The Scripture makes it very clear that as we focus on purity we experience power from above. Paul stressed this in his final letter to his understudy Timothy. “Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter [i.e., “iniquity”], he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work” (2Ti 2:21). How? The process is simple: God the Father works through the Son. The Son works through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit works through the Word. The Word works through the believer. The believer works through living faith.
1st Thessalonians – The Word Working in You – Uniontown, PA 2007
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Testimony of Desert Storm veterans. History is "His story". National flaws of the Cretians (Tit 1:10-13). "Rebuke" or reprove" (Tit 1:13) means to "cut it off", but implies the work of the Spirit, and requires the establishment of spiritual authority. Components of our soul: volition, mentality, conscience, and emotion (Ecc 3:11, Rom 2:14-15, Rom 3:19-20) -- God exists, and we need Him -- we don't measure up. In a healthy soul, the conscience holds the principles of God's truth. Spiritual capacity for life is possible with the emotion in a healthy soul. However, uncontrolled emotion, makes for miserable ups and downs. The steps to a healthy soul ("sound in the faith" - Tit 1:13) are covered in 2Pe 1:5-7: excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly love, and agape love. The way to an unhealthy soul is listed in Eph 4:17-19: walking as the Gentiles, futility, darkening of the soul, hardness of heart, sensuality -- emotion is the dictator: apostasy, then sin unto death. Foundation of the house (a healthy soul) is Jesus Christ, and there are 5 floors. These reflect Jesus' approach to life -- what He'd think or how He'd respond to circumstances: (1) Grace Orientation; (2) Mastery of the Details of Life; (3) Relaxed Mental Attitude (1Co 15:10); (4) Love; (5) Happiness. Word of God needs to come in and "go out" in application. Holy Spirit's job is behind the building up of our soul (1Co 2:16). Synonyms for edification in the soul: "light", "glory", "fullness", "complete", and "work". "Jewish fables, and commandments of men" (Tit 1:14) are the basis of Gnosticism. God's Grace + Edification = Stability (Col 2:6-7): there is no place for guilt, human merit, nor human obligation. "Firmly rooted" refers to the cross. "established in the faith" is the stability. The danger is false information and adding to Christ's work (Joh 19:30) -- legalism, rationalism, empiricism -- which rob us of freedom in Him (Col 2:8-10).