the means to accomplish it entirely in his own hands. It is not a question of praying, but of sacrificing, and thereby performing His will.

Bible in One Year: Daniel 11-12; Jude
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
27,689
9,621
113
#2
I've got the spirit
Of the living God alive in me
Giving me power
So I don't have to be
Only natural


 

ebdesroches

Well-known member
Aug 20, 2022
976
495
63
76
#3
Definitely the way to be!