The warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought. {SC 43.3}
What makes up the self? Is the mind a completely separate entity from the Body? Does the body dictate the mind?

Not sure what you are rejecting. Are you rejecting the idea the "greatest battle" involves resisting the clamorings of sinful flesh?

Jesus, like the born-again believers described above, was free of selfishness.

Jesus resurrected Himself with a glorified human body and human nature. He did not resurrect Himself with sinful flesh. Neither will He resurrect the saved with sinful flesh. Instead, He will resurrect them with sinless flesh.

You are missing one point!!!
...
When Christ sat down on the right hand of the Father, He, by Himself, has purged our sins. He had holy flesh.

The following passages are too clear to misunderstand:


Arnold, it sounds like you and James are arguing quite the opposite. It sounds like you two are saying a "good tree" bears defiled (evil, sinful) fruit, and a "fountain" yields both fresh water and salt water.

She said - "All incense from earthly tabernacles must be moist with the cleansing drops of the blood of Christ. He holds before the Father the censer of His own merits, in which there is no taint of earthly corruption. He gathers into this censer the prayers, the praise, and the confessions of His people, and with these He puts His own spotless righteousness. Then, perfumed with the merits of Christ's propitiation, the incense comes up before God wholly and entirely acceptable."

You seem to think Jesus moistens evil with His blood. You also seem to think He perfumes evil with His merits. I completely disagree. Again, please note that He does not alter, change the fruit of abiding in Jesus. He merely adds to it. He doesn't remover anything from it. He adds merit thus making it acceptable.

You seem to think Jesus moistens evil with His blood. You also seem to think He perfumes evil with His merits. I completely disagree.

Actually, I get the point. And so does MM.

Jesus is in heaven now in sinless, holy flesh, which inspiration describes as "human nature" (God has adopted human nature in the person of His Son, and has carried the same into the highest heaven. It is the "Son of man" who shares the throne of the universe. {DA 25.3}). Vehement protests notwithstanding, the Son of Man who walked the earth in human nature is the same Son of Man who sits on the throne in "the same" human nature.

Two points:
1. Holy flesh, like Adam had before the Fall, counts as "human nature" according to inspiration.

2. If Jesus in heaven has "the same" human nature as He had on earth, but we know that His nature here was fallen flesh, degraded by 4000 years of sin, either He has degraded flesh in heaven, or "human nature" is not primarily about the flesh, but something much more important.

M: Jesus, like the born-again believers described above, was free of selfishness.

A: The greatest battle is against self, not "resisting the clamorings of sinful flesh." . . . But I have to battle against selfishness. It sounds like my battle is harder.

M: You seem to think Jesus moistens evil with His blood. You also seem to think He perfumes evil with His merits. I completely disagree.

A: He doesn't just moisten. He doesn't just perfume. You disagree with a position I don't hold. But, He does something very important that completely tears down the idea that the only problem is lack of merit.

Where you and I differ is that I believe the "good tree" still falls short until the day that "this corruptible has put on incorruption." The fruit may be good, but the "baskets" (corrupt channels of humanity) that transport the fruit cause problems. Until you see that distinction, you will ever be confused about the fruits of the Spirit and the corrupt channels that corrupt. You will keep trying to convince people that corruption is OK.

All heaven is waiting for human channels through which to communicate the grace of God. {PUR, June 19, 1902 par. 1}

Each angel is at his post, waiting for the cooperation of human channels to give efficiency and power to the truth in the restoration of fallen man. This was Christ's work; this is our work. {7MR 387.1}

He has placed means in the hands of men, that His divine gifts may flow through human channels in doing the work appointed us in saving our fellow men. {CCh 272.3}

He longs to reveal His salvation to the children of men; and if His chosen people will remove the obstructions, He will pour forth the waters of salvation in abundant streams through human channels. {CT 409.1}

Human nature becomes united with the divine nature, Christ lives in the human soul, and acts through all the powers of body, soul, and spirit. From the converted soul, light shines forth to those who are perishing. Those who have been in sin, and have experienced the love of Christ, know how to sympathize, how to adapt themselves to those who are in sin and sorrow, and can exercise the love of Christ through the channel of human affection. Thus a current of blessedness and joy flows through the human channel that is consecrated to the service of God. What a stream of thanksgiving and joy flows back to God through human channels. What vast numbers might unite in becoming active members of the army of the Lord in place of living a life of selfishness and self-pleasing, that at last proves itself to be not life but the veriest mockery. But when life is enriched with the life of Christ, when its impulses are quickened by the faith that works by love and purifies the soul, then the loftiest purposes are carried out, the noblest work is done, in the name of Christ. Through his own transforming grace, Christ is multiplied in the lives of those who are restored to his image. They co-operate with Christ in offering the divine gift of the whole human family. {RH, November 12, 1895 par. 7}

Working through His Holy Spirit He sanctifies and cleanses the soul temple. Thus, though his whole powers had become deranged, man may be brought back restored to his original relationship to God, and become an agent of good to every other man. In place of the diseased, soul-and-body-destroying principles of evil, he follows heavenly principles. Sanctified by the agency of the Holy Spirit, his influence upon his fellow man becomes aggressive to expel from the earth the evils produced through the satanic perversion of that which God designed should be only good. All these perverted powers the Lord Jesus will turn to His service, and man becomes the human channel to work the will of God to redeem and bring back the people that have broken away from their allegiance to God, and to unite them to their proper Center. {18MR 208.3}

All who consent to be freed from their natural selfishness, and to [be] charged with the Holy Spirit of God, are taking part with God; as the human channel they are pouring forth the currents of a divine influence. Their work has God's blessing within it. They are building upon the foundation, gold, silver, precious stones. {1888 1511.1}