Romans 8:9-11

                                                             Romans 8:9-11

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

 

The key to living the life God wants us to live in the dwelling of the Spirit in us.  The knowing of our position in Christ, that our mortal bodies are dead, the striving to abide by the law in the previous chapters are only possible in the life of the Spirit.  When Jesus sent His Spirit, He mad the life of sanctification possible.

 

THE SPIRIT DEWLLS IN ALL BELIEVERS: As believers, our primary identity is no longer as sinners.  We are no longer under the control of the flesh, but we have been inhabited by the Spirit of God.  He dwells in every believer as His own.  The Spirit is not some kind of special blessing given to a few elite Christians after reaching a certain point of dedication or sanctification.  He is a special blessing given to every believer at the moment of salvation.  Every saved person has the Spirit dwelling in them.  No unbeliever has the Spirit of God, so they are still enslaved to the flesh as we were in the past.  We still live in our fleshly bodies, but we are no longer slaves to sin.  This is why we need to offer the members of our body for the Spirit to control.

 

THE SPIRIT GIVES LIFE TO ALL BELIEVERS: The only way to be free from the flesh is death.  Since we were identified with Christ in His death, we have been liberated from the power of the flesh over us.  The Spirit gives us life in righteousness so we can now live in His power.  It was His power that raised Jesus from the dead and it is His power that gives us life that is able to live for God’s glory without being captive to sin.  Our bodies continue to be mortal, but they are made spiritually alive by the indwelling ministry of the Spirit of God.

 

APPLICTION: The only way to be free from sin is through the power of the Spirit of God who dwells is us.  The only way to have the Spirit’s indwelling is by being identified with Christ in His heath and resurrection.  The only way to be identified with Christ is through faith.  Trust Christ and submit to the Spirit of Christ that lives inside us as believers.

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