1)
There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit.
2)
For the law of the Spirit
of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3)
For what the law could
not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4)
That the righteousness of
the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit.
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of the confusion we suffer upon coming into life with Christ is due to patterns
set when we were unsaved. We have gotten comfortable conducting ourselves as an
unsaved man only to find that we must change. We all can attest to the fact
that old, bad habits are hard to break.
Though
we may understand the origin of bad behavior patterns, we should also be able
to see why God wants us to change. Before we were saved, we were controlled by
our own will. Our behavior is largely dictated by how we think. While our way
of thinking may differ from the next man, generally, we are all similar in that
we think on behalf of ourselves—in our own best interests. Some of our greatest
difficulties are caused by the fact that we are used to thinking of the best
interest of only one, as opposed to two (as in marriage) or those of a group
(for example, the church). When one is used to thinking of only what will
benefit him as an individual developing and cultivating a "best interest
of the group" mentality is difficult. Unfortunately, being preoccupied
with self greatly aids us in being able to personally justify just about
anything.
Here
is the way many view the life of salvation: "Life, itself is difficult
enough with out complicating matters by having to live saved." Being used
to dealing with ourselves as we are, we naturally resist outside control over
us. Therefore, rebelling against what God has said just because He has said it
is common. What we cannot escape is the fact that we all must answer to God for
every decision made, be it good, or bad.
We
must deal with the reality of our present situation. If we are saved, we are
constrained to do what God says, the way He says to do it. Indeed, in that our
lives have been given to Him, we have adopted His plan. An employee is bound by
his employer's terms, insurance and health plans all come with attached terms;
purchases (particularly those on credit) require acceptance of someone else's
terms. Why, then, do we refuse to accept the conditions required by the One who
paid for the life we now enjoy? After all, He purchased that life, paying a
supreme price.
"Life
in Christ Jesus" should be a life of peace and harmony. Unfortunately, it
often seems as though some of the most troubled people are found within the
Church. The only reason one within salvation remains troubled is because he is
still tempting to "create." What do we mean by this? God grants us
salvation that we might be free from trying "to bring (anything) into
being." In the same way that God "rested" from His work, we are
to cease from our own labor. After salvation, it is not necessary to try to
"do" anything. Our cessation of effort is exactly why Christ
sacrificed His life. And after all, if God is smart enough to save us, He is
also smart enough to instruct us in what to do. Why don't some seem to hear? Because one of the prerequisites is to be saved.
"Life
in Christ Jesus" is meant to be a life unparalleled by any other. When one
possesses this life, all should be able to see an accompanying change. After
all, how could a life committed to the Lord remain the same?
Our
concern with the flesh must cease or the life that we are now to be enjoying
will be wasted. If we wish, we can merely "endure" this walk. But, if
we make up our minds to walk after the Spirit, we can live this life with
power.
A
misconception many have about their "life in Christ Jesus" is that
serving God can be learned. In that when we were born spiritually, we were born
into the fullness of spirituality, and we can never be "more
spiritual," whether taught or not, This is not
the purpose of teaching. It's purpose is to
continually remind us, and help us to keep our flesh under subjection to the
Spirit.
What
we often perceive is the devil's pressure upon us to maintain a certain
"image." That is, he delights in telling us that if we don't do or
say something in our own defense, we will look like a "total fool." If
we are honest, we will admit that when we have succumbed to this we have been
able to look at ourselves at the end and recognize that we look worse than we
ever would have.
Our
only success will come in living "life in Christ Jesus." This way, He
is able to turn our lives around, give us joy in sorrow, and make a way out of
no way.
Yes,
we were used to living life in the flesh. Obviously, we were not satisfied,
because we got saved. Along with this "life in Christ Jesus" came the
freedom of salvation. No longer are we bound, but we are now free to ignore
Satan and serve God. We are the only ones who are not bound to serve sin.
As
saints, we enjoy the privileges of "life in Christ Jesus." Now,
if he can only get us to live for God and God, alone.