“…if Christ is IN YOU, THE BODY IS DEAD because of sin, but THE SPIRIT IS LIFE because of RIGHTEOUSNESS. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also GIVE LIFE to your MORTAL bodies through His Spirit who DWELLS (lives) IN YOU.” (Romans 8:10-11)
When we are forgiven of our sins, washed in Christ’s blood and born again, we are born ANEW, “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW CREATION; old things have passed away; behold, ALL THINGS HAVE BECOME NEW.” (2 Corin. 5:17) The term “I’m just a sinner saved by grace” is not correct! When we get saved we are a BRAND NEW creation of God, all things ARE NEW in our lives.
“…if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also SHALL BE in the LIKENESS OF HIS RESURRECTION, knowing this, that our old man WAS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM, that the body of sin might be DONE AWAY WITH, that we should no longer be SLAVES OF SIN…Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be DEAD INDEED TO SIN, but ALIVE TO GOD in Christ Jesus our Lord…now having been SET FREE FROM SIN, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, EVERLASTING LIFE.” (Romans 6:5-6, 11, 22) Paul is declaring blessings on Timothy along with some final instructions and he says, “Now may the God of peace Himself SANCTIFY YOU COMPLETELY; and may your whole SPIRIT, SOUL, AND BODY be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. 5:23) Our body contacts the visible, touchable, tangible things of the material world, through its five senses. Our mind, emotion, and will make up our soul, which is our personality, who we are within. By our spirit, God is real to us and we can call upon Him, receive Him, contain Him, and fellowship with Him. In an unsaved person the soul DEMANDS PLEASURE for the body by whatever means possible. Jesus says, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6) Our natural birth produces a fleshly soul, then when we born again our spirit comes alive and we become A SPIRITUAL PERSON hungry for the things of God.
“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we SHALL BE, but we know that when He is revealed, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, FOR WE SHALL SEE HIM AS HE IS…” (1 John 3:2)
Your Personal Pastor-Bill Stockham