Finding the True Culture of the Spirit, Soul and Body in Christ 1 - Chris Segun Onayinka www.livingwordmedia.org
Finding the True Culture of the Spirit, Soul and Body in Christ tr1
Vital Topic, not just knowledge, but practical
Culture is basically M.O. the way people brought up to conduct themselves, way of relationships, the way people are brought up to deal with the things of life, their behavior, even mindsets.
We’ll be dealing with how to develop godly habits and break habits that aren’t godly.
When it comes to ungodly habits, therapy is usually short term, you cry some and make empty promises/vows. Some folks may even have a body of knowledge of who they are in Christ, but they may not know how to apply it.
Doctrine of forgiveness in scriptures already shows us our relationship with the Father, that Jesus paid the price for sins forever; and its not forgiveness that cures sinful habits.
Forgiveness rather shows man’s relationship with God, and means that I will stand before Him without fear, guilt and condemnation.
Col 1:14 IN HIM is they key word here
Eph 1:7
Heb 8:10-13, 10:17
Mt 26:28
The issue of sin situated there.
Sometime, when we sin as believers we turn to God and act as though He has a problem with us, we walk in defeat when we do that. Turning to God “in repentance” is already breeding sin consciousness, because that means you doubt the fact that He has already forgiven you, and He said so Heb 10:1-4.
Just like by their coming continually to the temple to offer shows there's a consciousness of sins many people fast and pray in this manner.
one may even hear the word for a while and still carry that consciousness/thought.
and consciousness is something you persist in doing.
a persistent thought pattern, something that is strong on your mind
when some people say the Holy Spirit convicting them of sin, it actually their conscience
The Gospel which is actually positive will deal with Forming Spiritual habits.
You cannot learn to grow by knowing the details of the poison, it’s food that you need.
As you focus on developing spiritual habits the ones that aren’t godly will be broken.
The first entrance of sin to man was Gen 2:16-17 Its not as much a warning as an instruction; and in Moses’ words the “life” part of it is hidden. It was basically showing LIFE and DEATH available, and man basically goes after sin. “The day you eat of it you will die” was said, and the death was spiritual, it has effect on the body of a person, that’s why a man was almost 1000 years until it went from spiritual and effected the body of a man.
1 Cor 6:11, 9 - was often abused and misused, so reading in context, since it was written w/o vss and chapters the whole book will be the context. In 1 Cor 6 he was saying not to take believers cases to unbelievers to judge, so by the time we get to vs 9 he’s not describing Christians, it flows from the discussion where he’s dealing with unbeliever.
1 Cor 6:9 Kingdom - Basileia - rule authority - domain - he’s saying the unrighteous cannot rule the believer.
Cannot inherit the authority of God, he’s been speaking about judgement. in the next verse shall not inherit the kingdom of God used; then the next statement 1 Cor 6:11 “SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU” but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Did he know their history? - you see why vss 9 and 10 was summarizing the unbeliever.
Where KJV translates “such” it should have put certain - “specifically you were like that”
In the following statement he used the WASHED and sanctified and justified that was to show their separation from that group (exodus water?)
WASHED was used just once more by Paul it was his recollection of what Ananias did Ac 22:16
Washed can be used differently , but in this instance it was WASHING AWAY, like an entire removal of sin has been done IN THE NAME of the LORD and by the Spirit of our God. Tit 3:5 uses washed without APO prefix.
This washing away is the the act of Christ entirely; it has nothing to do do with changed lifestyle at all, he dealt with their lifestyle/conduct in 1 Cor3:3-4 but doesnt mention it here.
Titus 3:5 highlights the point that it has nothing to do with what you have done.
Eph 5:26
When I say Im washed, Im referring to the sanctifying work of Christ, that is in His presence sin does not relate with my relationship with God.
Eze 36:25-27 Its God’s I WILL, it doesn’t say WASH YOUSELF; the washing is His work, not yours.
He mentions a New Heart and a New Spirit that means in this washing we get a new heart and a new spirit.
1 Cor 6:11 Another word used there is SANCTIFIED hagiazo - means SET APART. Its used for something that’s exclusive to you, not shared by another Mt6:9 HALLOWED be Your name is that same word. In our prayer we trat Your name separately/exclusively.
And in Washing Us He sets and treats us separately, not shared, used for a special purpose.
That’s why it was used for animal sacrifices, days, feasts, foods, vessels of ministry in the OT; Holiness has to do with the one that calls it holy , it means it must not be used for something else but treated SEPARATE.
When it says “the land you stand on is holy ground” (Ac 7:33 and Ex 3:5) It doesn't mean the ground doesn’t sin.
It means it’s separate unto God.
Hagiazo Heb 6:20; 10:19 Holy places - high priest is the only one going in, taking in the animal, separated for a specific purpose for a specific person - HOLY PLACES
Another word used is JUSTIFIED - dikaioo - means your cause has been defended, there is no charge against you, to acquit, to treat as not guilty.. The precedent was that you are washed, sanctified and then he says you are JUSTIFIED. This does not refer to their lifestyle.
The problem we have is that we have bestowed the freely given gifts of Christ as rewards for the lifestyle. It’s like saying you are not holy until you do this or that, we couldn’t be talking about holiness when we do that; or you’re not righteous until you do this.
Rather than seeing the fact that the two things just mentioned are a function of Christ’s singular work, and has nothing to do with you except that you recieved it.
So he said you are justified, same word used 39 times, means to discharge, to acquit.
We can see in vs 11 from the washing away, sanctification, justification that it has nothing to do with conduct, it’s Christ work. That's simply is what.Christ has done to you in the presence of the father. So you are justified, you are sanctified and you are washed.
A man’s conduct may even be wrong, but he is WASHED, SANCTIFIED, and he is JUSTIFIED. Similar to when Paul wrote to the church in Corinth 1 Cor 1:2 calling the saints, and when you keep reading further down, their conduct wasn’t what you’d expect from “sanctified saints”
The next thing is in 1Cor 6:15 KNOW YE NOT? (actually repeats it again in this book) Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
This flows together with what he was saying earlier, you are washed, sanctified, justified and are a member of the body of Christ
you cannot make your body the member of Christ, the minute you believed the Gospel you are already the member
Don’t allow it
Don’t use your bodies
The MEMBERS OF CHRIST used 34 times in the epistles; and the phrase was used literally or figuratively but strictly for the physical body. Members of Christ - something that constitutes the other. Rom 6:12-13 MELE - vs 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Note the “UNTO GOD” part at the end of vs 13
Rom 6:19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
Rom 12:4-5 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office
1 Cor 12:12,18, 20, 27
Col 3:5-7 5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
The word MEMBER refers to your physical body; not just a part of the body but every constituent.
1 Cor 6:15 He is saying that what belongs to Christ cannot belong to an harlot (32:09)
God forbid means it’s impossible.
1 Cor 6:16-18 He is telling them to flee bc they’re sanctified, bc they’re one spirit with Him.
When he says “sins against his own body” keep in mind he earlier told them his body is a member of Christ.
1 Cor 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
From vs11 to vs20 how many times does Paul requires action from them? - TWICE
FLEE
GLORIFY
What glorifies God?
Remember before saying FLEE he didn’t tell them WASH YOURSELVES, SANCTIFY YOURSELVES. So he clears that up with them, saying because you know this - flee fornication.
Where it says “he sins against his own body” based on vs19 he is saying “he sins against the temple of the Holy Ghost”
NOTICE: both instructions for action crowded with exhortation of the finished work of Christ.
Again, we can even start from vs1 to vs20, the entire chapter 1 Cor 6 contains one definite action request amidst so many things to RECOGNIZE about the work Christ has done. He only says FLEE.
RECOGNIZE this, know ye not? - you should know this now, here’s a reminder...
First major habit a believer must have formed is the habit of RECOGNITION
To know which is which, like when I see my body, i know what my body is.
When an admirer says something about a “sexy body” he/she recognized it.
So Paul focused on the numerous things to RECOGNIZE, then he gave an instruction, FLEE from fornication (porneia - sexual immorality), and the following thing he says “therefore” - based on this fact that you are BOUGHT, you are WASHED, based on this (therefore) GLORIFY God in your body.
Bought - agorazo - used for buying things in the market place or a slave market; infers a complete transfer of ownership. Ownership being the emphasis, he’s basically saying you belong to God. Your body belongs to God, the transfer taken place in the exchange for PRICE - value - treasure.
Paul focuses on something here, and in his epistles Paul’s rebukes were never about Christians committing sins, rather it was about the attitudes people had. Such was the case in 1 Cor 5 - issue was folks acceptance of these things as though it was right or OK. Not that the guy was having sexual relations with his step-mom, but his attitude was as though nothing’s wrong with it.
1 Cor 6:9-10 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
INHERIT also used in Gal 5:21 KLERONOMEO - claim an inheritance, receive a lotshareportion.
RECOGNIZE and notice what he said in description of the people of the world in vss9,10 and the fact that YOU ARE IN CHRIST because you have believed; YOU ARE WASHED - you have recieved (kleronomeo) an inheritance. You don’t get an inheritance because you are working, Inheritances are recieved.
So if we were to put in today’s terms, we would say “unrighteous - fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, abusers of themselves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners SHALL NOT RECEIVE AN INHERITANCE in the Kingdom of God.
How do we recieve? Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. - Father has made us qualified to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.
Paul quoting Jesus on the subject, Ac 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
By believing you receive.
And that means people he was describing in vss9,10 are unbelievers, and he calls out all those things unbelievers are called by.
When people are unbelievers they are called “ fornicators, idolaters, adulterers etc” but when they believe the Gospel they are WASHED, even if their conduct is similar, we can’t call them those names. Such a person is JUSTIFIED and SANCTIFIED.
Basic thing to remember is that you don’t work for an inheritance.
Paul’s focus in this letter was also showing the fact that this is WHAT GOD HAS DONE TO YOU.
You are in vs11 washed, sanctified, justified, vs15 your bodies are members of Christ, vs17 you are one spirit with Him, vs19 His spirit is in you, vs20 you are bought with a price. ALL THESE THINGS WERE DONE BY GOD/CHRIST. After all this he is now saying GLORIFY.
You don’t glorify to be sanctified, justified. You glorify Him because He has justified you, sanctified you and it’s not your doing. That would also mean being justified, sanctified is not a change of your ways.
GLORIFY - doxazo, from the word doxa - weight, honor, majesty. Doxazo is active, and it actually is used for recognition of value. As though the invited speaker is seated in the designated place, supposedly endowed with esteem, special chair, next to pastor etc. Seating in the designated seat doesn’t make the person an invited speaker, but he gets to sit there because he is the invited speaker.
Glorify God in your body is to recognize who owns the body, who sanctified it; and if you miss recognizing it was God’s doing, you will flow into works straightaway. It doesn't say make your body the temple of the Holy Ghost, he didn’t say make your body sanctified; so glorifying God does not make you sanctified, it does not justify you.
Mt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify (RECOGNIZE) your Father which is in heaven. It’s evident then that glorifying happens before men, same as fleeing from fornication is fleeing from people, fornication is not a spirit floating in the air...
Glorify God in your body means to esteem God in your body [doxazo] (54:34)
1 Thes 5:23
First key habit is the Law of Recognition.
Regonize
You recognize then glorify.
you will have a recognition, then men through your action will recognizeesteemglorify.
Like someone said in one of the meetings decades ago: “there are plenty of chaste virgins that are not holy and still going to end up in hell”
SO people can live morally, good, chaste and still end up in hell since it’s for their culture they’ve been doing it. The issue is WHY you are doing what you’re doing?
We are talking bout Finding the True Culture of the Spirit, Soul and Body in Christ
1 Thes 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly [ENTIRELY]; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless [ 1Thes 2:10; 3:13 AMEMTPOS without defect - you can’t blame this body] unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
PRESERVED - not like food...TO WATCH OVER, TO GUARD and TAKE CARE OF.
vs 24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it
He will do it! Why would He do it? Because He has sanctified, it’s His own, at salvation you are His own, even if the person sometimes conducts themselves some way and act “funny” that salvation, that security is ETERNAL, HE WILL DO IT, HE IS FAITHFUL; leave that to the One who Saved him/her, you personally don’t need to stress.
Paul said Phil1:6 ...he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
He will COMPLETE the good work, don’t worry.
No need to stress for years whether you can lose your salvation, just remember WHO SAVES, - It’s GOD, Where is Salvation, - It’s IN CHRIST; So unless God can lose Christ, salvation is eternally secure.
Trouble comes because many mix up Christian living and being Born again in STUDY.
Paul would be talking about walking in the word and it would confuse them; they ignore the fact that he opened the book by saying and affirming YOU ARE SAVED.
Just like when they read “WITHOUT HOLINESS NONE SHALL SEE THE LORD” Heb 12:14 Yet the writer opens the book by saying you are a saint and been using the word holiness by the same person elsewhere Holy brethren, sanctified, holy vessels, holy places… Why do you want to create something that’s not in that verse?
1 Thes 5:23-24 He will preserve, He will watch over, He will do it...
When he says YOUR WHOLE, it’s like a reminder of what’s involved in salvation SPIRIT, SOUL and BODY. Some use this verse to teach your body is not the soul etc, but Paul says Spirit Soul and Body is a WHOLE. And it’s helpful to know that no Apostle taught or instructed that excluded any part of a person.
What some people do is say things like “Ah, your body is of the devil, you have sin in your body, but your spirit that is saved, your body is not.” Is your body an unbeliever? How can it be a member of Christ even if your spirit is a believer?
It’s a lack of understanding, the truth is that God preserves ALL (entirety) of your spirit soul and body He bought with the price. Rom 12:1 calls your body a living sacrifice.
It’s again a lack of recognition. Some will even despise their body still use makeup.
The purpose of these series of teachings is for us to learn how to use everything that God gave you, that He already bought with a price (placed value on it). Use everything that God has purchased.
Everything is Christian, spirit soul and body is Christian, they’re all in Christ.
The reason many focus on the body is because you see it everyday; and some even fumble at Jesus’ words Mt 18:8-10 … it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
And we should know Jesus doesn’t use exaggerations, and some have even acted on these verses without understanding that Jesus was basically saying He will buy every bit of it, save you cut it off.
The body is the most apparent; and you may have actually been abusing your body.
We’ve read that your body is a member of Christ, or a temple of the Holy Ghost, but too many times we don’t let that thought linger in our minds.
1 Cor 9:27 I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
The idea many people have is that he was talking about the physical body. But it can’t be, because he was talking about his entire being, physical body cannot act on its own; to say your body can make you a castaway would mean that your body can act on its own, which is impossible.
What did he mean by “keep my body under and bring it to SUBJECTION”? - two things, SERVICE ( soma - body) and TRAINING ( we will look skip it today and explain it later).
Your body doesn’t move on its own, what we need to know is that body moves with the motions of the soul. There is no way he could have said that PHYSICAL body could make him a castaway.
We want to from new habits from the new creation in Christ.
The word [Peripateo] WALK was used severally by Paul in Eph, Col, Gal, Phil
WALK ALWAYS MEANS TO TAKE ACTION. Walk presupposes order and culture, “develop yourselves like this”, you are trainable, set this culture.
The root word of the verb walk has to do with the way we raise kids in schools, mental assimilation, speaking, exercises - to demonstrate what you have done/learned. It’s like getting cultured into some kind of discipline. Those that train you bring about a lifestyle that alters your own, and then you develop a habit.
The word WALK is taken from there.
1 Cor 6:9-11
Gal 5:19-21 Same thing called the WORK OF THE FLESH, he wasn't talking about persons, but deeds. It’s clearer here.
Gal 5:22-25
What Galatians better shows us about 1 Cor 6:8-9 is that A BELIEVER CANNOT BE LIKE THAT, BUT CAN DEVELOP A HABIT LIKE THAT.
What Changed about you?
It can’t be a habit, because habits formed by conscious effort, after you got born again it’s likely some bad habits hadn’t changed right away.
So what changed?
Eze 36:26 -27 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony [EBEN -refers to something that’s dead, like spiritual death implied ] heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh [BASAR - mankind something that is living]. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk [ TELEKU - means a journey, a trip, you are going somewhere] in my statutes, and ye shall keep [ TSIMRU -observe, to watch over, used for those watching over the city/building ] my judgments, and do them
So first of all he talks about spiritually alive nature, capable to make you journey; you walk because you have the heart of flesh, you don’t walk into the heart of fleshspirit. You are walking from the spirit, not to get into the spirit. I WILL CAUSE YOU TO, I WILL MAKE YOU, I WILL WALK WORK IN YOU, but eventually you ill be the one to walk.
I MUST RECOGNIZE I AM SPIRITUALLY ALIVE
THE NEW BIRTH BRINGS A CONSCIOUSNESS
WE ARE BORN AGAIN TO BE ALERT, YOU CANNOT WALK UNCONSCIOUSLY; You will keep, is you will consciously form a new habit, you will consciously do this b/c there is a consciousness now in you.
1 Cor 6 Paul stressed sanctification more than justification, that you are now set apart to God.
THIS IS THE FIRST THING TO RECOGNIZE.
When Ezekiel was saying to keep, it’s something that is consciously done, you must be conscious of certain facts.
When we start our spiritual growth/journey it involves being taught. Your lifestyle didn’t automatically change, you first must be brought to an awareness, it’s where you now form a lifestyle.
Paul emphasized SANCTIFICATION, and it’s from that sanctification that we GLORIFY God.
There is a phrase that is used carelessly, it’s the phrase “CARNAL CHRISTIAN”.
Actually there’s nothing like that. One can’t be carnal and a Christian at the same time, because they are two opposite words. When it’s mentioned In 1 Cor 3, Paul was using a figure of speech, an oxymoron, just to describe their behaviour and attitudes, Rom 8:7-9 . It was to draw their attention, help them RECOGNIZE
Spiritual growth will mean to begin to form habits in Christ, to form a lifestyle.
You consciously start a habit and it becomes a part of your lifestyle.
It starts from what God has done to us Philemon 6
Consciousness of ALL THAT IS IN YOU who is IN CHRIST
I recognize that my body is the temple of God. It’s beyond excitement in the church service
Jas 1:13-15 key word here is desire. you cannot be tempted outside your desire, and you cannot desire what you don’t know. You can’t desire what you have not been told of.
Our life patterns are designed after what we know that we want.
Recognizing certain things [IN THE WORD or in the world (body sexy vs body temple of the Holy Ghost)] would be something that forms your opinion.
These opinions would affect how I make decisions.
HOW I RECOGNIZE?
James said first you desire then you go after it. But without knowing you can’t desire.
Gal 5:16-25 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit [walk by the Spirit], and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest [something you will have to see, know, recognize, it’s what is obvious], which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: [ things outside of the believer, not in him, something he will have to be taught, schooled, told] of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit [ when he talsk about the spirit he’s talking about the believer] is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified [to kill, to beat, to tame; that means everything he has listed in vss19-21 have been CRUCIFIED]the flesh with the affections and lusts. [ a believer cannot have an affection for those things; whatever affections one may have for those things it’s b/c of habits they formed] 25 If [since you are alive in the spirit]we live in the Spirit, let us also walk [take action, train, journey in these 9 things listed]in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. [vss 22-23 is your nature. It is what God has done and if you glorify God you would recognize it]
There is a difference b/w born of the spirit and walk in the spirit.
one is your nature
another is your habits
You can be born of love, peace, joy and not have a lifestyle of these; lifestyle is cultivated - you have to walk.
There is no battle inside you, don’t lay a blame to the body. You are born of God, KNOW YE NOT? That’s the first thing to know and recognize - YOU ARE BORN OF GOD.
Col 3:1-4 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead [dead to sin is implied], and your life is hid with Christ in God.
See the arrangement of the conversation. He starts with you are then goes on to what you should do.
Col 3:4-7 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
It’s like a re-run of Gal and 1 Cor here in vss5-6
Paul always starts with WHO YOU ARE, then he begins to emphasize the kinds of habits you ought to form.
You are to set your affections; We have read 3 things he discloses in this passage.
Set your affections means you’ll LOVE and appreciate the things in Christ. Firstly you will be taught, then you will now have personal appreciation of these things, on your own you value it.
1 Pet 3:1-2 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation [ behavior ]of the wives; [our conduct is powerful, not just some actions, but a lifestyle]
vs2 While they behold (1 Pet 2:12) your chaste [PURE, BLAMELESS] conversation coupled with fear.
Understand that your good works are for people (mankind). Habits that will glorify God are for men.
When someone says: “No matter what they say about me, I am a Christian” - that’s fine, it’s a good assurance of salvation, but it does not glorify God.
Paul to Timothy 1 Tim 4:12 ...be thou an example [ IT DOESN’T SAY TO JESUS, but] of the believers, [ means we will see your pattern, and we’ll want to adopt your pattern] in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
1 Pet 3:3-4 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
This verse doesn’t mean that God sees your heart and is only concerned with it; NO! What he said is that there’s a hidden [kryptos - concealed] man of the heart [ kardia - something inside you, core ], That means nobody will know if you are in Christ, born again, you have the Holy Ghost, b/c it’s a hidden man, they won’t know except maybe by the gifts of the spirit.
That verse 3 better understood if we add an exclusion clause to it, Whose adorning [kosmos] let it not be that outward adorning [ONLY]...
Kosmos - used 186 times in the Greek manuscripts, it means a physical arrangement. He’s saying don’t let it be all about physical arrangement/adorning ONLY; Just as you get dressed physically every day, you do so by habit, and you know your arms go into sleeves, and pants don’t go on your head… you may do that as a child, your parents TRAINED you in that regard; but now you do it by habit and by yourself, even while doing other things, you get dressed.
The terminology used here is also a good pointer, he said “LET IT BE” - you will consciously look in your spirit, when you are going out, you will make yourself up.
Just like that man is hidden, it must be seen.
Consciously arrange your OUT-FIT of Love, Patience, Meekness, Joy etc... which is in the sight of God of great price. It’s valuable, It’s hidden, It’s inner, and you must conduct in a way (conversation) to make people behold, see it. You value these adornings.
You consciously put it on and wear it out. Arrange yourself properly as a believer.
Arrange yourself this way. Just as you go to the mirror and check if you have arranged yourself well,
you adorn (arrange) your conduct this way.
God value it.
Do you recognize and value this.
As a believer my VALUATION system needs to be checked, what are the things I value?
My spiritual conduct glorifies God.
Looks will perish, the incorruptible ornament you should “wear”, “walk in” always.
Learn to take from your spirit and clothe yourself, form a habit of adorning yourself with spiritual virtues.
I will forgive, I will be meek and mild, and it’s not just that I will, but they will behold it.
You recognize as you form spiritual habits.
Let the word dictate how you prioritize and recognize; you are born again, your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, and the life of God in you begins to have an effect in humanity through that body. You give it expression and You value it!