THE FIVE-FOLD REDEMPTION OF MAN
by Bill Burns
Faith Tabernacle
P. O. Box 1148
Kremmling, Colorado 80459
http://ft111.com
Man is a five-part being, which consists of his
spirit, soul (mind, emotions and will) and the body of flesh.
God’s plan of redemption makes provision for the whole man.
The redemption of our spirit comes when we are born again.
The redemption of our soul comes in the process of sanctification.
The redemption of our body is completed at the resurrection (rapture)
of the Church (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:35-54).
The redemption of the soul is that which we, as Christians,
struggle with the most. The mind (thinking process) must be
renewed so that it is no longer thinking carnally.
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your
reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what
is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 8:5-7 For those who live according to the flesh set their
minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to
the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally
minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it
is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
The carnal mind must be brought into
subjection to the law (word) of God. This process requires
the discipline to monitor our thoughts so that they line up with
the will (word) of God.
2 Corinthians 10:4-6 For the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down
strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that
exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every
thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being
ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
The emotions must not be allowed to rule over us. Carnal
emotion will lead us into all manner of sin (Galatians 5:19-21).
Fear is also an emotion that should not rule over us. We
can overcome carnal emotions by ruling over them by the power of
the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:12-14 Therefore, brethren, we are
debtors not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by
the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of
God.
Galatians 5:16-17 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you
shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts
against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these
are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things
that you wish.
If we do this our emotions will be under the rule of the Spirit,
and we will have the fruit of the Spirit, which will control our
emotions.
Galatians 5:22-26 But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there
is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified
the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the
Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become
conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
We bring our will (choices) into submission to God by always
choosing to do the will of God. God’s will is outlined
in His word, and we are to be doers of the Word.
James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
John 14:23-24 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone
loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and
We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does
not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear
is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.
God’s grace (empowerment) enables us to overcome Satan’s
temptations to our flesh. This great victory for mankind
was provided at the Cross of Calvary.
Colossians 2:13-15 And you, being dead in
your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made
alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against
us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way,
having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed
principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them,
triumphing over them in it.
The Cross is a symbol of the five-fold redemption of man.
The Cross provides us five points of the revelation of redemption.
Five is the number of grace by which we are redeemed. These
five points relate not only to the redemption of man, but also
the application of the five-fold ministry to bring the Body of
Christ by grace into the “measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ” – fully redeemed.
Ephesians 4:11-13 And He Himself gave some
to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors
and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ till we
all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of
the fullness of Christ.
The Five Points of the Cross and Redemption
1. The base of the Cross, which touches
the earth, represents the redemption of the body. The blood
of Jesus ran down the cross to the earth and gave mankind a place
of entrance into the kingdom of God (John 1:12-13). If one
continues to live in obedience to the Lord and endures to the end
of his life as an overcomer, his body will become immortal (glorified)
and enter into eternal life at the resurrection. (See
Matthew 10:22 and Revelation 2:11 and 26).
The base of the Cross is the place of the ministry of the
Evangelist. Evangelism (witnessing) is the work of the
Spirit that brings people into the kingdom of God (Acts 1:8 and
Mark 16:15-20).
2. The point of the crosspiece on Christ’s
left hand represents the redemption of the emotions. This
is the place of the ministry of the Pastor. Pastoral care,
for the most part, has to do with bringing stability to the
emotions of man. This is accomplished through preaching the
word of comfort, prayer for the flock, and counseling by the
Spirit of God.
3. The point of the crosspiece on Christ’s
right hand represents the redemption (renewing) of the mind.
This is the place of the ministry of the Teacher. The
teacher will teach the Word of God by an in-depth expounding of
the Word. This teaching (through the Spirit) will reveal
the mind of Christ to God’s people (1 Corinthians 2:6-13).
Anointed teaching will facilitate a renewing of the mind
according to the Word of God.
4. The point where the vertical and
horizontal pieces cross (the heart of Christ) represents
the redemption of the will of man. Those who have the heart
of Jesus will also desire, as He did, to do the will of the
Father (Matthew 26:42 and Hebrews 10:9). This is the place
of ministry of the Prophet. The prophet gives testimony to
the proceeding word of Christ to His Church. “The (present)
testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy.”
Prophecy gives us opportunity to know and do the will of God as
He leads us and guides us.
The prophetic office is at the center of the Cross so that it can
flow into the other offices and cause them to also be prophetic.
Every office should be prophetic in nature, and if they are, then
the Church will be supernatural.
5. At the top point of the cross is the
spirit of man, connected to heaven by the Holy Spirit. This
connection gives our spirit eternal perspective through spiritual
vision. This is the place of the ministry of the Apostle.
The apostle keeps the Church connected to heaven’s glory and
God’s purposes with wisdom to identify the present
visitation of God to His people, and keeps the Church on track
according to God’s purposes. The apostle also has the
ability to impart spiritual gifting and power to man’s
spirit, thus the spirit of man is perfected and empowered for the
work of the ministry.
The Cross is a symbol of the five-fold redemption of man, and
when the process of
Calvary is adhered to we will all “come to the unity of the
faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man,
to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
If you desire to have fuller understanding of the power of the
blood of the Cross, read “Embracing Jesus” at http://ft111.com/embracing.htm
.