An In-Depth Study on Roman's Chapters 6-8

Our very lives depend upon being able to properly identify who we really are. We encounter the need for identity at the tender age of five or six. At about this same time we begin to feel the real pressure of being worthless, due to our own sin and failures. The way a person views himself determines the way he behaves and is perceived by others; as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. In other words, our self-image or personal identity plays an important role in determining the way we feel and act.

The underlying cause of all sin and personal dysfunction is a distorted self-image. If we think of ourselves as being worthless, we will feel worthless; and if we feel worthless, we will act worthless. Finally, when we act worthless, we say to ourselves. Aha, I am worthless!, and then the cycle is repeated. Knowing that we were born into the world as sinners and are worthless by nature it would be no shock to discover that most people have a deep-rooted fear they will be found to be really worthless at heart. These people strive under their own power to overcome this fear of personal failure and rejection. We learned early to trust our own performance and ability. We try to gain the approval of our families and others to make ourselves feel worthwhile.

We are not unlike Adam and Eve when they discovered they were naked and tried to cover their shame with fig leaves. Our efforts are nothing more than fig leaves that will soon dry and wither away, exposing our inherited sin and worthlessness. Just as God clothed Adam and Eve with coats of skin He also, in mercy and grace, will clothe all who will trust in Jesus with a robe of righteousness [Isa 61:10].

In [Rom 3:21-28], the Apostle Paul declares that all who believe on Jesus Christ as their personal Savior are declared righteous [justified] by God. We are saved from the penalty of sin through faith in Jesus Christ, and are born again by the Holy Spirit. We need to ask God to indwell in us through His Holy Spirit. For a better understanding of who we are in Christ Jesus we need to open up our hearts and minds to the Gospel that the Apostle Paul declares in [Romans, chapters 6 thru 8]. This is where we will learn the good news of our new identity in Christ. Victory can only be achieved if we learn to live like the person God has made us to be and to believe in our new identity. We know the just [Christians] shall keep on living by faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Do we as Christians know what it is we are to keep on believing? The book of Romans is submitted by prayer, to the Body of Christ to declare to us Christians what it is that we must keep on believing. There will be some that will believe that this good news of the Gospel is to good to be true and will reject their new identity in Christ. But others shall experience the life-altering power of discovery, discovery of their true identity in Christ. I pray that God's grace will grant you the wisdom and understanding to realize the truth of who you are in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen!

In Romans six, Paul begins by referring to the last four verses of chapter five, where he was discussing the contrast between the result of the disobedience of Adam to the results of the obedience of Jesus where God released His grace to all mankind. Paul starts chapter six by laying the foundation for the rest of his teachings. As soon as Paul introduced the doctrine of receiving justification through grace just by what Jesus Accomplished on the Cross-at Calvary. He was attacked by two groups of people. One group of people said, if faith in Jesus triggers God's grace and forgiveness, then man could do anything he wanted to do, regardless of how immoral it was and would be safe as long as he had faith in Jesus; this is antinomy theology. The other group was the legalists who insisted that man had to choose between grace and law, they did not believe that grace and law could co-exist. Paul was trying to explain that these two points of view were perversions of the doctrine of justification by grace through faith.

The magnitude of God's grace is difficult for some people to accept. Their Adam nature prompts them to feel that they must do something to keep the door to heaven open. Spiritual brownie points like praying everyday, reading the Bible everyday or trying to serve mankind and humanity everyday really, has nothing to do with our initial salvation. Don’t take an offensive posture, we must realize this sooner rather than later. These functions are good works that spring forth from our faith and our love for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Paul addresses the false assumption that God's law was established to put the spotlight on the abundance of sin in the world [Rom 5:20-21] and that the increasing magnitude of sin also causes God's grace to also be magnified. This represents the idea that we can sin all the more therefore increasing God's Glory. In [Rom 6:1], Paul asks, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Paul then says, God forbid! How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? This question was radical, but Paul was opening the door to even more radicalism, which is the Christian's death to sin and his new life in Christ. I suggest that we all [Christians] study in depth [Romans, chapters 6 thru 8] until we fully understand who we are in Christ. Who we are in Christ is awesome!

Paul, using the analogy of physical baptism begins to touch on the fact that baptism is an outward expression of an inward change and that we must come to the willingness to be identified with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. At the instant we were reborn we received the Spirit of Christ and that we were spiritually baptized by the Holy Spirit and immersed into the body of Christ [1st Cor 12:13]. All the writers of the New Testament assumes that all Christians will assume his or her directive from Lord concerning Baptism [Mat 28:19]. This doctrine puts us into a large group of like-minded Christians.

Baptism into Christ simply means, we were immersed into and tightly joined to Christ, joined to all that He is and does. Paul speaks long about this baptism and that in Christ we are considered by God to have died with Christ on the tree on Calvary. Furthermore, Paul states that we were considered by God to have been buried with Christ in the tomb and also that we are raised into a walk in newness of life, born anew. Our physical baptism is a symbolic acknowledgment of our newness of life in our hearts. As soon as we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior He immediately begins to Dwell in our sub-conscious mind. Isn't this great, us in Christ and Christ in us.

Some of us in the beginning, tried hard to bring our carnal minds and our flesh into line with Paul's words however we soon found out that only Christ can make us Christ-Like and all we really need to do is focus on Christ. Jesus on the Cross accomplished our death and resurrection therefore; our responsibility is to progressively work out our death and resurrection while we are still in the flesh. We begin to die to self when we bring every thought into captivity to Christ. Beware, every sin begins with a thought. Have you ever had a thought just pop into your head right in the middle of doing something and tried to understand where it came from? There are two kinds of thought, good or evil. Take heed lest ye fall. Our new birth is not something that springs up from ourselves but something that enters into us; it is the birth of Christ Jesus within us. We now know God not just about Him.

Jesus, on the night before His crucifixion, taught His disciples how to continue living His life after He departed from their presence. Jesus gave His disciples a fantastic lesson on humility and service; like a slave He laid aside His outer garments and washed their feet [Joh 13:13-15] and then, made it clear that they should also have His same attitude of purpose not to be ministered unto, but to minister [Mat 20:27-28]. This deed that Jesus did to His disciples was an awesome gesture of love. You see, back in the lands of Jesus and His disciples there was so much dust and dirt, that their feet, because of sandals, was the dirtiest part of the body, this was the second most important expression of love Jesus showed his disciples and the first most important, was about to happen the next day.

Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment I give unto you to live by, He told them to love others as He loved them [Joh 13:34-35]. Jesus was concerned about their welfare so He counseled, comforted, prayed with and for them and declared publicly that they were as dear to Him as His own family. He commanded them to treat and love others the way He loved and treated them.

Jesus expressed to His disciples verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father [Joh 14:12] and He also warned them that they would suffer “like” He suffered. His disciples were told that they were to pursue His work like they were doing before and also the same way after He goes to the Father, and this work is still as powerful today as it was then.

Every disciple of Christ Jesus will suffer in ways like, rejection, mistreatment and will be hated by the world, but thank God in all things. If people hate you its because they hate Jesus. There are many essential differences between the world and the Christian. These differences incite the contempt of the world and this creates the flames of hate that is at the very core of this world. Jesus went on the tell them that He was going to send a comforter which was to take His place here on earth and it would teach them how to continue walking in their newness of life [Joh 16:12-25]. Without the supernatural power of the Comforter [Holy Spirit] their life would be frustrating.

The Apostle Paul spoke in certain ways about their newness of life. To the Colossians he said, Christ in you, the hope of glory, [Col 1:27] to the Galatians he said, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me, [Gal 2:20] to the Philippians he said, for me to live is Christ [Phi 1:21] and to the Romans he said, for if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection [Rom 6:5].

Our walk in newness of life according to [Eph 2:8-9] is lived by grace through faith not of works lest any man should boast. Salvation is a Gift from God not something that good works nor money can accomplish. Paul talking to the Colossians in reference to their newness of life told them, by grace through faith and for by grace are ye saved through faith; and not of yourselves; it is a gift from God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. Trying to encourage the Colossians Paul tells them, as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him [Col 2:6]. Our walk in the newness of life is the same as walking in the Lord. We receive Jesus Christ only through God's grace through our faith and this is how we continue in our onward journey in becoming more and more Christ-like. God's undeserved favor and kindness is freely given to us, halleluiah!

The initial effect of our rebirth is salvation from the guilt and penalty of sin, however now the emphasis of our salvation is on the habit and dominion of sin in our lives. Even though our focus changes from time to time our object of our faith remains the same, the Person and the work of Jesus Christ. Paul described his newness of life this way, I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me [Gal 2:20]. Paul lived his life by trusting Jesus Christ. This is really hard for some people to do even if it is God, but this is what we, as Christians need to learn.

Yes, Paul taught by grace through faith, this is the only way we can live our life now. If we attempt to rely on our own energies and the Adam nature to love, serve, suffer and work as Christ did, we will fail. Paul called these carnal efforts foolishness in fact he asked the Galatians legalists, Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh [Gal 3:3]? The Galatians like the average Christian of today felt that God's grace simply wasn't enough in itself. They could not comprehend the grace of God but they did understand the sacrifice of Christ. We cannot just sit by and take advantage of God's grace, we must move forward. We as Christians are responsible to move forward and put God's Grace into practice.

Being progressively conformed by the Holy Spirit into a more Christ-Like state of being causes us to go through some radical personality changes and our understanding of who we are in Christ also goes through some changes. We as Christians start to become aware of Spiritual changes and realities that we have never seen before [1st Cor 2:9-16]. This is a benefit of allowing Christ to have His way in your life. If you let go and let God you will have some beautiful feelings as time goes forward. Our thoughts begin to change as Christ in us renews and rearranges our minds [Rom 12:2 and Eph 4:17, 18 and 23]. These thought changes are not of ourselves they are from the mind of Christ which we have been focusing on and even more good changes will happen as we go forward, count on it.

As the Holy Spirit wipes our carnal thoughts away, He replaces them with precious thoughts from the Word of God. These new thoughts are gifts from God to every Christian who sincerely focuses on Christ in me. Sometimes God just says be still and know that I am God [Psa 46:10]. As we go forward with our walk with the Lord we start to realize that, not only are our thoughts changing but that our feelings are changing as well. We begin to feel more and more peaceful and begin to experience true love and true joy for the first time in our lives. Our old nature some times makes us feel guilty for feeling so good but, this will pass away as we continue our walk “in Christ, the guilt will end but our joy will remain.

We are like the prodigal son at this point, we begin to experience grace and begin to realize God the Father on a totally different level, kind of like the prodigal son when he came home and found out that his father forgave him, extended grace to him and feasted on the fatted calf. The prodigal son returned to a man he simply called father and because of the love and grace of his father he entered into an intimate bond that he had never experienced before. This is what it's like with our Father in Heaven. Isn't that awesome?

After our behavior goes through some radical changes we find that we are able to truly love, forgive, edify and comfort others. We start to reflect outward that which is going on the inside, we begin to change our energies and our monetary expenditures. We begin to truly live for the first time in our lives. We start to spontaneously witness to others in the way we deal and cope with the everyday trials of this world. When we continually surrender our will to His will and power, and our nature to His nature, we will be living the most exciting and satisfying life possible. What a glorious life this is. Amen.

God's way of victory over sin is not through the suppression of sinful desires, nor through the eradication of the old Adam Nature, nor yet through the cleansing of inbred sin. God's way of victory over sin is through crucifixion, deliverance is only through death. Every attempt to make sin dead to us through self-effort, or struggle, or blessing, or make believe, is not following the scriptural pattern, God says we are to reckon ourselves dead to sin. If we are willing to be rid of sin let faith fasten on the fact of our death to sin through our actual life union with Christ. We are in Christ, and to be in Him is to be dead to sin, oh, to believe it! Never mind the feelings; each time we come up against some particular sin, let us there say: Let each of us say, I died to that in Christ, I am crucified to the world and the world unto me. We are dead too selfish pride, conceit and haughtiness.

It should mean everything to us, as Christians, that we were born crucified, born all over again through death, the death of Jesus Christ. We must be either dead in sin or dead to sin. When and if we accepted Christ's death for our sin, then we must accept our own death to sin as well, in order to be delivered from the bondage of sinful participation in the lusts of our flesh Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord [Rom 6:11].

Paul was trying to explain this to his listeners in that it was imperative that they understand their position in Christ through the eyes of God. The first two words of, [Rom 6:6] knowing this was Paul's emphasis on our position as God sees us and that this should be common knowledge among all Christians. When Christians fail to realize and understand our position as God sees us, we are doomed to fail in our walk in newness of life. Paul felt that it was of the utmost concern that his listeners understand their positional truth. Paul's prayer that all believers would gain the full meaning of God's intentions. Paul also wanted his listeners to teach and apply this knowledge to the benefit of all that would listen.

Spiritual understanding is something very important in that it is the faculty of a renewed spirit, which is the exclusive work of the Holy Spirit. We must intuitively recognize and perceive the hidden nature of things, which are different from the outward impression made on our senses. This behavior calls for reasoning and thought.

As far as God is concerned, our position is a position that says our old man has been crucified with Christ and that our position as a new man has been resurrected with Christ. This was an eternal transaction. Something glorious also occurred at that instant of resurrection, we became a new spirit person, a new creature with a new nature and we received the spiritual mind of Christ. Yes, we became a new spiritual person with a new spiritual mind, eternally linked with Jesus the Christ who is incapable of sin.

Our new man with its new nature has been placed into our fleshly bodies, which are accustomed to the habits and characteristics of the old man. Our old patterns of behavior continue to persist because our brain waves and habits of the old man distort our communion with God. Our responsibility becomes strengthening and unifying our relationship with Christ so that, our carnal habits can decrease while the mind and heart of Christ increases. According to God, our old man is considered legally dead because of His eternal mandate, which He spoke into existence through His Word. Our old man no longer conditions nor controls our body. Therefore it must be understood that our, old man and bodies have been eternally destroyed through the destruction of the old man who had been governing our body and our lives.

In order to no longer be enslaved in sin, God mandated that we be crucified with His Son so that we could be free from the domination of sin in our lives. We no longer have to serve sin; Christ is now our life. The verification, of this fact, was reasoned in [Rom 6:7] where Paul said, for he that is dead is freed from sin. When we entered into the union with Christ and were crucified with Him on the Cross-unto righteousness in Christ, the penalty for sin was paid [in full]. We must persistently believe these facts every moment of our lives through faith. It was necessary for Christ to die once for the sin of the world and this fact cannot be reversed therefore, when we entered into Christ we also died to sin once and this can not be reversed either. Believe this to be true in the Eyes of God. May God bless you with understanding. Amen!

In this passage, Paul told the Christians, to apply the truths of their newness of life [in Christ] and their walk with Lord God [union] on a continuous basis and not to waver in this belief system. It is important to apply these truths in every moment of our lives. We are not commanded to become dead to sin, we are already dead to sin and our responsibility is to just count on the facts that we are dead to sin and alive unto God. Do not give room for the devil to accurse you, maintain by faith, this belief system and you will be blessed beyond anything in this evil world.

We are committed to the Cross. To attempt any other position is to involve ourselves in an infamous moral contradiction. We were reborn crucified in Christ; this is the first principal of Christian Life. We are commanded to reckon our lives dead unto sin but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. We must allow this to happen, Children. Such reckoning of a lively faith implies more than is usually realized. Our reckoning is doomed to failure unless we renounce ourselves. Yes, in order for reckoning to be real we must go through a self-renunciation process. We must choose whether to be dominated by self or by Christ. How can we have the benefits of Christ's death while we still want our own way. Self must be dethroned. Christ went to the depths of self-emptying and self-renunciation, therefore it is no less important for us to do the same.

Not only are we told to focus on the fact that our old nature is dead, but we are also told to focus on our new nature, alive unto God. God will not and we cannot put new wine in our old skin or it will burst. This is why God gives us a new skin [newness of live] so that we won't burst back into our old nature. As our new man becomes more and more a reality in our lives, our faith should also grow at a rate consistent with our new man, God will not allow gaps in our growth. Once we get the hang of it, it becomes smooth sailing, however there will be times when a rain cloud will burst forth to cleanse our heart just a little bit more. Praise God!

Lets take a breath here and remind ourselves that God's purpose goes beyond the good feelings, it extends into a Divine, predestined, purpose, which requires the implementation of His grace. When Jesus was in the upper room, he said to Peter, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part of me [Joh 13:8] then Peter replied, Not my feet only, but also my hands and my head [Joh 13:9]. This was Peter's old nature saying, give me my blessing, and make it a double portion. What Jesus was trying to teach His disciples was, self-emptying. But, all Peter wanted was self-filling. Let's not get trapped into Peter's way of thinking.

In order to have life we must be joined to Christ. We can be joined to Him only in and through His death. In coming to rest in Christ crucified as our life, our joy, our all; the Christian will often go through the bitter agonies of struggle and discouragement and defeat before coming to a glad consent to co-crucifixion. Until we are sick unto death of sin, we have hard work to reckon ourselves dead unto sin. We might practice all manner of self-crucifixion but it will come to no avail. Self dies hard!

At the final stage of dying to self, we will cry out, O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death [Rom 7:24]? At such an hour, the Lord will say, my son, let me put the Spirit of life of my own resurrected being into you that you may be free indeed, free from the law of sin and death, free to fulfill all that I have purposed, you shall become. He blessed assurance is, if the spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His spirit that dwells in you [Rom 8:11]. It is not self-crucifixion but union with Christ in His death and resurrection that lays the basis for Christian victory. The crucified lives to make real his own mighty death.

Have you longed and sighed to be Christ-like? Begin at once to reckon upon your death-resurrection position in Christ. Count. By naked faith upon the fact of your union with Christ, trust that Christ will make real your life-union with Him. Let Christ be your life, your light, your victory, and your all. When you let the glory of this vital union grip you, you will never be the same. Let us think of [Christ and I] as being one, that we shall be one in interest, service, outlook, all together one with the crucified Christ, having two hearts that beat as one.

God will never coerce or force man; His supreme Glory is as unforced worship. The Cross-is indeed the power of God and the wisdom of God. Calvary is God's axe laid at the foot of the first family tree. Adam is cut off. Anew Adam ascends the Throne. The Lord Jesus came as the new head of a new race. He willingly came in the likeness of sinful flesh with cords of selfless love to fasten us to Himself and take us with Himself down to the very depths of death, all in order to clear away sin's penalty of self. Jesus chose to die for us, to die in our place, yes, to die our death; that He might save us from our sinful selves.

We have not been left to crucify ourselves; we have already been crucified with Christ. Yes, this has already been accomplished, but we must sign the death certificate consenting to God's consignment. We must choose, in the power of His death and to dethrone and deny self. The Cross-is indeed God's master weapon, but Christ's death has severing power only as we are united with it by faith.

We enjoy the privilege of perfect righteousness in God's sight because of His undying love and grace. Remember, our responsibility is to trust, trust, trust in the fact that we are dead to sin, but alive to God. If we remain focused, by grace through faith, on the facts of our position in Christ and confess daily, our present condition here on earth, we will become more and more secure in God's Love. This focus will also give us the reassurance we need that we are forgiven and cleansed also on a daily basis. Praise God! Amen.

In [Rom 6:3-10], Paul teaches us that we must get off the milk and get on with the beef [meat of the word]. If we truly believe our position in Christ and what we learned in these scriptural verses, then, we must move forward and apply these truths in our everyday life. Paul declares that our old man has been eradicated by the touch of God therefore we should not let sin continue to reign in our mortal bodies. These truths must be aligned with our new attitude in our newness of life.

Paul was not suggesting that his listeners were in an unrestrained carnal lifestyle but rather, were hesitating, to step out on these truths. Because our newness of life is spiritual and not physical we may be a little apprehensive to step out at first, because, we did not feel a change come over us. The truth is the changes and new feelings come later on as we grow in our new life with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is some consideration for our immediate apprehension to step out, because we really didn't feel an inner change at the moment we were born again, but the fact remains, we did become a new creature in Christ and in the eyes of God.

Halleluiah! Right away we have a difficult time accepting the truth that we have a new nature which is incapable of sin. Some of us at first, felt that Christ did not come into their life at the moment we asked him too. Some people believe that possession by the Holy Spirit only comes after many hours of asking him to come into their life. They have a hard time believing that at the very moment of confession, repentance and asking Christ into their heart, the Holy Spirit of God [Comforter] joined Christ in them.

The problem is, we came from a life that was totally influenced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, for our entire lives and then, in an instant we became a new creature, reborn into Christ. Our old nature made a profound impression on us in that, we beheld habits, personality traits and character defects which were second nature to us no wonder we had an acceptance problem. God understands our problem that's why He extended His undeserving grace to us. In our previous lives we were dead in trespasses and sins, we walked according to the course of this world, and we were fulfilling the desires of the flesh [Eph 2:1-3]. We had a deeply ingrained sinful nature that made it difficult to contend with.

While we were under the influence of the old man we searched continuously for self-worth and worthwhile activities which ultimately left us unsatisfied. We were stuck in a world of meaningless affairs, lustful relationships and activities that did not fulfill our needs and believe it or not, our desires. Our true desire was blinded by our sinful nature that we inherited at childbirth. However, when we were introduced to Jesus and accepted Him as our Savior, we felt real joy and a fulfilling sense of self-worth. We found out that we really have purpose after all.

Our inbred guilt was lifted and the penalty of our sin was forgiven and our sins were cast away to never be remembered to us no more. This is an awesome gift from God. All our sins are wiped out, totally forgotten and we now have a new leash on life. The best part of all this is the truth of our position in the Eyes of God. So, why are so many Christians today dissatisfied and unhappy?

When we inquire about the joy and satisfaction that now eludes us and why our lives seem to be no different than they were before our salvation, our conduct comes into question. The implication that if we do the proper Christian things our joy will be restored is, to some degree, true but it is not the whole truth. We somehow fail to realize that the Holy Spirit is at work in us making it perfectly clear that only in Christ are there any security, safety and quality of life. If we just accept that we can solve this dilemma through performance we will end up frustrated, miserable and will become a failure.

When we increase our performance by engaging in more bible study, more church attendance, more giving, more witnessing etc. we will still lack the joy and satisfaction we once knew. We become convinced that the solution lies in our activities so we indulge the pulpit for help or we hold out for an inspired sermon or a revival service or we latch on to a flurry of good works, but still, our original joy and satisfaction eludes us. We will end up so frustrated that we give up, and begin to believe that you are living some mundane life where Christianity is a dreary set of obligations with little or no reward during our time on earth. The reason for our loss of joy is our realization that we still possess a sinful and depraved nature, the old man, then, all of a sudden a greater shock hits us and we find that we did the one thing we thought we never do again. And then the influence of the old man returns with such intensity that the Christian either backslides or comes to the conclusion that they will never be in Christ and will walk away from God altogether. May God bless you in such away that this will never happen to you.

There really is a solution to this dilemma but, it has nothing to do with behavior, it has everything to do with our belief system. When we come to a true decision to live in Christ, the Holy Spirit will make Jesus real in our lives and will teach us victory, mastery and teach us by deliverance how not to become trapped in the good or bad feelings pity pot. In [Joh 14:26], Jesus says, But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. The Holy Spirit will teach us how to live on a higher level altogether; do not try to control the old man with a set of rules because this effort will fail. Here is a Scripture to ponder [Mar 11:24].

We need to learn to recognize our old nature and its power, dominion and rules; then, it won't be such a shock when we flounder a little bit from time to time. Remembering the fact that God has crucified the old man, Paul, admonishes us to believe and to count on this truth and instructs us to stop allowing the old nature to dominate our negative thoughts about ourselves which are self-defeating. We really need to stop trying to kill ourselves and these negative thoughts through our old nature it's imperative that we trust God. When we truly believe that our old man has been crucified then why do we still try to kill it ourselves?

If we continue to persist in believing that we are still living through the old man and remain preoccupied with this belief, we will allow it to rule and reign, begin to obey it's desires and will yield our members as instruments of unrighteousness. Therefore, it is crucial to continue to renew your right beliefs on a daily basis. We must not confuse our beliefs about Jesus with believing Jesus; this is a fatal mistake, because it brings Jesus down to our level rather than Jesus bringing us up to His level. Understand? I pray so.

Knowing that our joy is not determined by our conduct, good works or increased church services, we must also believe that the quality of our joy is not a quality, which may be achieved in and of itself. In the Bible, joy is a by-product of faith and the life motivated by that faith. Claim for yourself the words of Jesus,

We have abundant hope because we are grafted into the crucified Christ, a partaker of the Divine nature. Self can never overcome self. Thank God we are already Christ-Possessed and as we yield all to the Christ His mighty death will work out in us an inner crucifixion. The more Christ has us the more we die to self. The Cross contradicts our wills, wisdom, affections, pride and the Cross contradicts our self and human nature but except a man denies himself, forsakes all that he has and all of his own life, Christ says He can not be my disciple.”

When Christ went to the Cross the axe was laid to the root of the tree. The old Adam Nature, yes, as it were, lock, stock and barrel were done away with. The Cross pronounced a death sentence on Adam's race and gave all to Christ to possess, lead and own. Christ came not to straighten us out but to Cross us out; not to trim us back but to cut us off, not to get us doing, but to bring us to an undoing. Christ came not to put new wine into old skins. He came not to put new cloth to an old garment, therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new [2nd Cor 5:18]. There can be nothing short of an ignominious termination and undoing of the whole of our moral and spiritual heritage from Adam. Such is, the all-essential of our salvation, in as much as self is the root, the tree and the branches of all the evils of our fallen state, under law.

It should be observed that self-denial is no mere cutting off of an indulgence here and there, but laying the axe at the root of the tree of self, of which all indulgences are only greater or smaller branches. Self-righteousness, self-trust, self-seeking, self-pleasing, self-will, self-defense, self-glory; these are just a few of the myriad branches of that deeply rooted tree. Until the axe is laid at the very root of the tree of self and our natural life gives place to the life of the Spirit, all our virtues are only taught practices grafted upon a corrupt bottom. There is a tendency however for the old sprigs and root of this tree of self to try to grow once again therefore a Christian must learn the dynamics of the Cross as it applies in this matter.

Jesus said I am the vine, ye are the branches, [Joh 15:5] as a branch of the old Adamic stoke, we brought forth wild grapes. But as a partaker of Christ, we believe that in Christ we were cut off from our former natural connections and grafted into Christ by faith. We are grafted into the true vine; the living vine, and victory is certain. We have been severed from our former family tree and, at the Cross, grafted into the trunk of the eternal deity. We are joint-heirs with Christ and have become partakers of the Divine

According to the ordinary laws of grafting, the good branch of a desirable fruit is grafted into an inferior trunk. However, ours is a grafting contrary to nature, we have been grafted into the riven [tear or rend apart] side of the redeemer we have been grafted, a bad into a good. There is another contrary to nature that is all-important. When the life-union of the vine and branch is effected in nature, the branch still bears fruit after it's kind, according to it's own original life. But, in Adam we died and by that life we received from Adam, we brought forth fruit unto death [Rom 7:5]. The mind of the flesh is death. In order, therefore, to bring forth fruit unto God, [Rom 7:4] this natural life must give way, must yield to the Holy Ghost.

Having been condemned to the Cross, we must come to feel by a deep work of the Spirit that by nature we are unfit to live. The Cross says so and we must consent. We must come to a cordial consent that we have been crucified together with Christ, so that it is no longer I that live, but Christ that lives in me. His crucified life must come coursing through me, the engrafted branch, so contradictions and setting me aside, that the Spiritual Fruit of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, after His kind, shall be manifest to the Glory and Praise of God.

Sometimes we become so addicted to self and entwined with self that our spiritual natures can not be centered in God by means of a deep union of love without a violent contradiction of our old natures. This is the secret of the Cross, it does violence to corrupt human nature, and it slays the old life. Those who teach us that the Blood of Jesus cleanses or eradicates the old nature often fail to enter into and learn the meaning of the Christ-indwelt life as the only life-long remedy for self. The birthmark of nature must be contradicted throughout by the death-mark of the cross. Let us, then, ask the Lord to mark His Cross-upon all our natural choices. Oh, the marvel and mystery of ye in me and I in you, the branch is in the vine and the vine is in the branch. Glorious life-union of life and love and liberty! We are quickened together with Him, seated together with Him. Let us say I am rooted in the eternal, with my life already hid with Christ in God. If the roots of our life are in our risen Lord, we shall, neither be barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is, therefore, in each believer the old man and the new. When scripture speaks of the first man, [Adam first of his race], the natural man and the old man which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts, it refers to what we are in Adam, and from him by nature. On the other hand, those who have been born again have become new creatures in Christ; they have put on the new man.

As a believer, it is a shock when we first discover that in our flesh dwells no good thing and the mind of the flesh is death. It is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be [Rom 8:7]; it is unmitigated antagonism against the things of the Spirit and it is enmity against God. Paul says, the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other [Gal 5:17]. But the most startling and distressing shock to us personally is that we find we are both: carnal, sold under sin and delight in the law of God after the inward man [Rom 7:14] and [Rom 7:22]. Therefore, every sincere Christian will some time or another cry out, consciously or unconsciously O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death [Rom 7:24]?

Make no mistake about it, we can not, at the same time, be in Adam and in Christ. Being in Adam means being in the flesh lost and cursed and in no sense a Christian. But, being cut off from Adam and joined to Christ in vital life-union at the Cross changes all that. Through union with Christ we are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. Those who have been born again are not Adam-Christ believers; our old man has been crucified with Him.

I fear that many believers are holding the truth of the two natures in such away that it forbids audience with the King. On what grounds are we seeking access to the Throne? There is no mercy for the flesh. It dare not approach the Holy Place, lest God say, take him from mine altar that he may die. [Ex 21:14]. We must go in as crucified or not go at all. The Cross has fixed an eternal separation between us and the old man. This must be a life long attitude! We can not go to the Throne accept by the Blood of Jesus.

When Christ came into our humanity He fastened us to Himself and took us to the cursed tree and down into the tomb that He might once-and-for-all terminate our relationship to our old man. Having been buried we are now married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead. [Rom 7:4] Isn't this also true for you?

Living through the old man is like, walking two steps forward and six steps backward. This life style fails because no one can live a righteous life, living under the Law of Moses. The reason God established His law in the first place was to prove that everyone was a sinner and needed a sacrifice unto God for forgiveness. During the Old Testament era, sinners would bring a lamb to the priest so he could sacrifice it for their sin; this also became a failure. These two lifestyles presented us with two different outcomes; one was death and one was life. That is why God sent His only begotten Son into the world to suffer the penalty for our sins unto Himself, on the Cross-at Calvary.

Since childbirth, we acquired our belief system through our parents, school, friends and our own thinking. We rationalized ourselves right into believing a whole bunch of lies. For a long time, I refused all invitations to attend church because my mother told me many times, God is going to punish you for this, God is going to punish you for that. This was my mother's belief system thus, it also became my belief system, until I heard the truth and stepped out in faith. It was very comforting to realize that God loved me, I was no longer afraid of a punishing God. My God is a God of consequences, which allows me to choose two ways of life, that of death or that of life.

If we believe that the old nature is no longer alive then, sin will no longer reign in our mortal bodies [our members]. When we alter our focus and believe our old man is dead we will then, begin to be victorious in a way that will give us joy and good feelings. The inclination to sin is a carryover from our previous lifestyle; these inclinations will eventually die. When we alter our focus and believe that we are dead to sin we must also focus on the fact that we were also resurrected. If we forget the resurrection we may find ourselves submitting to the lusts of the flesh. Remember, we only need to be resurrected once, then, claim it so, everyday. Our spiritual belief system must remain intact at any cost; our old man must not control us. Leave the milk behind and get on with the beef, so we can go onward to our full potential in Christ. Amen!

Paul assures us through his command, that sin of unbelief shall never again have dominion over us, When we agreed to die with Christ Jesus on the Cross, this, put our old spirit person to death and raised a new spirit person in us. Paul was not trying to imply that our old sinful nature ceases to exist or is totally eradicated but rather, it is dead. In God's eyes our sinful nature is considered dead and was separated from us by death. The eradication of the old nature will be completely accomplished when our bodies go through physical death. When we believe that we were crucified with Christ and resurrected with Christ from the tomb the law is fulfilled. Christ came into the world to fulfill God's law.

Back in [verse one], Paul was speaking from a purpose of the law point of view but here he's speaking from the not under law point of view. Paul in [verse one] was speaking from the, should we continue to live in sin so that the grace of God may abound, point of view but here he is talking from the, living under grace rather than under law gives believers the license to sin point of view. We have studied long enough to know the obvious answer here. Searching for loopholes is a behavior of the old nature, and this is where Paul decides to close all the loopholes.

The listeners were trying to get Paul to agree that if they continued to sin, then, God's grace and forgiveness should abound; which, should give God more Glory, but Paul answered and said, God forbid. They also questioned Paul saying, If through God eyes our old man is considered dead and that we are to count on this, then we must be free to sin without any negative results, and that if we were no longer under law but under grace then, we shouldn’t be condemned for sin. These listeners, probably legalists, were searching pretty hard for loopholes, guess where these questions came from. This perverted grace is nothing less than a mockery of the truth.

What Paul was trying to say is, living under grace gives us the opportunity to become righteous over a period of time and that we will not be able to sin because our sinful nature is being subdued by Christ in us by God's grace through our faith. The more Christ lives in us the more we love Him and will reckon ourselves dead to sin but alive unto God. As Christ's love grows in us, our love for Him also grows. Some Christians may not totally agree with me but we all have choices and a free will. There are those who and still do pervert God's Grace. God forbid! I pray that this is not you. Amen.

In answering the question raised in [Rom 6:15], Paul teaches his listeners that, as Christians they needed to realize that there was no middle ground, in their walk with their Lord. We as Christians need to come to that same understanding. The words of Our Lord Jesus read, No servant can serve two masters: For either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon [Luk 16:13]. What is important here, is we Christians have a serious choice to make, either walk in the spirit or walk in death. [Gal 5:16] How can we be a child of God and still live through the old man. Paul makes the choice very clear.

In [verse 20], Paul tells his listeners, by living in sin they were free from possessing any form of righteousness in their members and were a slave to sin and its demise. When Paul stated [verse 21], he was insinuating that the fruits of the poisonous tree had caused them shame, a by-product of living in sin. Paul in [verse 22] was trying to convey that now they possessed the fruit necessary to live a righteous life in union and communion with Christ and that they were now slaves to righteousness.

Paul used the analogy of slavery to teach his listeners because, slavery was a big thing in their land at that time, and living in sin is equivalent to slavery; therefore they began to grasp and to understand what Paul was conveying. Finally, in [verse 23], Paul tells us that the wages of sin is death; this implies that we earn the penalty of death, for living in sin. The opposite of eternal life is eternal death. Let us work out our salvation in the Lord. Amen!

Today, there are a lot of Christians who really don't know what God had made them to be. Some Christians have perverted the undeserved favor of grace from God; this is sad because they are living a lie and are held in captivity to their sinful nature. These Christians are living a very miserable life; they just can't get the hang of it, they keep on falling back into the old nature. It's like I said, 2 steps forward then 6 steps backward. I guess they feel that there is comfort in familiarity.

God's grace took over and He declared us to be justified at the very moment we proclaimed our faith in His gospel message. We were then made to be servants of righteousness and not servants any longer to the old nature. Even though, we sometimes suffer setbacks and fall prey to temptation or cannot fully grasp our true position in faith, we can claim our true position and allow Christ to do away with our failures on the issues of dead to sin and death to the law.

I mentioned somewhere back there that, Satan stole the law from God after Jesus came into the world to fulfill the law. He fooled many people with this tool of damnation. To stop Satan's use of the law against us, we need to render the law also dead. If we do this, victory will be that much closer. Amen!

As long as a man lives through his old nature, the law, has dominion over him and he is considered dead in trespasses and sin; which puts him under a sentence of death and damnation for an eternity. Why would any person agree to live, and remain in this lifestyle knowing that, death and hell is the end result? No one is able to live sinless therefore no one can fulfill the requirements of the law of God, everyone needs a savior. God's law and His righteous demands will continuously be revealed to the pagan, the moralist and the religious Jew.

By using the analogy of marriage, Paul reasons with his listeners that a married woman is bound to her husband by the letter of the law and that natural man is also under bondage and condemnation by the letter of the law. The law of God dominates the entire natural world; this fact has been proven beyond all doubt. Paul says, Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God [Rom 3:19].

God knocks on everyone's heart one way or another and in any shape or form; therefore man, in his natural condition, has turned his back on God. God wants everyone to enter into union with Christ and choose to accept His gift of Eternal life, which is offered freely to anyone who would accept. When Paul said these words in [Rom 7:4], he was trying to get his listeners to understand that they were no longer bound to the law of sin but that they were free to marry another, even the Lord which is a supernatural marriage. The death of the married woman's husband is similar to the death of our old man. We are no longer bound by the law but free to be joined to God in Christ.

Paul's listeners were probably dumb founded by this time but they did begin to wake up to the truth of the gospel. The realization that, living in the natural realm is certain spiritual death it would be wise to not insist on remaining there; however, there are a lot of Christians who do not know how to live the victorious life. This fact causes me sadness. Amen!

Contrasting our position as believers to the position as unbelievers Paul declares that as an unbeliever, we are found guilty and are condemned to death and is unable to keep the law. On the other hand, in the eyes of God, the believer is considered to be dead as far as the law is concerned. Paul says, living under the realm of law, causes the unbeliever to seek out sinful behavior, which actually increases his knowledge of sin, therefore convincing the unbeliever that he needs salvation from the death which is forthcoming. What a waste of time it is, living under the rain cloud of spiritual death. If the truth be told, the unbeliever will someday fall to his knees and beg God for forgiveness; I just hope and pray that it could be sooner rather than later.

When we live as a believer does, we are no longer condemned to some terrible death, lost forever. To the believer, God says, the law is dead and definitely is if, we abide in the true vine, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. The life that is lived and characterized as dead to the law and married to Christ, is a lifestyle that is truly free to serve God under the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit. Thank God that we are free to serve God in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. Thank God for Jesus Christ! Amen!

Paul is continuing to explain the believer's union with Christ in that, the person we were in Adam no longer exists because it was crucified and buried with Christ Jesus on the cross at Calvary. He also tells them that they can now go boldly unto the throne of grace living in the realm of the new spirit person that Christ presented to them through His union with them which was also accomplished on the Cross at Calvary. Paul stated, we are now free to present ourselves unto God and our members as instruments of righteousness. The second issue Paul explains to his listeners is, in God's eyes they are also considered to be dead to the law, this nullifies their death sentence.

Paul's intention, at this point, is to demonstrate the function where the law brings conflict between the desires and the powers of indwelling sin and that the law struggles against the new person they are in Christ. The principal that Paul is trying to pervade is the function of the law and the reaction of sin to the law. He explains, that its not only necessary to be delivered from the power of the law but also from the futility of the attempts to utilize the law in their struggle with sin. These legalists seem to be a hard bunch for Paul to teach but, Paul won't give up because, like Jesus, he loves his listeners not matter what or who they are.

Paul starts out, Romans chapter seven, with the analogy of marriage within the law and quickly gets into his rhetorical questions in reference to the functions of law and death and how he would not of known sin if it wasn't for the law. He asks his listeners; if we are free from the law and do not serve sin any longer is the law sin? Paul answers his own question quickly and says God forbid! I believe the legalists were hoping that Paul would say yes but when he said God forbid, they lamented. There was no way they were going to get out of this one.

Now Paul starts to tell them that the law is really a good tool to discover sin and that it is holy, just and good. Paul explained to them that God originally intended the law to not only reveal man's need for a Savior but also, to manifest His own standard for holiness, justice and goodness. They learned to realize that the law is the instrument and a function that exposes sin as sin, and creates an awareness to the consequences of sin. Paul said, if it were not for the law he would never have recognized his covetousness as being sinful.

The scripture from chapter seven is in direct harmony with the above verses which state that the law was given to prove the whole world guilty, and because of law, people became aware of sin. This same information is again stated in chapter five, verse twenty, where Paul taught the law entered that, the offense, or transgression, might abound. When the law is applied, not only does sin becomes apparent but also is revealed to be excessively sinful. Paul recognized that, through the law, not only was he excessively sinful but that sin was a terrible force that effected every area of his life. These are not the words of a saved man. Apparently, he was just realizing just how much sin the law was exposing in his life. Paul was a great searcher of the truth; he was a man after my own heart.

Paul chose covetousness as the example to elaborate on in reference to the function of the law and the exposure of sin in one's life because this sin is not easily discernable. The elaboration on the sin of covetousness is a good teaching tool because it is a character flaw deeply rooted in the old man and is a sin that is easily hidden from others and even from ourselves. Covetousness becomes a pitfall that is so destructive to our soul that it makes life miserable. When we covet we are saying that I need more than what God has given me. This becomes a direct insult to God and if we are not careful, covetousness will become a sin that will be hard for us to give to the Lord to remove from our lives. Don't forget Lucifer coveted God's throne to the point where he was placed into a condition of eternal damnation and torment.

Lust is another good example of the true nature of sin because it is also a sin that is easy to hide from others and illustrates the inherent power residing sinfully inside the old man. In the world of man, some of the worst crimes were committed because of lust for money, fame, power, etc. Every outward expression of sin has, at it's root, covetousness, fed by lust.

Paul tries to teach the fact that sin is to be viewed as the very nature of the old man, which has been crucified. We have to realize, sin is to be viewed as lying dormant within our flesh just waiting for us to backslide into it's power, and law of sin and death. This is what Satan hopes for, every moment of his existence.

Unbelief is a sin that harbors emotions such as hatred, depression and worry, which are emotions that spring up from our false attitudes. Unbelief is a sin that is at the very center of our self-centered behavioral habits and patterns which are deeply ingrained in our lives by the dominion of the old man. The intensification of unbelief by the law quickly steers the sinner into a place apart from God, which is spiritual death.

Hidden deep within the subconscious mind of a Christian, is sin, lying dormant waiting for the law to be applied so that the sin of unbelief can return to the surface of our mind and begin to take over like a beast from hell, exercising its power to the fullest extent of the law. When we are alive unto God the law is not applied, and the awareness of sin lies dormant within the conscious mind waiting for sin to be aroused by the law. “Then when lust hath conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death” [Jam 1:15].

The commandment that Paul references in [Rom 7:10], comes from [Lev 18:5] Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord. This commandment was to result in life, but actually, for Paul, it resulted in death because of the old nature. To Paul, the power of sin within was greater than his ability to keep the law, which for him meant separation from God. Paul, at this point, felt that sin had a mind of its own and that by the commandment, it killed him rather than give him life. Paul realized that if he only had the law to get him into heaven, he knew he was not going to make it. Application of the law in order to achieve eternal life is not life at all; instead, it is a sentence of death. Paul began to realize in a big way that it is imperative to trust and believe, not under law, but under grace. Under the law, we are doomed. Amen!

These passages indicate the position and the internal conflict Paul was going through. He wanted to live by the law but, whenever he tried, he failed and began doing those things that he really did not want to do. Paul's old man was right at the top of his life, causing him misery and deep concern. He realizes his position and agrees that the law is good. Paul could not reform himself under the law. Paul now realizes that, whenever the law is applied, the old nature responds with surprising power, trying to destroy him. Paul, at this point, realizes that the old man still resides in his mind and heart and is still very powerful in it's deceptive ways, also he realizes that this conflict exists in spite of the fact that the old man has been crucified with Christ.

Paul, now, directs his teaching to this inner conflict that persists deep in the recesses of his subconscious mind. Paul tells us that the law is spiritual and holy, and that sin can not be blamed upon the law. He tells us that he is carnal, these are not the words of a victorious Christian. However, Paul is reasoning with the Holy Spirit, which will soon set him free from his carnal nature.

Our carnal nature is that very nature we had in Adam before our salvation. The inner conflict whereby, the believer desires to do the right and holy behavior but actually ends up doing that which he does not want to do. This is a problem facing all Christians. We were all sold into a life of bondage to the law; sin and death but Christ can deliver us from this dilemma that Paul faced.

Paul realizes that his new self can not commit sin, but that the indwelling sin in his subconscious mind therein, is where his battle lies. He realizes that his old nature is still very much a part of his body and will commit sin if he loses his focus on Christ. Paul also realizes that his true self is now who he has become in Christ unto good works [Eph 2:10]. Paul realizes that it is not him who violates God's law: the culprit is sin, carried over from the old nature. Remains of that old nature still dwells within his flesh but it is not the real Paul. The old nature is deeply rooted and embedded into his subconscious mind. There is a constant battle between his flesh and his true self. The man that was in Adam was put to death and is declared by God to have been crucified with Christ; this allows him to grow by grace through faith.

Paul who is a new spiritual being realizes that the sinful thoughts, emotions and habits are still there keeping him new spirit being from doing what is right. Paul is very upset because he keeps doing the things he does not want and finds that the good he wants to fails him. He is truly upset, as he writes, with his battle between flesh and spirit.

The power of indwelling sin causes Paul much grief; he wants to please God by doing what is right but the righteousness he seeks eludes him; he can not control his indwelling sin. The indwelling sin is so powerful against Paul's reformed will that he realizes he is in desperate need of deliverance. This principle at work within Paul is not just unique to him; we also have the exact same dilemma.

The lesson here is simple; no matter how much we desire to obey God's law, we can not accomplish it by exercising our will. When we come to that very same place Paul was, we will cry out for deliverance as Paul did. Our faith in Jesus Christ is the only way we will experience true deliverance from the power of indwelling sin. Amen!

Paul finally figured it out; the message in [Rom 8:1], was the truth of our position in Christ and Paul realized that, belief is a fact of faith. I think every Christian thinks that God has called them to some noble purpose that would please God but this is not our true position in Christ. Our faith is the only thing that pleases God. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen.

The history of our old man is now replaced with our new relationship with Christ; God no longer considers the old man in any way shape or form. I know this is hard for some of us to believe, but it is that simple. There is therefore now no condemnation to them, which are in Christ Jesus as long as you remain focused on the spirit and continue to walk after the spirit until you can walk in the spirit.

Our flesh is reactive to our new position and freedom in the spirit and will remain on standby waiting for a chance to condemn us through the accuser of the brethren, Satan. Before we were saved, our life was not in any type of conflict because we were on a smooth road to hell. Anyway. However as soon as we began to realize that we were heading that way we were made aware of a conflict in our being and tried to do the right things but we failed.

It is at this point that a lot of the new converts choose to go back to where they were; there is comfort in a familiar position. If only these people really understood the truth of their new position in Christ, there would no doubt that they would remain within the Kingdom of God in a forgiven state of grace with the righteousness of Christ inside their being and be considered dead to sin in the eyes of God.

In [Rom 5:12] Paul realizes that the principle of sin entered the world through the disobedience of one man, Adam; this brought death to all the human race. Paul told us that sin separates us from God and that there is no way the flesh nor the spirit can function at the same time; either we are living through the old nature or we are living through the new nature.

Jesus Christ, in us, is the only one who can fulfill the righteous demands of the law. When Christ was crucified, He set us free to live in God's grace unto salvation. We need to realize that Christ lived a sin free life; something we could not do and so, we received forgiveness and we have the Grace of God extended to use without waver, through the communal spirit of God the Holy Spirit. Every believer has received the ability to walk a supernatural life onwards to absolute victory however we must stay focused on Christ. Amen!

There is a real advantage to walking after the Spirit, in that, we shall not walk according to our fleshly desires and that our feelings and behavior should have nothing to do with it. The thoughts that we entertain determine our life according to the Spirit or our life according to the flesh. Television, newspapers, magazines and other people always expose us to provocative thoughts, therefore the key word is entertain.

When we walk after the Spirit we have victory over the influence of the sinful thoughts that try to penetrate, permeate and establish a foot-hole in our life. When we see ourselves the way God sees us in Christ, then we will be able to cast all ungodly thoughts aside. The realm of the Spirit is supernatural therefore; we need to think in a supernatural way. Remember, only spirit can know spirit; this is a truth that can not be disputed.

When we, for some reason or another, keep a certain door open to our flesh, temptation begins to get stronger and stronger until we surrender our will to the sin then we find ourselves back under conviction and the law of sin and death. When this happens we need to repent and then move back into the new position and get refocused. Sinful thoughts have no legal right of entry in our lives; focus on this and victory will return. Let's get it right people; continue to stay focused on the Spirit and the right mind of Christ, give no room for the flesh.

If we give way to the old man we find ourselves minding the things of the flesh; carnal pleasure, worldly profit, things of sense and time, these are all flesh related thoughts. We end up feeling worthless and begin to seek approval and self-worth, once again. These feelings cause us to feel like a failure but all that is necessary is to reclaim your position in Christ and then get on with your supernatural life. Reclaim the love that God has for you and move forward. Just put your thoughts back in line with the will of God. Our new life in Christ is in total opposition to our old fleshly nature and this new life of ours will eventually bring forth fruit of the Spirit that does not have to be concerned with the law. [Gal 5:16] Amen!

Between the two mind sets of Spirit and the flesh there is a drastic contrast; the mind of the flesh is death but the mind of the Spirit is peace and life, and even more abundantly. As far as a relationship with God goes, the flesh refuses to recognize that there is any such relationship; in fact the flesh is turned away from God and will always be turned away from God because it is enmity against God. Harmony with God is achieved when our mind is set on the mind of Christ and our life linked with God. We have fellowship with God through the mind of the Spirit, which fulfills the law and pleases God through our faith. We all have the mind of Christ but sometimes we fail to use it. Amen!

We have received a life that is a participation of Christ. The life that is identified with Christ will be a life of sufficiency, fullness and victory. We must learn not to live in our feelings, for these are often misleading. The Lord Jesus said “ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free [Joh 8:32]. We need to realize that we no longer need to be anxious for anything, for He is able to carry out His will and His will is our will and is ours. It makes no matter where He places us or how; this is for Him to consider. All that we can do is Live in and by the Spirit of Christ, the Word. For the easiest positions He must give us grace, and in the most difficult situations, His grace is sufficient. The Holy Spirit of Christ will give us guidance and in positions of great difficulty, much grace and in circumstances of great pressure and trial, much strength. The weight of the strain is gone. His resources are ours, for He is ours, all this springs from the believer's oneness with Christ.

We are children of God because the Spirit itself bears witness and testifies with our Spirit that we are spiritual children of God. Regardless of our outward worldly condition we by virtue of the indwelling Spirit we are considered in the Spirit. We are automatically in the Spirit when the Spirit of Christ dwells in us.

Unbelievers and those that are living after the flesh do not have the Spirit of Christ and do not belong to Christ. Paul should have removed all doubt and uncertainty about who does or does not have the Spirit of Christ. All believers do have the Spirit of Christ in them and they belong to Christ as brothers, sisters and friends. Amen!

Paul talks about the power of the indwelling Spirit. Because we have the indwelling Christ and His righteousness, we have His life and His power; and greater works than these shall you do. Paul realizes that he and all Christians have within, both the principle of the righteousness of Christ and the principle of sin which leads to death. We have both opposing powers within us but the Spirit of Christ is the stronger of the two. Like Jesus, the Holy Spirit will also raise us from the dead. We have life in our mortal bodies because He lives in us.

Paul, after revealing to us our position in Christ tells us, we are debtors to God for His grace and His free gift of salvation. Deliverance from the penalty and the power of sin was our first change at our rebirth, which gave us access to the mind of Christ, through the Spirit. In our daily lives, the power of the Spirit leads us forward. We are debtors to all that the Holy Spirit does for us.

In [Romans, chapters, six and seven], the central theme is freedom from the bondage of sin which is accomplished through the crucifixion of the old man so that the body of sin can be destroyed. Therefore, our debt is not to our old nature, which has been destroying us, but to the Lord who has delivered us from the bondage of sin.

We have a responsibility to mortify the deeds of our bodies, which is accomplished through the Spirit. We must realize that both, the Spirit and the Christian work together to mortify the deeds of the flesh and to walk in newness of life. We must release the desires of the flesh to Jesus. When we turn these desires over to Jesus and stay focused on our new life, we will be able to actually watch Christ bring about the necessary changes within our lives. The Holy Spirit will bring those sinful deeds that are in our subconscious mind to the surface of our conscious mind so that they can be eliminated. Amen!

A successful denying of self only occurs when the axe or the Cross-is put to the very root of the tree of self. God wants us to cut the tree down not just trim it back. All self-righteousness, self-esteem, self-vindication, self-glory and fatal self-pity, all of these and myriad other branches of that deeply rooted tree must be cut down. To just trim it back only means that the very life of self is thrown back into other more rugged roots, to develop the Pharisee into a more vigorous tree. Outwardly he may appear beautiful and be highly esteemed among men, but behind the scenes those living nearest him could bear tearful witness to that bitter fruit that flourishes on that evergreen tree of self.

Paul emphatically declares that through the Spirit of God we are adult sons [and daughters] of God. We are gently led in steps of love by God as a teacher leads her students, like a traveler led by his guide or like a Captain leading his men. The Greek word, huios, indicates that we are to relate to God as mature, responsible children who are indwelled with the nature of God, not as helpless babes in Christ. A mature child obeys the Father through respect, devotion and love; not by an external set of rules, law. Because we have the Spirit of the Son of God in our hearts we should act and behave as mature sons [and daughters] [Gal 4:6].

Paul, elaborating on our position as spiritual children of God states that we have the Spirit of adoption, not a spirit of bondage [Rom 8:15]. Christian life is not to be considered as a bondage, an obligation or a duty; it's a free will thing. The personal ministry of the Holy Spirit within our hearts is characterized through the perspective of a high calling and a privilege. The Holy Spirit produces behavior that is motivated by love not fears. As adopted children we are in a personal and intimate relationship with God, Abba. Amen!

The Spirit of God continuously bears witness with our spirit that we are God's children. Children translated from the Greek text, actually means, born ones; this suggests that we have truly been born into the family of God. We can not fully understand the glorious fact that we are not only heirs to the God of the universe, but also, joint-heirs with Christ. When we begin to realize on a deep level just actually what this truly means, we will have a few tears, a few smiles and some humility straight from our hearts. Amen!

It is an ultimate good for us to suffer with Christ because we will and are to be glorified with Him [1st Pet 4:12 and 13]. I pray that all eyes open to these truly marvelous riches of His grace. All that Jesus suffered and accomplished on the Cross-at Calvary is ours to also suffer and share because we are joint-heirs with Christ. Amen!

All Christians going through trials should deal with them in a logical manner; this will allow our suffering to become a little easier to bear. Our trials need to be viewed through the light of our indwelling Spirit of Christ; this will allow us have a more prospective understanding on how to deal with these trials. Whether they are trials in suffering for Christ or suffering caused by sin, the light of Christ will help you discern which is which. When we truly know, that we are suffering with and for Christ then, we will be able to muster strength from God to accept and even welcome these sufferings. If we take a good look at who we are in Christ, then look into these trials with a philosophical point of view, we will be able to discern whether they are temporal or eternal trials.

Here, Paul continues to look at suffering from the perspective of forthcoming glory in God. Paul indicates that our suffering will be matched with our future glory; crowns of glory and eternal worship of God. Speaking from the creature point of view, Paul states that the creation of God [earth and universe] is waiting for glorification because when Adam fell, the creation had become subject to the vanity of Satan and because of this: God cursed the entire physical universe which, at that very second, began to decay and die; therefore we are waiting, maybe not patiently but, we are waiting for deliverance and glorification. Amen!

We have a great hope in our deliverance from this present evil world, which began to decay and die as soon as God cursed His creation. This is a mystery to the unbelievers, but to us, we can clearly see that tribulation and hope is tightly bound together; we can't have one without the other. We can see how the world is dying. Back when we were trapped in a our dead bodies and were confined to an unredeemed world, our hope in the reality of Christ was able to break through the bondage and the dilemma we were living in.

When we were saved, Christ heard our groaning and supernaturally replaced our old spirit with a new spirit, which is in union, and harmony with Christ; in fact it is Christ. Our hope of salvation broke through the bondage in which we were living and brought to us the reality of Christ in a big way. We met our Savior for the first time when we stepped out in faith on the basis of our hope.

Right here, Paul declares that the Holy Spirit actually gets involved with our suffering and trials; He supports us in our suffering. The indwelling Spirit of God is very concerned about our worldly suffering; He assures us, He leads us and He empowers us to be victorious over our suffering. Our Lord Jesus, on the night before His crucifixion comforted His disciples by telling them that not to long after He leaves, He would send the Comforter.

As we see more and more of the work that the Holy Spirit [Comforter] does in our lives, we will realize one of His functions is activity in our prayers. Yes, it is our responsibility to pray, but the Holy Spirit can intercede and perfect our prayer life. In our concern for others and ourselves through prayer, Christ continually intercedes for us, especially in times of suffering. When we find it difficult to pray, the Holy Spirit [Comforter] will groan for us. In times of tribulation and become confused between our wants and needs the [Comforter] will intercede on our behalf; these prayers are fully answered. Amen!

Paul, tells us that when we don't really know what to pray for, we are assured that all things work together for our good. We need to look from an eternal point of view in order to understand how all things work together for good to them that love God however, this seems to be one of the biggest obstacles facing Christians today. We can know all things including our own suffering if we truly trust God and realize that all things do work for good to those who truly love God.

The overall purpose of God in each believer's life is clearly to help us conform to the image and likeness” of Christ; this is our purpose in Christ. Because of the free will that God gave us, sometimes our earthy circumstances are products of our own decision making process. There are times when we are at odds with God's will, which causes a confrontation between our sinful nature and the nature of God; this becomes a hard time for us until we are re-conformed to the image and likeness of Christ.

When we cry out with utter hopelessness and despair then Jesus can allow us entry into the blessed land of fruitful obedience and yes, conflict. The conflict will always remain but it is a different conflict than before. In [Romans chapter 7], Paul experienced a conflict, which issued in the most tragic defeat. That chapter is full of I and me. In [Romans chapter 8], the conflict continues but, with Paul on the winning side; the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made him free. But, notice that Paul, in [Romans chapter 8], stands at the fork of two roads, to the left is the path after the flesh, to the right after the Spirit. These two paths continually face the most victorious Christian. It is ours to choose. In [Romans 8], the believer has liberty to choose to walk after the Spirit, it is not liberty that is automatic, we must still choose. Daily, the believer faces the Cross. Through that death-resurrection process, he is begotten into newness of life, both for fruit and for fight. As the Christian walks in the light, overcomes at each new crisis of obedience, and there learns to stand, to that degree of all that God requires at the moment, he is assured by Paul as well as John, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not [in no wise] fulfill the lust of the flesh. [Gal 5:16] Christ nailed the flesh with the affections and lusts, to the accursed tree. There, Christ reversed all the processes of nature; the old life was terminated to make room for the new, for death can never inherit life. The m