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Originally Posted by Igzy
The Bible tells us to "walk in the Spirit." Is that significantly less general than saying "experience Christ"? To me they are saying basically the same thing.
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And maybe to you they do.
But to me, one says something generic that I cannot define, therefore cannot do, while the other says something that is definable and doable.
To walk has meaning. It is to live and act. If I am to "walk in the Spirit" then there is something about doing life "in" or "with" the Spirit." When you take in the whole passage, it is evident that there is a need to set your mind in a certain direction. To have a mind-set that is geared toward the things of God. And since we have everything we need, having decided to follow/walk according to the Spirit, we can step out and do it.
And it could be that whatever "blindness" or "lameness" we have had becomes healed and we no longer need someone to help us navigate or carry us around. We can actually see and walk and therefore live like those who see and walk. This change is experience.
It is not just self. And it is not stew. It is meaningful and discrete. It is tangible and achievable.
There is a change in my driving. My levels of irritation with others is diminishing. My agitation that drives me to go faster just to get out of the car sooner is diminishing. I am more tolerant of others. I do not find myself being the very "cattle" that I accuse others of being (speed up as someone passes without thinking about it because some cow is going faster).
There is a reason that Paul referred to it as walking in the Spirit (or according to the Spirit) and not experiencing Christ. The reason is that there are steps to take to walk in the Spirit. And those steps have results. To just say "experience Christ" does not provide direction. It may be a reasonable way to bring many things under an umbrella. But it is not helpful in dealing with the specifics.
And when there is nothing concrete, and you are needing to get from point A to point B, you need direction, not an overlay that describes the outcome. I don't want someone to just tell me to experience Christ when I need to deal with [fill in the blank]. I need something solid and meaningful. I am not saying that having a true experience of Christ is not meaningful. But "a true experience of Christ" is something specific, not something generic. And if I need specific, I need the specifics.
If I am going to go further than I can walk, "get a vehicle." OK. A bicycle. But I'm going from Dallas to Portland. Then get a car. With 6 people and lots of luggage. Get a van.
The example is poor because we all know the answers therefore the question seems silly. But if you don't get the point, I don't know what else to say. "Just experience Christ" doesn't cut it. For someone who has a serious alcohol problem, experiencing Christ may come in the form of coming to know Christ as the higher power as they struggle through the 12 steps. For another, it may come down to turning their will over every day and "walking" out of their addiction. And for some, there may be a miracle. And the experience of Christ can be in each.
In an earlier post, you said:
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Knowing God implies experience.
Fellowship with God implies experience.
Knowing the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings implies experience.
Being filled with all the fullness of God implies experience.
And how can you be one with God without experiencing it eventually?
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I don't disagree that these are, or can be experience. But do you really think it is better to say that I experience God than to say that I know him? Or that having fellowship with God is less meaningful than experiencing God? Or that being filled with all the fullness is less meaningful than experience of God?
Of course you would not say that.
But does saying "experience God" say as much as saying "being filled all the fullness of God," or "fellowship with God," or even "obedience to God"?
I don't think so. Not that just saying "experience God" is wrong. But it is actually less meaningful and instructive than spelling it out with the particulars. I need to walk according to the Spirit. I need to obey Christ. I need to love my neighbor. I need to be humble, poor in spirit, hungering and thirsting for righteousness. I need to have these things stated and out in front of me. I need to be focused on them. If I just have some stew called "experience of Christ," then what am I aiming for?