Editor’s Note
by Editor(s)

In this issue we are presenting the last section of the Teacher/Trainer outline, thus concluding our series. We hope that these eight sections, along with Scott Breckenridge’s accompanying articles, have given you an overview of God’s total truth. We suggest you take some time and read them as a unit to grasp the full implications of this truth in your life.

We see that we must begin where the Bible does, with God: His nature and how He is fixed as other-love for His universe. Then we examine the first rebellion against God’s plan for all created beings to be containers to express His light as we delve into the origin of evil–Satan. Here was the first appearance of pride in the universe-the lie that a creature can live independently of God.

Only then can we turn our gaze to the pinnacle of creation–man. Adam and Eve faced the same choice as to their nature as did God and Lucifer: self-for-others or self-for-self. Through Satan’s temptation in the garden, their choice to have "their own way" resulted in the infection of the whole human race with Satan’s self-for-self nature. He became our operator.

We move on to the Law, God’s method of showing man his own sinfulness and need for atonement, and His provision of His own Son to take care of our sin problem once and for all. When we accept Jesus Christ the sin spirit in us is replaced by Christ–we are now joined, in union, one spirit.

But what is the nature of this union? What does it mean to be a container? We begin to see that believing we are vessels containing Christ, with no independent self-operating nature of our own is by faith, just as taking Christ as our savior was. We say it’s true because God says it’s true.

The problems we have living life–perfect Christ in perfect vessels–come from a misunderstanding of body, soul, and spirit. This is the nuts and bolts of the total truth. On a day by day basis, we must distinguish soul from spirit and come back to the truth of who we are, or we will surely buy Satan’s lie that we are "just ourselves"–superior, inferior, making it or not making it. Herein lies God’s way of escape He promises through any temptation.

Finally, having settled our own identity, we use our authority as who we are to speak God’s word into being in the situation He puts us in. This is a holy boldness He means us to exercise, as we are really He in saving action for His world. The crown of living as He is intercession, where we choose to literally stand in the gap for a person or situation. We are a bridge between God and that person or situation, commissioned for the job, paying the price, and seeing the completion. This is our highest calling, the reason and purpose for our existence.