Two Ways of Life

There are two kinds of people. Those who are of the flesh and those who are of the Spirit. Those who are of the flesh love this life and seek its glory. They worship evil and hate what is good. The spiritual people give up their lives for the sake of righteousness. They live for the Lord. The two differ markedly in thoughts, wills, and standpoints.

Those Who are of the Flesh

Those who are of the flesh refer to those who live in this sinful world, who refuse to accept sound advice but insist on their own ways. They may be classified as follows:

1. Worshipping the false gods

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Rom 1:19-20). These people have exchanged the truth of God for lies and worship the created instead of the Creator. They have changed the glory of God into breathless idols which look like perishable men. For this reason, they can never find peace.

2. Seeking after pleasures

Many people seek after pleasures in order to satisfy the desires of their flesh. One needs to earn money before one can seek pleasures. Some countries develop a type of “pleasure fulfillment”. The advance in science, industries, agriculture and technology does not make one live in peace. The fear that good things don’t last is always present. Millions of people in the superpower nations are sick because they worry too much about losing their happiness through sickness. They are fearful of cancer and high blood pressure because these are the diseases which have no known cure, and which make one lose love ones. Money is not everything. It can only give you enjoyment when you are well but it will not remove the pangs in your heart because of the loss of your loved one. As sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, so death spread to all men because all men sinned (Rom 5:12).

3. Showing no charity to the poor

The world offers a sea of opportunities to love and show kindness to the less fortunate. However many refuse to give aid to the poor and needy. They show no compassion to the sick and dying. Such people will realise the follies of their actions as seen in the gospel of Luke. Jesus narrated a story of a rich man who cared for nothing except his own indulgence in earthly pleasures. He showed no charity or mercy to a poor man named Lazarus who was full of sores, lying at the gate of his house. In the end God punished him.

He was tormented in Hades alter he had died (Luke 16:9-31). Hence, if it is within our means, we should always give to the poor and never follow the footsteps of the stingy rich man.

4. Rejecting the salvation grace

There are those who treasure the world above anything else. They will give all sorts of excuses for not accepting the grace of God. They are like those recorded in the gospel of Luke chapter 14 where the Master sent out invitations to a great banquet. Excuses such as having bought a field, oxen and having married a wife were given for not accepting the invitation to attend the banquet. Thus, many people reject the salvation grace because they are preoccupied with the things of the world, little realizing that they are walking in the path that leads to destruction.

5. Quarrelling over the division of family wealth

There are those who would quarrel over the division of family property with no regard for blood relation because of their greed for money. The Lord Jesus gave warnings to such people: “’Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?’ And he said to them, ‘Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions’” (Luke 12:14-151). People turn away from God because of their greed for money. Without God, the spiritual life will wither and die. Judas Iscariot is an example of a man whose greed for money leads to his own destruction.

Those Who are of the Spirit

Those who are of the Spirit are the people who have given up fame, status and wealth to take up the cross and follow Jesus. They lead people to walk in the path of righteousness and bring glory to the name of the Lord.

They are characterized by:

1. A truthful heart.

People who are truthful have no deceit in their hearts. They flee from what is evil and keep to their path. They worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). It is for this reason that God chose Abraham (Neh 9:7-8). He was made a great nation, having peace in this life and blessing in the life to come.

2. An ability to discern truth from falsehood.

A true believer is not only truthful and faithful to the Lord, he also knows what is from above. “He who comes from above is greater than all. He who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly matters” (Jn 3:31).

People who belong to the light walk in the light. They bear the fruits of goodness, righteousness and truth, to the glory of God (Eph 5:8-9). But the fools give themselves up to drunkenness and immorality. They make troubles for others and plot evils against the innocent (Prov 17:5).

3. A charitable character.

            Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Cor 13:4-7).

4. A devout heart.

They worship the one and only Lord Jesus who hate evil and abhor wickedness. God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should how, in heaven and on earth and under the earth (Phil 2:9-10). Paul sacrificed himself and served the Lord faithfully because he knew that (1) the resurrected Lord Jesus who is now in heaven will one day come again to end the world with his judgment, punishing the evildoers and rewarding those who do good; (2) there is no salvation apart from Jesus; (3) Jesus holds the key to life and earth and he gives grace to whom he has chosen; (4) Jesus is the father of Light; (5) those who believe in him have their woes changed to blessings, and will pass from death to life; (6) he created all things in heaven and on earth and in him all things hold together; (7) he forgives our sins and heals our sickness; (8) his love is everlasting; (9) his words are true; every word he said will come to pass; (10) those who reject him will surely die, being unable to save themselves.

5. A thirst for God’s righteousness.

They seek God’s kingdom and consider His righteousness foremost. This enables them to abstain from impurities and overcome temptations. They understand that bodily needs like food and clothings will be granted if they pursue the higher goal of spirituality.

6. A complete trust and faith in God

To trust God completely and to fully obey him is to receive His blessings. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to he called the son of Pharaohs daughter, choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. They are able to press on towards the goal which is to receive the blessings from above.

Conclusion

The advancement in science and technology and the improvement in the standard of living have made the world a heaven to some. It has all forms of entertainment for pleasures and life is transformed from simplicity to sophistication, from a relaxed pace to a fast-moving pace. In the final analysis, the world has two kinds of people, the godly, righteous and the saved ones and the worldly, wicked people who will face destruction.

Those who are of the flesh do not believe in God and their souls have no anchor. However, those who are of the spirit lead a life of fearing God and loving man. Obedience to Gods word gives meaning and value to their lives, having a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul (Heb 6:19).