By Major W. Ian Thomas
God uses His Word of Truth to help people understand why they experience a returning sense of spiritual emptiness within their soul. He wants them to recognize the hopelessness of ever experiencing a lasting fulfillment by following the self-seeking ways of this world. “God ‘will give to each person according to what he has done.’ To those…who are self-seeking…there will be wrath and anger.” (Rom. 2:6-8) They can never expect God to manifest His Divine Life through them while living as “self-seekers.”
When man’s soul was left empty by the departure of the Spirit, Satan was permitted to enter in and introduce the self-elevating principle of pride. This pride naturally leads to self-will and self-sufficiency. Man will remain hopelessly lost {in this fallen state} until he turns to the Lord and permits the Son to lead him into the life of faith. The Messiah, who has come to establish the lost Kingdom-Life within the hearts of His followers, is the only hope that mankind has of being saved from his fallen nature. (Emphasis added)
The Mystery of Iniquity
Jesus once turned to Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matt. 16:23 Emphasis added) Jesus meant exactly what He said. There was something in Peter that was still causing him to have a man-centered thought process. There was still an “old man” in him that resulted in a self-centered and self-seeking nature. Even though Peter was in a forgiven state {credited with righteousness and reconciled to God}, he was still being influenced by a thought process that had its source in the devil. (This reveals the three part process from a simple believer, follower unto disciple. Peter was still a follower because he still has not the revelation of sanctification unto righteousness. Emphasis added)
This wisdom {which is displayed by the self-centered nature} does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. (Jam. 3:15-16 Emphasis added)
Peter had tried to turn Jesus from the way of the cross. He was sincerely concerned about his Master. But he was still responding with a selfish motive. Peter was therefore saying something that was opposed to the Light of Truth. And Jesus knew that everything that is opposed to God’s Way of Life is a lie from the devil. (Emphasis added)
When Jesus came into this world, He both spoke and walked in a way that revealed God’s Truth. He was the “Living Word” or the Word made manifest. And He came to lead all of God’s called-out children into the same Kingdom-Life – the life that Adam lost at the Fall.
But we find that Peter tried to turn the Son {the Second Adam} away from the Truth and the Light. This was when Jesus provides a clear set of instructions to help His still then followers in the process of becoming a disciple to understand how they can follow Him into His Kingdom-Life from Heaven. “If anyone desires to come after Me {into the Kingdom-Life}, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matt. 16:24-25 Emphasis added)
God, through His Eternal Word of Truth, says, “Deny yourself, and take up your cross.” In contrast, Peter had effectively said to Jesus, “Save yourself, and turn from the way of the cross.” Peter’s statement was diametrically opposed to the Way of Life being revealed by the Son. Peter was expressing a motto representing the devil’s way of life. Jesus therefore said to him, “Get behind Me Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
(This is a key to becoming a disciple and the entry through the veil by accepting God's Way to His Kingdom-Life. Emphasis added)
Even though Peter had been walking with Jesus in a forgiven state, he had not yet been “set free indeed” from the devil’s sway over man. (John 8:36) It was not until Pentecost, when Peter was clothed with power from above, that Christ was able to establish His Kingdom-Life of Divine Love within Peter’s heart. (The second key to living in the Kingdom-Life which is the Eternal Life of God's sacrificial Love. Emphasis added)
The Scripture says that everyone “of the world” is now in darkness and under the sway of the devil. (1 John 5:19) The reason is quite simple: They are still following the self-seeking and self-exalting ways of the devil. We can therefore say that everyone who is still living by the maxim, “Save yourself” {where self – “self-will or “self-determination,” “self-seeking,” and “self-sufficiency” – is still at the center of your thoughts and actions} is still under the sway of the devil.
Peter was completely ignorant of the evil that was being displayed through his selfish desires. Although his words were sincere, his sincerity did not prevent him from displaying the darkness of his fallen nature. He was speaking the devil’s lies instead of God’s Truth.
It is not enough to simply become a believer or follower of Jesus Christ by looking to His shed blood for forgiveness of sins. There is an old Adam-life that must die before the Kingdom-Life of God can be displayed through a mortal body. Peter’s decision to follow Jesus was only a preparation that eventually led to being clothed with a Divine power on the day of Pentecost. Only then was his heart purified and the temple of his body filled with the Glory of God – the Son’s Life of self-sacrificing Love. (Acts 15:8-9)(The third and finial key to the Kingdom-Life of Christ's essence within His House, the House that He is the LORD over. Emphasis added)
If, as a Christian, you are still living for your own desires, and even trying to correct your selfish desires by human effort, you will find that you are still under a bondage to your self-centered nature. The end result, as it was for the Jews, will be “a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” (Rom. 10:2)
These religious people of old wanted to save themselves and produce their own righteousness for God. But they were unwilling to die to their self-life. They therefore rejected the Kingdom-Life they could have received from Jesus Christ by taking His Way of the cross.(What many don't hear is that God is not the God of the dead but of the living, He is the God of all that is Life and contains His Life. That is House His Eternal or Kingdom-Life. Emphasis added)
The Jews were deceived by Satan. Not realizing that godliness is the result of God’s activity in man, and “being ignorant of God’s Righteousness,” they attempted “to establish their own righteousness.” (Rom. 10:3) Their desire for independence and self-sufficiency prevented them from being able to see the Light of the true Gospel. In effect, they rejected our Lord’s message because they did not want to die to their flesh-life and become vessels of “the Righteousness of God.” (v. 3) And, unfortunately, there are many people in the church today who are still rejecting Christ {His way of the cross} for the same reason.
Of course, when you set out to establish your own righteousness, all you produce is “self-righteousness.” Your own estimate of what righteousness really entails, even when borrowing teachings from the Bible {as other religions have done}, is still your own imitation of righteousness. Since this self-produced righteousness does not come from the Divine Life of God, it is not the real thing. God’s Kingdom-Life of perfect Love cannot be produced through these human efforts.
For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son…that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled {“fully met” – NIV} in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Rom. 8:3-4)
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