The "spiritual" man is also described by the apostle as "full-grown" in Christ, and in the first letter to the Corinthians we have a striking contrast drawn between the spiritual and carnal believer. The carnal or fleshly-believer can only be fed with "milk," the simplest element of the gospel, whereas to the "full-grown" or "spiritual" man can be given the "deep things of God," things which cannot even be spoken "in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth, interpreting spiritual things [not truths, be it noted, but things—facts—substances—as real as things material on earth] to spiritual men" (1 Corinthians 2:10, 13, ASV margin).

The apostle makes it clear also that the "soulish"—or "man of soul"—cannot receive these "things" of the Spirit any more than can the fleshly "babes in Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:14-3:1), for to the soulish intellect and wisdom they appear nought but foolishness. None but those who are spiritual can discern them and examine (ASV margin) them-for they can be "examined" as truly as material things! The "spiritual" man "examines all things," for he is able by the Holy Spirit to penetrate to the inner spiritual source of all things and pierce through the veil of sense and sight to the spiritual verities lying at the back of all things; but the "soulish" man—i.e., the man who can use only his natural intellect, who cannot pierce further than the intellect can go—he can examine all things in the natural sphere and no more!

"The spiritual man is ripe in understanding, " writes the apostle. And if we carefully examine all the references in Paul's epistles to the "spiritual" man, and the "grown" man, we shall see how the dividing of soul and spirit in the believer is the condition of reaching the stage called "spiritual" or of "full growth." The "full-grown" stage is again and again connected with the knowledge, teaching and discernment of spiritual things, all having to do with the soul.

"We speak wisdom among them that are full grown" (1 Corinthians 2:6, ASV); "Be not children in mind . . . but in mind be of full age" (1 Corinthians 14:20, ASV margin); "Teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect [same Greek word as rendered "full grown"] in Christ" (Colossians 1:28); "Solid food is for full-grown men, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern . . ." (Hebrews 5:14, ASV). "Let us, therefore, as many as be perfect [or "ripe in understanding," "perfect" being the antithesis of "babe" and the same Greek word as "full grown" in 1 Corinthians 2:6], be thus minded" (Philippians 3:15), writes the apostle in his letters. For the Colossians, he prays that they may be "filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (Colossians 1:9); and it is the "spiritual" man who is bidden to restore a brother overtaken in any trespass, for he only can exercise the heavenly wisdom required for faithfulness in dealing with sin from the standpoint of God, while loving tenderly the erring brother (Galatians 6:1).

Again, to the Ephesians the apostle writes, "Till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full-grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13, ASV). Here again is knowledge linked with full growth and the fullness of Christ! The "unity of the faith" which should characterize the mystical Body of Christ, and bring about its "full stature," cannot be manifested until each of the individual members reaches the fullgrowth stage and becomes a "spiritual" man; and again, each member cannot thus become "spiritual" until he apprehends the separation of soul and spirit, so that the spirit may be fully joined to the Risen Lord and the "soul-vessel" in its intellectual and other departments be energized and dominated by the spirit from the sphere of the God-consciousness, not from the lower life of the first Adam.

The word "perfect"—or "complete"—which is "full-grown" in 1 Corinthians 2:6, ASV, and joined so often with the mind or knowledge by Paul, is joined with love by the Apostle John. He speaks of the believer being "made perfect in love" (1 John 4:18), and tells how "perfect love casteth out fear," and "love made perfect" gives "boldness in the day of judgment." The First Epistle of John shows the "spiritual" man, therefore, as one with the affections of the soul fully possessed with the love of God, and so entirely as to be completely filled full with love flowing from Him who dwells in the spirit. "God dwelleth in us and His love is perfected in us," writes the apostle; i.e., the vessel of the soul is perfectly filled with divine love, so that up to its measure and capacity it is "complete" with the love of God, and so filled that "fear" has no place and no room.

But John's language means even more than the fact that the divine love of Him who dwells in the spirit of the believer can flow freely through the soul-vessel. He is really describing the life in the Spirit of the spiritual man, i.e., what living and dwelling in the sphere of "God-consciousness" means. "God is love," he writes, "and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him" (1 John 4:16, ASV). The "spiritual" man who lives and walks in the spirit of love is thus "abiding in God." If "fear" or "hate" comes in, he has descended to the soul-realm and admitted some element of the natural soul-life, or else, through the attack of evil spirits, he has ceased to cowork with God in his spirit. Upon discerning it he must at once go to the cross, to submit the soulish element to its severing power—while Godward he calls it "sin" and seeks the application of the cleansing blood according to 1 John 1:7, at the same time resisting the powers of darkness and taking up once more the "whole armor of God" for victory.

The "spiritual man" is perfected into one spirit with others in Christ. The word "perfect" used in 1 Corinthians 2:6 was also used by the Lord Jesus in His high priestly prayer to describe the union between His redeemed ones—which lay as the burden on His heart on the eve of His going to the cross to make that union possible. "As Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us . . . that they may be one, even as We are one; I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected into one. . ." (John 17:21-23, ASV). The essential union which exists between Father and Son—the union of essence in spirit with spirit—is the union of the believer each with the other who is IN God. The language of the Lord is unmistakable. He said, "That they may be one, even as WE are ONE!'' This means Father and Son, dwelling in the spirit of the believer, by the Holy Ghost, in perfect—or complete—union. Of necessity it also means the same union of spirit with other believers. The "spiritual" man is therefore not only one with Christ in God, who is Love, but he finds the same union with the same God abiding in others. Therefore, he cannot be fully abiding in God if he in any degree admits the soulish life of nature which is manifested in (1) divisions, (2) partiality (James 3:17), or (3) factions (Galatians 5:20, ASV).

Again, it is of the "spiritual" man that the Apostle John writes, "If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin . . ." (1 John 1:7) . The walking in light can only be by the man living in the sphere of God-consciousness, where God dwells in his spirit. Any descent into the realm of the soul may be likened to having that spirit which is joined to the One who is light sinking into an opaque vessel—which brings a cloud or film over it and obscures the light. The believer abiding in God who is light abides and "walks" in light, and in that light finds "fellowship" with God and with others who dwell in light. Meanwhile, the blood of Jesus goes on cleansing continuously from all unknown sin which may unconsciously touch the abiding one by any intrusion of the "soul-life," or from contact with sin in the world around.

"God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." "He that loveth . . . abideth in the light." This is the Ascension life, or life hidden with Christ in God, of which the Apostle Paul writes. It was spoken of to the disciples by the Lord Jesus in His farewell words in the upper room at Jerusalem, and was brought into their real experience by the Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost when the Spirit of the glorified Jesus entered their spirit. They were then lifted up out of the soul-realm into spiritual oneness with the glorified Lord. Abiding in Him and He in them—this caused the "world" to take note. And a multitude believed! They saw the oneness of the Spirit-filled company "made perfect in love," with all "fear" cast out; they saw them walking in such light that sinful selfishness, like that manifested by Ananias, could not be allowed to exist among them!

In light of all this, and what it means to Christ and His Church—that all the members of His Body should thus become "spiritual" and adjusted (or perfected) into their place in union with the Risen Head—the importance of the believer understanding the difference between "soul" and "spirit" cannot be overestimated. For upon his ceasing to live "after the flesh"—in the sense-consciousness—depends his growth into a fully "spiritual" man, i.e., a man able to understand his spirit and to discern and examine spiritual things. A man indwelt by the Triune God and sanctified wholly, by the complete liberation of his spirit from the domination of either soul or body-and walking whereunto he has attained—is yet pressing on to fuller "perfection" or completeness (Philippians 3:15-16).

How long should be the stage between the first step of the new birth and becoming full-grown in the life of Christ—in the sense of the spirit being liberated through its union with the Risen and Ascended Lord and having complete domination of soul and body—we cannot clearly say. The language used by the apostle to the Corinthians, and again by the writer to the Hebrews, suggests blame that many believers had continued too long in the stage of babyhood, "yet carnal," and needing milk on account of their weak spiritual life, when they should have been teachers, leading other "babes" on into full growth. The baby-stage can evidently be protracted or shortened and need not be measured by ordinary periods of time. Probably the length is determined by the measure of truth apprehended, and the knowledge and self-surrender of the believer. At all events, the language of the writer to the Hebrews makes it clear that the attitude of the believer has much to do with his progress. Writing to those he had just rebuked by saying that they had become "dull of hearing" and needed to be taught again the first principles of the gospel, he says: "Wherefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on unto full growth . . ." (Hebrews 6:1, ASV margin)—almost the very words of Paul to the Philippians in chapter 3, where he tells of his own eager pressing on, not assuming that he was "already made perfect," although he would also say "Let us who are . . . perfect"—i.e., complete, or full-grown—be thus minded in pressing on towards the goal of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus.