Humanity needs a Savior, because every human being has sinned against God. Therefore, we must either pay the penalty for sin—which is death—or we must ask Jesus to share his redeeming blood and cover us with his righteousness. A blood sacrifice must be made: Christ’s or ours. Then, we need the indwelling Spirit to be our Helper. Seriously, our flesh is way to weak for us to live right before God without the work of the Spirit. His work is to liberate us and break the chains and power of our flesh that hold us back from Christlikeness.
God has promised to complete his work in our lives. In fact, Christ died and became the sacrifice for our sin, so we could be empowered by the Spirit to live for God. If we listen and follow the Spirit toward a holy life, we please God. This is the Christian life. However, if we listen to our flesh and follow its demands, we are not control by the Spirit and our lives are not centered on the Lordship of Christ to rule in our hearts.
If we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, then we can know the empowerment of the Spirit who has the strength we need in every circumstance. We are the equipped, my friends. The world without Christ is not equipped to pay for the wages of its sin against God; it is not willing to give up the pleasures of this world to find salvation in Christ. There is a consequence for that choice and the pleasures of the flesh are not worth the eternal cost. Choosing to obediently follow the Spirit is how we express our sacrificial love for Christ and our appreciation for the mercy and grace we have been given.
Romans 8:1-8 NLT Life in the Spirit
1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature [flesh]. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for our life-giving Spirit who brings us the power to overcome our flesh. We desire to please you, Lord, so continue to liberate us from the temptations of evil; help us to resist evil and choose to walk with you. We know to belong to you is to hunger for you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.