Paul declares True Believers Free from Indwelling
Sin Part 2
Romans
8:5-8 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things
of the flesh, but those who live according to 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, nor indeed can be. So
then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. NKJV
Paul left us in part 1 with the reality of how our
Lord Jesus destroyed sin in His Body when He died on the Cross and that truth
enables the regenerated and born again son or daughter to walk or live no
longer by the dictates of the flesh but by the Power of the Holy Spirit.
Because of God the Holy Spirit dwelling in the true believer, we have strength
and power to say no to the flesh and through the Word of God allow God the Holy
Spirit to lead and guide us into all truth. Certainly God’s truth always comes
from His Word which is to remain forever. Therefore, every decision we are
required to make regarding God’s Will or Heart or Mind can be extracted from
His Word (Romans 12:2). God the Holy
Spirit will never lead us into any path that goes against the Word of God, so
we can trust the Word and obey what it says at all times as we yield our will
to God the Holy Spirit. We have no separate life apart from our Lord Jesus
Christ. Christ is our life and the life we are blessed to live down here on the
earth (away from our Lord’s Physical Presence) is His Life in each one of us
His Children. The closer we keep ourselves united to our life source (Christ in
us through the Holy Spirit) we will be empowered by Him to walk in the Holy
Spirit’s Power and we won’t even want to entertain any thoughts of fulfilling the
lust of the flesh or the lust of the eyes or the pride of life.
Paul says that there are some who make their focus
or drive on the gratification of the things of the flesh and this raises a red
flag and a dilemma because there are times when true believers can focus too
much on earthly temporal things, but I believe Paul is speaking here of people
who are not true believers but rather false brethren, goats, Apostates, hypocrites,
wolves in sheep’s clothing, or just not real. Paul had this to say of some of
these types of people when he spoke to the Philippian believers warning them, Philippians 3:17-19 Brethren, join in
following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that
they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is
destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is
in their shame --- who set their mind on earthly things. NKJV Sadly these words
of Paul though written over 1950 years ago speak directly to many if not most
of the men and women who occupy the great majority of air time on Christian
television as they promise unsuspecting people (some are true believers, though
undiscerning, but most are as lost as the false prophets) blessings of houses,
money, health, etc. if they will sow a $50 or $100 or $500 or even greater
blessings if they sow a $1,000 seed into their ministry.
These men and women are not concerned about lost
sinners being redeemed, but they want the flow of their tax free dollars to
continue to support their kingdoms they are amassing here on the earth. This is
why Paul says their end is destruction because this garbage is not from God the
Father but it is from the devil and these men and women are tools and
instruments of the devil to fleece people of earthly goods to fill their
pockets. There is so many of these people who think that God shows His blessing
to people by what they have not by what they are internally. Paul said these
words to the Ephesians, Ephesians 1:3-6 Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He
chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by
Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the
praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. NKJV
Paul says we who belong to our Lord Jesus Christ by birth are blessed with
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places with Christ and there is no
mention of a $100 seed being multiplied and turned into $10,000.
This is what the Apostle Peter says about these
people who perpetrate this abominable lie everywhere they go, 2 Peter 3:12-17 But these, like natural
brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do
not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, and
will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it
pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes,
carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full
of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have
a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. They
have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son
of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he was rebuked for his
iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of
the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for
whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. NKJV In other words
these men and women who are in large numbers on our earth today are the prime
examples of those who are carnally minded walking or living to please and
gratify the sensual lust and passions of the flesh and Peter and Paul say that
these people are equivalent to a large heaping pile of elephant dung in the
Nostrils of God the Father. The carnally minded are in opposition to God and
the will of God and so often twist the will of God making it the pursuit of
fleshly gratification and this is what these men and women do as Peter and Paul
have testified to above.
The carnally minded man or woman is spiritually dead
and will soon face physical death which will usher the soul into eternal death
in hell (1 Timothy 5:6). Though
there is pleasure in sin for a season (Hebrews
11:25) it is always temporary and never satisfies in the long run but is guaranteed
to bring ruin and destruction to every life ruled by it. Sin is the downfall of
every soul and this is why those of us who love our Lord Jesus Christ and
continue to set our minds on things above where our Lord Jesus is in heaven,
then we are assured of knowing from His Word and experientially in our hearts
the Lord’s ruling life and principle flowing in and through us subduing our
passions as Paul writes to the Galatians, Galatians
5:24-25 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its
passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
NKJV In contrast we know that those who do not belong to our Lord Jesus
Christ cannot put to death their flesh and consequently they cannot please God
at any time. This is not what God the Father has purposed for us as we will see
from the words of the Apostle Paul next time.
“The nescience of the Agnostic philosophy is the
proof from experience that to be carnally minded is Death.” Henry Drummond
“Christ wants a child’s heart, but a grown-up’s
head. He wants us to be simple, single-minded,
affectionate, and teachable, as good children are; but He also wants every bit
of intelligence we have to be alert at its job, and in first-class fighting
trim.” C. S. Lewis
“We may not preach a crucified Saviour without being
also crucified men and women. It is not enough to wear an ornamental cross as a
pretty decoration. The cross that Paul speaks about was burned into his very flesh, was branded into his being, and
only the Holy Spirit can burn the true cross into our innermost life.” A. B.
Simpson
“The presence of the flesh is not, however, an excuse for walking in it. We are
taught that ‘our old man is crucified with Christ’; that, in that sense, we ‘are
dead,’ and we are called upon to make this a constant experience by mortifying
(‘making dead’) our members which are upon the earth.” C. I. Scofield
“Remember that if you are a child of God, you will
never be happy in sin. You are spoiled for the world, the flesh, and the devil. When you were
regenerated there was put into you a vital principle, which can never be
content to dwell in the dead world. You will have to come back, if indeed you
belong to the family.” Charles Spurgeon
“If you want to experience the cure for the flesh
(and be sure the cure is available), do just this one thing: surrender. Stop making excuses for the
flesh and sin. When you purpose in your heart to surrender to the will of God,
the flesh will be destroyed and you will rejoice always and give glory to God
because His mercies are everlasting.” Clifford D. Tate, Sr. from my Book
entitled “Silent Assassins of the Soul”
If you do not
know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your
heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus,
I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You
shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead
proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my
sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my
life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...Sincerely in Christ,
Author
of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and
Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into
Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s
Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod,
Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners,
Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
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