Christians are experts at reframing our selfish viewpoints, denying fleshly desires and lusts while trying to make ourselves behave so as to please God and other people of faith. Many Christians become religious doers of good because we are taught to put our fleshly life under laws, church rules and regulations taught from scripture. With all the church orders have produced in us believers, however, we are not yet holy like God. It cannot be done that way! As some say, “I still fly off the handle, resent others, think evil thoughts, make bad choices, criticize, am fearful, deceitful, selfish, hurtful, and lust after earthly things.”
Of course the flesh, the outer life of earthly men and women, does this, because:
“…that which is born of the flesh is flesh.” John 3:6
The flesh CANNOT be changed by head knowledge about what’s right and wrong. Man, born of the flesh, born of a woman and placed under religious laws, becomes a “religious” person. Fleshly efforts cannot make us holy. The law is a schoolmaster that should bring Christians to Christ. The light of Christ shining within our spirit makes us know the difference between flesh and spirit.
Only SEPARATION unto spiritual ideas coming from Christ can make us holy. Christ WITHIN us births us into knowing the spiritual substance of this further truth:
“That which is born of the spirit is spirit.” John 3:6
The true identity of spiritually quickened people is no longer concerning their fleshly birth. Now our spirit is not subject to any fleshly efforts of reformation. When Christ rules within our spirit, there is ONENESS of spirit. THEREFORE NOW NO CONDEMNATION is coming to those born, raised, and joined into spiritual union with God. Our spirit is enabled to understand truth “in our inner parts” to be like Christ Jesus.
We are released by not missing the instructions coming from within, as God raises our inner life and guides us into the truth. The sins of the flesh are not found in our regenerated, cleansed, and quickened spirit. That becomes our reality in our souls as God makes us new creatures, men and women whose spirits are born and developed to recognize the mind of Christ. The mind of Christ keeps separating us from being controlled by our own flesh, and that does in fact make us holy brethren!
Oh, yes! The spirit within us is BORN, TOUCHED by His Spirit, regenerating our inner being as we are made aware of God's reality. Now mature Christians have Christ formed within their spirit so they no longer try to make a good show in the flesh. Our renewed spirit must grow by faith to form Christ within. As He rules us, God will Father many marvelously wise things in our spirit.
That which is BORN of the spirit in us is spirit. The spiritual is the real, age-lasting person we are in God’s mind and ours also. Christ formed within us quickens spiritual newness into our being. Those quickened see a heavenly man, the divine image intended for man. We see Christ Jesus has entered into heaven's Holiest place to intercede for us so that we too may enter there by His blood sacrifice. Letting Christ instruct us from within has made our spirit one with the spirit God placed in Jesus. Oneness with the Holy One is working in our spirit, bringing about change into true righteousness. Oh, the wonder of it!
Now surely some true messages such as these from God could be accused of being preached as “greasy grace,” with those hearing this saying that we can’t let our flesh do just anything we want to do. Sons, however, are taught how NOT to KEEP THEMSELVES in what they know. Knowledge of the scripture with fleshly determination to keep those standards brings one under religious orders that do not make anyone perfect. It also often brings much self condemnation when Christians fall short. The flesh has been restrained under church fellowship for two thousand years without significant character change from within. But now, God is calling sons to enter into the Holiest things of all.
Somewhere in the path of Christian maturity, we must learn how to let HIS SPIRIT keep us, to enter in to our promised REST. God’s sons and daughters are LED BY THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST JESUS. They are taught by His Spirit how not to try reforming themselves with fleshly efforts. Christ is not fully formed by holding to in-part head knowledge of scripture found in fellowships ruled by religious-minded men. We are free from the many religious taskmasters working in the many ranks of the Lord’s great house:
“…For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons [and daughters] of God.” Romans 8:14 NAS
The Day of Atonement in the Feast of Tabernacles shows us a type of ultimate sacrifice for sin that cleansed all Israelites. It was the pinnacle of worship for the year, portrayed where a bullock, two goats, and one ram are offered by the high priest on the day of “at-one-ment”. One of the two goats’ carcass was left behind at the brazen altar. Only the first goat's blood entered into the presence of God into the Most Holy Place to be sprinkled on the ark. The first goat of the Day of Atonement — the Lord’s goat — died for a sin offering,
But the sacrifice for atonement doesn’t end there. The second goat is the scapegoat, who (Leviticus 16) is still standing there at the tabernacle gate while the blood of the Lord’s goat is offered in the Holiest of All by the high priest for all the people to make atonement. The second goat’s experience is a perfect type of the spiritual process Christ teaches about being made one spirit with the King of the kingdom.
Christ within our spirit makes note to include the second goat’s journey into the wilderness, led by a fit man and left, never to return, making the atonement complete. The scapegoat was kept alive to be confessed over in prayers that all the iniquities and transgressions and the consciousness of them would be taken into the wilderness and forgotten, never to return. This cleansed all of His people from ALL sins before the Lord for the year.
This Day of the AT-ONE-MENT ceremony holds spiritual instruction as a type and shadow of how faith in Christ will lead us into wilderness experiences, outside the camp of current dispensations and every influence of it. Here we experience a spiritual wind that separates the chaff from the grain in us—what is competing between flesh and spirit in us—so our sin conscientiousness is being removed. Within our inner being, our spirit is alive!
“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8: 1 NASB
Sin of the former has been completely removed and is now forgotten by God AND us. When our day of atonement comes, we are placed where the old is forgotten. A cleansing release comes to know oneness in our spirit as we are now freed from all iniquities. This includes freedome from our own religious ways where fleshly religious work has persisted in Christian lives. The day of “at-one-ment” brings a process of REFINEMENT that prepares us in the Feast of Tabernacles. It is a feast of release, a time to feast on the bread God provides that makes us His tabernacle, His dwelling place.
Here now is the blood of Jesus, that first goat’s blood, offered on the day of atonement, atoning for our cleansing and redemption. We did not do it in Adam’s race. The leading of "a fit man" must take us as the scapegoat offering into the wilderness alone to leave us there to die to fleshly things, wrong thoughts, bad attitudes, and false ideas.
Christ within us does this transforming work to make us more completely one with what He supplies through the image and glory found in the face of Jesus. Now our inner spiritual man is focused, accepting spiritual sacrifices that work to release more and more cleansing. This opens heaven’s path within our tabernacle. Our oneness is with God’s firstborn Son, Who opens dispensations with great steps entering into heaven's holy of holies.
We are no longer held to varied levels of sin consciousness. Jesus points us to our homeland, the New Jerusalem, where He is enthroned. Here He asks us to believe in its omnipotent energy and everlasting sufficiency. He appoints us to be released by that power which is His Spirit. Ah, this inner celestial work imparts something we had lacked from the day Adam fell into death's grip. Jesus still says loudly: “I am the bread of life that gives life unto the world.” He can still impart life into our world.
What would change us completely? Can our spirit be quickened by His Spirit into a union of oneness with His Spirit as scripture promises? Is God taking over from within us to reign and keep us cleansed in the spirit of truth? With a word and spirit restraining our fleshly mind, can even our body be bathed in peace, bathed in the cleansing water of His Kingdom Words? ONLY THE BLOOD OF THE PROPER SACRIFICE and our High Priest ENTERED INTO THE HOLIEST OF ALL on the Day of Atonement can do this great work!
Jesus entered into heaven’s Most Holy Place, a heavenly life that is now GIVEN TO US. This life is quickening our spirit to become something new, to be a new creation that can rule over the old ways of man’s life regardless of the depth of death etched in our soul. A people are becoming the spiritual sacrifice that allows the "fit man" to take them as a second goat, a scapegoat offered to die in the wilderness never to return, to experience a time of being made AT-ONE-MENT with God Almighty:.
“Having then, brethren, boldness for the entrance of the holy places by the blood of ]esus, by a recently slain and living way which He dedicates for us, through the curtain, that is, His flesh, and a great Priest over the house of God, we may be approaching with a true heart, in the assurance of faith, with hearts sprinkled from a wicked conscience, and a body bathed in clean water.” Hebrews 10:19-21 concordant
The Greek text actually reads,
“Having therefore, brethren, confidence into the entrance [into-way] of the Holiest in the blood of Jesus.”
The Greek word “en” is “IN”, entering IN the blood of Jesus. Scripture teaches it is the blood of Jesus that carries us into the Holiest. How else could we get into the Holiest? He who is joined to the Lord is ONE SPIRIT. Our union of spirit places boldness in us to enter our homeland, giving us the ability to enter in to the highest heavenly places, even the Most Holy Place!
As Jesus directs enthronement by the power of God, His sacrifice now extends INTO US. We are born in the faith of the Lamb’s blood, opening the divine spirit of sonship to flow into our spirit, wherein we are raised up every time He speaks to enter a more glorious inheritance with the saints. The scapegoat experience is like being led by Christ into a desert place, never to return the same. The past state of being is exposed, left behind, forgiven and forgotten. Thus we are cleansed, saved from our sins. For not one man is righteous, no not one, unless directly washed by the words coming from Zion’s Holy Hill.
The first goat is called the Lord’s goat, representing Jesus. In and by His blood, WE HAVE BOLDNESS TO ENTER INTO THE HOLIEST OF ALL. At this stage of our spiritual regeneration, past failures of performance are not held against us EVEN IN THE SECRETS OF GOD’S CONSCIOUSNESS. Our past is forgiven and forgotten by God. If past performance of us believers were a secret in God’s consciousness we would yet be judged to be separate from His presence!
Which of us can say that we have not sinned or had no consciousness of sins since we were converted? Yet does this exclude us from the loving presence of God when, after all, God is our Father? Be honest, does your child’s failure, misbehavior, disobedience, or rebellion exclude him or her from your love, from your fellowship, from your care, from your concern, from your counsel, from your table, from your provision, from your blessing, from your home, or from your presence? NO, not unless you are a harsh, vindictive, tyrannical brute. Then why should our past lack or failure separate us from coming boldly to the throne of grace as we have need?
“…But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing [nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39 NASB
Let us keep coming boldly to the holiest place until we are made to abide in that grace that helps us and feeds us in this time of need. Now we Christians are NEW CREATURES IN OUR INNER MAN that exerts more victory over our outer lives! What did Jesus come into the world to do? He came to SAVE His people from their sins — not merely from their guilty consciousness, or to punish sin, but to bring DELIVERANCE FROM SIN ITSELF. HE put death under His feet, the petty sin as well as the heinous, the respectable as well as the loathsome.
His great work is to send away sin—this nature in the outer flesh man — to expel it from the heart, to remove it from our lives, to banish it from our being. Christ Jesus is coming forth to CONQUER us, and is in fact doing so in grand fashion! We are being led into stripping wilderness experiences that enable us to be removed, separated from the old dispensations, our old life. What is dead needs to be forgotten as past. He is coming to carry us into a new Day, a oneness in the spiritual fabric of our lives. We are brought to fellowship the messengers of heavenly Mt. Zion, having eyes and ears to hear what the spirit is saying in our own inner spiritual being.
Years of walking and progressing with God has brought many Christians to spiritual experiences which correspond to the types and shadows shown in the Old Testament Day of Atonement. God conquers sin with the “fit man" of Christ Jesus, Who leads us into wilderness places from where WE never return. ALL our old, all the former things, are being removed:
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new [a]creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthinas 5:17 NASB
“And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’” Revelation 21:5 NASB
The desires and motions of the outer flesh man are put off, SENT AWAY, even as the second goat, the scapegoat, was sent away from the camp of Israel on the Day of Atonement. This ceremony bore away all the sins of the people. We see that the sinful nature of man placed on that goat was taken away by the hand of the fit man. Thus, the handiwork of Jesus Christ has ordained to take sin away from us.
What does that mean? It means that Christ can enable us to overcome the death in our outer man. Thank God, He truly saves us FROM WITHIN by accomplishing a change of inner ruling powers. This secret inner working of Christ in us is making us able to minister His kingdom to the spiritually minded. Then others understand and yield to spiritual experiences like those taught in the scripture about the day of “at-one-ment”.
We Christians need to look for the inner enablement that cleanses us of every fleshly state of consciousness, leading us to the complete way of being in ONE SPIRIT with the Lord and filled with the name [nature] of our heavenly Father. Yes, the mystery of it is deep, as God looks upon and takes notice of all that goes on in our spiritual and natural lives.
How can sin ever be conquered in our lives if Christ does not expose what is opposing Him, exposing that which we cannot conquer or be raised above? This is the “anti-Christ” within us being exposed for deliverance. Thank God, He sends the Spirit of His Word into us. God has promised to raise us to enter the holiest of all, raised up from within by the spirit of life in Christ Jesus that makes us free from the law of sin and death! Released from ALL DEATH in our spirit , soul, and body — this is the promise of a complete work to its ultimate finality!
Yet ultimate finality will make our experience in this physical realm certainly go beyond the experience expressed by the apostle Paul:
“For I am aware that good is not making its home in me (that is, in my flesh), for to will is lying beside me, yet to be effecting the ideal is not. For it is not the good that I will that I am doing, but the evil that I am not willing, this I am putting into practice. Now if what I am not willing, this I am doing, it is not longer I who am effecting it, but Sin which is making its home in me. Consequently, I am finding the law that, at my willing to be doing the ideal, the evil is lying beside me.
For I am gratified with the law of God as to the man within, yet l am observing a different law in my members, warring with the law of my mind, and leading me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. A wretched man am I! What will rescue me out of this body of death? Grace! I thank God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Consequently, then, I myself, with the mind, indeed, am slaving for God's law, yet with the flesh for Sin's law.” Romans 7:18-25 concordant
What will deliver our bodies from death? The thing Paul didn’t want to do he did, and the thing he wanted to do he couldn’t. What an experience for an apostle! Paul enlarges on this struggle common to Christians who have grown to identify “sin which is in our members.” Sin in our members is simply a euphemism for the desires of the flesh. The workings of the CARNAL MIND brings disease and death in the physical body and it is enmity to God:
“…For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against [opposing] God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” Romans 8:6-7 NASB
Don’t try telling God you don’t have sin in your members. Many of the Lord’s people are claiming their old man is dead but are still ruled by the spirit of fear, anger, covetousness, lust, deceitfulness, and other carnal and ungodly characteristics. Such have deceived generations with illusions and religious habits to mistake the true identity of our estate and to miss His promises. Only Christ working within our spirit can show us all the old stuff that needs to be put off and removed:
“For the flesh is lusting against the spirit, yet the spirit against the flesh,” Galatians 5:17 concordant
What has been your real experience?
“For I delight in the law of God after the inward man…” Romans 7:22
Notice our inward man already delights in the law of God — we delight in righteousness! Yet because the inward man delights in righteousness, now the awful power of sin in our members can be stripped off. Now God lets us look at the truth:
“Strip yourselves of your former nature (the old man) — put off and discard your old unrenewed self — which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion…” Ephesians 4:22 Amplified
A Christian’s new nature DELIGHTS in righteousness. The unregenerate man is corrupt because the old man is dead. We must identify the spirit of each within our life to understand and cooperate fully with putting off the old unrenewed self, putting on Christ within our quickened inner spirit. Christ comes to rule from within so as to control and keep us yielding to our desire for the love of God.
Love delights not in earthly gain, lust for possessions, not having greedy eyes or much pride in our life’s accomplishments. Take notice that our old man's nature is to desire and delight in something that is short of God’s glory. This is corrupting sin — corruption for us is just thinking like a fallen man. But now being spiritually regenerated to be in spiritual union IN CHRIST, we exist in righteousness that affords delight in our inner being because we are whole, being controlled, kept, led, and unctioned by Christ.
Every Christian person should understand how our spirit is quickened by God’s Spirit, so our old previous unregenerate state, the old man, NO LONGER FUNCTIONS in our life to control and influence us! Our previous state was dead and now we reckon it will never return, just as the scapegoat on the day of atonement. The scriptures have one thing to say about the state of our old man...HE IS DEAD.
Therefore we are not having problems identifying what to put off, for the old is dead, the new inner man is alive. Oh, yes, like Paul, sin is still at work in our members, and we can sin, have sinned, and may sin again, yet when we do sin — are we happy about it? Does it make us feel good in our inner person? Or is our spirit grieved? Of course, we now regret our weaknesses, our failures,
Looking within our inner being, however, we find sin shall not be lord of us because Christ provides our answers. Dead things are being removed from us, starting in our renewed spirit, because it delights in righteousness. Now this is truly a revolution in doing what is right. We now hunger for Christ’s reign of righteousness without struggles with any sin in our bodily members:
"Now we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the transcendence of the power may be of God and not of us." II Corinthians 4:7 concordant
Before we were regenerated we had no conflict with practicing what God hates and took pleasure in unrighteousness.
"…are you not aware that the unjust shall not be enjoying the allotment of God's kingdom. Be not deceived. Neither paramours, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor catamites, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, not revilers, not extortioners shall be enjoying the allotment of God's kingdom. And some of you were these, but you are bathed off, but you are hallowed, but you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of our God." I Corinthians 6:9-11 concordant
"Now this I am averring, brethren, that flesh and blood is not able to enjoy an allotment in the kingdom of God, neither is corruption enjoying the allotment of incorruption. Lo! A secret to you am I telling! We all, indeed, shall not be put to repose, yet we all shall be changed, in an instant, in the twinkle of an eye, at the last trump. For He will be trumpeting, and the dead will be roused incorruptible, and we shall be changed." I Corinthians 15:50-52 concordant
"Now apparent are the works of the flesh, which are adultery, prostitution, uncleanness, wantonness, idolatry, enchantment, enmities, strife, jealousies, furies, factions, dissensions, sects, envies, murders, drunkennesses, revelries, and the like of these, which, I am predicting to you, according as I predicted also, that those committing such things shall not be enjoying the allotment of the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21 concordant
"Now, all prostitution and uncleanness or greed let it not even be named among you, according as is becoming in saints and vileness and stupid speaking or innuendoes, which are not proper, but rather thanksgiving. For this you perceive, knowing that no paramour at all or unclean or greedy person, who is an idolater, has any enjoyment of the allotment in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one be seducing you with empty words, for because of these things the indignation of God is coming on the sons of stubbornness." Ephesians 5:3-5 concordant
Gaining our full allotment of inheritance in the kingdom of God is not the same as joining a church, or being born again to begin a walk to justified faith. To inherit the kingdom means one GROWS UNTIL CHRIST RULES AND REIGNS WITHIN ONE’S OWN SOULISH MINDSETS AND EARTHLY MEMBERS. It denotes growth and responsibility for our spiritual position, our place as a son who is granted authority in His powers to dominate and rule over our old man’s soulish influence.
Contrary teachings can hinder responsibility and rulership from being developed into maturity in believers of Jesus. Not all are being enthroned: the promise is not to “him that believeth” nor to “him that is justified.” The throne is promised TO HIM THAT OVERCOMES:
“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in His throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches!” Revelation 3:21-22
The Day of Atonement is the second major part of the Feast of Tabernacles. It shows a process of cleansing which completely releases us from ALL the guilt of our sin, releases us from all condemnation AND from BEING condemning. It is a type and shadow of divine releases from sin that separates, a judgment that makes us AT-ONE-MENT. Being of one spirit prepares us to go on to partake of the Feast of Tabernacles for “seven days” in Jerusalem.
The Feast of Tabernacles is the time of year when harvest reapers have done the work of harvesting all the fruit of the promised land for the people. Within this Feast is the spirit of cleansing where we are cleansed from former ways. New understanding puts off old ignorance, so now His ultimate grace covers and teaches us to tabernacle with our Father in oneness.
For many long centuries, camps of the Lord’s precious people have been captured in dead church programs of endless works. They have wandered around spiritually maimed, stunted in growth, not knowing who they are, blasted with religious teaching and confused thinking about “doing better”, trying to hold their weakness and failures in check so as to escape everlasting hell. These lies are shutting heaven’s doors so the keys of the kingdom are lost, as believers think God is angrily judging them every time they fail.
It is the OLD SPIRIT OF FALLEN MAN that will not let you forget your stumblings. That spirit ACCUSES THE BRETHREN coming before the throne of God, as it does not want you to forget your faults either. The good news for Christians is God remembers our sins and iniquities NO MORE. The mistakes of our former state are being removed until completely gone, forgotten, and replaced. God's grace does not intend to keep us coming short as babes in Christ in any manner. Now, coming up short of Kingdom glory would be an indignation for us.
The sin offering made by our faithful High Priest has forever taken care of all our “missing the mark” (sin), with the assurance we now have by faith in Jesus. We don’t follow ignorant teachers of the law who won’t let us forget our former life. Sons won’t let the adversary put heavy loads of guilt on their inner consciences. Satan is still accusing the brethren through the religious minds of fellow Christian men and women all the time.
Is everyone being deceived saying, “but I sinned”? Yes, you did. You say, “but I failed God!” Yes, you did. You say “but this is the one-hundredth time I have flunked the same test!” Yes, it is. To which our heavenly Father responds that faith in Jesus is the proper sacrifice that grants grace in not reckoning our offenses to our account. Thank God our sin is forgiven, remitted, released, sent away, and we are clean in God's eyes as on the day of at-one-ment.
The more closely we follow the leading of God’s spirit in our spirit, the more His presence becomes real to us, the more fellowship we have with Him, the more we eat at His table, the easier it becomes for us to recognize and subject ourselves to the leading of the Spirit of God. Our inner man DELIGHTS in pleasing our Father. His teachings quicken us to recognize life and death. His word and spirit teach many things daily that are spiritual food and spiritual drink.
He is actively raising us up to inherit the spiritual substance of our homeland, the new Jerusalem order. He expands His Kingdom domain within by taking victory over any and all death in our members, a practice we cannot produce by works. It is done through the hope of a "fit man," of trust in Christ raising up in our spirit to lead us to new heights, to overcome all earthly thinking and carnal ways.
Our Father is writing upon us His new name to clearly show us that the nature of God is in a man. God is manifesting His spirit powerfully to reveal Jesus as He is:
“Whenever you should be exalting the Son of Mankind, then you will know that I am, and from Myself I am doing nothing, but, according as My Father teaches Me, these things I am speaking. And He Who sends Me is with Me. He does not leave Me alone, for what is pleasing to Him am I doing always.” John 5:28-29 concordant
His complete victory came through his fellowship with, and His subjection to, the Father:
“The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works.” John 14:10
Christ within us teaches us to wait for the Father to work also, so the power of victory is found in our experiences. His promised work is being done within those being drawn up hither to Zion’s mount. We cannot MAKE Him do it; we can only LET Him do it when He does. Nevertheless we are being ushered into the contents of the Holiest compartment of the true tabernacle of God. The blood of Jesus is the cleansing agent for us to enjoy the abundance and boldness of at-one-ment with God.
The stage is set for our full experience of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. We are destined to fully realize the work Christ is doing within our inner man. Our spirit is being made ONE with our Father who is sending away our former sins like the scapegoat was left in the wilderness on the day of AT-ONE-MENT. Sin in our members dies a lonely death in the wilderness where none knows but God.
May our conscience be cleansed, cleansed by a purging from dead works. Our iniquity is taken away so we can go on to perfection spiritually and rejoice in qualifying to keep the last parts of the Lord’s Feasts.