Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. Romans 8:12-13
Before Christ, we were lost in our sin. We had no way out. We were enslaved to our flesh and the sins of this world. That is exactly why Jesus came. He came to bring freedom from sin and death for all who place their faith in Him. As we have seen throughout our Bible study together these last few weeks, when we place our faith in Christ, we live in the freedom of life according to the Holy Spirit, not our flesh. This freedom is not freedom for freedom’s sake. It is freedom to live according to life in the Spirit instead of the things of this world. You see, in light of what God has done for us, we are obligated to live according to the life in the Spirit God has given us.
This apostle Paul teaches us in Romans 8 that our obligation as Christ followers is to live according to the Spirit. He explained in this passage of Scripture that once we place our faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit comes alongside us to live with us and help us. This Holy Spirit living within us, Paul reminds us, also “raised Jesus from the dead” (verse 11). Consider that remarkable truth for a moment. You have the same Holy Spirit living in you who also raised Jesus Christ from the dead! In light of this truth and the power of the Holy Spirit at work within us, Paul explains that we have a responsibility to live in the freedom that we have been given. He wrote, “Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do” (verse 12). Because of what God has done for us, we are not obligated to our sinful nature, held captive to do whatever our sinful nature desires. Instead, we are obligated to live according to the Spirit, living for the things of eternity: Christ and His kingdom. Christ went to great lengths to rescue us from sin and death. Even more, He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit to walk with us through life. Such great grace and mercy must not be taken lightly. As people who have been saved from sin, we have an obligation to live differently, not out of duty, but out of gratitude for all our great God has done for us. We have been greatly forgiven and saved. We must live as people who have experienced such remarkable freedom and forgiveness.
My friend, if you have placed your faith in Christ, you have a responsibility to live differently. Your life must reflect the new life in Christ that you have been given and point everyone around you straight to Him. Will you live as one who has been marked by the great grace of God?
Take a moment to answer this question honestly: Is there an area of your life where you have been letting your sinful nature dictate instead of the new life in the Spirit that you have been given? Maybe you have been giving in to a sin that you know dishonors God, or you have simply been living for yourself and your own desires rather than God’s desires for you. Confess that to Him now. Acknowledge that you recognize that if you have placed your faith in Christ, you are no longer obligated to your sinful nature anymore. Ask Him to help you as you set out to live according to the power of the Holy Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead, who lives in you.
“God, I want to live according to the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in me. I confess…”
Romans 8:9-13
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.
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