An Ever Present Dilemma
Dearly beloved of God, have you ever wrestled with yourself? We all have experienced this dilemma, haven’t we? The thing we do not want to do, we do, and what we do want to do, we do not do. Why is this?
We were born with a body and soul life existence. This is the old nature of the flesh. When we confess Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead we are born again of the spirit from God. Now we have two natures: an old one of the flesh, and a new one of the spirit.
The old nature of the flesh lusts against the new nature of the spirit, and the spirit lusts against the flesh; they are opposed to each other with the result that we do not do what we desire to do.
What do we do? If we will walk by means of the new spirit nature we will not carry out the cravings of the flesh.
To walk by the spirit is more than walking in the spiritual ability we received in the new birth; it is more than walking in our sonship rights; it is more than walking in our sonship privileges: it is to walk in the complete new birth reality; all of it. If we walk in the totality of the new birth reality we will not carry out the cravings of the flesh.
Those who belong to Christ have already crucified the flesh; when Jesus was crucified for us we died to sin’s reign over us. When Jesus Christ arose from the dead, we were made alive with him. We received new spirit life.
Having begun in the spirit by the new birth, are we now made perfect by the flesh? Certainly not! It would be foolish to think that having begun by means of the spirit, that we are now made perfect by the old nature of the flesh.
We walk by believing who we are in Christ. We walk in the totality of the spirit.
There is no good thing in the old nature of the flesh. The old nature cannot be improved upon so stop wasting your time trying to make him better.
The new nature needs no improvement; it is perfect, so walk in the totality of the new spirit nature.
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation The old things passed away. Behold, new things have come, and all of the new things are from God, Who reconciled us to Himself through Christ. God freely gives us all things with Christ. They are all ours by the grace of God, not by our works. Walk as dead men raised to life, and believe it.
We are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus. In Christ we are redeemed, saved, justified, sanctified, holy and without blame before the Father, and unimpeachable in His sight. We were sealed with the spirit from God for an inheritance that is incorruptible and will not fade away. It is reserved in heaven for us until the day of redemption when Christ will return to gather us up to meet him in the air, and we acquire the glory of the Lord Jesus.
Rejoice, and walk in these new nature realities! We walk by believing who we are in Christ, dearly beloved.
Those who are in the old nature cannot please God, but you are not in the old nature of the flesh, but in the spirit since the spirit from God dwells in you.
If a person does not have the spirit, that is to say Christ, he is none of his, but since Christ is in you, the old nature is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness, so walk in the totality of the new spirit nature.
Since we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. Whoever are led by the spirit from God, these are the sons of God.
Dearly beloved, we walk by believing; believing who we are in Christ. We are God’s masterpieces created in Christ Jesus, walk in his accomplishments by believing.
In that Jesus died, he died unto sin once; but in that he lives, he lives unto God. Likewise, reckon you also yourself to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Believe it.
We walk in newness of life, in the totality of the new nature of the spirit. We delight in the law of God according to the inner man; the new spirit nature we received in the new birth.
We have been delivered from the condemnation and guilt of sin, and when Christ returns for us we will be delivered from the presence of sin.
“Oh wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord [for the deliverance].
So then, with the mind, I myself do indeed serve the law of God [the law of God after the inner man, the new spirit nature], but with the flesh, the law of sin [in my bodily members].”
Rejoice, dearly beloved, he is coming, and he will deliver us from our dilemma once and for all!