THE LAW OF ANTAGONISM by Oswald Chambers

sermonindex Dec 4, 2009

~~[b]~~THE LAW OF ANTAGONISM[/b]

"To him that overcometh. . . ." Revelation 2:7

Life without war is impossible either in nature or in grace. The basis of physical, mental, moral, and spiritual life is antagonism. This is the open fact of life.

Health is the balance between physical life and external nature, and it is maintained only by sufficient vitality on the inside against things on the outside. Everything outside my physical life is designed to put me to death. Things which keep me going when I am alive, disintegrate me when I am dead. If I have enough fighting power, I produce the balance of health. The same is true of the mental life. If I want to maintain a vigorous mental life, I have to fight, and in that way the mental balance called thought is produced.

Morally it is the same. Everything that does not partake of the nature of virtue is the enemy of virtue in me, and it depends on what moral calibre I have whether I overcome and produce virtue. Immediately I fight, I am moral in that particular. No man is virtuous because he cannot help it; virtue is acquired.

And spiritually it is the same. Jesus said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation," i.e., every thing that is not spiritual makes for my undoing, but - "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." I have to learn to score off the things that come against me, and in that way produce the balance of holiness; then it becomes a delight to meet opposition.

Holiness is the balance between my disposition and the law of God as expressed in Jesus Christ.

G

ginnyrose Dec 4, 2009

Very good article...reminds me of Ephesians 6:10-18. And there are others as well, this is just what came to my mind at the moment when I read this.

This is so good I may use it in our church bulletin.

Thanks for posting it.

ginnyrose

sermonindex Dec 4, 2009

If one wants to "measure," their holiness, if that is even possible, then the best measurement I know is the distance between taking the offence when challenged and not. The more offence we take when we are challenged( as opposed to righteous indignation) the less holy we are. It exposes pride, insecurity and lack of maturity.

If holiness is proximity to Jesus, then the closer we are to Him the less we take offence. The further we allow ourselves to get from Him, not abiding in Him, then the more easily we are offended because it should be no longer we that live but He that lives in us. More of Him and less of me is certainly the key........Frank

G

ginnyrose Dec 5, 2009

appolus,

This issue of offenses is large enough to warrant a thread...

A very smart lady, Marilyn Savant - and I think she holds the world's record of having the highest IQ - has said she has never met anyone from whom she cannot learn something. This idea is one we would do well to consider as well for ourselves...it will save us from a lot of offenses, IMO.

We cease to learn when we think we know it all. And there is so much more to learn. Actually, it gets to be very interesting and fascinating. This week a new brand new thought came to me - a very profound one, triggered by a book I am reading...will share it later if the Holy SPirit so leads.

My thoughts,
ginnyrose