Who’s In Charge: Flesh Or Spirit?

Does the Spirit of God—the Holy Spirit—live in you, giving life to your human body and preparing you for the transition from the “person of flesh” to the “person of spirit?”

If not, please consider that no matter how hard you try to be good, to do the right thing, to keep the law… without the Holy Spirit living in you to strengthen and empower you, you will never fully break free of your flesh and its demands.

The law can never create the “spirit person,” bringing you to immortality, because the law will keep you tied to your body and to the things of earth. (That is not to suggest that you ignore or disobey the law. No, simply realize that the law cannot bring you to the fullness of who God created you to be.) 

Our faith insists that the Holy Spirit live in you to help you put off of the “old” and put on the “new,” a process that ends with the resurrection of your body.

Think of it this way. As with all living things, the final life-product differs from the original seed of life. This is true whether focusing on a fully developed head of wheat that comes from a seed of wheat, a tadpole, or an adult who comes from the seeds of a man and woman. 

We all come to this earth in a “natural body” of flesh and blood and hopefully grow to adult hood. But we are not finished! The final goal is to receive our spiritual body—our glorified body. Born in a natural body of in fear and weakness, we are finally raised in a spiritual body of glory and power.  

The Bible promises, “And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit… And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly” (1 Corinthians 9: 45-49). Hallelujah! 

Furthermore, when finally we drop off our flesh and are transform into spirit, that which is mortal and subject to death puts on immortality, “…death will be swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 9:54).

Here’s the joyful cry. “But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through the death of our Lord Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”   (1 Corinthians 15: 54-56).

Note however, the scripture continues, pointing out the problem with keeping the law. “The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.”  (1 Corinthians 15: 57).

The law can never bring us to immortality. Again, try as we may to be good, do the right thing, keep the law… without the Holy Spirit living in us to strengthen and empower us, we can’t break free of our flesh and its demands. So, how’s your relationship with the Holy Spirit?

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