Romans 8:12-14
Talk about a power-packed couple of verses!
Humanity, without the Spirit of God, can be an ugly thing—just sayin’. It seems like we hear more and more about atrocious things happening, especially to children, which makes you wonder how people can commit such horrible acts. Then there are those being martyred simply because of their faith.
Throughout history, Jews and Christians have repeatedly been targets of persecution. Both share a belief in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the enemy has a special hatred toward those who belong to Him.
Such is the world we live in, but we don't have to be of it.
Jesus' prayer in John 17 comes to mind. First, He says this:
“And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.” (John 17:3 NLT)
Jesus then goes on to say:
“I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do.” (John 17:14–16 NLT)
Let that sink in. We do not belong to this world anymore!
We have been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of light—God's Kingdom—because we belong to Christ (Colossians 1:13–14). We now serve in more of an ambassadorial capacity here on earth, representing the Kingdom to which we belong. We are still in the world, but we are no longer of it.
That is a huge distinction. We belong to another Kingdom, and that changes everything!
So when Paul says that we are no longer under any obligation to do what our sinful nature urges us to do, we need to understand why. Our sinful nature is no longer our master! We have been given a new identity, a new allegiance, and a new source of power—the Holy Spirit who lives within us.
And by the power of that same Spirit, we are able to put to death the deeds of the flesh and live for God.
We no longer have to live according to the dictates of our sinful nature. We have a choice! And with that choice comes the responsibility to live according to the Kingdom to which we now belong.
The question becomes: Who do you want to live for?
Humanity, without the Spirit of God, can be an ugly thing—just sayin’. It seems like we hear more and more about atrocious things happening, especially to children, which makes you wonder how people can commit such horrible acts. Then there are those being martyred simply because of their faith.
Throughout history, Jews and Christians have repeatedly been targets of persecution. Both share a belief in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the enemy has a special hatred toward those who belong to Him.
Such is the world we live in, but we don't have to be of it.
Jesus' prayer in John 17 comes to mind. First, He says this:
“And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.” (John 17:3 NLT)
Jesus then goes on to say:
“I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do.” (John 17:14–16 NLT)
Let that sink in. We do not belong to this world anymore!
We have been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of light—God's Kingdom—because we belong to Christ (Colossians 1:13–14). We now serve in more of an ambassadorial capacity here on earth, representing the Kingdom to which we belong. We are still in the world, but we are no longer of it.
That is a huge distinction. We belong to another Kingdom, and that changes everything!
So when Paul says that we are no longer under any obligation to do what our sinful nature urges us to do, we need to understand why. Our sinful nature is no longer our master! We have been given a new identity, a new allegiance, and a new source of power—the Holy Spirit who lives within us.
And by the power of that same Spirit, we are able to put to death the deeds of the flesh and live for God.
We no longer have to live according to the dictates of our sinful nature. We have a choice! And with that choice comes the responsibility to live according to the Kingdom to which we now belong.
The question becomes: Who do you want to live for?
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