Sept. 15

Romans 8:9 - "And you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ this one is not His."

Paul makes it absolutely clear to the saints that they are not in the flesh. The definition and proof that a person is not in the flesh is that the Spirit of God dwells in them. In order to make it perfectly clear concerning who has the Spirit of God dwelling in them Paul makes it known that he is referring to the Spirit of Christ. These are those who are in Christ because of the spiritual birth. When Jesus was talking to Nicodemus about the new birth He said, “that which is born of the flesh is flesh but that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit” (John 3:6). John described those who are born of the Spirit and made sons of God as being those that were, “not born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man but of God”, (John 1:13). Obviously, Paul is not referring to a natural human body when he uses the word flesh. He is speaking of the unredeemed who have not been born of the Spirit. The argument therefore goes that since we have been born of the Spirit we are led and governed by the Spirit and, therefore, are no longer prisoners to realm of condemnation - nor are we dependent on human ability to please God.

Blessings,

Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org