Romans 8:9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
When we are born again by the Spirit by putting our faith in what Jesus had done for us on the cross (John 3), the Holy Spirit begins to guide this new life and transform us more and more into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Living in the flesh inhibits the Spirit’s work because the Spirit works in cooperation with our willingness. We must say “yes” and agree with the Spirit. The Spirit will guide us and speak to our minds (our “consciences”) and show us the righteous decisions to make. We must also fill ourselves with the teachings of and about Jesus. When we are born again, the control of the flesh over us is broken because we now have a path of escape. Yet, sadly, the flesh still has some sway because our focus is still diverted to the things of this world. We must continue the upward path to Christlikeness with full consecration and death to the old self. Otherwise, we will be mastered by the power of sin. New life in Christ breaks the hold of sin but we must also walk in the obedience of this faith. This obedience calls us to fully commit ourselves day by day, moment by moment, decision by decision, to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We call this many things such as “entire sanctification.” This is where believers ought to live. It is not something to debate but something to embrace with our full attention. From this experience, we find new power and purpose for our lives.
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