True Spirituality Unveiled: The Three Essential Conditions of Spiritual Growth

1. True Spirituality Introduction Background (Objective Context of Spirituality) Technical Development Three Considerations of True Spirituality (Rejected-Slain-Raised) Three Spiritual Categories of Men Three Conditions of True Spirituality Key Passages Spirituality versus Spiritual Growth Summary

2. The Three Conditions of Spirituality Yieldedness “Do not quench the Spirit” 1 Th 5:19 Confession “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit” Eph 4:30 Walking in the Spirit “…walk in the Spirit” Gal 5:16

3. Yieldedness The foundation of true spirituality.

4. The Three Conditions of Spirituality Yieldedness “Do not quench the Spirit” 1 Th 5:19 Confession “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit” Eph 4:30 Walking in the Spirit “…walk in the Spirit” Gal 5:16

5. “confess” o`mologe,w HOMOLOGEŌ HOMOS/LEGŌ same to speak lit. “to say the same thing” Admitting something by way of agreement with another.

6. He That is Spiritual Lewis Sperry Chafer pg. 109 “Experimentally, the most saintly of God's children have been conscious of the presence and power of a fallen nature. This may be called the normal consciousness of the devout believer. Such a consciousness is not an evidence of immaturity: it is rather the evidence of true humility and clear vision of one's own heart. It does not imply a lack of fellowship with God occasioned by a grieving of the Holy Spirit through sin. Who can hate sin more than the one who is aware of its presence and power? And who is in greater danger of its havoc in his spiritual life than the one who in unwarranted presumption has assumed that the disposition to sin has been removed?”

7. The Three Conditions of Spirituality Yieldedness “Do not quench the Spirit” 1 Th 5:19 Confession “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit” Eph 4:30 Walking in the Spirit “…walk in the Spirit” Gal 5:16

8. “walk” peripate,w PERIPATEŌ PERI/PATEŌ about to tread lit. “to tread about” Vine’s: “[conduct] signifying the whole round of activities of the individual life.”

9. Grace Lewis Sperry Chaferpg. 337 “Under the law relationship between God and man, character was the product of the energy and struggle of the flesh. This, too, is the conception of human character which is held by the world, and, alas, through false teaching, it is the only one in the minds of many Christians. It is commonly preached that the sum-total of an individual's acts will determine his habits, the sum-total of his habits will determine his character, and the sum-total of his character will determine his destiny. Whatever may have been true under the law, this doctrine is foreign to grace. Destiny is not now determined by self-promoted character; it depends only on the faith which receives the saving grace of God. Heaven's glory will not be a display of human character; it is to be the unveiling of the riches of grace in Christ Jesus. Nor is Christian character a product of the flesh; it is ‘the fruit of the Spirit.’ The divine record of all that enters into true Christian character is stated thus: ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance’ (self-control, Galatians 5:22, 23).”

10. Grace Lewis Sperry Chaferpg. 339 “These graces are elements of divine character which are never found unless divinely wrought. They are ‘the fruit of the Spirit.’ They are never gained by struggle, long or short; they are the immediate experience of every believer who comes into right adjustment with the Spirit. Therefore the way to a victorious life is not by self-development; it is through a ‘walk in the Spirit.’ In the context in which the above passage appears, the Apostle also states: ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit [by means of the Spirit], and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh’ (5:16). The believer's responsibility is not the walk; it is rather that of yieldedness to the Spirit who promotes the walk. When thus yielded, the result is instant and perfect: ‘Ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.’ So long as the walk is continued by the power of the Spirit, this spiritual life will be experienced. Should the adjustment to the Spirit cease, the walk must cease, and the flesh will again be manifested.”

11. Grace Lewis Sperry Chaferpp. 341-342 “According to the Scriptures, such is the divine plan for the control of the flesh in the believer's life under grace. It provides all that God desires or requires in any life, and brings the saved one into the closest fellowship with God, and into constant dependence upon the Spirit. It is the only victory possible for the Christian to experience; for it only is according to the purpose and Word of God. If the quality of the believer's daily life is to be improved, what steps are to be taken? Will carnality and coldness of heart be corrected by enforcing rules of conduct? When a carnal Christian does not wish to do the will of God, will God be satisfied if that Christian merely complies externally with the law of God? The answer is obvious. God looks on the heart. In the provisions of grace, God proposes to change the desires of the heart and to empower unto the full realization of these God-wrought desires. The law could work no change in the heart, nor can the attempt to keep rules; but the Spirit can change the desires. The law could give no enabling power; but the Spirit can. Therefore it is said: ‘But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law’ (Galatians 5:18); and against the ‘fruit of the Spirit,’ ‘there is no law’ (Galatians 5:23); again, ‘For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace’ (Romans 6:14).”