258 - THE HUMAN SPIRITOctober 6, 1963
Henry F. Kulp
Romans 1: 8 - 14 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
Rome was the capital of the world at the time that Paul wrote, and this church was not founded by the Twelve Apostles—certainly not Peter, because we have no record that he had ever been in Rome. No man founded that church—it was founded by the Christians who came to that city and witnessed to others and helped to set up an assembly.
1/ Now as we look into this portion of Scripture, we find out something about the Apostle Paul that is verified in other portions of Scripture. What is the man Paul, like? I think I can give you a little sketch of the man himself. Paul had a love for all men. He wanted all to be saved. He wanted all to know the Lord Jesus Christ. And then Paul had a love for all who named the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. As I study the writings of Paul, I realize he put the Lord first, the Church second, the needs of the lost third, and everything else was away back from that point.
2/ Verse 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
Here we have something that is a real insight into the type of man Paul was. He calls God to be his witness to the fact that without ceasing in all his prayers, he was making mention of the group in Rome. To me this is extremely revealing, because why did Paul have to call God as his witness that he was praying for them? I believe Paul’s personality was one that did not show affection on the surface. I doubt anyone would call Paul a warm loving individual—that is, on the surface. I am sure he was considered hard by those he preached to. It was in his own heart that he must have longed for the softness of the nature of the beloved disciple, John. The Scripture tells us Jesus loved John, and it was John who leaned upon our Lord’s bosom on the night of the Lord’s supper. When John told the believers that He loved him, they all believed and they felt his warm personality, and they felt themselves as being the beloved of John.
3/ But this is not true of Paul, when Paul writes to this church and tells them that he loved them and is praying for them, he calls God to witness that is really true, for I am sure there were many who wondered if this was true. We know from his second epistle to the Corinthians that some people did not like him – he was too hard, he was too dogmatic—he was too positive, his blows were sledgehammer blows.
4/ II Corinthians 10: 2 But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.
They thought he walked according to the flesh. Remember, he administered in this city a long time—for a year and six months—he had worked and prayed and toiled, laboring with his own hands to support himself, and all the time he preached publicly from house to house, striving to reach lost sinners and bring them to Christ. He had founded the work, and he had seen it grow and develop in a marvelous way, and here these folks said, he is too bold—look at the letter he has written to us—he is too dogmatic, he is too positive. He’s not a loving type of individual at all.
5/ There may well have been those who came to him and said, show us a little more love, and I believe, he would look at them with his half blind eyes and remain speechless, because he knew he loved them with a burning love, with an intense love, but how could he get it across to them? Here he calls God to witness that it is true.
6/ If we go later in this very Epistle, Romans 9: 1 - 3 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
He says I have heaviness and sorrow in my heart for these people of my blood. I could wish myself accursed of Christ for my own brethren, but that couldn’t do them any good. How much he loved them, he was willing even to be accursed if it would help them. Here was love beyond understanding, but yet he couldn’t get it across with his own personality. He was unable to show it.
7/ We have another Scripture that bears this out.
I Corinthians 11: 11 Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth.
Here Paul has said that he had not permitted them to pay him, he had worked to keep himself going, to meet his expenses, and he boasted in this fact—this didn’t mean that he disregarded the feelings of the Corinthians in the whole matter—it is not that he doesn’t love them. Paul says, God knows that I indeed love you—and God is my witness.
8/ When God made us up, He gave us all a different personality—and usually being saved does not change this personality. One who is quiet before he is saved is usually still quiet after he is saved. Or one, who is boisterous, is usually the same after he is saved. When he made up Paul, and established the genes, and the chromosomes in the make-up of Paul, He didn’t put anything in there that would cause Paul to be warmhearted in his outward nature. He just couldn’t wear his heart on his sleeve. He was accused of being proud or arrogant, or dogmatic, but that wasn’t true – Paul says, I love and I bear God as my witness.
9/ This love that Paul had for these people at Rome was true love, I want you to realize that true love can never be pumped up. As a matter of fact, I don’t even think it is given to anyone in answer to prayer. This may startle you, it may cause you to stop and think for a minute, but I believe it is true. You do not pray to God for love for lost sinners, or even for saints—this is not something God hands you on a platter—it is the result of certain workings in your life. You have love for the unsaved when you realize how much God loves them and what ends He went to go save them by giving his own Son to die on the Cross of Calvary for sinners, and when you realize how much God loves them, you can’t help but love them, that is, if you love God. And then, when you look at the Cross of Calvary and you realize the awful price that God paid, you see Him as He hung on the Cross of Calvary and was made sin for us, you can’t help but realize again the awful debt of Calvary, and your heart is filled with love to God—it is a love of gratitude to Him for what He has done.
10/ There is a great communion among saints, and this is one of the things that is really a thrill of a preacher’s life. I have often said to you, I enjoy going to assemblies, meeting people I’ve never met before and opening the Word of God to them and preaching to them out of the Word of God.
I can remember when I was down in Haiti, way up in Port-au-pay that is the extreme top of the Island, I remember I preached in a church there that must have had 700 or 800 out that night. They were standing in the doorways, all around the walls, they were sitting in the windows, and when I finished preaching. I was preaching through an interpreter—he interpreted my words into French, there were many “amens” and the people just seemed to be so happy. I went to the back of the church and those people just besieged me—all those black folks came to me and they held out their hands, and they shook my hand, and they pumped my hand and they slapped me on the back, and some put their arms around me. They couldn’t speak my language, I could understand a little bit of French, but not very much from my high school French, but their eyes, the way they lit up, and the smiles on their lips told me they enjoyed my preaching, what I had to say, because they loved the same God, the Lord Jesus Christ that I loved. And there was tremendous communion and fellowship there among these people with me. We were bound together with a common bond.
11/ Then notice, and we’ll go back a verse to Verse 8 that their faith was spoken of throughout the whole world.
Now, when we turn to the 11th chapter of Hebrews we have a summary of the faith of certain individuals in the Old Testament—Abel, Jacob, Joseph, it goes on down through the line, and this role of faith covers a period of about 4,000 years. Seldom in all these 4,000 years was there a time of a mass movement of faith. It was rather centered in individuals. Elijah complained that he was the only individual left until the Lord revealed unto him that there were 7,000 others who had not bowed their knee to Baal. However, there wasn’t a great mass expression among those 7,000, or Elijah would have known that they loved God. They didn’t love God enough for they didn’t have their faith expressed enough that it was known to Elijah. It was known only to God who knows the hearts of men. Now, contrast that with what was here in the City of Rome. In Rome, their group faith stood out and it was known everywhere. It was the City of Caesars. Now notice, this faith was spoken of through the world. The word, spoken, is important here. Others knew that they trusted the Lord Jesus Christ and spoke of their faith in Jesus Christ.
12/ There are assemblies that are famous for their buildings—their beautiful church structures, for their stained glass windows, for their altars, for their beautiful carpets and there are churches that are famous for the bones of those who have been buried, even under the floor of the main auditorium. Then there are churches that are famous for their organ, or their choir—some are famous for their preachers, or some are famous because certain millionaires go there. People say, do you know Mr. And Mrs. Gotrocks go to that church? That is their church. So churches can be famous for many things, but here is the thing that is all important. This church was famous for its faith in Jesus Christ.
13/ I know that many churches are famous because they become second class restaurants, or some churches are famous because they flourish on games of Bingo. What a scandal on Jesus Christ. But God doesn’t want these things – He wants churches to be famous for faith. The one thing God wants more than anything else is faith on the part of the assembly.
14/ Verse 9 Now we come to another part that is so important. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit. What does he mean by this? It can only be understood by studying your Bible. True service to God must be in the spirit, and in this case it does not mean Holy Spirit, for notice a verse that is important in our study, Romans 8: 16 The Spirit Himself, beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. There is a great deal of difference between the spirit of the believer and the Holy Spirit.
We have to understand that man is a trichotomy—man is a trinity, made up of body, soul and spirit. It is necessary to see that there is a difference between the soul and the spirit. There are many who will make them identical, and this is not true.
Hebrews 4: 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
This definitely shows that there is a difference between the soul and the spirit. But when man sinned, when Adam sinned, the Trinity was wrecked. The body was wrecked. Now the body has five senses, but these senses, because of sin, have been limited. You can only see so far, you can only hear a certain distance, you can only smell a certain distance. The five senses have been marred by sin. And so it is with the soul and spirit. They are in the wreckage. The soul is self-consciousness and through it we know our own individuality, and the spirit is God-consciousness. Through it we are aware that there is an existence of a force that is higher than ourselves. What happens to the soul? We become so self-centered that we shut God out, and our soul is sinful and it is against God, but now, what about the spirit? The spirit is fallen and when the spirit should be obedient to God, it is at enmity with God. It doesn’t understand God.
I Corinthians 2: 14 tells us, The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.
And this spirit has been blinded by sin. He can’t understand God, or the things of God.
16/ When one becomes a believer in Jesus Christ, something wonderful happens. God puts into his being a new spirit. Then starts the great struggle between the old soul and the new spirit. The old soul is called the flesh in the Bible. Now we are told in the Bible that the flesh, that is the soul, lusteth or pulls against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh and the two are contrary one to another.
Paul tells us this in Galatians 2: 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
I, that is the soul, am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I, the new personality, the new spirit dominated by Christ, lives, yet not I but Christ liveth in me.
17/ When death comes, death will completely dominate the person.
I Corinthians 15: 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory
When we read of the resurrection we read that the body has sown a natural body —that should be a soulish body—it is released a spiritual body. That does not mean that we will not have a material, tangible body like unto the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, but rather that is what we will have—but this material body will be controlled by the spirit—dominated by the new spirit, whereas the body we have now, has this fight going on between the soul and the spirit.
18/ We can see this very clearly when we look at the life of the man called Peter. Peter was an effervescent man. Today, I believe he could be called an extrovert. He was the first to talk at any given occasion. He always had something to say. He was a big-mouthed fisherman, always the first to talk and think afterwards. Did you ever notice in Peter how we have three forces speaking in his life? First of all his human spirit—the time that it spoke, the time the Holy Spirit spoke through him, and then the time the devil talked through him.
19/ John 13: 4 - 9 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
Here we have the lesson of the feet washing, it was Jesus Christ who went to wash the feet of Peter and Peter says, Thou shall never wash my feet. This was the old nature talking through him. This was Peter thinking that he knew more than his Lord. And when the Lord said, if I wash thee not thou hast no part of me. Peter again with his big mouth spoke up and said, not my feet only, but my hands and head. In other word, wash me all over. This was the human spirit in Peter, rejecting the teaching that God had for him.
20/ Matthew 16: 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Then we remember the time when the Saviour asked the disciples concerning public opinion about Himself. And He asked them, what do you say? Who do you say I am? It was Simon Peter who answered; Thou art the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Christ Jesus immediately pointed out that Peter had not thought that up by himself, and, of course, when he did this, He intimated that the disciples were not to compare that answer with Peter’s usual line of thoughtless words, they were to recognize that this wasn’t Peter speaking, but that this was God revealing it to him. This was the Holy Spirit speaking to Peter.
21/ Matthew 16: 21 - 23 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
When the Lord Jesus Christ for the first time announced that He was to go to the cross to die, Peter thought his chance had come to tell the Lord that this action was far from what it should be for Him, and once the Lord turned upon him and said, Get thee behind me, Satan. Here, than we have the same human lips, used first of all by the human spirit, then the Holy Spirit, and then the devil.
It should cause us to pause and consider our own speech carefully, and it should make us see that we have to serve the Lord in our own spirit that is dominated by the Holy Spirit.
AMEN
Ref: 06/19/1960 / 222 - THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING / 01/29/2021
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