If you’re going to climb Mt. Everest you need a guide. If this movement is to stand victorious on Mt. Zion it needs the latter rain of the Holy Spirit (Rev. 14:1). To follow the Lamb wherever he goes without guile on their lips and stand without fault, the 144,000 will have overcome even as He overcame in tempted “sinful flesh” (Rev. 14:4, 5; 3:21; Rom. 8:3). These are individuals who reflect the agape-love of Jesus. Although they are not equal to the Pattern, yet as a body they perfectly identify with the Crucified One.
Sinless living in sinful flesh is a precious “good news” morsel of truth identified by the 1888 message. It would be bad news indeed, if in the great controversy Satan has invented something that the gospel of Jesus Christ cannot overcome. If the power of the gospel cannot overcome sin in our flesh, then Jesus will be eternally ashamed and defeated before the universe. Therefore, Jesus needs a “last generation” who demonstrate “the power of God unto salvation” from sin and not in sin (Rom. 1:16).
God’s everlasting covenant promise to Abraham is “the blessing.” This involves “the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Gal. 3:14).
You are invited to go on a “walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16). “What our human nature wants [KJV = “flesh”] is opposed to what the [Holy] Spirit wants, and what the [Holy] Spirit wants is opposed to what our human nature [“flesh”] wants. These two are enemies, and this means that you cannot do what you want to do” (Gal. 5:17, Good News Bible). What are the things you cannot do? Are they bad things or good things?
There are many Christians who teach that you cannot do the good things you want to do because of this constant “enmity” of the flesh against the Holy Spirit. So they feel doomed to endless defeat, and sincerely believe the Bible agrees with them. “My craving is so great I can’t help giving in! The ‘flesh’ is master of my life!” They have Galatians 5:17 backwards.
Who is stronger, “the flesh” or the Spirit? If “the flesh” is stronger, that’s really bad news; but if the Spirit is stronger, that’s good news. If the great power of the Holy Spirit and all of heaven is in that Spirit, and He’s striving against your sinful flesh, and still you cannot do the good things you’d like to do, can you think of any news that would be worse than that?
The 1888 message idea is: you go for a walk with the Holy Spirit and let Him hold you by the hand, which He has promised to do. You let Him, even though the battle is raging in your heart, and your sinful flesh is constantly tempting you to do or say evil things. You can’t do or say evil things because the Holy Spirit is stronger than the flesh.
This does not mean that you have no part in the battle. Your part is to choose to say “No!” to the temptation (Titus 2:11) [1] God has given us the power of choice; the Holy Spirit is forbidden to control you without your consent! When you make the choice, then you invite the Holy Spirit to demonstrate that He is stronger than your sinful flesh. And God is free to work!
When the mighty Holy Spirit guides your life, you are “under grace”-motivation, which is the opposite of being “under the law”-motivation (Gal. 5:18; Romans 6:14). With either motivation you are under