The Holy Spirit in Sanctification: Part 4
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 new identity in union with Christ is the groundwork that the Spirit lays for
adequately dealing with the continuing presence of sin. On the basis of it, believers
are to put off the characteristics of the old man and put on the characteristics
of the new, since they have already put on the new man who is being
renewed in knowledge in the image of the Creator (Col. 3:10). The fact of union
with Christ in his death to sin and new life to God is the foundation for growth in
holiness; the knowledge of it provides the motivation." -Sinclair Ferguson, The
Spirit of Holiness
Consider this!
Our identity as believers is to be firmly attached to who we are in Christ, our
new creation in Him. Many times believers identify more with who they are in
the flesh than with who they are in Christ. When we can believe that God in
Christ has made us new creatures in Him, the Spirit of Christ in us works to
change us. Many times we are unaware of how much we are changing, thus we
truly need to be in community with one another to encourage one another as
we grow in Christ-likeness.
Personal Reflection
- What character qualities are exhibited when your identity is in Christ?
- Do you always see yourself as righteous, acceptable, loved by God? When do
you not see yourself as righteous, acceptable, and loved by God?
- We are all tempted to take on identities other than our identity in Christ. We
are identified by our external labels such as successes, our pain, our relationships,
our status. What is your current identity?
- What would you like your identity to be?
- Pray and ask the Spirit of the Lord to communicate to you who you are in Christ.
|
