Vested Interests of the Flesh - Chambers, Oswald

But ye are not . . . , if so be . . . (Romans 8:9)

When we are born from above (RV mg) the dominating spirit in us is the spirit of god; the mind of the flesh is self-realisation, and the first thing that hap- pens in a mans conscious spiritual life is a divorce between the two. The initial experience is a conflict on the inside. For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would (Galatians 5:17).

Dominant interest versus interesting details

For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)

We can estimate our life on the spiritual line by our dominant interest. How do we know what is our dominant interest? It is not the thing that occupies most time. The dominating interest is a peculiarly personal one, viz. , the thing that is really fundamentally ours in a crisis. In sorrow or joy we reveal our Dominating interest. We are taken up with interesting details; Jesus Christ was not. His insulation was on the inside, not the outside; his dominating interest was hid with god. His kingdom was on the inside, consequently he took the ordinary social life of his time in a most unobtrusive way. His life externally was oblivious of details, he spent his time with publicans and sinners and did the things that were apparently unreligious. But one thing he never did he never contaminated his inner kingdom. God may be dealing with you on the line of considering the lilies, he is causing you to take deeper root and meanwhile you do not bear flowers. For a time your experience iswhat i tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light. The only ones who knew who jesus was and what he came to do, were a handful of fishermen. After he had died and risen again, he distinctly told them to wait in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. According to ordinary reason they would have said, that is absurd, this is not the time to wait; we are the only ones who know these things, we ought to be pro- claiming the truth. Jesus said: tarry . . . Until . . . Dont get impatient with yourself; your dominating interest is taking deeper root. In all probability in your time of active service you were living from hand to mouth on spooned meat, you nourished your life by the interesting details of religious life, you had no nutritious root, and your work proved to be an elaborate way of evading concentration on god. There are far more people interested in consecration than concentration. It is easier to fuss around at work than to worship; easier to pay attention to details, to say our prayers or conduct a meeting, than to concentrate on god. Has god put you on the shelf deliberately? Why cannot he be glorified by a man in the dust as well as in the sunshine? We are not here to tell god what to do with us, but to let him use us as he chooses. Remember, gods main concern is that we are more interested in him than in work for him. Once you are rooted and grounded in Christ the greatest thing you can do is to be. Dont try and be useful; be yourself and god will use you to further his ends.

Denominating inspiration versus individual desire

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the spirit the things of the spirit. (Romans 8:5)

A denominating inspiration is a distinct expression of the character. There are all sorts and conditions of inspirations which come to a mans life. For instance, in st. Matthew 16:1625 it is recorded that peter had two inspirations, one was from god and the other from Satan, but he did not know where Either came from until they denominated themselves. Jesus said of one: this is the voice of god; of the other: this is the voice of Satan. The denominating inspiration that is christian has the characteristics of the holy spirit. Jesus said the holy spirit would glorify him, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever i have said unto you. The holy spirit does not talk from or about himself. When a person does extraordinary things and says, god told me to do them, it may have been an inspiration, but its denomination had not the characteristic of Jesus Christ. The character of Jesus christ is the inspiration of the holy spirit, and holiness is transfigured morality. People are inspired to do the wildest things and have no control over the inspiration. The inspiration of the spirit of god denominates itself at once. If you are impulsively led to do a thing, examine it and see what it means. Has it the characteristics of Jesus Christ? For as many as are led by the spirit of god, they are the sons of god.

Pure worship versus power of will

Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship . . . (colossians 2:23)

If we desire self-glorification we can have inspirations which have not the denomination of Jesus Christ. Worship is giving to god the best he has given us, and he makes it his and ours for ever. What is the best god has given you? Your right to yourself. Now, he says, sacrifice that to me. If you do, he will make it yours and his for ever. If you do not, it will spell death to you. That is the meaning of abrahams offering of isaac. Isaac was the gift of god to abraham, but god said, offer him . . . For a burnt offering. Abraham obeyed, and in the end received the illumination of true sacrifice and true worship of god. The best i have is my claim to my right to myself, my body. If i am born again of the spirit of god, i will give up that body to jesus christ. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of god, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto god, which is your reasonable service (romans 12:1). The power of will is a different thing entirely. It says, i see that on the line of honesty being the best policy, being a christian is rather a good thinga dastardly thing to believe or say. Individual desires may smatter of the right thing, but if they have not the dominating inspiration of the spirit of god they are dead. That is why Jesus said to the scribes and pharisees, woe unto you, . . . For ye are like unto whited sepulchres; and to his disciples, do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. There is always a twist about everyone of us until we get the dominating inspi- ration of the spirit of god. It makes us condemn the Sins we are not inclined to while we make any amount of excuses for those we have a mind to, and they may be ten times worse. If we are inspired by the spirit of god our lives are lived unobtrusively; we do not take the attitude of ascetics, but live perfectly natural lives in which the dominating interest is god. Dwelling identification versus inevitable death but ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the spirit of god dwell in you. Now if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his. (Romans 8:9) our true life is not intellect or morality or bodily eating and drinking; our true life is our relationship to Jesus Christ. If once we recognise that and take care to be identified with him in the crises of life, god will look after all the rest. If we try to draw our inspiration from elsewhere we will die in the attempt.

New creation versus consecrating nature

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

When we are indwelt by the spirit of Christ we are in a new creation (RV mg). A man in love and a man convicted of sin are in the same external world, but in totally different creations. Both may be in the desert, but one has a disposition which makes him interpret the desert as a desolating piece of gods territory, while to the other the desert literally blossoms as the rose. The disposition of the one is mad, he sees no light in the sun, no sweetness in anything; his ruling disposition is one of misery, while to the other

Heaven above is brighter blue, earth around is sweeter green; something lives in every hue christless eyes have never seen.

Consecrating natural gifts is popular but a snare. I have the gift of a voice and i will consecrate it to god and sing always, only, for my king. If a man or woman is devoted to god, they can sing anything with the blessing of god; but if they are not right they may sing take my life, and serve the devil in doing it. It is not the external things that tell, but the ruling disposition. There is no indication in gods word that we should consecrate natural gifts, although we find many such indications in hymns. The only thing we can consecrate is our bodies. If we consecrate them to god, he takes them.

Immediately consecration is taken on the other line, the indwelling identification is not with Jesus Christ but with ourselves, which spells death. If we have the dwelling identification with Jesus Christ, then we are alive, and more and more alive. In the christian life the saint is ever young; amazingly and boisterously young, certain that everything is all right. A young christian is remarkably full of impulse and delight, because he realises the salvation of god; but this is the real gaiety of knowing that we may cast all our cares on him and that he careth for us. This is the greatest indication of our identification with Jesus Christ.