FREEDOM AND FULFILLMENT (continue)

PART 2

Previously we spoke about Freedom from Judgment - No Condemnation. That's for the believer who believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior there is no more condemnation, for Jesus Christ paid the penalty for your sins, and since you are "in Christ," God will not condemn you. Today we will continue with our desiccation on Freedom and Fulfillment.

Freedom from Defeat - No Obligation 5For those who are living according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh [which gratify the body], but those who are living according to the Spirit, [set their minds on] the things of the Spirit [His will and purpose]. 9However, you are not [living] in the flesh [controlled by the sinful nature] but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God lives in you [directing and guiding you]. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him [and is not a child of God]. 12So then, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but not to our flesh [our human nature, our worldliness, our sinful capacity], to live according to the [impulses of the] flesh [our nature without the Holy Spirit] 13for if you are living according to the [impulses of the] flesh, you are going to die. But if [you are living] by the [power of the Holy] Spirit you are habitually putting to death the sinful deeds of the body, you will [really] live forever. 14For all who are allowing themselves to be led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." - Romans 8:5, 9, 12-14 AMP.

"12So then, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but not to our flesh [our human nature, our worldliness, our sinful capacity], to live according to the [impulses of the] flesh [our nature without the Holy Spirit]." - Romans 8:12 AMP. There is no obligation to the old nature. The believer can live in victory. In this part of Romans 8, Paul described life on three different levels, and he encouraged all believers (those who believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior) to live on the highest level.

You have not the Spirit

Paul is not describing two kinds of Christians, one carnal and one spiritual. He is contrasting the saved and the unsaved. There are four contrasts:

In the flesh - in the Spirit "5For those who are living according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh [which gratify the body], but those who are living according to the Spirit, [set their minds on] the things of the Spirit [His will and purpose]." - Romans 8:5 AMP. The unsaved person does not have the Spirit of God and lives in the flesh and for the flesh. His mind is centered on the things that satisfy the flesh. But the Christian has the Spirit of God within and lives in an entirely new and different sphere. His mind is fixed on the things of the Spirit. This does not mean that the unsaved person never does anything good, or that the believer never does anything bad. It means that the bent of their lives is different. One lives for the flesh, the other lives for the Spirit.

Death - life "6Now the mind of the flesh is death [both now and forever—because it pursues sin]; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace [the spiritual well-being that comes from walking with God—both now and forever];" - Romans 8:6 AMP. The unsaved person is alive physically, but dead spiritually. The inner man is dead toward God and does not respond to the things of the Spirit. He may be moral, and even religious, but he lacks spiritual life. He needs "the Spirit of life" in Christ Jesus. "2For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has set you free from the law of sin and of death." - Romans 8:2 AMP.

War with God - peace with God "7the mind of the flesh [with its sinful pursuits] is actively hostile to God. It does not submit itself to God’s law, since it cannot," - Romans 8:7 AMP. In Romans 7, Paul explained to us that the old nature rebels against God and will not submit to God’s law. Those who have trusted Christ enjoy "peace with God." "1Therefore, since we have been justified [that is, acquitted of sin, declared blameless before God] by faith, [let us grasp the fact that] we have peace with God [and the joy of reconciliation with Him] through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)." - Romans 5:1 AMP, while the unsaved are at war with God. "There is no peace, 'saith the Lord,' unto the wicked" - Isaiah 48:22 NKJ.

Pleasing self - pleasing God "8and those who are in the flesh [living a life that caters to sinful appetites and impulses] cannot please God." - Romans 8:8 AMP. To be "in the flesh" means to be lost, outside Christ. The unsaved person lives to please himself and rarely if ever thinks about pleasing God. The root of sin is selfishness is "I will" and not "God will."

To be unsaved and not have the Spirit is the lowest level of life. But a person need not stay on that level. By faith in Christ he can move to the second level:

You have the Spirit "9However, you are not [living] in the flesh [controlled by the sinful nature] but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God lives in you [directing and guiding you]. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him [and is not a child of God]." - Romans 8:9 AMP. The evidence of conversion is the presence of the Holy Spirit within, witnessing that you are a child of God "16The Spirit Himself testifies and confirms together with our spirit [assuring us] that we [believers] are children of God." - Romans 8:16 AMP.

Your body becomes the very temple of the Holy Spirit "9Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within you, whom you have [received as a gift] from God, and that you are not your own [property]? 20You were bought with a price [you were actually purchased with the precious blood of Jesus and made His own]. So then, honor and glorify God with your body." - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 AMP.

Even though the body is destined to die because of sin (unless, of course, the Lord returns), the Spirit gives life to that body today so that we may serve God. If we should die, the body will one day be raised from the dead, because the Holy Spirit has sealed each believer. "13In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God]. 14The Spirit is the guarantee [the first instalment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory." -Ephesians 1:13-14 AMP.

What a difference it makes in your body when the Holy Spirit lives within. You experience new life, and even your physical faculties take on a new dimension of experience. This is how evangelist D. L. Moody described his conversion experience, he said: and I quote; "I was in a new world. The next morning the sun shone brighter and the birds sang sweeter the old elms waved their branches for joy, and all nature was at peace." Life in Christ is abundant life. But there is a third level of experience for which the other two are preparation:

The Spirit has you! "2So then, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but not to our flesh [our human nature, our worldliness, our sinful capacity], to live according to the [impulses of the] flesh [our nature without the Holy Spirit] 13for if you are living according to the [impulses of the] flesh, you are going to die. But if [you are living] by the [power of the Holy] Spirit you are habitually putting to death the sinful deeds of the body, you will [really] live forever. 14For all who are allowing themselves to be led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading again to fear [of God’s judgment], but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons [the Spirit producing sonship] by which we [joyfully] cry, "Abba! Father!" 16The Spirit Himself testifies and confirms together with our spirit [assuring us] that we [believers] are children of God. 17And if [we are His] children, [then we are His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His spiritual blessing and inheritance], if indeed we share in His suffering so that we may also share in His glory." - Romans 8:12-17 AMP.

It is not enough for us to have the Spirit; the Spirit must have us! Only then can He share with us the abundant, victorious life that can be ours in Christ. We have no obligation to the flesh, because the flesh has only brought trouble into our lives. We do have an obligation to the Holy Spirit, for it is the Spirit who convicted us, revealed Christ to us, and imparted eternal life to us when we trusted Christ. Because He is "the Spirit of Life," He can empower us to obey Christ, and He can enable us to be more like Christ.

But He is also the Spirit of death. He can enable us to "put to death" (mortify) the sinful deeds of the body. As we yield the members of our body to the Spirit. "16Do you not know that when you continually offer yourselves to someone to do his will, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey, either [slaves] of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness (right standing with God)? 17But thank God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient with all your heart to the standard of teaching in which you were instructed and to which you were committed." - Romans 6:16-17 AMP. The Spirit applies to us and in us the death and resurrection of Christ. The Spirit puts to death the things of the flesh, and He reproduces the things of the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is also "the Spirit of adoption" "15For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading again to fear [of God’s judgment], but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons [the Spirit producing sonship] by which we [joyfully] cry, "Abba! Father!" - Romans 8:15 AMP. The word adoption in the New Testament means "being placed as an adult son." We come into God’s family by birth. But the instant we are born into the family, God adopts us and gives us the position of an adult son and daughter. A baby cannot walk, speak, make decisions, or draw on the family wealth. But the believer (those who believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior) can do all of these the instant they (you and me) is born again.

We can walk and be "led of the Spirit", "14For all who are allowing themselves to be led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." - Romans 8:14 AMP. This means that we are "willingly led" by the Sprit of God. We yield to the Spirit, and He guides us by His Word day by day. We are not under bondage to law and afraid to act. We have the liberty of the Spirit and are free to follow Christ. The believer (you and me who believe in Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior) can also cry out Abba, Father. "15For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" - Romans 8:15 AMP.

Would it not be amazing if a newborn baby looked up and greeted his father! First, the Spirit says, "Abba, Father" to us "6And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, "Abba! Father!" - Galatians 4:6, and then we say it to God. "Abba, Father" (meaning "papa" a term of endearment.)

A baby cannot sign checks, but the child of God by faith can draw on his spiritual wealth because he is an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ. "17And if [we are His] children, [then we are His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His spiritual blessing and inheritance], if indeed we share in His suffering so that we may also share in His glory." - Romans 8:17 AMP. The Spirit teaches us from the Word, and then we receive God’s wealth by faith. What a thrilling thing it is to have "the Spirit of adoption" at work in our lives!

There is no need for the believer (those who believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, you and me) to be defeated. He can yield his body to the Spirit and by faith overcome the old nature. The Spirit of life will empower you and me. The Spirit of death will enable you and me to overcome the flesh. And the Spirit of adoption will enrich you and me and lead us into the will of God.

Wow, what a privilege to have the Spirit of God working in our life's. It is this fact that leads to the third freedom we enjoy as Christians. The Freedom from Discouragement - No Frustration. (to be continued.) See you in the next post. Stay blessed.