The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Holy Spirit Becomes the Life of the Believer, #5

For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. (Romans 7:11—NIV)

The Law of Moses magnifies the state of corruption in which we live and warns us of the consequences of sin against God and against people. The Law of Moses interacts with the law of sin in our flesh with the result that we are deceived and slain. God has a method for bringing us up out of this death. God's method is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ.

The law of the Spirit of life frees us from the law of sin and death that is in our body. We have been released from the jurisdiction of the Law of Moses by means of our identification with Christ on the cross.

Now we are free legally to come under another law—the law of the Spirit of life. We have righteousness while we are living in accordance with the law of the Spirit of life because of the righteousness of Christ that is given freely to every person who lives in the Spirit of God.

The law of the Spirit of life creates in us righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans 14:17). We can attain righteousness, peace, and joy only by a power greater than the power of Satan. The power of Satan keeps us in unrighteousness, turmoil, and misery.

The Holy Spirit is power—the power of endless, incorruptible resurrection life. The power, the energy, of the Spirit of life brings us health, strength, wisdom, righteous behavior, holiness, obedience to God, joy, peace—victory in every circumstance.

Satan would have us depressed, weak, confused, in a state of lethargy. The galactic energy of God's Spirit gives us the power to serve God in confidence and joy.

The law of the Spirit of life brings conviction on the sins we are committing and also brings to us the wisdom and power that are necessary if we are to overcome the tendencies toward sin that dwell in us.

If an instant and complete deliverance from sinful tendencies were possible to us there would be no purpose for the many sections of the New Testament writings that are directed toward the need for Christians to follow the Spirit of God and cease sinning.

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)

Getting rid our sinful ways does not happen all at once. The victorious Christian discipleship is a lifelong walk of continuous cooperation with the Holy Spirit as He leads us into dominion over our sinful nature and over the sinful environment in which we live.

The Holy Spirit brings us to victory by a multitude of operations on us. We do not achieve lasting victory over sin by our vain struggling against the adversary, the spirit of the world, and our fleshly nature. Victory over sin is possible and it is commanded by the Father. Victory comes about by the daily appropriation of the law of the Spirit of life.

To be continued.