Sunday, July 26, 2015

The Spirit Wars with the Flesh -- Not Us

We have the life of Christ Jesus in us, those who believe on Him.

How wonderful a gift.

We are not supposed to fight with our flesh. We do not even identify with it anymore:

"16This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." (Galatians 5: 16-18)

Because of the perfect sacrifice of what Jesus did at the Cross, we are no longer under law, we are no longer under sin, but under grace (Romans 6: 14)

"To walk in the Spirit" means to identify with the Spirit, to allows His righteousness, peace, and joy to lead us.

I did not understand this revelation for the longest time.

I was assaulted by fears and tremors of the past and the future.

I also believed that I had to do something about those fears and worries.

Those fears and worries are not me. Those fears and worries belong to an old man, who I no longer identify with:

"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." (Romans 6: 6)

and also

"20But ye have not so learned Christ; 21If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." (Ephesians 4: 20-24)

Paul was not kidding with the Corinthians when he wrote to them this new wonderful revelation, either:

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corintians 5: 17)

The Spirit of God lives in us, and He has granted us a new life, a new standing, and we are now sons of God (1 John 3: 1)

We have a new standing in Christ Jesus, and it has nothing to do with us:

"20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth 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. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2: 20-22)

We do not fight anymore, either.

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6: 16)

In reality, we do not wrestle, but stand (Ephesians 6: 13).

Another translation bears out the true meaning of what Paul shares with the Ephesians:

"because we have not the wrestling with blood and flesh, but with the principalities, with the authorities, with the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, with the spiritual things of the evil in the heavenly places;" (Young's Literal Translation)

He does the wrestling. We rest in Him (Hebrews 4: 11).

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