January 6
DESTRUCTION
-1st Corinthians 3:17 states, … if any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple
of God is holy, which temple you are … The word "destroy" means: to waste, ruin, shrivel, wither, defile, to reduce
a thing to useless fragments, and to extinguish. Now let us seek to understand what is meant when the Bible speaks of
destruction, for the real question is, what is it that is going to be destroyed ( as far as man is concerned )?
-You must put on the mind of Christ to be able to grasp Bible terminology. The destruction that is going to take place
in man is to be understood in a spiritual sense. Here is a quote from S. Ambrose of Milan ( 390 A.D. ) concerning the topic
of destruction … “What then, hinders our believing that he who is beaten small as the dust is not annihilated,
BUT IS CHANGED FOR THE BETTER: so that instead of an earthy man, he is made a spiritual man, and our believing that he who
is destroyed, is so destroyed that ALL TAINT IS REMOVED, and there remains what is pure and clean.” This topic of destruction
is further clarified in 1st Corinthians 5:5, that states, … to deliver such a one unto Satan FOR THE DESTRUCTION
OF THE FLESH, THAT THE SPIRIT MAY BE SAVED IN THE DAY OF THE LORD …
-Now we can see that God wants our flesh ( carnality ) to be destroyed. That which is to be destroyed is NOT THE PERSON,
but the flesh, the carnal mind, and the sin nature which separates us from the knowledge of God. God destroys the propensity
within the sinner to sin, but He does not destroy the person himself. He destroys the wickedness in the wicked person, which
in turn destroys the wicked. You could also say that God destroys the desire of the wicked, which in turn destroys His enemies,
not that they cease to exist, BUT THAT THEY CEASE TO BE HIS ENEMIES!!!
-So what is the result of the destruction of the flesh? The result is THAT THE SPIRIT WILL BE SAVED IN THE DAY OF THE LORD!
-AWESOME!-
-We must ALL have the man of sin in us DESTROYED by the brightness of His coming ( presence ). God must destroy, burn up,
and consume the wood, hay, and stubble within man. This causes the gold, silver, and precious stones of the Spirit of God
to be PURIFIED within us, making us partakers of the divine nature. Thank God for the …
-DESTRUCTION OF THE FLESH!-
