Living Presence vs. Dead Form
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Teaching: Living Presence vs. Dead Form
1. The Word Is Not Paper
John declares: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1). And again: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14).
The Word of God is not stone, scroll, or paper. The Word is Christ Himself—eternal, living, personal. The Bible is inspired and Spirit‑breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), but it is not God Himself. It is the witness that points us to Him.
Jesus warned: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” (John 5:39–40).
The Bible is not alive in the way we are. It is not saved, not indwelt, not in relationship. It is revelation, testimony, and preparation—but the life is in Christ.
2. The Glove, the Hand, and the Powder
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We are the glove. Humanity was formed to be filled. Without the Spirit, we are limp and empty. With Him, we are animated, purposeful, alive. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).
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The Spirit is the hand. God Himself fills, directs, and empowers. Without Him, we are form without function. With Him, we become His living instruments. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20).
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The Bible is the powder or lining. It prepares, teaches, and helps us fit the hand rightly. It is inspired revelation, but not itself alive. It is the witness that points us to the living Word. “All Scripture is God‑breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16).
The glove without the hand is empty. The hand without the glove is unseen. The powder without either is just dust. But when the Spirit fills us, and the Word is revealed through us, then scripture finds its true purpose: not to be worshiped, but to bear witness to the One who is.
3. Moses, Scripture, and Reservoirs
Much of the Old Testament—and much of the New—rests on Moses’ testimony. If Moses is undermined, the reservoir of scripture is shaken. But Moses was never the source; he was a channel.
“The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17).
The reservoir points to the river, but the river flows from God Himself.
4. Bondage vs. Freedom
If any teaching—even scripture itself—is used in a way that produces bondage, God moves us forward into freedom.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” (Galatians 5:1). “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians 3:6).
The Word without the Spirit can enslave. The Spirit animates the Word into life.
5. Spirit vs. spirits
Here is where discernment matters.
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The Holy Spirit (capital S): God Himself—life‑giving, indwelling, truth.
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spirits (lowercase): human impulses, cultural influences, deceptive powers.
“What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God.” (1 Corinthians 2:12). “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” (1 John 4:1).
And here’s the crucial point: God has no enemies. Nothing can oppose Him in any ultimate sense. “I am God, and there is none like me. My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” (Isaiah 46:9–10).
But we have adversaries. “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8). Notice: your adversary, not God’s. The devil is not God’s rival. He is humanity’s deceiver.
So the real battle is not God vs. Satan. It is flesh vs. Spirit in us.
6. We Are Speaking Spirits
Humanity is unique: living souls, speaking spirits. Christ restores us to this identity.
“The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam, a life‑giving spirit.” (1 Corinthians 15:45).
Our words carry spiritual weight—they manifest what spirit we are aligned with.
7. Adam vs. Christ: Death vs. Life
Through Adam came death; through Christ came life.
“For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22). “Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin… so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.” (Romans 5:12, 18).
Our natural inheritance is death; our spiritual inheritance in Christ is life.
8. Apart from the Spirit, We Are Dead
Without the Spirit, we are spiritually dead, even if physically alive.
“You were dead in your trespasses and sins… but God made us alive with Christ.” (Ephesians 2:1, 5). “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6). “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:26).
Life is not in breath alone, but in the Spirit of God dwelling within.
Closing Exhortation
The Bible is the map. Christ is the destination. The Bible is the powder. We are the glove. The Spirit is the hand.
In Adam, all die. In Christ, all are made alive. In the flesh, we are dead. In the Spirit, we live. In the world, there are many spirits. But only the Spirit gives life.
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25).
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