The Life Which I Now Live in the Flesh

2008-10-04 21:27

At one time, I was by nature a child of wrath, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. It was because I was born according to the flesh. The flesh is by nature an object of the wrath of God. It is written, "Then the LORD said, 'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.'" (Genesis 6:3).

God has bound me, who was born according to the flesh, to the days of this age, which are passing away, so that I may receive His Son, who was sent for me in the likeness of my flesh into the world, and have the life in him, and live a new life by faith forever.

In this time of His favor, in this time of salvation, if I don't receive His Son whom God sent into the world, I will be punished with the everlasting second death on account of defying the great love of God. It is by His love that I, who by faith died with His Son in His Son, can be raised, and receive the right to become a child of God.

I have received the one whom God sent into the world. The one whom God sent into the world is Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Therefore, I believed in and received him, and so I confess, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20).

The Bible says about it, "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:1-9).

For those who receive the Lord Jesus and believe in his name, God gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit and always guides them into truth. For those who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit, the righteousness of God is accomplished and the fruit of the Spirit is produced.

The Bible says about it, "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:19-24).

Therefore, the life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. While I live by faith in the Son of God, I am being conformed to the likeness of His Son day by day. The Bible calls it a new life. It is written, "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Romans 6:4).

Therefore, I don't live according the flesh, but by faith in the Son of God, by the Spirit, putting to death the deeds of the body. It is written, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21).

"And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:24). Amen. Thank you, Lord.