In Ephesians 3:23-24, the apostle Paul urges us as disciples of Christ to renew our minds and spirits and to put on the new man, which is all about Christ, the Triumphant and Risen One.
Ephesians 4:23-24:
… 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
… 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Galatians 3:27:
… 27 for all of you [Note: children => sons] who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
… 27 for all of you [Note: children => sons] who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
What is striking is the invitation in Ephesians to decide for it, in that it does not simply happen by itself, to have a renewed spirit and mind (Note: thinking) without our intervention.
Inner Renewal and the Abiding in the Anointed One
Since Paul speaks of Christ in Galatians 3:27, the point is that we abide in the anointing of the anointed Son of God, in which eternal sonship becomes recognizable. Furthermore, being clothed with Christ includes being active in the anointing imparted to us by the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:11).
1 Corinthians 12:11:
11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
The process of this inner renewal is similar to what happened to Jesus when He hung on the cross and breathed out His Spirit (cf. Luke 23:46 i.c.w. John 19:30).
Luke 23:46:
46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last.
46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last.
John 19:30:
30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit [Note: breathed out his spirit].
30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit [Note: breathed out his spirit].
As just mentioned, it says that Jesus committed His spirit [Note: breath] into the hands of the Heavenly Father, who is Spirit (cf. John 4:24a).
John 4:24a:
24a God is spirit, …
24a God is spirit, …
This shows that in the context of inner renewal it is essential to complete an earthly period of time and allow the Father’s hands to carry out the spiritual renewal or reformation in us. This enables us to bear Christ with greater intensity and to see the effects of this.
This inner renewal involves a greater change in the power of the Holy Spirit and the associated knowledge that is produced in us by truth. We can submit to the truth or not, which is therefore linked to our decision.
The Application of the Triumph of Christ
When we decide to apply the triumph of Christ, which He won for us on the cross, in our lives, a new dimension of God’s redemptive power opens for us, which leads from the cross to the throne of God and His power (cf. Luke 22:69 i.c.w. Revelation 7:17).
Luke 22:69:
‘… 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.’
‘… 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.’
Revelation 7:17:
17 For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; “he will lead them to springs of living water.” “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
17 For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; “he will lead them to springs of living water.” “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
The triumph of Christ includes the victory over the adversary in four different characters of evil, as Isaiah 11:4b; Isaiah 27:1 i.c.w. 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 reveal to us.
Isaiah 11:4b:
… 4b He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
… 4b He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Isaiah 27:1:
1 In that day, the Lord will punish with his sword – his fierce, great and powerful sword – Leviathan the gliding [Note: fleeing] serpent, Leviathan the coiling [Note: crooked] serpent; he will slay the monster [Note: dragon] of the sea.
1 In that day, the Lord will punish with his sword – his fierce, great and powerful sword – Leviathan the gliding [Note: fleeing] serpent, Leviathan the coiling [Note: crooked] serpent; he will slay the monster [Note: dragon] of the sea.
2 Thessalonians 2:7-8:
7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendour of his coming.
7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendour of his coming.
The four different characters of evil are:
- the Leviathan => spirit of pride and cruelty,
- the fleeing serpent => spirit of fear and cowardice,
- the crooked serpent => spirit of deception through lies,
- the dragon in the sea => spirit of intimidation among society.
The application of Jesus’ triumph on the cross presupposes the sacrificial willingness of discipleship, from which the government authority of the Son of God as the Lamb on the throne becomes recognizable and seen (cf. Mark 8:34).
Mark 8:34:
34 Then he [Note: Jesus] called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
34 Then he [Note: Jesus] called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
The spiritual shift from the established triumph of Christ to the governmental realm of God’s power involves the handing over of our spirit into the hands of the Heavenly Father, who is spirit.
Through this process our inner man begins to form according to His plan. It is like Jeremiah when he was in the potter’s house and watched the potter at work while God spoke to him about the process of guidance and reformation of the people of Israel (cf. Jeremiah 18:1-6).
Jeremiah 18:1-6:
1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 ‘Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.’
3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel.
4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me.
6 He said, ‘Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?’ declares the Lord. ‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.
1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 ‘Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.’
3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel.
4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me.
6 He said, ‘Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?’ declares the Lord. ‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.
To better understand the inner spiritual reformation, the Hebrew word for ‘wheels’ (Note: אוֹבֶן – oben), which is used in Jeremiah 18:3, should serve us. It describes ‘a pair of stones (Note: only dual) as a potter’s wheel or a midwife’s stool, consisting equally of two horizontal disks with a support between them.’ (Note: The word explanation derives from Strong’s Concordance to the Hebrew word ‘wheels – oben’ with the word key number: H70).
Based on the explanation just mentioned, it becomes clear that the LORD supports a spiritual reformation or inner renewal with spiritual birth assistance to bring forth the new spiritual life also in the form of spiritual travail (cf. Isaiah 42:14).
Isaiah 42:14:
14 ‘For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant. …’
14 ‘For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant. …’
The Number ‘5’ and the Breath of the Son of God
If we look in a prophetic context to the moment of Christ on the cross giving His last breath, we can see that the number ‘5’ plays an important role.
It is associated with the ‘spirit’ or ‘wind/breath’ and ‘grace’, but also with the Hebrew letter ‘He’, which carries the same numerical value, as well as a call to recognize something.
=> The number ‘5’ belongs to the effect of grace and points to the hand of God in a life or ministry. This is because everything the Lord does is freely provided and cannot be bought with earthly currency. It is a gift of grace. The number mainly resembles hand symbolism and represents the performance of a vow to the LORD. It applies in part to a sacrificial ministry.
The number ‘5’ indicates a promise of devotion expressed by the power in someone else’s hands (Note: hand squeezing) to accomplish something. <= (Note: The text set in ‘=>’ is based on an explanation from the ‘Prophet’s Dictionary’ by Paula A. Price, Ph. D.; page 221; 222)
Thus, with the help of the above explanation of the number ‘5’ and the biblical passage from Luke 23:46, it follows that Jesus gave His breath into the right and left hand of the Heavenly Father.
This comprises a range of ‘15’, which results from ‘3 x 5’ and of which the numerical value bears the abbreviation of the name of God ‘YAHWEH’ in the form of the exclamation, namely ‘YAH’.
This comprises a range of ‘15’, which results from ‘3 x 5’ and of which the numerical value bears the abbreviation of the name of God ‘YAHWEH’ in the form of the exclamation, namely ‘YAH’.
The hands of the Heavenly Father can also be described as the realm of the Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit, which is the right and left hand.
With this realization, if we now look to God’s intended reformation of our spirit, it may mean that God’s will is to give greater knowledge of spiritual authority and government as well as spiritual comfort and provision to us.
The handing over of the Spirit of Jesus into the hands of the Heavenly Father opens a triune field of grace in the form of spiritual fatherhood [Note: right hand], motherhood [Note: left hand] and sonship [Note: breath of Jesus].
King David said that when his father and mother forsake him, the LORD takes care of him and receives him, which is what we can also expect (cf. Psalm 27:10).
Psalm 27:10:
10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.
In His Wisdom,
Daniel Glimm
