The Holy Spirit in Sanctification: Part 2
Memory Passage
The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does
not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature
cannot please God.
Romans 8:7-8
Scripture Reading: Romans 8:1-17
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Insights
"The Holy Spirit works in regeneration in order to unite us to Christ through
faith. The goal of his activity is transformation into the likeness of Christ (Rom.
8:29)...In Scripture, image and glory are interrelated ideas. As the image of
God, man was created to reflect, express and participate in the glory of God, in
miniature, creaturely form. Restoration to this is effected through the Spirit's
work of sanctification, in which he takes those who have distorted God's image
in the shame of sin, and transforms them into those who bear that image in
glory...Sanctification does not, however, make us become more than human.
Rather, men and women become fully and truly what they were created to be;
now in principle, hereafter in fullness." -Sinclair Ferguson, The Spirit of
Holiness
Consider this!
As believers we are called by God to image Him, to reflect His person. That
image is distorted by the effect of sin in our lives. The process of salvation,
being saved, and/or delivered from sin through Christ restores us to who we
were created to be. Through the work of the Spirit we represent God to others
and are His words, hands and feet in our daily relationships and activities. As
you live and breathe this week contemplate the awesome thought of, "I am to
show forth in my relationships and activities today the very character and
essence of almighty God." Remember that you are not to rely on your own
strength but on the Spirit of the living Christ in you to love one another and to
do good deeds in the name of Christ.
Personal Reflection
- What is the "image of God"? Write down God's attributes.
- Think about your attributes. What do others say about you that reflect the
image of God in you?
- What image do you have that speaks of Christ-likeness? How is the glory of
God seen in you?
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