1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For 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, 4in 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.
5Those 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. 6The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
9You, 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. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And 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.
What does the Holy Spirit do for us? The Holy Spirit takes us from sin to righteousness by freeing us from sin and death, enabling us to fulfill God's law, and changing our nature that we become new inside and out.
The Holy Spirit is the agent of our salvation. He delivers us out of the dominion of sin, unlocks the chains of transgression, and makes the way of freedom. The Holy Spirit frees us not only from the consequence of our sin, but also from its power so that we need not succumb to it.
A Christian does not fulfill the law by producing external behavior based on a code of ethics. Holiness, righteousness, and obedience are not external; they are internal. They are the product of the Holy Spirit, who dwells within the believer's heart. When a person becomes a believer, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in him, and begins to produce a life of holiness. If a Christian is disobedient, he is fighting against himself and thwarting the Spirit of God. Being a disobedient Christian is like holding your breath--it's easier to do what the Spirit of God generates. The disobedient Christian is actually fighting against the new nature within him.
God not only redeemed us transactionally by imparting Christ's righteousness to us, and forensically by judicially declaring us righteous, but also planted His Spirit within us to produce the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control. That results in actions pleasing to God. Because Christ has given us His Spirit, we can fulfill God's law.
If the Spirit dwells in you, then you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit. Being in the Spirit is not a matter of professing Christ, looking holy, or attending church, but of being indwelt by the Spirit. The Greek word translated "dwell" (oikeo) indicates that the Spirit makes His home in you. As Christians we have been transformed by the Holy Spirit to become new creations in Christ. We know that we belong to God and furthermore we would not want to belong to anyone else.
Peace and love,
Sue
"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. " (1 John 4:9-10)
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