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Our gracious heavenly Father provides for all His children a victorious life as overcomers and conquerors. However, such is not the experience of many believers. Instead, these Christians struggle with the same sins, are controlled by their problems, and fail to see God's blessings and opportunities. This frustrating dissonance occurs because they do not realize there are two lives all believers must choose between.
This revelation was shared by Apostle Paul in Romans 7. In verses 15 and 18-19, he describes his struggles with living in obedience to God and His standards. He notes that while he desires to do so, he continually fails and falls into sin. Paul then realizes in verses 17-18 that this dissonance between his inner desires and outer actions occurs due to the sin that dwells within him. He also reveals in verses 22-23 that this sin is the product of his flesh, while his love for God and desire to obey Him are from his spirit. He thus concludes in verse 25 that through Christ's finished work of salvation, all believers now have two lives they must choose from: a carnal one of sin in the flesh and a victorious one of obedience in the spirit.
Unfortunately, we often select the former life, resulting in serious repercussions. For example, Romans 8:5-6 note how this carnal life prevents us from experiencing Christ's perfect peace. Instead, our minds become consumed with worldly cares and lusts through being set on the flesh, which produces unnecessary stress, discontentment, and hostility that can impact our physical and mental health. Romans 8:7-8 also state how living in the flesh severely damages our relationship with God. Because our soulish desires completely contradict God's, they prevent us from submitting to His will and pleasing Him with our lives. In addition, Galatians 5:16 notes how carnal living prevents us from overcoming sin. Because it keeps us from receiving the Holy Spirit's power and mental renewal, the soul life leaves us completely vulnerable to acting upon our sinful desires. Thus, when we live in the flesh, we choose a life that is powerless to overcome sin, incapable of properly serving God, and hindered from fellowshipping with Him.
Conversely, when we choose to completely submit our lives to the Holy Spirit, we live in the perfect victory Christ has already won for us. This is seen in 1 Peter 2:24 and Galatians 5:16, with the former revealing how He defeated our sins through His crucifixion. Both note that by walking in the Spirit and identifying with His death, we inherit this victory and die to our sins. Galatians 5:19-24 also note how this victory extends to our thoughts. While living in the flesh leaves us vulnerable to lustful and hateful thoughts, living in the Spirit produces His fruit in our lives, which includes the joy, patience, and peace necessary to keep our thoughts centered on Christ. In addition, 1 John 5:4 and John 16:33 proclaim how victory over the world comes from choosing this life. Both state that Christ's victory provides the peace and faith we need to stand firm and exemplify Him amid the world's problems and tribulation. Thus, by living in the Spirit, we inherit the victory Christ won over our sins, flesh, and problems, which enables us to live the victorious life God intends for us.
Paralleling how Christ allows all humanity to freely choose or reject His salvation, He gives believers a choice between two lives: one in the flesh and the other in the Spirit. Although choosing the former does not remove our salvation, it results in a carnal lifestyle that is foolishly distanced from God and severely plagued by defeat to sin and the cares of this life. Conversely, pursuing the Spirit-filled life through wholehearted surrender to Christ enables us to be conquerors and overcomers that claim and rest in His perfect victory over every sin and circumstance.
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