By way of.... the Spirit

C.S. Lewis - Mere Christianity

I know the words "leave it to God" can be misunderstood, but they must stay for the moment.

The sense in which a Christian leaves it to God is that he puts all his trust in Christ: trusts that Christ will somehow share with
him the perfect human obedience which He carried out from His birth to His crucifixion: that Christ will make the man more like Himself and, in a sense, make good his deficiencies.

In Christian language, He will share His "sonship" with us, will make us, like Himself, "Sons of God": in Book IV I shall attempt to analyse the meaning of those words a little further.

If you like to put it that way, Christ offers something for nothing: He even offers everything for nothing.

In a sense, the whole Christian life consists in accepting that very remarkable offer.

But the difficulty is to reach the point of recognising that all we have done and can do is nothing.

What we should have liked would be for God to count our good points and ignore our bad ones.

Again, in a sense, you may say that no temptation is ever overcome until we stop trying to overcome it- throw up the sponge.

But then you could not "stop trying" in the right way and for the right reason until you had tried your very hardest.

And, in yet another sense, handing everything over to Christ does not, of course, mean that you stop trying.

To trust Him means, of course, trying to do all that He says.

There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice.

Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him.

But trying in a new way, a less worried way.

Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already.

Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.


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Colossian
{1:27} To whom God would make known what [is]
the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles;
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: {1:28} Whom we
preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all
wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ
Jesus


2 Corinthians
{9:14} And by their prayer for you, which long after
you for the exceeding grace of God in you. {9:15} Thanks
[be] unto God for his unspeakable gift.


1 Corinthians
{3:16}
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the
Spirit of God dwelleth in you?


John
{15:4} Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot
bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can
ye, except ye abide in me.


John
{14:20} At
that day ye shall know that I [am] in my Father, and ye in
me, and I in you.


Romans
{8:9}
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the
Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the
Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. {8:10} And if Christ [be]
in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is]
life because of righteousness. {8:11} But if the Spirit of him
that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that
raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your
mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
{8:12} Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the
flesh, to live after the flesh. {8:13} For if ye live after the
flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the
deeds of the body, ye shall live. {8:14} For as many as are
led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. {8:15}
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear;
but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry,
Abba, Father. {8:16} The Spirit itself beareth witness with
our spirit, that we are the children of God: {8:17} And if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him,] that we may be
also glorified together.



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We live


By way of... the Spirit.
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Ephesians
{1:3} Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly [places] in Christ: {1:4} According as he hath
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame before him in love: {1:5}
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by
Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of
his will, {1:6} To the praise of the glory of his grace,
wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. {1:7} In
whom we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
{1:8} Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom
and prudence; {1:9} Having made known unto us the
mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he
hath purposed in himself: {1:10} That in the dispensation of
the fulness of times he might gather together in one all
things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on
earth; [even] in him: {1:11} In whom also we have obtained
an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose
of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own
will: {1:12} That we should be to the praise of his glory,
who first trusted in Christ. {1:13} In whom ye also
[trusted,] after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were
sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, {1:14} Which is the
earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.



Luke {12:31} But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all
these things shall be added unto you. {12:32} Fear not, little
flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the
kingdom.


By His mercy, by His grace, through the Holy Spirit now and forever we live.


Amen.