The Believer’s Experience — The Spiritual Man

The Believer’s Experience

But how can a believer see what God sees? God so hates the flesh and its works; yet believers, apart from the evil deeds of the flesh, still seem to have some pity toward it, unable to be as resolute as God. Moreover, in many matters believers act by means of the flesh—self-confident, self-reliant, and self-sufficient—thinking that since they have received much of God’s grace, they are now able to produce righteous deeds, thus making use of the flesh. Because of this, the Holy Spirit must lead believers through the most humiliating paths, so that they may come to know their flesh—that is, to gain God’s perspective. Therefore, God permits believers to stumble, to be weak, and at times even to fall into sin, so that they may discover whether there is any good in the flesh at all. Often, when believers think their spiritual life has advanced, the Lord tries them to make them know themselves. Frequently, the Lord reveals His own holiness to them, so that they may judge the filth of the flesh. At times, the Lord allows Satan to attack them, that in suffering they may see themselves. Yet this lesson is the hardest to learn, and it cannot be accomplished in a single day. Truly, only after many years do believers gradually realize how utterly unreliable the flesh is. Even in the best, there is corruption mingled in. Perhaps God must let them undergo much of the experience of Romans 7, so that at last the believer may join Paul in saying, “For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh” (v.18). To learn to say this word is exceedingly difficult. Unless a believer has gone through many painful failures, he will always rely on himself, always imagine that he can. Only after failing hundreds and thousands of times does he finally recognize that all self-righteousness is untrustworthy—there is no good in the flesh.

Yet this does not end the matter. Such self-examination must continue without ceasing. Whenever a believer does not judge himself, does not consider the flesh utterly useless and corrupt, but allows himself a little reliance and boasting, then God must again bring him through fire to burn away his dross. How rare are those who truly count themselves lowly and recognize themselves as defiled! Yet without this, God will not cease His work, for believers are never free from the influence of the flesh. Therefore, such a heart that continually judges itself must never be interrupted; otherwise, one will slip back into the boasting of the flesh.

Many suppose that the Spirit’s work of convicting of sin—bringing self-rebuke—is only for sinners. He convicts sinners so that they might believe in the Lord Jesus. But this work of the Spirit is equally vital among the saints. Not only should the Spirit cause believers once or twice to reproach themselves for their sins, but He must do so daily and without interruption. Oh! May we receive more of the Spirit’s conviction, so that we may place the flesh forever under judgment, never letting it reign. May we never forget the true nature of our flesh, nor God’s valuation of it. May we never again believe that our flesh can do anything to please God. May we always depend on the Spirit, and never grant the flesh even the slightest standing.

If anyone could boast in the flesh, it would have been Paul—“as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” And if anyone could boast in the flesh afterward, it would still have been Paul, for he was an apostle, who had seen the Lord with his own eyes, and was greatly used by Him. Yet he did not, because he had come to know the flesh. Through the experience of Romans 7, he had learned what he himself truly was. God had opened his eyes through the experiences of life, to see that in the flesh there is nothing but sin. What he once boasted of as his own righteousness, he came to realize was nothing but refuse, indeed all sin. He had learned this lesson—and continued to learn it—so he dared not rely on the flesh again. In fact, what he learned, he never forgot but kept learning still. Therefore, he could say, “We have no confidence in the flesh—though I too have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more” (Phil 3:3–4). Though he had every reason to trust in his flesh, yet he not only knew God’s judgment of it but also knew from his own experience how utterly untrustworthy it was. If we read the following passages, we see his humility: “not having a righteousness of my own” (v.9); “in order that I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (v.11); “Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own” (v.12). If a believer desires to attain to full spiritual maturity, he must maintain this sense of not yet having attained, daring not to be self-confident, self-satisfied, or self-pleased; otherwise, it proves that he is trusting in the flesh.

If God’s children sincerely seek a richer life, willing to accept God’s valuation of the flesh, then no matter how far they have advanced, they will never think themselves stronger than others, nor say, “I am naturally different from others.” Rather, they will allow the Spirit to reveal both God’s holiness and their own flesh’s corruption to them, without shrinking back from seeing too clearly. Then, in due time, the Spirit will make them understand their own depravity—perhaps sparing them from some failures. Yet alas, how pitiful that believers’ intentions, though not wholly dependent on the flesh, are seldom pure, for they still secretly suppose they have a little strength. Therefore, God must let them go through further failures, until even that little self-reliance is removed.