-----------------
The Gospel Observer
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them
to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19,20).
--------------------
March 22, 2015
--------------------
Contents:
1) The Outer and Inner Man (Tom Edwards)
2) News & Notes
--------------------
-1-
The Outer and Inner Man
by Tom Edwards
"...the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being"
(Gen. 2:7).
After the sin of Adam and Eve, God told Adam, "By the sweat of your
face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, because
from it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall
return" (Gen. 3:19).
However, the Lord also shows that man is more than just his
temporary "tabernacle" of flesh that returns to the dust. For
man was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26,27), and that does
not pertain to the fleshly part of man -- for God is Spirit (Jn.
4:24). So it is the spirit or soul in man, that entity that
never ceases to exist, that was made in God's image.
Therefore, when death comes, "the dust will return to the earth as
it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it" (Eccl. 12:7).
Paul also shows this twofold composition of man in 2 Corinthians
4:16: "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is
decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day."
A picture I used to illustrate this passage on facebook is of a
small, dilapidated boat, buried about a foot in the sand by the
sea. As we grow older, we might imagine ourselves, at times,
as being somewhat like that broken-down boat if we would ever become
hindered from being able to do all the things we once did. But in
this picture is also a beautiful sunset warmly filling the sky and
evoking the thought that, despite our physical limitations, we can
often still have an inner peace, a joy, and a delight in the
beautiful things of God and in His word with which we as Christians
have been growing and maturing, over the years, in our inner man --
and have, thus, been making our souls joyfully ready to meet our
Maker.
Yes, there can be beauty and benefit in even some forms of
brokenness. The psalmist, for instance, could view even
affliction in a positive light because it helped bring him into a
right relationship with God. As the psalmist says, "Before I was
afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Thy word" (Psa.
119:67). "It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may
learn Thy statutes" (v. 71). "I know, O LORD, that Thy
judgments are righteous, And that in faithfulness Thou has afflicted
me" (v. 75).
Paul certainly learned that lesson, too: As he declares, "And
because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this
reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn
in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me -- to keep me from
exalting myself! Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times
that it might depart from me. And He has said to me, 'My grace is
sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most
gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the
power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with
weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with
difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am
strong" (2 Cor. 12:7-10).
Though much speculation has been made over what Paul's "thorn in the
flesh" actually was, yet regardless, it was something annoying and
which he initially desired and fervently prayed to have removed,
prior to his learning from the Lord of the benefit in its remaining.
Had it not been for his faith in God and commitment to Him, which
characterized Job's inner man, would he have become that great
example for the world when it comes to patiently enduring adversity
and great suffering? Despite all he went through, Job kept his
trust in the Lord and declared, "And as for me, I know that my
Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.
Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God;
Whom I myself shall behold, And whom my eyes shall see and not
another..." (Job 19:25-27).
As we also head toward that destination to see God, the outer man
can sometimes make that journey difficult; but, at the same time,
also give more incentive toward that goal. For Paul goes on to
say that "...momentary, light affliction is producing for us an
eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not
at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen;
for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are
not seen are eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent
which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a
house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in
this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from
heaven; inasmuch as we, having put it on, shall not be found naked.
For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened,
because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, in order
that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life" (2 Cor.
5:17-6:4).
Though our outer man perishes, that is all right. For our
physical body is not the body that would be able to eternally dwell
in heaven anyway. There must, therefore, be that great change
first, which Paul writes of to Christians in 1 Corinthians 15: "And
just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear
the image of the heavenly. Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and
blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable
inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not
all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will
sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be
changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and
this mortal must put on immortality, then will come about the saying
that is written, 'DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. O DEATH, WHERE
IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?' The sting of
death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (vv. 49-57).
Though Paul's outer man experienced much sufferings in this
earth-life -- whether in the many imprisonments, "beaten times
without number...," in receiving 195 lashes from the Jews, in being
beaten 3 times with rods, and even stoned once (2 Cor. 11:23-25) --
yet, in his inner man, he could draw strength from the Lord.
Paul writes: "For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am
not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that
He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day" (2
Tim. 1:12). It was soon after being struck many times
with rods and cast into the inner prison, where their feet were
fastened in stocks, that Paul and Silas spent the late night
"praying and singing hymns of praise to God" (Acts 16:22-25).
What a contrast between the two states of the outer and inner man!
We need to also put our focus on spiritual things, to keep God first
in our lives, to faithfully strive to carry out His will for us;
and, as we do so, we will then be building up our inner man and
continuing to develop even more into the likeness of Christ.
In speaking of his labor among the Galatians, Paul saw a need for it
"until Christ is formed in you" (Gal. 4:19). Paul,
therefore, not only taught others to help bring about that goal, but
he also prayed toward that as well. As he mentions to the
Ephesians: "For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from
whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He
would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be
strengthened with power through His spirit in the inner man; so that
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being
rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the
saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to
know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be
filled up to all the fulness of God" (Eph. 3:14-19).
It is God's desire that His people "become conformed to the image of
His Son" (Rom. 8:29). To strive to attain to that, this
chapter also emphasizes the need for the mind to be set on things of
the Spirit, rather than merely things of the flesh. For it is
those things of the Spirit by which our inner man can mature in
godliness.
To help us realize the value of the inner man, Jesus put it this way
in Mark 8:36: "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole
world, and forfeit his soul?" Even if you could gain it
all, would it be worth losing your soul over?
The rich, productive farmer who had such a good harvest that he
needed to tear down his barns in order to build larger ones for
storage, certainly had plenty for the outer man to live on for many
years. So he now thought he could just take his ease --
"eat, drink, and be merry" -- but he did not know that that night
was to be his very last! And what had he done for the inner
man to be ready to meet the Lord? Apparently, nothing.
God, therefore, called that man a "fool" for being unprepared (Luke
12:16-21). His focus appears to have only been out of a
concern for his outer man rather than his inner man. But the
Lord goes on to show that even the necessities of life should not be
our top priority! Rather, our chief concern should always be to
"seek first His kingdom and His righteousness" (Matt. 6:33).
For striving to put God's word first in our lives, and living
according to it, is also the way of renewal for our inner man and
how we maintain our relationship with God (cf. 2 Pet. 3:18; 1 Pet.
2:2; Acts 20:32). May we, therefore, never neglect that -- but
always continue on that path to eternal glory!
--------------------
-2-
News & Notes
We were sorry to hear of the passing of James H. Wolfgang
(Steve Wolfgang's father) of Indianapolis, Indiana, and extend our
condolences to all his family and friends. He was 92 and had
been married for almost 69 years to his wife Jean. Let those
of us who are God's people be praying for his loved ones and that
they will not only find comfort in remembering the kind of man he
was, but especially in remembering his relationship with God, which
can help them to not have to grieve as those who have no hope.
Let us also be remembering the following in prayer:
Kaleb Jacob was in a serious motorcycle accident about a
month ago and will be having major surgery on his foot March
24.
Dexter Roberts has a tumor on his aorta that can not be
surgical removed. He, therefore, has been undergoing chemo
treatments for it.
And also: Myrna Jordan, Melotine Davis (recovering from a
knee replacement), Danielle Howard, Mary Vandevander, Jim
Lively, Deborah Medlock (hasn't been feeling well lately),
Shirley Davis, Penny Medlock (glaucoma), Jewell Wilson,
Buddy Gornto (now receiving dialysis), Steve Vesta (is
soon to begin hospice care), Dolly Downs Moody (has a
blockage in her portal vein and some discomfort), Rex and
Frankie Hadley, Jesse Bailey (cancer), Dexter Roberts
(cancer), Sue Wooten (at nursing home), and Collen
Henson.
--------------------
Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501
Sunday services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 5 PM (worship)
Wednesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 614-8593
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://tebeaustreetchurchofChrist.org
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/go
(Gospel Observer website)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html
(audio sermons)