122 The Spiritual Man
wills and thinks and does without the need of God and who
consequently considers how improved I am or how truly a somebody
I have now become through my own efforts, is it not inevitable that I
shall ascribe glory to myself? Obviously such deeds do not bring
people to God; instead they puff up the self. God wants everyone to
come to Him in a spirit of utter dependency, completely submissive
to His Holy Spirit, and humbly waiting upon Him. Any good of the
flesh which revolves around self is an abomination in the sight of
God, for it does not proceed from the Spirit of the life of the Lord
Jesus but is of self and glorifies self.
The Apostle protests in his Philippian letter that he “put no
confidence in the flesh” (3.3). It tends to be self-confident. Because
they themselves are so able, the fleshly do not need to trust in the
Holy Spirit. Christ crucified is the wisdom of God, but how much
confidence a believer reposes in his own wisdom! He can read and
preach the Bible, he can hear and believe the Word, but all are
executed in the power of his mind, without experiencing the slightest
inner registration of a need to depend absolutely upon the instruction
of the Holy Spirit. Many therefore believe they possess all the truth,
though what they have comes merely from hearing others or from
themselves searching the Scriptures. What is of man far exceeds
what is of God. They do not have a heart to receive instruction from
Him or to wait upon the Lord to reveal to them His truth in His light.
Christ crucified is also the power of God. But how much self-
reliance obtains in Christian service. More effort is exerted in
planning and arranging than in waiting upon the Lord. Double is the
time expended on preparing the division and conclusion of a sermon
than on receiving the power from on high. Yet not because the truth
is unproclaimed or the person and work of Christ is unconfessed or
the glory of God is unsought do all these works become dead before
God, but because there is so much trust in the flesh. How we stress
human wisdom and strive for satisfactory arguments in our
messages: how we use appropriate illustrations and diverse other