Every part yielded to Him?

The above diagram explains to me much of what the Bible says about the way I am made and what God has done in His transforming work.

The first and primary grace of God is giving life to the inner man through His Spirit. That life changed the way I think, feel, and choose. He does not remove those faculties but make it clear to me that all three must function according to the new inner life directed by Him. He tells me not to trust in my own understanding (mind), or trust my emotions, many of which are contrary to His. He also gives the example for volition when Jesus said, “Not my will, but thine be done.”

However, I’ve noticed that there are three major denominational groups that tend to focus on the importance of one of those three faculties. While all three facilities should be yielded to the Holy Spirit, there is a danger that the arrows in the diagram run the wrong direction. Instead of being directed and controlled by Him, the mind, emotions, or will is given a high place of importance. For instance…

Some denominations might say: “The will is the stronghold of our being. If God is to get complete possession of us, He must possess our will. When He says, ‘Give me your heart, it is equivalent to saying, ‘Surrender your will to my control, that I may work in it to will and to do of my good pleasure.’ It is not the feelings of a man that God wants but his will.” (Joshua 24:15)

Others might put it this way: Thinking right means living right. If God is to get complete possession of us, He must possess our thoughts. When He says, ‘Give me your heart,’ it is equivalent to saying, ‘Surrender your mind to my control, that I may work in it to will and to do of my good pleasure.’ It is not our feelings or choices that are vital, but God wants us to think right.” (Romans 12:1-2)

The third group might say: “Our feelings are vital to worship. If God is to get complete possession of us, He must control our emotions. When He says, ‘Give me your heart,’ it is equivalent to saying, ‘Surrender all of your feelings to my control, that I may work in you to will and to do of my good pleasure.’ It is not solid thinking or choices alone that God wants but the full expression of how we feel about Him.”

All of this reminds me of the blind people describing an elephant as they touch its different parts, but more than that, thinking each part is all there is to an elephant. Walking with Jesus means realizing that none of the three are supposed to be the ruling force in our lives; He is!

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. (Romans 6:6–7)

The following passage is about the direction of the arrows in the diagram. Doing my own thing apart from God is sin (Isaiah 53:6) so…

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (Romans 8:3–9)

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery... I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5: 1; 16–17)

PRAY: More than ever, I know that I need to be filled with the Spirit so that my old nature is not the controlling factor. My will is flawed without You. My thinking is selfish without You. My emotions take me away from faith… but the fullness of Your Spirit means  I can obey You with godly thoughts, godly choices, and experience Your deep joy. Thank You, Jesus.