Why does sin abound within my being? The Spirit of God is alive in every born again Christian. You cannot be born again unless you have a new life governing you. Every baby that comes into this world has a spirit within him or her. Babies have something inside of them that governs their flesh, and as they grow, their spirits are revealed to their parents. Their spirits can be conditioned by their parents and other people to do positive things, but their innate spirit, made by God, makes each child distinct from all other babies. God finds glory and honor in each of these new creations. We who are IN CHRIST are exactly as these newborn babies. When we are born again, the Spirit of God becomes real in us. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17) We still possess unique characteristics that separate us from all other humans, yet we do have a driving force within us that is godlike, something we have inherited from God’s very hands, his Son, Jesus Christ becomes the Lord of our lives. We are no longer our own, but we are like Jesus Christ in all dimensions: here on Earth and there in heaven. We are truly born again. This is the heart of the New Testament gospel story. The Bible says that we need to have a Savior, someone who is totally accepted by God the Father. That Savior is Jesus Christ. He puts his Spirit in us, making us completely acceptable to God. We are no longer in the realm of the flesh but in the realm of the Spirit. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If indeed the Spirit of God lives in you? Of course, the Spirit of God comes to abide in us when we place our faith in Christ’s work and not our own. Our faith transcends this realm of flesh and plants us in the realm of the Spirit. We are born again when we trust in Christ, made alive to God, allowed to enter his realm, no longer abiding in the realm of the flesh. What then has happened to the fleshly man, and his place in the universe? He has died to the law that counts up our transgressions. The accountant of the law is dead to us. His ledger is no longer before God, pointing out our many sins. Our sins are no longer before us, for we are new creatures, without the strictures of the law condemning us. So, brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God. For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. (See Romans 7:4-6) When the law was alive in us, we were in the realm of the flesh and of death, but now we are IN CHRIST, the realm of the Spirit and eternal life. As we read in today’s verses, we are free from the law of sin and death.
What about our minds? Are we not still in the flesh, in death, if our minds deceive us by dwelling incessantly in the flesh, considering man’s nature and its goodness is the way to heaven. Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the self desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. Living for the flesh, under the restrictions of law will cause our minds to forget who we really are: adopted sons and daughters of the Most High. When the law enters our thinking, we mind the things of the flesh. The law kills or makes sin more powerful, allowing our thoughts to go to our works and not Christ’s works. Only Christ’s works bring eternal life; only He has fulfilled the requirements of the law. Yet our minds seem so strong and often defeat us. How do we keep from delving into defeating thoughts and straying into worldly pursuits? We know the Bible says everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. (1 John 2:16) We should not go back to the law in an attempt to govern our minds and activities. Doing this causes us to jump back into condemnation and defeat. We do not live by the law but by the Spirit within us. As Paul told the church in Corinth: He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6) Therefore, we bring everything under God’s authority, into his realm. When we do something that is not equal to his holiness, we bring our failure to God, asking his forgiveness, moving on as his new creation. We are Christ’s creation. We serve him. He alone is our Lord, our everything: we are no longer in charge, for we were bought with a price. We always bring our lives under his authority, for we know He has made us pleasing to God. Our minds should be consecrated to doing his will. Our spirits should be fixed on Christ. From the beginning of our day to the end, we should have a running conversation with God through the Holy Spirit within us. If you lack this relationship, seek the privilege that is yours. When Jesus told his disciples that He must go away, He also told them, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26) This is the life of a Christian, continuous contact with the Holy Spirit. We are no longer citizens of this world, we are heavenly creatures: eternal, pleasing to God because we are joint heirs with his Son.
What about the law? So often we feel punished in our spirits because we know in our thinking and in our living we are not acting according to God’s desires. Our minds wander into fleshly thoughts: our hopes and dreams become worldly rather than spiritual. We strive for success in this world, rather than victory in God’s kingdom. We know that we are outside of God’s best for us. Caught in this dilemma, what then should we do? How should we live in this world of flesh? First, we should not live under condemnation, for condemnation brings alienation. When we feel condemned, rather than moving towards God, we retreat to our corners, hiding as Adam and Eve did in the Garden after they disobeyed. We stop engaging with the Christian community for help and fellowship. We stop reading our Bibles, praying, and seeking to do the will of God. This is a way of backsliding into more fleshly thoughts and behaviors. If we are especially sensitive to doing what is right, we probably will say that we just cannot live this life of a Christian. If we are not very concerned about right and wrong, we may continue to live a life with some Christian activity, painting our lives by the numbers, not knowing the Holy Spirit’s power to create his design in our lives, making us productive and vibrant, alive to him in our newborn bodies. As believers we understand and agree with Paul: For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. (Romans 7:18) In other words, we never can be absolutely like God in the flesh. Our minds and activities will always fall short of God’s perfection, either with omission or commission, either we failed to recognize what we should have done in the flesh, such as giving help to a homeless person or we did something we knew was wrong. Although the fleshly realm does not please God; in the realm of the Spirit, we are always pleasing to God because we live in the perfection of Jesus Christ. Living for Christ is not an emulsifying life; otherwise, mixing two immersible things together such as oil and water and then coming up with a new product. No, given time, they will always separate into oil and water because they do not form one compound. The flesh and the spirit will not mix either. We might try to follow the law to such a degree that everyone around us believes that our efforts of emulsification have really worked, but we know in our spirits that we are still just goblets of spirit and flesh. Depending on the circumstances, one or the other will come to the surface in our lives. This is not oneness. Jesus Christ has brought oneness. God’s NEW CREATURE is in us where the Holy Spirit dwells—where the transformation has occurred. When we give the Spirit free reign in our lives, He directs us in an intimate way. Under his guidance, we become more focused on God’s will than our own. He gives us a new song as He directs our steps. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. (Psalm 40:3) When we fail in word or deed, we turn quickly to the Lord. God will tell us, “Get up, I am perfect, you are not. I live in you, I forgive you, and I will never abandon you. For I love you, and I gave my love, JESUS CHRIST, to you for your perfection.” Walk in the light of Christ’s love today. For we know if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)
No comments:
Post a Comment