ELDER DIRKES ON ROMANS 7:9...

[ed. This article was taken from brother Tom Adam's website and republished here.]

An E-mail came in with a question to Elder Dirkes with regards a message he was given to speak on. Below is the question that I forwarded on to Chet and his reply is below that.

I was listening to Chet’s teaching on Romans 8:1 and in it he said that in Romans 7:9 where Paul says he was alive once without the law that was when he was a pharisaical (not sure of spelling) jew.Thanks,

___________,

Thank you for your inquiry, I hope I am able to set forth my meaning in this matter.

“For I was alive once without the law but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died” (Rom.7:9)

The Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus, had excelled in his observances of the ‘law’ as he understood it. He had far surpassed all his fellow kinsman to the point where he had confidence in the flesh (Gal. 1:4). He was a Pharisee of Pharisees who concerning zeal was a persecutor of the church and touching the righteousness which is of the law, he was convinced he was blameless (Phil. 3:4ff). He was alive to the passions of the flesh. His eyes were open to what he knew was the truth yet he was ignorant to the fact that his sin remained (John 9:41). He thought himself whole and in no need of a physician (Luke 5:31), he was sure he was not born of fornication for he had God as his father (John 8:41) and was the rightful heir of the promise of God because he was a Hebrew of Hebrews, son of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. These things were all counted gain to Saul as he paraded about as the Pharisees, standing on the street corners wanting to be heard of men, making long the robes of their phylactery, being shamefaced when he fasted and making long open and loud prayers for all to hear. This is how Saul was alive once.

Yet when if pleased the Father, who had separated him from his mother’s womb, to reveal Himself in him, the commandments, wherein he was convinced he had life, were manifested as the ministration of condemnation to his soul. Only then did he know that he stood guilty before the throne of Justice for then he knew that no flesh shall ever glory in the presence of Yehovah God. Herein he died. He died to his way of life, which was after the weak and beggarly elements of the world. He died to his works of righteousness which were filthy bloody rags before the righteousness of God. He died to all his accomplishments wherein he profited above many his equals in his own nation being zealous for the traditions of the fathers and he died to self as the old man was crucified with the Anointed Salvation of Yehovah. Those things wherein he thought more highly of himself than he ought were the very things which slew him.

Saul of Tarsus was alive to the customs and traditions of the types and foreshadows but he was dead to the truth. When the Spirit revealed this to him by the testimony of the Spirit within communicating from faith to faith, Paul was shown that in Christ he was dead to the world and alive in the Anointing. This did not mean to infer that his Adamic nature was the possessor of eternal life for he knew that in him, that is in his flesh dwelt no good thing. He was shown that the natural man is ignorant to the things of the Spirit and cannot receive those precious truths for he is of the earth, earthly. The flesh is constantly drawn away after those things of his environment that sustain him and give him peace, but to be carnally minded is death, because this the body of this death.

When the light was manifested to Saul of Tarsus, he saw the wickedness of his ways and he was ashamed and abhorred himself (Ez. 36:31). He understood that sin dwelt in his members and was under a law which was unto the bondage of the corruption of the flesh. This warred against the law of his mind, wherein he delighted after the perfect Law of God, thus he cried out,“O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”. He was a slave to the ministration of death once and he was deceived to think himself alive. When he was given to see himself the servant of God by the will of God, then he knew he was dead unto that sin but alive in Messiah.

deliverance from this body of death is manifested daily as the refiner’s fire and fuller’s soap burns away the chaff of wood, hay and stubble to reveal the valuable gold, silver and precious stones within. The final manifestation of the sons of God comes to pass when the time of this habitation is over and death is swallowed up in life. Then the body shall return to the dust from whence it came, the tabernacle of this dwelling is put off and the children of hope realize that tabernacle not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Then shall all the assigned labours be completed, every step of the path walked and every sin which the blood of the Lamb atoned for, accomplished.

“I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I serve the Law of God but with the flesh (I serve) the law of sin” (Rom. 7:25).

The perfect Law is life. Every child of the kingdom of God has the testimony of the finished work in Messiah and keeps His commandments by the Spirit within (Ez. 36:27; Rev.12:17). They love Yehovah their God with all their heart, all their mind and all their strength, which is the first commandment (Mark 12:30) and they love the fellow members of the Pasture of the Lord as they love themselves. Upon these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matt. 22:40).

I know I have been brief but I hope I have given you the answer you seek. Your comments and questions are always appreciated and although I have not much, such as I have I hope to freely give, knowing that the Spirit shall lead His people in all truth.

Your servant,
chet

January 2015