Taken from R. B. Thieme Jr’s doctrine of lust:

 

1. There are many categories of lust, all of which relate to the old sin nature.

 

2. When it comes to lust, all members of the human race are swimming in the same gene pool. None of us are free from lust. If you are human, normal or abnormal, you have lust problems.

 

3. Because of the different categories of lusts, all believers do not function under the same category.

 

4. The category of lust related to your modus operandi is directly related to both your personal areas of weakness and your personal areas of strength in your old sin nature.

 

5. All of us possess an old sin nature in the cell structure of our bodies. Therefore, all of us as humans have areas of strength and weakness. Remember that our areas of strength are very deceiving, and we often build a false self-esteem on our areas of strength. It is quickly broken down by arrogance. The only answer to these things is spiritual self-esteem.

 

6. This means that one person’s weakness is another person’s strength which is the basis for our arrogance, self-justification, and rationalization about inferiority and superiority. To go through life trying to prove others inferior and yourself superior is the worst concept in life. The majority of people go through life trying to compensate for inferior feelings. They inevitably destroy themselves through their area of weakness and their area of strength.

 

7. The lust pattern of the old sin nature includes at least seven categories.

 

a. Power lust is the worst of all, for almost all other lusts are related to this one, especially if you have any inferiority problems. Power lust is the most devastating force for evil in human history. It doesn’t require leadership ability or a prominent position to have power lust. You can be at the lowest echelon, rejected by all, and have a strong power lust. Power lust is one of our greatest enemies. It comes in dozens of different packages and in all flavors.

 

b. Approbation lust is merely one of the extensions of power lust, and it is separate because some people do want approbation without power. A beautiful woman may not desire power at all, but she certainly wants someone to tell her she’s beautiful.

 

c. Stimulation lust has many parts, in which we cater to the nerve centers and functions of our body in the name of pleasure. (1) Sexual lust, or lasciviousness. (2) Drunkenness. (3) Drug addiction. (4) Mental stimulation or intellectual arrogance. 2 Tim 3:4, “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” Pleasure lust is a destroyer of honor, virtue, and integrity through sin and perpetual carnality. There is nothing wrong with pleasure as long as that pleasure does not involve sinful activity. Pleasure of the moment is not worth the displeasure of God.

 

d. Killer lust is the problem-solving device of the weak. Inferior people trying to prove they are superior often resort to violence, torture, murder. (Legitimate killing, within the confines of military function, police work, and capital punishment, is not the same as murder.) Murder often occurs within one’s own family, as with Cain. For once this lust comes, it does not discriminate between family, friends, or enemies. Some people live to kill, love to kill and lust to kill.

 

e. Anger lust or cruelty. Anger does not always but definitely can bring out a cruel streak. Some people are genetically mean and naturally cruel. Some people hide it well and some do not. This lust is the evil desire to hurt others, e.g., the object of one’s love, the object of one’s hatred, or anyone who causes you a problem. Some people cannot stand glitches, and when anyone opposes them, whether it is a loved one or an enemy or someone at work, cruelty lust surfaces. Some people by nature are kind; some people by nature are cruel. It starts as a genetic factor. However, both can also be developed, and can also be overcome by both believers and unbelievers. Variations in cruelty lust depend upon cosmic living.

 

f. Money lust is called by the Scripture the “root of all kinds of evil.” It expresses itself in all the categories of evil. (1) There is nothing wrong with having and acquiring money; that is not evil or sinful, as communist propaganda says. Marxism says people have no right to wealth; it belongs to the state. (2) The USA was founded not only by Anglo-Saxon culture but also by the Protestant work ethic, which went so far as to say that people who were wealthy were blessed by God or even spiritual. Now with the influence of Marxism, we take the opposite view. Between the two is the truth. (3) God does bless some people with money; God blesses other people in other ways. We must distinguish between the blessing of God in monetary success and the acquiring of money apart from any divine blessing. (4) One index to the soul of every person can be read loud and clear by his attitude toward money. This doesn’t mean that a person who saves is tight or stingy, nor that a big-time spender is necessarily generous. But one’s attitude toward money very clearly delineates one’s overall philosophy of life or one’s spiritual condition or lack of spiritual life. 1 Tim 6:10, “For the love for money is the root of all kinds of evil, and some by lusting for it have wandered away from doctrine and stabbed themselves with many griefs [heartaches].” (5) It is a very definite fact that love for money can distract people from Bible doctrine. Heb 13:5, “Let your life be free from the love for money, and be content [+H] with what you have. For He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor will I ever forsake you.’”

 

g. Crusader lust, which is Christian activism. Christian activism includes civil disobedience, criminality, paramilitary organizations, vigilante activities, social engineering, anti-Semitism, refusal to pay taxes, terrorism, utopian socialism.

 

A few more points related to lust:

 

1. Lust destroys the motivation of the believer to execute the protocol plan of God for the Church.

 

2. Lust is a distraction to the modus vivendi and modus operandi of the Christian way of life.

 

3. Lust divorces the believer from reality, causing unrealistic expectation which eliminates understanding and using the problem-solving devices.

 

4. Lust destroys spiritual self-esteem and replaces it with inordinate desire related to self-gratification.

 

The next four paragraphs are taken from the booklet, ‘The Old Sin Nature pages 7-9 by R. B. Thieme Jr.

 

THE OLD SIN NATURE

 

FOR AS LONG AS YOU LIVE the old sin nature and God the Holy Spirit will coexist as permanent residents in your mortal body and will battle continually for control of your soul. When the Holy Spirit controls your soul, you are spiritual. When the old sin nature controls your soul, you are carnal. When you choose to sin, the old sin nature wins the conflict. You do not lose your salvation or your eternal relationship with God, but you do temporarily lose fellowship with Him.

 

The sin nature is the center of man’s rebellion toward God and is variously designated in Scripture as “sin” (a singular noun—Rom. 7:13), “flesh” (Gal. 5:16), and “old man” (Eph. 4:22). The old sin nature was acquired by Adam at his fall and is subsequently transmitted genetically by the male through procreation (Gen. 5:3). With the exception of the perfect humanity of Jesus Christ, it is an integral part of every human being that resides in the cell structure of the body (Rom. 6:6; 7:5, 18). At the moment of physical birth when God imputes soul life, He also imputes Adam’s original sin to the genetically formed old sin nature (Rom. 5:12). Therefore, every person is born physically alive but spiritually dead.

 

The sin nature is sovereign over human life (Rom. 6:12). The old sin nature is composed of an area of weakness, the source of temptation for personal sins (Heb. 12:1); an area of strength, which generates human good (Isa. 64:6; Heb. 6:1); a trend toward legalism, which is self-righteousness (Rom. 7:7), or antinomianism, which is licentiousness (Gal. 5:19–21); and a lust pattern, which is the motivation toward either trend (Eph. 2:3).

 

Your old sin nature is the source of temptation to sin, but your volition is the source of sin. The sin nature cannot make you sin, it can only tempt you to sin. When you choose to succumb to the sin nature, you are in carnality and you cannot live the Christian life or glorify God. However, God has placed at your command the means to insure the victory of the Holy Spirit in your life.

 

Romans 6:6-7 states that the Power of the Sin Nature has been broken:

 

Romans 6:6: Be knowing this [through Retroactive Positional Truth], that our old man [our former husband, the sin nature dates back to the Garden] has been crucified together [with Him], in order that the [human] body, with reference to its sin nature, [the sin nature located in the body] might be rendered powerless [when we use Recovery Procedure and the two power options], that we should no longer be slaves to the sin nature.

 

“Our old man has been crucified with Him” meaning that the power of the sin nature has been broken on the cross.  Since the power of the sin nature was broken by the work of the cross, we as believers have no excuse for not executing the spiritual life. We will not be able to say to Christ at our evaluation that our sin nature was too powerful for us to execute the spiritual life.

​

A few points for further clarification:

 

1. Retroactive positional truth is that phase of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation which identifies the believer with Christ in His spiritual death, physical death and his burial.

 

2. In the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross all the personal sins in human history were imputed to Christ, but at the same time the other two trends of the old sin nature namely good and evil were not imputed for judgment.

 

3. Good and evil is the policy of Satan as the ruler of this world and the function of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life. In fact, the sin nature functions as the agent of Satan.

 

4. Good and evil were not imputed for judgment on the cross. Hence, in the spiritual death of Christ on the cross they were rejected to remain an issue in the angelic conflict, rejected to be perpetuated in human history as an issue every believer must face, and either overcome through the intake of doctrine or be entrapped by ignorance of doctrine and therefore lose out in glorifying God in time.

 

5. We are identified with Christ in His spiritual death, which means that we must understand that our sins have been judged and that good and evil has been rejected.

 

6. It all adds up to the fact that the sovereignty of the old sin nature over human life has been made powerless through retroactive positional truth and the subsequent function of the spiritual life.

 

7. The imputation of all personal sins of the human race to Christ on the cross means that the believer through the rebound technique is instantly forgiven of his sins, cleansed from all wrong doing which includes Satanic good and evil, restored to fellowship and filled with the Spirit.

 

Romans 6:7: For we who have died [the Christian is identified with the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ: theologically called Retroactive Positional Truth] have been acquitted [positional deliverance] from [the power of] the sin nature.

 

A few points for further clarification:

 

1. A dead person is discharged from the obligations of his former sphere of life. This is why the word “death” is used in this context. It is not a literal, physical death we are discussing but identification with Christ in His death.

 

2. As unbelievers we were under the authority of Satan as the ruler of this world, and under the authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.

 

3. Both the power of Satan and the old sin nature have been abrogated through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation.

 

4. This passage, then, emphasizes the annulling of the power and the authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.

 

5. Positionally, the power of the sin nature has been broken. Experientially, the old sin nature controls to the extent that we fail to understand and utilize the provision and support of logistical grace. 

 

The Carnal Christian who is controlled by his sin nature:

 

1. After salvation the believer continues to have an old sin nature, 1 John 1:8, “If we say that we do not have a sin [nature], we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.” One of the meanings of the Greek word, ‘hamartia’ is ‘sin nature’ especially when it is in the singular.  Many Christians are ignorant of the existence of the sin nature. Others outright deny that there is a sin nature in their bodies. In effect, the Christian lies to himself (deceives himself), and there is no metabolized doctrine circulating in the soul of such a believer. Romans 7:14-15, “Certainly, we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am fleshly [the sin nature residing in the cell structure of Paul’s body] when I have been led astray under the authority of the sin nature. (15) For what I do, I do not understand, because what I desire to do, these things I am not accomplishing; but what I detest, these things I keep doing.” When Paul wrote the book of Romans, he was either in spiritual maturity or very close to it. However, for our benefit, he writes in retrospection regarding his difficulty as a new believer. Paul represents himself as resolving to advance spiritually, desiring to please Christ and wishing to apply doctrine in order to achieve the objective, but all these good intentions were neutralized by the machinations of the first husband, the old sin nature, with its trends toward sin, good and evil.

 

2. The old sin nature is desperately wicked, Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart [the stream of consciousness when controlled by the sin nature] is more deceitful than anything else, and is desperately wicked [sick in the sense of evil as long as the soul is controlled by the sin nature]; Who can understand it [no one except the believer with doctrine]?” Initially, the sin nature uses the vocabulary of the soul to tempt, but does not have control of the soul, until the person says yes to the temptation of the sin nature. At which time, the soul (the heart) is said to be desperately sick or wicked until which time, the believer uses the Recovery Procedure. Upon doing so, the Holy Spirit in regaining authority pushes the sin nature out from the heart that is the stream of consciousness of the soul and fills the believer with his enabling power called the Filling of the Spirit at which time, the heart is no longer desperately wicked. Psalm 58:1-5, “Do you, rulers indeed speak justly? Do you judge uprightly among men? (2) No, in your heart [in your stream of consciousness] you devise injustice [because their sin natures controlled their souls], and your hands mete out violence on the earth. (3) Even from birth [when human life begins] the wicked go astray [since they now have an active sin nature]; from the womb they are wayward [at conception the sin nature is resident in the zygote] and speak lies [after birth and after the accumulation of vocabulary and the loss of integrity]. (4) Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears, (5) that will not heed the tune of the charmer, however skillful the enchanter may be [because these rulers are in the last stages of Reversionism].”  Mark 7:21-23, “For from within, out of the heart of men [out of a soul controlled by the sin nature], proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, (22) deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. (23) All these evil things proceed from within [the soul] and defile the man."

 

3. The old sin nature is perpetuated in the human race through physical birth, Psalm 51:5, “Behold, I [David] was brought forth in iniquity [at birth Adam’s Original Sin imputed to his genetic sin nature], and in sin, my mother conceived me [the zygote at conception contained the genetic sin nature since it was passed-on via the sperm of man at that time].” The result is that man, born with an old sin nature is born physically alive but simultaneously spiritually dead, and this explains the need for the virgin birth. Jesus Christ is the only person born into the world who was born without a sin nature.

 

4. The old sin nature is not found in the resurrection body. This is the doctrine of ultimate sanctification, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “And may the God of reconciliation [prosperity]  Himself sanctify you [experientially; the optative mood expresses Paul’s wish] and may your whole spirit [which has the ability to receive spiritual phenomena directly from the Spirit] and soul [then this spiritual phenomena goes to the soul for academic understanding, metabolization and application] and body be guarded blameless [in resurrection body] at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ [at the Rapture].” Philippians 3:21, “Who [God the Holy Spirit] will transform [change into a new form: a reference to the Rapture] this body of our humiliation [our mortal body] so that it [the resurrected body of the believer] will be like the body of his glory [the Lord’s resurrected body], according to the [operational] power [God’s power] which enables him [Jesus Christ controls history through his omnipotence] also to bring into subjection all things [all categories of rational creatures  both angelic (elect and fallen angels) and human (both unbelievers and believers)] to himself.”

 

5. The old sin nature has various types of nomenclature such as ‘Flesh’, a reference to its location ‘Old Man’ for it dates back to the Garden and ‘Sin’ used in the singular for this meaning. Galatians 5:16, “But I say, keep walking by means of the Spirit, and you will never ever fulfill [carry out, gratify] the lusts of the flesh [sin nature].” Walking is a metaphor for the spiritual life. Walking is a system of advancing with the body in balance, with the person shifting his weight from the hind foot to the foot going forward.  Also, a person walks with one step at a time, not two or three. So, it is with the Christian way of life; we live one day at a time, not a week nor a year at a time. When we learn and apply the Word of God under the authority and power of the Holy Spirit, we advance in harmony with God’s will for our lives.

 

Explaining Galatians 5:16: The believer is fulfilling the desire of God as opposed to the lusts of the sin nature when he remains under God’s system of power. The strongest negation in Greek is the ‘subjunctive of emphatic negation.’ This grammatical expression “you will never ever” contains two Greek negatives ‘ou’ and ‘me’ (οὐ µὴ) with a verb in the subjunctive mood. So, this expression could be translated as either, ‘you will not ever fulfill’ or ‘you will never fulfill.’ So, the Christian is either in fellowship with God fulfilling the desires of God, or he is out of fellowship fulfilling the lusts of the sin nature. Each is mutually exclusive of the other. The Galatians at this point were out of fellowship with God and so were fulfilling the lusts (the false desires) of the sin nature as deduced from some of the sins they were committing (Galatians 5:19-21). Paul coined the word ‘flesh’ as a synonym for the sin nature since the sin nature is located in the cell structure of the body.  

 

Another term for the sin nature is the ‘Old man’ as per Ephesians 4:22, “With reference to your former lifestyle [has to do with degeneracy], you yourselves lay aside the old man [the sin nature thru the use of the Recovery Procedure] you [believers] who are becoming degenerate on the basis of the lusts of deceit.” Colossians 3:9, “Stop lying to one another of the same kind [believers lying to other believers], having disarmed the old man [the sin nature] together with its modus operandi.”

 

‘Sin’ in the singular is also used for the sin nature. Romans 5:12, “For this reason just as through one man [Adam] the sin nature [the Greek word hamartia in the singular] entered into the world, and so spiritual death through the sin nature [Adam’s Original Sin imputed to the Sin Nature at birth], and so spiritual death spread to all mankind, because all sinned when Adam sinned [Since we were seminally in Adam when he sinned, we receive the sin nature through his seed and consequently receive the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin at birth].” Romans 7:14, “Certainly, we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am fleshly [the sin nature residing in the cell structure of Paul’s body] when I have been led astray under the authority [the Greek preposition ‘hupo’ means to be under the authority of someone or thing] of the sin nature [the Greek noun hamartia in the singular].”

 

1 Corinthians 3:4

 

For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not mere men [acting like unbelievers contending for power]?

 

ὅταν γὰρ λέγῃ τις, Ἐγὼ µέν εἰµι Παύλου, ἕτερος δέ, Ἐγὼ Ἀπολλῶ, οὐκ ἄνθρωποί ἐστε;

 

When believers are out of fellowship with God, they are under the control of their sin natures. Rather than functioning under impersonal love, believers fight with each other over power, and in the case of the Corinthians were rallying around well-known Christian leaders to gain influence and power. Motivated by power lust, they were snapping and fighting each other like wild dogs.

 

1 Corinthians 3:5

 

What [a neuter interrogative] then is Apollos? And what [a neuter interrogative] is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.

 

τί οὖν ἐστιν Ἀπολλῶς; τί δέ ἐστιν Παῦλος; διάκονοι δι’ ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε, καὶ ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ κύριος ἔδωκεν.

 

Paul uses the neuter interrogatives rather than the masculine forms to indicate that both he and Apollos are nothing. So, it is true of us; we are all products of grace and without grace we are nothing.

 

Apollos and Paul were on the same spiritual team. One was an eloquent speaker [Apollos], one was a mental genius [Paul]. They have different spiritual gifts; they have different personalities and so are very different from each other. They are different in every possible way that two people could be different. These things just mentioned are not the issue among believers functioning on the same team. The issue is that both were using their spiritual gifts and both were on the same team.

 

It is only the arrogance of the Corinthians who were in a power struggle in the church and who totally ignored the team concept of the church. They were using these two as well as others to rally around in order to gain power in the church rather than to function as a team. Thus, the church was divided into groups struggling for power.

 

1 Corinthians 3:6

 

I planted [Paul did the evangelistic work and established the church], Apollos watered [Apollos helped to nourish these new converts in the church established by Paul], but God was causing the growth [through the two power options].

 

ἐγὼ ἐφύτευσα, Ἀπολλῶς ἐπότισεν, ἀλλὰ ὁ θεὸς ηὔξανεν·

 

1 Corinthians 3:7

 

So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters are anything, but God who causes the growth.

 

ὥστε οὔτε ὁ φυτεύων ἐστίν τι οὔτε ὁ ποτίζων, ἀλλí ὁ αὐξάνων θεός.

 

No matter what position you play on the team if you are productive, it is because of the grace of God. Members on the team are nothing in themselves. When any member of the team does his job and produces, it is because of who and what God is, never because of who and what he is.

 

1 Corinthians 3:8

 

Now, he who plants, and he who waters are one [on the same team], but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor [laboring as a result of spiritual advance and maturity].

 

ὁ φυτεύων δὲ καὶ ὁ ποτίζων ἕν εἰσιν, ἕκαστος δὲ τὸν ἴδιον µισθὸν λήµψεται κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον κόπον.

 

The function of one’s spiritual gift or other bona fide functions of service is a reflection of one’s spiritual growth. The greater ones’ spiritual growth, the greater will be one’s production. Attempted production without spiritual growth will only produce dead works!

 

What is the greatest production in the spiritual life? Even, though there is production from Christian service when operating under the Two Power Options, the greatest production comes from passing the three categories of undeserved suffering namely Providential Preventive Suffering, Momentum Testing and Evidence Testing. James 1:12, “Happy is the believer who endures testing [passes the three categories of undeserved suffering] for having become approved [at his evaluation after the Rapture], he shall receive the wreath of life, which He [the Lord] has promised to those who love Him [enduring respect, devotion and love for the Lord Jesus Christ].”

 

Explaining James 1:12: The greatest happiness comes to the believer who completes the spiritual life, because in doing so, he obtains the happiness which God has designed for the mature believer. The happiness of spiritual maturity is a system of integrity and thinking, a happiness not dependent upon people or things, but related to loving God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Since the mature believer has both enduring devotion and love for God, he has the power, the inner strength to handle any test or suffering in life. After the believer develops a personal love for Jesus Christ, he will receive his final test in life, then upon passing this test he will be approved by the Lord and receive ‘The Wreath of Life’. This decoration is awarded to invisible heroes for maximum production of divine good through the execution of the plan of God. Therefore, the wreath (crown) of life is related to the invisible hero's (mature believer’s) production from his spiritual gift, his ambassadorship, and his royal priesthood. The wreath of life is awarded for consistent Filling of the Holy Spirit, consistent perception of doctrine, and consistent use of the Problem-Solving Devices resulting in the completion of the spiritual life.

 

All production is the result of spiritual growth. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness [virtue], (17) that the man of God might be proficient [capable], having been well equipped [prepared] for every good work [Christian service].”

 

Explaining 2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is profitable for teaching.  The Greek word for teaching is ‘didaskalia’. Teaching (didaskalia) is done by the one with the gift of teaching. After the departure of the apostles who possessed the gift of teaching, only pastors (ministers) are authorized to teach the Word of God. Only those with the gift of pastor-teacher as per Ephesians 4:11 are approved by God to teach adult Christians. This teaching is always to a group, never one person teaching another person individually.

 

Bible doctrine taught to the congregation is profitable for reproof.  The Christian’s motivation, thinking, decisions and actions may be incorrect.  As he hears the word of God being taught by his pastor, the Word rebukes him.  If the Christian recognizes his error, he has the chance to make the necessary corrections.  You see, as the believer learns the Word of God, a mirror is formed in his soul. To the extent that this mirror is formed to that extent the believer can see himself as he really is. This helps him to see the errors (arrogance) in his thinking, motivation, decisions and actions. At that point he has the opportunity to make changes and to advance spiritually. 

 

Step by step the Christian goes from false thinking, motivation, decisions, and actions to correct thinking etc.  When the Christian fails to make the needed corrections, God administers punishment. If the Christian receives this punishment in humility, he will benefit from the punishment and correct his sinful thoughts and behavior. In this way, his experience becomes more righteous; he is trained in righteousness by God. The righteous Christian then eagerly desires to learn more and more about God and obeys God and all of his mandates.  Thus, the righteous believer is both humble and mature. 

 

The only Christian who is qualified (equipped) for Christian service is the righteous believer, the one who loves God. In this passage, verse sixteen precedes verse seventeen; spiritual preparation precedes service. Verse 17 is a result of verse 16 and not vice versa!

 

1 Corinthians 3:9

 

For we are God's co-workers; you are God's field, God's building [This last phrase, ‘God’s building’ prepares the way for the next analogy. The foundation is salvation, the superstructure is your production.]

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θεοῦ γάρ ἐσµεν συνεργοί· θεοῦ γεώργιον, θεοῦ οἰκοδοµή ἐστε.

 

“God’s Field” The believer is barren land, God provides the seed, sun, water, everything else necessary for production. This is the same analogy found in Hebrews 6:7, “For the ground [the believer’s soul] having drunk the rain [consistent perception from the teaching of one’s pastor-teacher] which often falls upon it, and producing a harvest of crops [spiritual production] useable by them [the Godhead], because of whom [the Godhead], it [the believer] is also cultivated; obtains blessing from God [the winner believer receiving his escrow blessings];”

 

1 Corinthians 3:10

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According to the grace of God which was given [the aorist tense] to me, like a wise master-builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it [Apollos and Timothy; later Titus], but each man [each member of the congregation] must be careful how he builds on it.

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Κατὰ τὴν χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν δοθεῖσάν µοι ὡς σοφὸς ἀρχιτέκτων θεµέλιον ἔθηκα, ἄλλος δὲ ἐποικοδοµεῖ. ἕκαστος δὲ βλεπέτω πῶς ἐποικοδοµεῖ·

 

Paul a man of grace: The aorist tense refers to the point of time when Paul was saved. Paul at the point of salvation was the recipient of several spiritual gifts such as the gift of apostleship, miracles, healing, knowledge, prophecy and the gift of languages. Furthermore, Paul’s preparation was based on grace, and his production and ministry were also based on grace.

 

Paul as the master builder of the Corinthian Church means that he began the church through his evangelism and established it through doctrinal teaching during his 18 months there. So, Paul laid a strong foundation under the Corinthian Church; later others like Apollos, Timothy and Titus would build upon this foundation with the cooperation of certain members of the congregation.

 

“But each man must be careful how he builds on it.” This sentence explains what went wrong at Corinth; what went wrong in the Galatian churches; what went wrong at Laodicea; what went wrong in many of the churches of the ancient world. The general character of a local church is determined not only by the leadership, but also by the individual members of the congregation. With the church in Corinth and the churches in Galatia the failure came from the members of the congregation. Regarding the church in Laodicea, the failure was with both the congregation and the pastor.

 

This sentence starts with a conjunction which sets up a contrast. The contrast is between Paul, Apollos and others who did their job faithfully unto the Lord, and a did a good job, and the individual members of the congregation of Corinth who have now fallen apart through carnality. So, there is a contrast between the faithfulness of its pastors and the failure of its constituents.

 

Paul will now amplify in verses 11-16 what he has stated in 1 Corinthians 3:10.

 

1 Corinthians 3:11

 

For no man can lay a foundation other than [except] the one which is laid which is Jesus Christ.

 

θεµέλιον γὰρ ἄλλον οὐδεὶς δύναται θεῖναι παρὰ τὸν κείµενον, ὅς ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός.

 

The foundation begins with believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. John 14:6, “Jesus said to him [Thomas], “I am the way, and the truth, and the eternal life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” Acts 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other person under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." So, Jesus Christ is the only foundation.

 

1 Corinthians 3:12-15 

 

“Now if any man builds on the foundation [Christ] with gold, silver, precious stones, [produced in fellowship and so rewardable] wood, hay, straw [produced out of fellowship and so not rewardable; degrees of Satanic good and evil], (13) each man’s work [based-on experiential righteousness] will become evident; for the day [The Evaluation Platform of Christ after the Rapture] will show it because it is to be revealed by fire, in fact the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work [sin is not an issue at the Evaluation]. (14) If any man’s work which he has built upon it [the foundation] remains, he will receive a reward. (15) If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss [of his escrow blessings for eternity], but he himself will be delivered, yet so as through fire. [the believer himself does not go through fire, but he will think so when he in shame sees all of his works burned-up.]

 

εἰ δέ τις ἐποικοδοµεῖ ἐπὶ τὸν θεµέλιον χρυσόν, ἄργυρον, λίθους τιµίους, ξύλα, χόρτον, καλάµην, (13) ἑκάστου τὸ ἔργον φανερὸν γενήσεται, ἡ γὰρ ἡµέρα δηλώσει· ὅτι ἐν πυρὶ ἀποκαλύπτεται, καὶ ἑκάστου τὸ ἔργον ὁποῖόν ἐστιν τὸ πῦρ [αὐτὸ] δοκιµάσει.(14) εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον µενεῖ ὃ ἐποικοδόµησεν, µισθὸν λήµψεται· (15) εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον κατακαήσεται, ζηµιωθήσεται, αὐτὸς δὲ σωθήσεται, οὕτως δὲ ὡς διὰ πυρός.

 

Here is a challenge for the Corinthians believers. Either you are building on this foundation from the Filling of the Holy Spirit and metabolized doctrine or you are not. Revelation 22:12, “Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me to decorate each winner according to his accomplishments.” ‘Soon’ refers to the immanency of the Rapture, for there is no prophecy left to be fulfilled before the Rapture. This verse says that the winners will receive their escrow blessings for eternity at the Judgment Seat of Christ [the Evaluation Platform of Christ].

 

1. The main purpose of this evaluation is to decorate the mature believers “My reward is with Me”.

 

2. Sin is neither mentioned at the Great White Throne Judgment for unbelievers nor at the Evaluation Platform of Christ for believers. The issue at the Evaluation Platform of Christ will be whether you will receive your Escrow Blessings or not. 

 

3. The issue at the Evaluation Platform of Christ will be the quality of your production. Will you have gold, silver and precious gems or will it be wood, hay and stubble!

 

No matter how evil the believer becomes, he himself is eternally saved.  However, before he is permitted to spend eternity with the Lord, his human good must be destroyed.

 

1 Corinthians 3:16

 

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you [Do you, O’ Corinthians understand the implications of this information]?

 

οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ναὸς θεοῦ ἐστε καὶ τὸ πνεῦµα τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑµῖν;

 

The Greek says “a” temple of God and the absence of the definite article places emphasis on the high quality of the temple. In the Church Age, there is no sanctuary or sacred building. The only sanctuary today is the temple located in the body of the believer.

 

The purpose of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is to provide a temple in the body of every Church Age believer for the indwelling of Jesus Christ as the Shekinah Glory and the indwelling of God the Father. How is this accomplished? The Holy Spirit indwells the body of the Church Age believer at the moment of salvation to make your body a temple. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God [the Father], and that you are not your own? (20) For you have been bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body [by reaching spiritual maturity and passing Evidence Testing].” Also 1 Corinthians 3:16, our passage. There are no sacred buildings in the Church Age. The only sacred building was the temple in Jerusalem which belonged to Israel and was destroyed in 70 A.D. You are the only sacred building for God the Holy Spirit makes a sacred building out of your body for the indwelling of God the Son and God the Father.

 

The Indwelling of the Spirit is unique to the Church Age since only in the Church Age is the body of the believer a temple which both God the Son and God the Father indwell. No believer before the Church Age was ever indwelt and no believer after the Rapture of the Church will be indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

 

Furthermore, it is important to distinguish between the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which is permanent, and the Filling of the Holy Spirit which is temporary depending on the use of the Recovery Procedure. The Indwelling of the Spirit is a base from which the Holy Spirit wars against the Sin Nature for the control of the soul whereas the Filling of the Spirit is the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit which power enables the Christian to advance spiritually as the believer takes-in and apply God’s word. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is acquired at the moment of salvation and continues without break for the duration of our lives on this earth. Since this is true, we are never commanded to be indwelt by the Spirit. In contrast to indwelling, the Filling of the Spirit though acquired at salvation can be lost through sinning and recovered through the use of the Recovery Procedure. As such, we as Christians are commanded to be Filled with the Spirit. In Ephesians 5:18, “Also, stop being intoxicated with wine by which there is indulgence in sensual pleasure [a disorderly lifestyle of dissipation and preoccupation with oneself] but keep on being Filled [controlled] by agency of the Holy Spirit.” Galatians 5:16, “But I say, keep walking by means of the Spirit [remain under the authority and power of the Filling of the Spirit], and you will never ever fulfill [carry out, gratify] the lusts of the flesh [sin nature].” 1 John 2:27-28, “As for you, the anointing [the Holy Spirit related to his teaching ministry] which you received from him [Jesus Christ cf. v. 20 ] resides in you [indwelling of the Spirit], and you do not have need that anyone be teaching you [caused to teach you], but as his anointing teaches you [the Holy Spirit teaches through the gift of the Pastor-teacher] about all things [related to God’s word] and as that anointing is true, not a lie, just as he [the anointing: the Holy Spirit] has taught you, remain in him [in fellowship with the Son which implies also fellowship with the Father: verse 24 ]. (28) Now, dear students [children], keep on abiding in him [keep on having fellowship with God] that if He should appear [the imminency of the Rapture], we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame in his presence [at the Rapture]”

 

Enduement in the Age of Israel: Although there was no Filling of the Spirit in the Age of Israel, a few had the Enduement of the Spirit such as artisans, prophets, kings etc. Since the Tribulation is the last 7 years of the Age of Israel, what applies to the Age of Israel in the past will most likely apply in the Tribulation. So, it is likely that the 144,000 Jewish spiritual leaders will have this ministry of the Holy Spirit.

 

The power of the Spirit in the different dispensations: Regarding the Filling of the Spirit, no believer before the Church Age was ever Filled with the Spirit since this divine power was not needed for the execution of their spiritual lives. They had sufficient power namely metabolized doctrine in their souls since they did not live in the intensified stage of the angelic appeal trial. On the other hand, we in the Church Age have two phenomenal powers namely the enabling power of the Filling of the Spirit and the power of metabolized doctrine in our souls. These two powers are needed since the Church Age is in the intensified stage of the Angelic Conflict. In the Tribulation which follows, these believers of the Tribulation will again operate under only one spiritual power namely metabolized doctrine in their souls. This power will be sufficient since the intensified stage of the Angelic Conflict will have been brought to completion with the Rapture and since their instructions are clearly presented through prophecy. So, all that is needed is obedience and the Faith-Rest drill. After the close of the Tribulation, the Lord will rule for a thousand years during which a similar power to the Filling of the Spirit will be provided. The purpose of the Filling of the Holy Spirit during the Church Age in the absence of Christ is designed to prepare and train the royal family in the intensified stage of the angelic conflict whereas the Filling of the Holy Spirit during the Millennium is related to Christ reigning on the earth during which there will be no religion and no fallen angels and so it is a bit more relaxed and sensational. Ezekiel 39:29, “I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Lord God.” Joel 2:28, “It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy; Your old men will dream dreams; Your young men will see visions.”

 

1 Corinthians 3:17

 

If any man [in this case, the Judaizers] corrupts [generally means to corrupt or defile someone mentally; to lead someone astray mentally] the Temple of God [of the Corinthians through a pseudo system of spirituality], and he does, God will destroy him [severe divine punishment], for the Temple of God is holy [set apart for the indwelling of the three members of the Trinity and all of the implications], and that is what you are.

 

εἴ τις τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φθείρει, φθερεῖ τοῦτον ὁ θεός· ὁ γὰρ ναὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἅγιός ἐστιν, οἵτινές ἐστε ὑµεῖς.      

 

The Corinthians were living under systems of pseudo spirituality because they had accepted the teaching of the Judaizers who had come from Galatia and were leading these Christians astray through legalistic teachings.

 

The Temple of God indwelt by all three members of the Trinity should motivate the believer to execute the spiritual life. Just to mention a few things to help you grasp the idea: The deity of Christ indwells your temple as the Escrow Officer of your Escrow Blessings so as to motivate you to execute the spiritual life. God the Father, the author of your Portfolio of Invisible Assets indwells you to motivate you to execute his plan via the use of His portfolio of invisible assets. The indwelling of God the Holy Spirit should motivate you to utilize the two power options.

 

So, in conclusion, corrupting the Temple of God is not talking about a few overt sins such as drunkenness, fornication, and illicit drug use and certainly does not apply to smoking, eating much sugar and chocolate. It is failure to execute the spiritual life. The Corinthians had switched from the spiritual life as taught to them by the Apostle Paul, to the false and legalistic teachings of the Judaizers.

 

1 Corinthians 3:18

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Let no man deceive [imperative mood in the 3rd person] himself. If any man [addressed to believers who are egotistical] among you assumes [subjectivity without facts] that he is wise in this age [the pseudo wisdom of this world], he must become foolish [must become grace oriented by using the Recovery Procedure and learning the spiritual life as taught by Paul which the Judaizers would classify as foolish], so that he may become wise [a wisdom extrapolated from learning and apply the Word of God].

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Μηδεὶς ἑαυτὸν ἐξαπατάτω· εἴ τις δοκεῖ σοφὸς εἶναι ἐν ὑµῖν ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, µωρὸς γενέσθω, ἵνα γένηται σοφός.

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In the previous verse, false teachers, the Judaizers were deceiving believers, in this verse the believer is deceiving himself. It is understandable how a false teacher could deceive a believer who is ignorant of doctrine but for a believer to deceive himself is the quintessence of folly. This folly is quite understandable when one realizes that ignorance of the spiritual life brings one to a state of arrogance. These Corinthian believers assumed that they had achieved something in the Christian life through legalism and a pseudo wisdom. In effect, they deceived themselves through arrogance.

 

A foolish Christian, an expression of Paul’s satirical wit, is a believer oriented to grace, a believer who has no illusions about himself. This believer knows that he has never earned or deserved anything from God. So, to become a fool in this verse is the believer who has no illusions about himself and knows that as long as he lives on this earth and for all eternity the basis of his blessing is who and what God is; who and what Christ is and never who and what he is.

 

1 Corinthians 3:19

 

For the wisdom of this world [some false system of legalism or emotionalism] is foolishness [ridiculous] before God. For it is written, "He is The One who catches the wise in their craftiness";

 

ἡ γὰρ σοφία τοῦ κόσµου τούτου µωρία παρὰ τῷ θεῷ ἐστιν· γέγραπται γάρ, Ὁ δρασσόµενος τοὺς σοφοὺς ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτῶν·

 

We have a quotation from Job 5:13, “He takes the wise in their own craftiness [cleverness, literally].” In other words, God will use their system of intellectualism and pseudo wisdom and demonstrate to these unbelievers and believers just how dumb and arrogant they really are. This will be their discipline!

 

1 Corinthians 3:20

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And again, "The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise [some form of pseudo spirituality], that they are useless [empty]."

 

καὶ πάλιν, Κύριος γινώσκει τοὺς διαλογισµοὺς τῶν σοφῶν ὅτι εἰσὶν µάταιοι.

 

And again,” a quotation from Psalm 94:11; “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are empty.” The thoughts of the wise refers to the believer who has in his frontal lobe a system of pseudo spirituality.

 

1 Corinthians 3:21

 

So then, let no one boast in men [The Corinthians loved the personality of the Judaizers and so accepted their teaching]. For all things [doctrines of the spiritual life] belong to you,

 

ὥστε µηδεὶς καυχάσθω ἐν ἀνθρώποις· πάντα γὰρ ὑµῶν ἐστιν,

 

In other words, don’t emphasize the personality of the communicator; emphasize what is being taught.

 

1 Corinthians 3:22

 

Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things [doctrines of the spiritual life] belong to you,

 

εἴτε Παῦλος εἴτε Ἀπολλῶς εἴτε Κηφᾶς εἴτε κόσµος εἴτε ζωὴ εἴτε θάνατος εἴτε ἐνεστῶτα εἴτε µέλλοντα, πάντα ὑµῶν,

 

The issue is not the personality, but the message. If you are listening to good Bible teaching by a prepared person, then you are on the right track. Paul and Apollos, and Peter, etc., were all great teachers of the Word.

 

Notice he mentions three things namely world, life, and death. If you are going to understand the world, life and death, and things present and things to come, you must learn many subjects found in the Word of God.  

 

1 Corinthians 3:23

 

And you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God [Christ has a relationship with God the Father, and through our relationship with Christ, we have a relationship with God the Father].

 

ὑµεῖς δὲ Χριστοῦ, Χριστὸς δὲ θεοῦ.

 

We are the possession of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ through His saving work on the Cross purchased the freedom of every person from the slave market of sin. So, we belong to Christ through His redemptive work. David said in Psalm 34:22, "The Lord redeems the soul of His servants [at salvation not the body]." 1 Timothy 2:5-6, "For there is one God [in essence], and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, (6) who gave Himself as a redemptive ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time [the good news given to each person at the right time]." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God [the Father], and that you are not your own? (20) For you have been bought with a price [Redemption]: therefore, glorify God in your body [by reaching spiritual maturity and passing Evidence Testing].”

 

Furthermore, we belong to Christ since we are part of His body via the Baptism of the Spirit. As such we share His righteousness, heirship, priesthood, destiny, election, eternal life, royalty and His sonship.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ from the viewpoint of his deity has an eternal relationship with the Father; from the viewpoint of His being the God-man, he has an eternal relationship with God the Father and through our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, we have a relationship with God the Father. So, what should have the Corinthians learned from this? Get your eyes off of self and people and focus on developing your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father through the enabling power of the Spirit and metabolized doctrine.