Live According to the Spirit

Hallelujah!

Last week, we spoke on the theme “Live a New Life,” learning that the greatest evidence of eternal life is a heart of compassion—forgiving and loving our brothers and sisters right now. Today, we address a question many of us struggle with: Why is it that even after believing in Jesus, our character and habits are often so slow to change?

In Romans 7, the Apostle Paul cries out, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” This is an agonizing reality. Even as children of God, we feel the conflict between the “inner person” who loves God’s law and the “outer person” enslaved to sinful nature.

But I have Good News! There is Someone who rescues us. Romans 7:25 tells us: “Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ!” Romans 8:1–2 declares: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

This is a complete Declaration of Independence. We are no longer governed by the law of sin and death; we are governed by the “law of the Spirit of life.” How is this possible? The Law of Moses was like a tutor; it showed us our sin but was powerless to save us. So, God did what the Law could not: He sent His own Son as a sin offering. By condemning sin in the flesh of Jesus, the legal requirements of the Law were met on our behalf.

But there is more! We aren’t just legally cleared; we are given the power to fulfill the Law by following the Holy Spirit. Jesus warned in Matthew 5:20 that our righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees. By human effort, this is impossible. But as “new creations,” the Holy Spirit transforms our nature from humanity toward divinity. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. His divine righteousness—far higher than any Pharisee’s—manifests through our lives.

How do we walk according to the Spirit?

First, we must examine our minds. Verse 5 says: “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”

If your mind is constantly fixed on worldly things, negativity, and self-centeredness, you are walking according to the flesh. Verse 6 warns us: “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” Unless our thinking changes, we cannot enjoy the fullness of salvation.

Setting our minds on the Spirit isn’t about sheer willpower. Verse 9 tells us we are controlled by the Spirit if the Spirit of God lives in us. The word “dwell” refers to a state where the Holy Spirit has influence over your life. Ask yourself: Is the Holy Spirit in you grieving because of disobedience, or is He reigning joyfully as King? Paul is direct: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”

When Christ lives in us, though our bodies are subject to death because of sin, our spirits are alive because of His righteousness. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you and will give life to your mortal bodies.

Dear brothers and sisters!

Believing and confessing is only the beginning of our covenant. Every day, we must live according to the Spirit until the character of Christ is truly formed in us. I pray that you will think and act according to the Spirit daily, overflowing with God’s life, peace, and true freedom.

Amen.