How many times do Christians quote Isaiah 55:8, to release themselves from their responsibilities as sons of God and to grow up and become like Jesus Christ and do His works? Many times they say: 「We can never become like Him, because God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts and God’s ways are higher than our ways.” But is that true? In what context did God speak these words? What does the Bible say about God’s thoughts and our thoughts? What are God’s thoughts?
God has given power to become sons of God
しかし、彼を受け入れた者と同じくらい多くの人が, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name: 生まれたのは, 血のものではない, 肉の意志でもない, 人間の意志でもない, しかし神のもの (ジョン 1:12-13)
Ofcourse God is God and He always remains God and we can never take God’s place, but God has given us power to become His sons in Jesus Christ and to walk as His sons on this earth. イエスは言いました。, that we can never be above Him, but that we can become like Him.
The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord (マシュー 10:24-25, ルーク 6:40)
If Jesus is your Lord and Master, then He has promised you, that you can become like Jesus and walk, just as Jesus walked on this earth as son of God. But you have to look for the things, which are above and not on the earth.
The thoughts of the old man are not God’s thoughts
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, 主は言われる. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts (イザヤ書 55:8)
イザヤ書 55:8 refers to the ungodly in verse 7. It was also related to the mercy and goodness of God, to God’s redemptive work, and to the thoughts of the old carnal man, who is spiritually dead and is led by his flesh.
That’s why the carnal mind and carnal thoughts of the old man, which are dominated by the flesh will never become equal to the mind of God, but will always strive against God’s mind, God’s thoughts, そして 神の意志. Because the flesh and the spirit always strive against each other.
The flesh and the spirit can never become a unity. That’s because evil is present in the flesh and in the unrepented heart of the old carnal man. And we all know that an unrepented heart produces evil thoughts and evil works.
An unrepented heart is selfish, full of pride, rebellious, and shall never be able to submit to God, イエス, そして聖霊.
And He (イエス) said, That which cometh out of the man, that defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, 殺人, Thefts, 貪欲さ, 邪悪さ, 欺瞞, 好色さ, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man (マーク 7:20:23).
The spirit of the fallen man is dead
But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 コリント人への手紙 2:14)
Because of the fact, that the spirit of fallen man is dead, fallen man (老人) is not able to receive nor comprehend and understand the things of the Spirit and the Kingdom of God. The spiritual things of the Kingdom of God are foolishness to the fallen man, and that’s why fallen man always rebels against the commandments of God.
旧約聖書では, the spiritual things only became understandable, when the Spirit of God came upon man, like for example with the prophets.
The spirit of the new man
But through the perfect redemptive work イエス・キリストの, everyone who would believe on Jesus Christ and made Jesus Lord over their lives has been given power to become in Him a new creation; 神の子. みんな, who will believe and be 洗礼を受けた in Him, will die in Him and lay down the flesh of the fallen man (the old carnal man), and the spirit of the new man will be raised in Him from the dead. The spirit cannot be raised from the dead, until the flesh has died.
The baptism with the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean that the Spirit of God will come occasionally upon man, as with the old carnal fallen man.
The Holy Spirit will not come and go, but the Holy Spirit will come and abide in the new man.
The new man is the habitation of the Holy Spirit.
The spirit of the new man has become alive and through the abiding of the Word and the Holy Spirit, the new man is able to get to know God’s will and God’s thoughts and walk according to God’s will and God’s thoughts, イエスのように, Who was the Firstborn of the new creation.
By doing God’s will, the new man shall walk as a son of God after 神の意志.
God’s thoughts become your thoughts
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God (1 コリント人への手紙 2:9-12)
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ (1 コリント人への手紙 2:16)
The more time you spend in the Word and abide in Him and be occupied with the things, that are above, where Jesus Christ is seated, the more your mind and your thoughts will be renewed and will become like God’s way of thinking.
You shall get the mind of Christ and shall walk after the 神の意志, which is also the イエスの意志. Only through the Word, you shall get to know the Father and will God’s thoughts become your thoughts and God’s ways become your ways.
「地の塩となれ」’
