But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Romans 8:9-11

What is the difference between a true believer in Christ and a false convert. We see many stories of people “falling away from the faith” , so how does this happen? Well as the Apostle Paul says here “You are not in the flesh, but in The Spirit” So are you Born Again? (John 3:3) This is why Jesus said “Unless you are Born Again, you will not see the Kingdom of God”, this is why the Apostle Pauls said “Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 15:50) unless you are filled and regenerated by the Holy Spirit, you are not saved!

The Apostle Paul continues here “If anyone does not have The Spirit of Christ, he is not his” Notice how Paul uses the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Christ interchangeably, because God is Triune, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19) Paul will emphasize this more later in the text. But if the Holy Spirit is not in You, then you are not a Child of God! This is the difference between a true believer and a false convert.

Many people think they can be saved by religious practices or be saved by their own good works, however these things will not convert your soul. You need to be Born Again, you need to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5) You need to be made Alive in Christ and dead in sin (Ephesians 2) Until the Holy Spirit dwells in you, you are just a carnally minded beast, looking to satisfy the flesh and devour anything in your path. You need a spiritual rebirth, flesh and blood will not inherit the Kingdom of God

The Spirit is life because of righteousness, again the Apostle Paul uses Christ and The Spirit interchangeably, unless Christ is in You, there is no life in You. The body is dead because of sin, but the soul is made alive in Christ. This is why salvation is not possible without the Holy Spirit, the body is dead, unless the breath of God breathes upon the dry bones, you will not be raised up! Before Christ you were spiritually dead, without the Holy Spirit you are just dead in the valley (Ezekiel 37)

Now heres another amazing revelation by the Apostle Paul, who raised Jesus from the dead? Well we know the Father raised Christ from the dead (Acts 2:24), Jesus said “He raised himself from the dead” (John 2:19) and Paul reveals The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11) The Triune God raised Christ from the dead, and the same Holy Spirit is living inside of You as a Born Again Christian, Amen!

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:4-8

Do you live according to the flesh or do you live according to The Spirit of God? Many people claim to be Christians, but are you really living for Christ? Or do you live for this world and add Christ to your world? The Apostle James said “Whoever wants to be a friend of this world makes themselves a enemy of God” (James 4:4) Why? How is a friend of the world a enemy of God? Because the world is carnally minded, you are living for the flesh and not the Holy Spirit

So what is wrong with living for the flesh? The Apostle Paul tells us “For to be carnally minded is death” Living for the flesh lead to spiritual death of your soul. Consider Adam and Eve, they had immortality living in paradise, but they pursued the lust of the flesh, they disobeyed God , they ignored his warning, and it led to their physical death. As Paul say “But to be spiritually minded is life and peace” Why? Because when your living for the flesh, you are at war with God. 

To be led by the Holy Spirit is life and peace, are you looking for peace in your life? Look to the Prince of Peace, your soul is at war with God. As the Apostle Pau says “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) You can only obtain this peace with Christ, outside of Christ you will never find peace because you are at war with God. Your flesh wants to destroy your soul, your flesh doesn’t want to please God, its self seeking and self destructive!

They that are in the flesh cannot please God (v8) Sin is opposition of God, to continually live in sin, you can never expect to please God. The act of sin is declaring war against God, nothing of sin came from God, but from below , the devil who came to lie, steal, and destroy. If you want to please your Heavenly Father, be led by the Holy Spirit, be obedient to Christ, crucify the flesh and live for Jesus, Amen!

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 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: Romans 8:1-3

So while in the previous chapter, the Apostle Paul was revealing to us the “bad news”, that we are all wretched sinners that are condemned by The Law. In this chapter, Paul is bringing us the “good news” or the gospel, that we are saved and redeemed through Jesus Christ!

The first verse is a great proclamation, “therefore there is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” The first observation of this text is if you compare this scripture in the different English translations, the second part of this verse is missing “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” Now some will make the arguments, this second part didn’t exist in some manuscripts, however I think the second part is important and most likely was there. While there is No condemnation in Christ, this doesn’t mean we can live as a sinner with no consequences. 

Notice the scripture states “In Christ Jesus” do you abide in The Lord? As Jesus said “Abide in Me, and I in You” (John 15:4) If you are abiding in Christ, you are not following the flesh, but the Holy Spirit. Those who say they are in Christ yet follow the flesh are deceived. The flesh and The Spirit are in complete opposition to each other. So we walk not after the flesh, which is carnally minded, but we walk with The Holy Spirit

The Apostle Paul then continues “For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus as made me free from The Law of Sin and Death” Again we seen the contrast, The Law of the Spirit vs The Law of Sin. You can’t be following both, “Nobody can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24) Notice also the Apostle Paul states again “In Christ Jesus” we are made free. Again do you abide in Christ and Christ abides in You. Are you yoked to The Lord? Do you truly love The Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength?

So how are we set free? How is there no condemnation in Christ Jesus? The Apostle Paul states “God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh” Jesus Christ became flesh and died in our place on the cross! Christ said on the cross “It Is Finished”, there is no condemnation for those who repent and put their faith in The Lord for salvation, Abide in Christ, and Christ will Abide in You! Amen!

I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. Romans 7:21-25

Many would call the Apostle Paul the greatest evangelist in Church history, afterall he wrote over half of the New Testament, including this epistle, was a highly trained Pharisee before his conversion to Christ, but what did Paul think of himself? O Wretched Man That I am! Paul understood his sinful nature and his need for Christ, even after all the experiences Paul had with the Holy Spirit, miracles and healings, Paul still humbled himself to understand we are all sinners in need of a Savior!

Paul asks a good question here “Who shall deliver/rescue/free me from the body of this death?” No matter how sanctified we become with the Holy Spirit, this body of sin doesn’t want to release us. The Spirit and the Flesh battle daily, our souls want to live for Christ and our flesh wants to be carnally satisfied. When you understand your state of depravity, then you will understand your desperate need for Christ. Until you understand who wretched and spiritually poor you are, you will never know your need for Jesus

But the good news through this is “Christ became our sin so we can be declared righteous before God” (2 Corinthians 5:8) This is a difficult concept to grasp if we are being honest. The Son of God became flesh to dwell among us (John 1:14) and paid the penalty for our sins on the cross (1 John 2:2) Again can we grasp this? We have heard the gospel message a million times, but can we grasp this? Can you understand God became flesh to save you from your body of death?

So lets proclaim and rejoice as the Apostle Paul “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord” But until you come to the realization of your wretchedness, you won’t declare victory in Christ. Many still believe they are “good” people, they are deceived, repent and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:15) 

God can use the wretched Paul, who before was persecuting and killings Christians, made him Born Again and used him for Gods glory, The Lord can use the wretched You also, Thanks be to God for this unspeakable gift, Victory in Jesus Christ, sanctified in the Holy Spirit, Amen!