No — human efforts cannot correct the spiritual condition because the problem is in the invisible soul and spirit, and only God can work there.
Les Feldick teaches that the real person is invisible—body, soul, and spirit—and the fallen nature, or old Adam, lives in that invisible realm. No amount of good works, church membership, or religious activity can reach it, just as washing a battery cannot put power into it. The Holy Spirit must begin the work in the heart, first convincing a person of sin, and then God transforms the believer by renewing the mind.
Romans 3:23 — Shows every person has sinned, which is why spiritual correction must begin with God's diagnosis.
Romans 8:8 — States plainly that those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Romans 12:2 — Quoted by Les to show the renewal of the mind must be done by God, not by human effort.
The Bible shows that the human problem is spiritual, and that those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." This is the condition of every member of the human race apart from God's work. Romans 8:8 says, "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." Verse 9 adds, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." The remedy for being in the flesh is therefore the indwelling Spirit of God, not self-improvement.
Les Feldick teaches that the reason human efforts cannot correct the spiritual condition is that the problem is in the invisible part of man—the soul and spirit. He describes man as body, soul, and spirit, and says the real person is invisible. The soul includes the mind, will, and emotions, which are real but cannot be seen, examined, or operated on. Old Adam, the fallen nature, lives in this same invisible realm, so no amount of external cleaning can reach him. Les compares works religion to washing a battery: no amount of washing will put a charge into it until power comes from an outside source. The only One who can go into that invisible part of man is God the Creator. The Holy Spirit begins the work in the heart, and the first thing He convinces us of is that we are sinners, as Romans 3:23 says. Then, when a person believes, God renews the mind and transforms him.
Les bases his answer on the fact that man is body, soul, and spirit. While the body is visible, the real person—the soul and spirit—is invisible. The soul includes the mind, will, and emotions, which are real but cannot be seen or examined. Old Adam is in that same invisible, spiritual area, so no one can lay him out on a table or fix him by surgery. This is why works religion is doomed: it cannot go into the invisible part of a man's makeup and touch it.
Les teaches that the Holy Spirit has to begin the work within the very heart, the center of the human being. The first thing the Holy Spirit makes us aware of is that we are sinners, which is what Romans 3:23 declares: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Scripture says those who are in the flesh cannot please God, and the only remedy is the Spirit of God dwelling in the person.
Les says you cannot deal with old Adam by joining a church or by working in the energy of the flesh. Just as a well-trained horse can still explode with its own energy and show what it really is, old Adam cannot be trained or cleaned up from the outside. The inward condition only changes when God, as Creator and Savior, works in the spirit.
Les quotes Paul's words "be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" and explains that this is not something we can do to ourselves. The mind is invisible, and only God can work in that invisible realm. But God cannot do it until we believe; when we do, He moves in and transforms us.
The Holy Spirit Begins in the Heart
Les teaches that the Holy Spirit begins His work in the heart, and the first thing He does is make people aware that they are sinners.
Only God Can Reach the Invisible
Les teaches that works religion cannot fix the invisible part of man's makeup; only God the Creator can touch it.
Water Baptism vs. Spirit Baptism: What Places You in the Body of Christ?
Oh, we can hear their testimony, and we can come to some human conclusions, but we can never look on the heart. That's something that only God Himself can do. And I've told my class over the years, I don't think it'll actually happen this way, but if it were, and we get to glory, we're suddenly going to realize that a lot of people are there that we didn't think would be, and there's going to be a…
The Invisible Soul Is Real
Les shows that the soul—mind, will, and emotions—is invisible but real, which is why human effort cannot clean it.
Old Adam Cannot Be Dealt With in the Flesh
Les teaches that old Adam cannot be dealt with by joining a church or by doing things in the energy of the flesh.
Only the Creator Can Deal With Old Adam
Les explains that old Adam is in the invisible spiritual area, and only the Creator can go into the depths of the spirit to deal with him.
Man Is Body, Soul, and Spirit
Les describes man as body, soul, and spirit, emphasizing that the real person is invisible.
God Renews the Mind After Belief
Les teaches that the renewing of the mind is not something we do; God does it when we believe.
Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Les points to this verse as the first awareness the Holy Spirit brings to a person.
Romans 8:8: So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Shows that human efforts from the flesh cannot please God.
Romans 8:9: But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Reveals the remedy is the indwelling Spirit, not human works.
Romans 12:2: And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Les quotes this to show the mind cannot renew itself; God does it after we believe.
No. Behavior change only touches the outside. The old Adam is in the invisible soul and spirit, and only God can reach that realm and do the work that changes a person.
Because no amount of human effort can go into the invisible part of a man's makeup and touch it. Les compares this to washing a battery: the charge has to come from an outside source, and only God can provide that.
God cannot do His renewing work until we believe. The Holy Spirit first convinces us of sin, and when we believe the gospel, God moves in and transforms us.