#148 The Triumph, Peace, and Power of True Christianity - Part 8
The Triumph, Peace, and Power of True Christianity part 8, by Pilgram Marpeck
Spirit of Elijah—Spirit of Christ
Those who oppose us are quick to bring up the example of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, and others who used worldly force yet were filled with the Spirit of God. They say that whoever has the Spirit of God must also have the Spirit of Christ. Well, Satan has surely done his best here to defend selfishness and personal property!
What our opponents do not take into account is that back in those days the use of force was necessary (as explained above) because man had fallen and all men lived by the flesh. Without fleshly force and government based on fear, no semblance of peace could have existed, as the case of Cain and Abel already shows (Genesis 4). But when Christ died and triumphed over sin and the works of the flesh saying "It is finished" (John 19), he brought the universal reign of the flesh to an end. Now his followers can walk in freedom of spirit, discerning the difference between the accusing, vengeful spirit of Elijah and the Spirit of Christ that comes to those who are born again.
When Jesus' disciples, who had seen and felt his spirit at work, called on him to kill his enemies like Elijah (Luke 9), he asked them: "Don't you know of what spirit you are?" He told them that the Son of Man did not come to kill but to save. In the same way, his followers cannot kill anyone.
Now, let me ask you: Did the vengeful and judgmental Elijah not have the Spirit of God? (II Kings 1) Or did Christ, when he differed from Elijah, do wrong (if it is as you say that the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ always works the same way)?
The selfish also try to justify themselves with love for their neighbours. They ask: "Shouldn't we defend our neighbours when they are in danger, if we can do so? Hasn't God made us responsible to do this? God told us not to ignore our neighbours when they are in need, and to treat others like we want them to treat us" (Matthew 7).
Using such human logic, Simon Peter took it upon himself to defend Christ. But listen to what Christ did: He reached out and healed the man whom Peter, using worldly force, had struck (Luke 22). Christ does not want the kind of love that causes others to get hurt or despised. Rather, he wants to see us loving and not hating our worst enemies (Luke 6), no matter what they do to us.
The Result of Freedom in Christ
We are all one body under Christ the head. If one member suffers, we all suffer with it (I Corinthians 12). Patience and love rule in this body and motivate us to treat all others with the patience and love of Christ. We cannot do our enemies harm. If we harm them to defend one another, we are not in Christ but in a fleshly union like that of the whole world, which says: "If you help me, I'll help you, and so on."
True Christians help those whom they can, whether friend or foe, as long as no one gets hurt by their help. The spirit of brotherly assistance will never be wanting among them. In fact, Christ's followers are so dedicated to help others that they would be ready to die for them. Complete love in Christ reaches out to friends and enemies. It is the result of freedom in Christ and spiritual union with him.
Christ has passed on the gift of love from our Father in heaven. If our spirits become obedient to Christ, our flesh and blood also becomes subject to him, and to become rulers or to have people subject to us no longer holds any attraction. Nothing attracts us more than Christ, for even though our flesh is weak, our spirits are willing (Matthew 16).
Where fleshly rule is still mixed with the kingdom of Christ, Christ's death is to no avail. In his death on the cross Christ learned and taught the way of obedience, patience, and love toward all men. Christ used no worldly force nor did he come to rule, contrary to what many try to prove with the scriptures. The closer one looks at how Christ handled property and government, the more one comes to realise that he did not have much to do with either of them (Matthew 20).