Becoming ‘spiritual’ and knowing God’s inner ‘witness’ as your true north
One of the tragic outcomes of the otherwise commendable practice of studying the Bible is those who fail to become “spiritual” and come to experientially “know” God in their daily lives.
These are those who read, think about, and possess the knowledge of God’s Word and truth and suppose to follow God based solely on their perception of what is “biblically correct.”
Wait! Some of you may be saying. Isn’t that what we are supposed to do?
Well, yes, and no – sort of, but not really.
It would be absurd to suggest the mind is not used to read the Word and understand and act on God’s will as we perceive it, but this is not to be the wellspring from which a true disciple of Jesus Christ flows. It is not actually “biblical” to do so and is instead a fallacy that people have fallen into for 2,000 years, and which was made into a misbegotten art form after the Protestant Reformation.
It was then that the ethic of “sola scriptura” (only the scriptures) was codified by Martin Luther as though the dictate was itself holy writ. You see, while it is good to rely on the scriptures as God’s one-sure revelation, the book is actually meant to introduce us experientially to its Author!
A sad result of those who don’t get that memo can be people who are spiritually tone deaf. They may be like a blind or partially blind man feeling an elephant to determine its shape. Or, they may be like human data processors who dutifully follow their mental understanding yet who may be perpetrators of “garbage in, garbage out.”
John 5:39 – Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
Studying is all well and good, but if we do not know the full weight of what the Lord meant when He said “come to Me,” we run this risk.
(Hint: It is more than a one-time coming to Him at the moment of salvation, but a continual walking with Him, an abiding with Him in daily dependence).
Head Knowledge vs. Heart Knowledge
Luke 8:18 – Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.
John 6:45 – It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
Jesus warned to “take heed therefore how ye hear” (in your spirit) and also cited the Messianic scripture of Isa. 54:13 “and they shall all be taught by God.”
This teaching by God is to be our lifeline! Nothing less is authentic discipleship.
1 Corinthians 2 –
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But 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.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.
Paul the apostle said “we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.” He said the Christian speaks that “which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
Why? Because “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.”
It cannot be emphasized enough: The Bible is a spiritual book written by those moved by the Holy Spirit and it takes that same Spirit to keep from misunderstanding what is read, or – worse – coming to wrong conclusions about what they think they know.
“Head knowledge” is the capacity of the intellect. “Heart knowledge is what we “know” in our spirits that no one can take from us. It is head knowledge that one “seems” to have, and the reason why one only “seems” to have it is because they did not receive it from God in their spirits.
Counterintuitive Kingdom
God is the great leveler of the playing field. If becoming the best Christian were simply a matter of comprehension of the Bible, it would stand to reason that the most intelligent and best students among us would be the ones who accomplished this high honor.
Jesus however said we must become as little children who, by implication, are 1) humble, 2) teachable, 3) obedient, 4) willing to be fully trained.
When one is born again, the assumption is life starts over for what we think we know, and our whole paradigm is to be overwritten by God’s truth – whereas prior, you were “of your father, the devil,” (Jn 8:44) as members of the world and “Satan’s kingdom.” (Mt 12:26, Lk 11:18),
The way this is accomplished as noted is by Jesus’ becoming our teacher by His Spirit. Being “spiritual” is knowing where the Fountainhead of this fountain of living waters is and having our hand on the tap. It is by having our lamps full of oil. (Mt 25:4,5).
These are revealed truths, and require faith and obedience and other aspects of a delicate balance of conditions of heart the Lord expects of His sheep.
Revealed Truths
If you think you know anything because you read it in the Bible, although you may fully understand it, you may know nothing yet as you ought to.
1 Cor 8:2,3 – And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
The apostle Paul said immediately prior “we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.”
God hides Himself from the wise and prudent, and reveals Himself (and His knowledge) to the babes, the simple, and those who love Him.
1 Corinthians 1 –
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
We who glory do so “in the Lord,” because the Lord is “in you.” (Col 1:27, Mt :1:23)
God is essentially filtering among humanity by the mettle of their hearts. He wants those who love Him! God has chosen the “foolish” and “base” and “weak” people to “confound” and “bring to nought” the people who make flesh their strength.
Why? “That no flesh should glory in his presence.”
Jer 17:5 – 5 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.
This “arm” of “flesh” includes the intellect apart from God. And Jeremiah continues:
Jer 17:6,7 -For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
Dependent on the True North
We who name Christ are to be God’s obedient ones who carry the Living Christ in us. It is He who is to be our Guiding Light, our True North.
This is a working definition of “Lord.” He leads, and we obey because we love and know Him.
God’s intent is that we make our spirit our “strength” and our spirit united with God is the wellspring from which we are to flow. This is a working definition of “spiritual.”
Rom 1:9 – 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;
Paul exemplified the normal Christian life of serving God with his spirit! He also knew what it was to know Jesus’ voice and we who name Christ are to also. This is our only safety in a din of competing voices!
John 10:4,5 – And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
A “voice” of a stranger is that which contradicts God’s voice. It could be a whispering evil spirit mimicking one’s own thoughts, or metaphorically, it could be any communication that is not God’s truth.
Jesus Himself first showed us how we are to be and testified He followed the Father’s voice, and answered people talking of the “witness” of God’s Spirit in Him plus His own voice speaking as one.
John 3:11- Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
John 5:30 – I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
John 5:37 – And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
The notion of being guided and taught by God directly are thus perfectly “biblical,” and this article started out by decrying those who come to God on some other basis of their minds untethered from their spirits.
One major advantage of this, among many, is it keeps us from accepting a lie as truth. It gives us discernment so that we may never feel right believing what is false supposing that it is true.
It is commonly called “having peace” about something. While people may err, the Spirit does lead by imparting peace almost as a green light to our souls, and He may withdraw our peace when something is not right. This takes sensitivity.
By contrast, the fallacious method of supposing that scripture study with a keen intellect is the way to higher knowledge can never do this. That person is still making flesh his/her strength and is not relying on the fountain of living waters.
Jer 2:13 – For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
It was not for nothing that the Lord spoke of the New Covenant promise: “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (Jn 7:38)
This is part and portion with being a “spiritual person.” Such a one knows the Master’s voice, and can move with God in a realm of existence beyond even a person with an IQ of 175 and three doctorates of theology behind them!
This said, we are called to “test all things, hold fast what is good,” and “test the sprits.” The Word speaks of “seducing spirits” (1 Tim 4:1) which – it bears repeating – may pose as as an imitation of the Lord’s leading. We must understand “he who thinks that he stand, let him take heed lest he fall.” Humans are very fallible which accounts for why people may still bear false witness.
Even the great apostle Paul checked his leading with the apostles in Jerusalem (Gal 2:2) to verify revealed truths he heard in his spirit about the gospel he preached were right, and “lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.”
But otherwise, all knowledge we think we have must come via the spirit, not the mind by itself.
Praise God! God’s work of making us spiritual is radical, and He accepts nothing less. It is our safety, it is to God’s highest glory because He is in us enabling us by His grace.
So in sum, by all means “study to shew thyself approved,” (2 Tim 2:15) – prayerfully read the Bible – but if you actually study this holy book and let the light come on for you, you will meet the Author who Himself wants to come in and dine with you (Rev 3:20).
This is the basis of true Christianity, truly being “spiritual” and in it God is well pleased.
