Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Comparing Spiritual With Spiritual Things

1Cor.2:13 Which things also we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.

When shopping for a car, we compare cars against cars, what is the best price, best performance, best maintenance, and so on . . .?
We don't compare a car against a boat or house, so the question is for us Christian's what do we compare God's Spirit against? Moreover, why should this concern us, does it really matter?

1Cor.2:10 But to us, God revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

Gen.3:17 To Adam he said, "Because you have listened to your wife's voice, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground for your sake. In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 3:18 Thorns also and thistles will it bring forth to you; and you will eat the herb of the field. 3:19 By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

The apostle Paul defines for us what we don't compare God's Spirit against, and if we do, its like comparing apples against oranges. We cannot compare the Spirit of God against flesh, which is, the natural man born into sin from Adam. Yet, this is exactly what most of us Christian's do now days?

Romans 8:8 Those who are in the flesh can't please God.

Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn't have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.

Most of us compare ourselves against other religious persons, and/or a religion in the flesh to defined what truth is? In fact, it we are truthful most of uses the will of our own flesh unwittingly taking the position of the Spirit that should be teaching us Christian's. So here is the point we may be missing?

2 Corinthians 10:12 For we are not bold to number or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But they themselves, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are without understanding.

2 Corinthians 5:16 Therefore we know no one after the flesh from now on. Even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more.

If we will look at the big picture of the Greek Scriptures there are two bodies dealt with in them that each of us should understand so we can make the proper comparison. One is a body of death, which is our flesh, and every other person flesh born into sin from Adam. The second body is a body of life (Spirit), the body of Christ, is the Spirit body Christian's are birthed into by God's will and power, not our own will from the sinful flesh. All bodies spirit, or flesh has its own spirit. The flesh is a dead body to God because of sin, it lives not eternally, and has a spirit of flesh which feeds it, trains it, and teaches the flesh the ways of this world, and/or the laws governing the flesh in this world.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin; and so death passed to all men, because all sinned.

Colossians 2:13 You were dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. He made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.

The body of life, on the other hand, Christ Jesus, has God's Spirit, all those in Christ have the Spirit of God that feeds, teaches, and trains them in the ways of life, that is, the Spirit, for the Spirit is life, and so are its words. This is the context of Paul's words above that we so often quote. Moreover, Paul's word fit into the whole context of all the Greek writings. Subsequently, if we are in Christ born new from the dead body, the natural man, the old self we compare spiritual things against Spirit in Christ, that is, the things of life, which means comparing life against life; those comparison are the deep things of Christ found in his wisdom in the Spirit things that are everlasting and have came from everlasting, God's mind. However, let us noted as well, there is no dwelling in between the two bodies of Spirit and the flesh. If there is a mixing of the two, it is a lie, because the two cannot mixes.

John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

John 6:63 It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.

John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you.

John 15:26 "When the Counselor{Greek Parakletos: Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, and Comfortor.} has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me.

John 16:13 However when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak from himself; but whatever he hears, he will speak. He will declare to you things that are coming.

The flesh cannot know the things of the Spirit its that simple, Spirit things are rejected by the flesh as foolish, as nothing, having no usefulness in feeding the life of the flesh. The flesh has much wisdom built over the history of mankind, which is used to support, build up, and feed life in the flesh on this earth.

1Cor.1:21 For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn't know God, it was God's good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe. 1:22 For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom, 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks.

1 John 4:5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them.

1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

Such wisdom because it come from death, for the wages of sin is death, we are dead to the Spirit as Adam and Eve past on too us, that mind and its thought of life are foolish to the Spirit. The mind of death we all have from birth cannot produce anything for eternal life for God the Spirit having no death and only thoughts of life. Hence, when we compare fleshly things to fleshly things we deceive ourselves because we are using our bibles as the Spirit part, not realizing we are mixing two minds, Spirit and Flesh, we are simply mislead because the Spirit mind must be given us from above through Christ mind, free from the flesh!

James 1:16 Don't be deceived, my beloved brothers. 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow. 1:18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

1Cor.3:1 Brothers, I couldn't speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly, as to babies in Christ. 3:2 I fed you with milk, not with meat; for you weren't yet ready. Indeed, not even now are you ready, 3:3 for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, aren't you fleshly, and don't you walk in the ways of men?

1 Corinthians 2:16 "For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him?"{Isaiah 40:13} But we have Christ's mind.

John 5:39 "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify about me.

John 5:40 Yet you will not come to me, that you may have life.

The point of Paul's words are, once we are born again, don't go back into the flesh, which is exactly what the Corinthian's congregation was doing. Although, some seemed wise as teachers in the flesh, making wonderful arguments bring spiritual matter back into fleshly thinking, it was still death, measuring out death from death! Their birth was into a body of life, having a mind, Christ mind, which teaches us by Spirit (life, the indwelling of Christ in us) giving them God's mind, and if a person commune with God they are given the ways of life as a free gift of his love, which is who God defines himself as, (love), not human in their fleshly mind.

John 6:63 It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.

Matt.7:1 "Don't judge, so that you won't be judged.
7:2 For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you.

Luke 6:38 "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you.{literally, into your bosom.} For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you."

John 3:34 For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for God gives the Spirit without measure.

Compare then, the things of God's Spirit that each Christian's knows what the fruit of God's Spirit are and have repeated them often, and the truth will be unlocked, and we will be kept safe from falsehood. But when we compare the Spirit of God with things coming from the flesh, no matter how wonderful and wise they seem and feel like, they will mislead us sticking us all over with many thorns in trying to gather good fruit from a thorn bush. Yes, our fallen flesh is a thorn bush and a curse to the ways of life. Its thinking will always lead us into some good, but plagued with evil, unlike the Spirit which can only produce good fruit, never evil, or bad!

James 3:12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh water. 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom. 3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don't boast and don't lie against the truth.
3:15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. 3:16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed. 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 3:18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Gal. 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh.
5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, 5:21 envyings, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,{or, faithfulness} 5:23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
5:24 Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let's also walk by the Spirit. 5:26 Let's not become conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another.

Matt. 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. 7:16 By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? 7:17 Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit. 7:18 A good tree can't produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit.

Heb. 6:4 For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 6:5 and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, 6:6 and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame. 6:7 For the land which has drunk the rain that comes often on it, and brings forth a crop suitable for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receives blessing from God; 6:8 but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is rejected and near being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
6:9 But, beloved, we are persuaded of better things for you, and things that accompany salvation, even though we speak like this.

Completed: July 28, 2016