The Challenge Of Sanctification
God gives us everything we need
Yes the "power" of the flesh is broken. And to a certain degree the power of the flesh is made subordinate to the Holy Spirit, but the flesh is not totally annihilated. And the battle continues. The battle between the flesh and the Spirit.
Romans 13:11-14
"...our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, and the day is near; so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk with decency, as in the daytime: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires."
Put On Christ
Is the Christian life of faith for most really just a put on? I mean to say, at our conversion, turning away from sin and towards Christ, striving to be "in him"; is that "act" of submission just an act? Have we truly converted our flesh? Can we ever truly convert our flesh? Or maybe?...maybe this isn't a question about bodily flesh at all, but rather as the New Testament here states, it's about the battle over the "power of the flesh"? Is it about that power of sin to get inbetween the flesh of man and the Spirit of God? It's maybe a little like money. Money being evil, or rather the "love of money" being evil. The physical dollar isn't evil in and of itself, but the love of all that the physical dollar represents is where sin creeps in. In that carnal mind and its sinful nature and how it loves these things.
The New Testament tells us that those (people) that are "in the flesh", cannot please God. Does this mean God hates the body, the creation he designed? Well of course not, he was pleased with his creation, he called it good. So obviously it's not the bodily flesh that displeases God, it's instead the vandalism that the mind of that creature conjures up that slanders God's good creation.
Look at the commandments. Each an expression of the polluted mind. Envy is born in our thoughts. Jealousy, lust, perversions, greed, hate and murder, all carnal thoughts of the mind.
Folks, God's Spirit is at war with the flesh which is the carnal mind.
The Apostle Paul said it plainly, "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold as a slave under sin." (Romans 7:14)
He said he doesn't understand himself. He can't understand why he does what he does and can't control the flesh. And so in the end he boils it down to sin living in him. He realizes he wants to do right but can't. He calls it a "different law" within his body which is at war with his mind. But honestly folks, the flesh is flesh, it's carnal. What's at war is the mind and the Spirit. The flesh is gonna do what the flesh does. The mind is where the sin occurs. The battle is in the mind.
Paul finishes his thoughts on this battle by giving thanks to our Lord Jesus for making the way into sanctification where we can serve him and be guided by his Spirit. Sanctifying the mind in Christ, even as the flesh is obeying the law of sin.
Romans 7:25
"Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin."
Paul worked it out like this:
1. God overcomes sin when he, "condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering"
2. And God overcomes the sin slavery of the body by making a way into his own body, "those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit." "Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace."
3. And God establishes a new covenant in Christ's righteousness that covers the sinful carnal flesh, "if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit gives life because of righteousness." "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you."
4. And God gives the Christian person an evidence that he or she is in Christ and the Spirit's sanctifying power over the flesh, when we persistently pray and wait earnestly for our redemption in Christ, "The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him." In these circumstances the Spirit works through our prayers, helps us pray even. He (the Spirit), works all our joint suffering for Christ for the good of those who love God. And the Spirit intercedes for us, he searches our hearts and minds, and he cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
5. And finally God's sanctifying Spirit reassures us that the battle of the flesh is ours to win, "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Those who participate in salvation are those who love God. They are called according to God’s purpose. And our confidence and assurance is in Christ's purpose, and we understand He has a specific purpose and design that he will follow through. God has predetermined that those who love him will be conformed into the likeness of his Son Jesus. The war of the flesh is won already. Our battles continue daily, but ultimately the war is won. Our battling doesn't cause sin to be overcome, God's blessings gets it done. God has done the harder thing. He alone can justify us. He alone can resurrect us. And nothing can separate us from that.
"Since God is for us, who can be against us"
Romans 8:31
Who can bring a charge against us? The judge himself, Jesus king of the universe, died, was resurrected, and now is interceding for us.
We are truly blessed in Christ Jesus. He's all I want, all I need, he's everything.
PRAISE BE TO GOD!