In our present study we are examining just what is the precedence for the spiritual life of the church age believer and we are making the case that the precedence was established by TLJC in his unglorified humanity during his life on this earth at the beginning of the hypostatic union.

We saw that Precedence is defined as: (1) an earlier occurrence of something similar; (2) something done or said that may serve as an example or rule to authorize or justify a subsequent act of the same or an analogous kind (3) a verdict that had no precedent (4) the convention established by such a precedent or by long practice or (5) a person or thing that serves as a model.

In our last class we left off with the passage in Gal 5:25-26, where it says, "If we live by the Spirit, let us advance by means of the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, challenging each other, being jealous of each other."

Jealousy is a manifestation of the self absorbed arrogance of Cosmic 1. It is a part of inordinate ambition and inordinate competition. As an emotional sin, it is irrational resentment of others.

Jealousy is a major stumbling block in the advance to spiritual self-esteem and is destructive wherever you find it.

It is a major function of self-righteous arrogance, and therefore, a major factor motivating the legalism of Christian moral degeneracy.

Because it is a mental attitude sin, jealousy and the filling of the Holy Spirit are mutually exclusive.

Jealousy motivates legalism. Jealousy is tyranny in its simplest form. Wherever jealousy persists, it destroys human freedom.

Jealousy does not permit people to love from their own free volition; it demands love and attention.

James 4:5-6, "Or do you presume that the Scripture speaks in vain against jealousy. The Spirit who permanently indwells us pursues us with love. And He gives us more grace. Therefore, it says, `God makes war against the arrogant, but He give grace to the humble."

This grace is conveyed because the believer is living under the mentorship of God the Holy Spirit inside God's power system

1John 2:27, "And as for you, the anointing (enabling power of the Spirit inside God's power system) which you have received from Him resides in you (indwelling of the Spirit in the body), and you do not need that anyone be teaching you (making you understand), but as His anointing keeps teaching you (making you understand) all things as it (enabling power of the Spirit) has taught you. Keep on residing in him (God's power system)."

One of the synonyms for the Holy Spirit's indwelling is "anointing." NET note 57

This is how believers, as members of the royal family, fulfill God's plan; not in human, energy, or ability, but in the ability and enabling power of the Holy Spirit.

God provides the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher for the communication of the mystery doctrine of the Church Age. But no matter how eloquent or powerful the pastor's message, there is no way believers will understand it unless they are residing inside God's power system and are filled with the Spirit.

Believers are commanded to keep on residing in God's power system because it is the place of the filling of the Spirit. Believers are not controlled by the Holy Spirit unless they are residing inside God's power system.

1John 3:3-9, "And everyone who keeps having this confidence in Him purifies himself just as that unique Person (the humanity of Christ using God's power system) is pure. Every believer who commits sin also does lawlessness; in fact, sin is lawlessness. Indeed you know that He (Lord Jesus Christ) was revealed in order that He might carry our sins; in fact, sin is not in Him.

v6: When anyone resides in it (God's power system), he is not sinning. When anyone sins, he has not seen Him nor come to know Him. My dear children, let no one deceive you; when anyone performs righteousness, he is honorable (virtuous), just as He (Christ) is honorable (virtuous).

v8: When anyone commits sin, he has become the agent of the devil because the devil sinned from the beginning. For this reason, the Son of God was revealed that He might destroy the works of the devil.

v9: At the moment when anyone is born from God, he is not sinning because his seed (the enabling power of the Spirit which begins at the moment of regeneration) keeps residing in it (God's power system). Furthermore, he is not able to sin because he has been born from God."

We see from this that believers who are resident in and have momentum inside God's power system have confidence in God and they purify themselves through the acknowledgement of known sin because they understand the procedure and recognize the need to live in God's power system.

The believer's decision to sin is the rejection of the enabling power of the Spirit.

When believers sin and leave God's power system they enters Satan's cosmic system that is described as lawlessness.

1Pet 2:24; states that "He (TLJC) carried our sins in His own body on the cross. that we may cease from sinning and live for righteousness."

This cession from sinning and living for righteousness occurs when the believer acknowledges personal sin and is restored to God's power system.

In 1John 3:6; the phrase "no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him" means there no motivational virtue from personal love for God.

Believers are spiritual children of God because "they are the sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus."

The performance or execution of righteousness is the fulfillment of virtue inside God's power system.

It is the filling of the Spirit that produces this virtue. The moment anyone believes in TLJC they enter into God's power system, and at that moment the new believer is not in a state of sin even though they still have indwelling OSN.

Since all sins were judged by God in TLJC on the cross God is free to forgive the sins of the entire world. 1John 2:1;

At the point of salvation, all of the believer's past sins are forgiven, the believer's sins after their salvation are subsequently forgiven when the believer simply acknowledges them to God.

1John 3:9; "His seed keeps abiding in it" means the enabling power of the Holy Spirit continues to reside inside the God's power system.

"He is not able to sin" is only true when the believer resides inside God's power system.

When believers succumb to temptation from the OSN, they make the decision to sin and as a result they are immediately involved in the cosmic system.

The only way the believer recovers from the cosmic system is by naming or citing any known sin.

Without life in God's power system and the enabling power of the Spirit, there is no way believers can execute God's plan for their lives.

When the believer acknowledges any known sin they are restored to God's system and have the potential for fulfilling the plan of God.

1John 1:4-10; "In fact, we write these things in order that our happiness (+H) might be complete. This is the message which we have heard from Him and we have communicated it to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

If we contend that we have fellowship with Him and we keep walking in darkness (the cosmic system), we are lying and do not practice doctrine. If we keep walking in the light (residence, function, momentum in God's power system) as He is in the light (humanity of Christ during the dispensation of the Hypostatic Union), we keep on having fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus (the saving work of Christ on the cross) keeps cleansing from all sin.

v8 If we (believers) contend that we have no sin, then we deceive ourselves and the doctrine (truth) is not in us.

v9 If we acknowledge (name or cite) our sins, He is faithful and just so that He forgives us our (known) sins and purifies us from all unrighteousness.

v10 If we contend that we have not sinned, we keep making Him a liar and His Word does not reside in us."

Believers can't walk in darkness and have fellowship with God. When the believer is in the cosmic system, they are walking in darkness. When the believer is in God's power system they are walking in the light.

To "not practice doctrine or truth" means the believer is not living in God's power system with momentum from metabolized doctrine.

Fellowship is predicated on the enabling power of the Holy Spirit inside the God's power system.

The present active subjunctive of the Greek word "homologeo "in verse 9 means to admit, confess, acknowledge, name or cite as when making a deposition in a courtroom.

To be restored, believers simply specify a sin they have committed that has already been judged on the cross.

The pictorial present tense brings to mind a picture of confession in the process of occurrence.

When believers out of fellowship, they produce the action of the verb by simply naming their sins to God. The potential subjunctive is qualified by the element of contingency; the believer must understand the need for it before they will do it. The work that enables forgiveness (the judgment of TLJC for them) was accomplished on the cross.

Believers simply name a sin that has already been judged in the person of TLJC. That is why there is forgiveness.

"He is faithful" means God always does exactly the same thing without variation because He judged that sin on the cross.

He is just, for forgiving our sins and it does not compromise God's perfect righteousness because that sin was judged on the cross.

He "cleanses or purifies us from all unrighteousness" means from all the sins of ignorance we committed. They are forgiven at the same time when we confess any sin of cognizance.

This means full restoration to God's power system and the believer is filled with the Spirit again.

To allege that this principle of recovery by grace is too simple or not sufficient is blasphemy, because it alleges that God is a liar and that his provision for sin is insufficient.

Paul speaks of this in 1Cor 11:31, "If we judge ourselves, we shall not be judged." Before we partake of the communion, we search our souls and judge ourselves so that if necessary we may acknowledge them so that we will not be judged.

Eph 5:14-17, "Wake up, sleeper! Rise up from the dead (recover from temporal death in the cosmic system), and Christ will shine on you. Therefore, be alert regarding how you walk, not as foolish ones but as wise ones; purchasing the time because the days are evil. Therefore, stop being ignorant but understand what the will of God is."

Eph 5:18, "And stop being drunk with wine which is dissipation, but keep on being filled with (controlled by) the Spirit."

The word translated "filled " is the present passive imperative of the Greek word "pleroo". The passive voice indicates that the believer is the recipient of the action of the verb.

It means to fill up a deficiency. The filling of the Holy Spirit inside the God's power system fills up the deficiency of ignorance of the mystery doctrine.

It means to fully possess. The filling of the Holy Spirit means you fully possess the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit in the enabling power for execution of God's plan.

The Christian way of life is a supernatural way of life and demands a supernatural power for it's execution. It can only be executed in the power of the Holy Spirit.

It means to fill up with a certain quality. The filling of the Spirit inside God's power system provides the quality necessary to execute God's plan. The quality is divine power.

It means to fully influence. The filling of the Spirit inside of God's power system influences so that metabolized doctrine is produced. Metabolized doctrine is necessary for divine viewpoint, spiritual growth, and momentum, resulting in the manufacture of the invisible hero.

In this verse, the present tense of "pleroo" is an iterative present, or a present tense of repeated action. It describes what occurs at successive or various intervals of time.

It does not imply that we are always filled with the Spirit. For when we succumb to temptation and sin, we remove ourselves from God's power system and put ourselves back into the cosmic system.

In too many cases today, this might be called a tendential present tense for an action contemplated, proposed, or attempted, but not taking place because of the believer's ignorance of the doctrine of spirituality by grace.

The problem today is that too many believers cannot answer the simple question, "After salvation, what?"

Because of the imperative mood, this can also be viewed as a durative present tense, also known as the progressive present for an action in progress or a state of persistence. That describes the positive believer fulfilling this command.

The passive voice says the believer receives the action of the verb in two ways.
At salvation, God the Holy Spirit enters every believer into God's power system.

This is one of the seven ministries of the Spirit in the believer at salvation.

As a result of sin, the believer is out of God's power system. But can reenter through God's grace provision, that problem solving device of simply acknowledgement of any known sin.

Therefore, the believer receives the action of the verb in grace totally apart from any human merit or guilt or any penance or any system of reformation.

This is the imperative mood of command. It is a divine mandate to enter and remain in God's power system, and when one leaves it through known sin, to reenter through the acknowledgement of known sin.

The Greek preposition "en" plus the instrumental of agency from "pneuma" means "by means of the Spirit." "Be filled with (or by means of) the Spirit."

There is a similar command in 2Pet 3:18 that refers to the result of this action. "Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory now and forever."

The law of carnality versus the law of spirituality is taught in Rom 8:1-8. Believers who reject certain aspects of the Doctrine of Spirituality believe they cannot change their personality. This is humanistic thinking.

Rom 8:1-2, "Now, therefore, there is no judgment for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death."

There is a law that gradually changes people, it is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

When believers make Bible doctrine the number one priority in their life, there will be fantastic changes in their life.

The idea that one's personality cannot be changed is to reject the fact that Jesus said, "You must be born again."

This new law for the Church Age believer is spiritual freedom inside God's power system.

Believers are changed for the better by living inside God's power system. Believers are changed for the worse by living inside the cosmic system.

The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus is the law that spiritual power supercedes human power. Any changes made from the energy of the flesh are not a part of God's plan. Human power is loaded with sin, human good and evil and is not a part of God's plan.

Rom 8:3-4, "For what the (Mosaic) Law was powerless to do, in that it was weakened by the flesh [the OSN], God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and for a sin offering He judged sin in the flesh, in order that the legal requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."