“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)
The Spirit is opposed to the Flesh, which refers to human power, facility, control, functions, such as human reasoning, presumption, doubt, physical desires and demands, etc. The Spirit is part of Holy God and does not subvert himself to human preference. Believers are born again in the Spirit, with His presence dwelling within. To align ourselves with the Spirit requires humility, surrender, and faith. He is unseen and people question how we can know and move in step with Him and each other. We are not left to ourselves, but we have the Word of God through which the Spirit works. The Spirit is never in conflict with the word, but opens our recollection and understanding of the Word.
What is this freedom in which Yeshua has set us? It is a freedom from “self” which captured us from birth. As Adam’s descendants we are born with a fallen human nature, captive to sin, individualistic obsession. In and through Yeshua we are set free and able to maintain that freedom through the Holy Spirit that connects and keeps us in Yeshua Messiah. Just as Yeshua talked about being in the Father, He describes us being in Him and He in us. (John 17:20-23) These words and concepts are meaningless to rational thinking – how can one person be in another. The key is that God is supernatural, therefore, He imbibes us just as He dwells simultaneously in three persons – Father, Son, and Spirit. His oneness is affirmed in the unity of three persons, not divided by it. “The Lord our God, The Lord is one.” (Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29) Our difficulty is cured by Yeshua who made the Father known. (John 1:18) “Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:8-9)
Our selfish ego must die so we can live in freedom, love, Spirit and Yeshua. When the Spirit is leading, guiding, moving it may be said of us, “Anyone who has seen me, has seen Yeshua.” This is impossible in the natural, the old man can still speak, but God is greater and overcomes our weakness. (1 John 3:20; Gal. 2:20)
Direction in Truth 