Romans 8:1 The Mind of the Flesh and the Mind of the Spirit#
Romans 8:1 The Mind of the Flesh and the Mind of the Spirit
(JP Text Group - Lu Xiaoyan 整理)
The topic we are sharing is: The Mind of the Flesh and the Mind of the Spirit.
Let us first pray:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise you. Thank you for leading us to your word. Through your word, let us know the truth more. Let us not live in the flesh, but only in the mind of the Spirit. In everything, we wish to look to Jesus Christ, and in everything, we wish to let the Holy Spirit guide us, lead us, and through today’s word, let us understand the truth in this aspect, living victoriously in our lives. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen!
Romans chapter 8, verses 5 to 11:
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Looking back at what we shared last week, we mentioned that in Jesus Christ, there are many blessings, including no condemnation, and the Holy Spirit has released us in Jesus Christ, freeing us from the law of sin and death, and the law is unable to be fulfilled due to the weakness of our flesh.
What weakness?
It is that the flesh can lead a person to sin, but the law sees it, points it out, yet cannot give strength to help us overcome the flesh and not sin. The Holy Spirit can help us accomplish such things.
Why do we need the help of the Holy Spirit? In fact, in the spiritual realm, it is more real than in real life, because such a battle always exists. Are you a person who sets your mind on the flesh, or a person who follows the Spirit? If you are a person who follows the flesh, then what you do must be in accordance with the flesh, and the result of setting your mind on the flesh is death. We wish to become people who set our minds on the Spirit, because the Spirit brings blessings and peace from heaven.
Throughout the entire Bible, there are many references to human thoughts. Today we will share part of it.
Proverbs 23:7 tells us, For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
A person's behavior reflects what he thinks in his heart. If a person kills someone, it is because he has hatred in his heart; the thought appears first, and then the action follows. We often say that correct beliefs produce correct actions. How one thinks in the heart is how one behaves. It is important to synchronize our thoughts with Christ, and we will experience Christ's wonderful grace.
If a person's thoughts are all impure, thinking of evil things, we see that this person will be an evil person. But if a person's thoughts are often focused on good things, this person is a good person.
If one concentrates their thoughts on helping others and thinking of others, then people will feel that this person has a good heart, is willing to be close to him, and say that this person has a broad mind and is helpful. In fact, these are reflections of some spiritual matters.
If we often think about God's matters, we will naturally be a pious person, concentrating all thoughts on God's righteousness, and what we live out will certainly be the behavior of a righteous person. This is why we often talk about focusing your gaze on what Jesus Christ has accomplished, to set your thoughts and minds on God's righteousness, to focus on the cross, and to pay attention to what Jesus has done for you. When your thoughts are on Christ, what you live out will certainly be righteous behavior.
Thoughts determine a person's actions. The power of the Holy Spirit helps us and renews our thoughts. There are two kinds of thoughts here: one is the mind of the flesh, and the other is the mind of the Spirit. The mind of the flesh is human passion or fleshly thoughts, focusing on the flesh, which is a thought that is inherent in humans, inherited from Adam.
After Adam sinned, we inherited this thought. The mind of the flesh has other meanings; what we need to pay attention to is that it will hand over thoughts to the flesh. The Bible describes two kinds of people: one is the person of the flesh, and the other is the spiritual person. The person of the flesh focuses their thoughts on their own flesh and other impulsive desires. The flesh dominates a person's attention and goals, leading them to participate in those fleshly matters, being ruled by sin.
Do not think that when we talk about the mind of the flesh, we are only referring to inferior or evil things; this is only part of it. That is to say, part of the mind of the flesh may be very bad, immoral, materialistic, greedy; these are things we can see as bad and can be called fleshly. This point is correct.
There is also a kind of fleshly thought that may focus on moral matters, righteous matters, and cultured matters. Many people have not yet believed in Jesus, but we cannot say that those who do not believe in Jesus only think bad things; there are also people who think good things, who are positive, and who think about doing good.
So why do we say that such people are of the flesh? Even though what they think is moral, cultured, and positive, they still have fleshly thoughts. The reason is that those who do not know God, no matter how they do good, are self-centered and live in sin. No matter what good they do, God does not remember it. They rely on their good deeds to please God and people because they are committed to building a good life that is beneficial and helpful to society.
When you evangelize, you will definitely encounter such people who say that believing in any god is the same. Although they do not believe in your Jesus, what they do is actually the same as what Jesus does. Jesus encouraged people to do good and not do evil, and I do such things too. So even though I do not accept your God, I am actually doing good, and in the future, I can also enter the kingdom of heaven; we just look at this matter from different angles...
For such people, we know that their thoughts are good and oriented towards goodness, but Christianity is not just a faith that teaches people to do good, or to understand it as a religion; this is where the problem arises. God hopes that all people will come before Christ, so that their thoughts and lives can be focused on Jesus Christ, because in this way, they can receive abundant life.
If we only care about material needs, how can the needs of the spirit be satisfied? In fact, when God created humans, He left a space in the human heart that no material can satisfy; only when God's Spirit is placed in can a person be satisfied. Therefore, the mind of the flesh does not only refer to bad thoughts; even good thoughts are still of the flesh.
Another kind of fleshly thought may focus on religious consciousness, living a virtuous religious life, doing good, and observing various religious rituals. However, a rigorous religious person can also be very far from God or say very far from God; their thoughts are only on religious rituals and welfare matters.
The Pharisees in the Bible were exactly such a group of people. We cannot say that their lives were very corrupt; they strictly observed tithing, the Sabbath, and the rules in the law. Where is their problem? They are far from God. That is why Jesus said, "You honor me with your lips, but your hearts are far from me."
Because they do not live for God, but for religion. They practice various religious rituals but do not obey God's commands. They are committed to religion, thinking that this way God will surely accept them, but they do not believe in God's Son, Jesus Christ. When God's Son, Jesus, stood before them, they looked down on Him and did not accept Him. These are all fleshly thoughts.
It can be seen where the thoughts of religious people are. They rarely emphasize the personal relationship with God, rarely emphasize truly knowing God, believing in God, and understanding God, and they rarely emphasize living a life of daily communion with God. The secular religious emphasizes religious rituals and the benefits of religion.
For example, some people will tell you that if you do not come to the meeting, God will punish you; if you do not get baptized, you are not saved; if you do not participate in a certain training, your spiritual life will never grow. These are all teachings of religious people. It seems that only through their methods can one achieve the expected results. If it is limited to a certain religious ritual, it may eventually develop into the same as the Pharisees; we think our rituals are good, and they think their rituals are good.
In fact, today, more or less, there is such a problem in the church. Some people say, "Why don't you recite the Lord's Prayer after preaching?" If you do not recite the Lord's Prayer, they think there is a problem, and it may eventually develop into heresy! Others say, "Why don't you recite the Apostles' Creed at the beginning, or why don't you sing a song before preaching..."
Brothers and sisters, it sounds like these are nothing, but in their view, if one of them is missing, it feels very serious; this is called religious ritual. They rarely care about how your relationship with God is, how you establish this relationship with God.
Brothers and sisters, this is what we should pay attention to, and what has just been mentioned is all fleshly. The mind of the flesh does not necessarily focus on inferior morals or evil things. The distinction lies in whether it is based on God, whether the focus is on Jesus Christ, whether the gaze is on God. The mind of the flesh may also focus on a moral, upright, and cultured life, but still neglect, ignore, and exclude God; this is the fleshly mind. Even if you are positive, if you do not accept Jesus Christ, you are still a person of the flesh.
What is spiritual? Romans 8:5: Those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
Look at your Bible; are there three dots? The dotted line means what? It means that the original text did not have this word; to deepen our memory or facilitate our understanding, an additional word was added. So it is said that those who follow the Spirit, in fact, in the original text, means those who follow the Spirit, set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
This is clearer; it actually refers to the Holy Spirit, setting the mind on the Holy Spirit, following the Holy Spirit, meaning that a person's thoughts are focused on God. In today's words, it means that a person's focus is on Jesus Christ and the work He has accomplished, not conforming to this world.
Romans 12:2: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
This tells us what it means to be a spiritual person: it is not to conform to this world; what we should conform to is God's goodness, God's perfection, and God's pleasing sacrifice; this is called setting the mind on the Spirit. Setting the mind on the Spirit simply means being possessed by the Holy Spirit, being led by the Holy Spirit; this person acts according to the Spirit.
Every day, thinking about the things of the Holy Spirit, God's Spirit focuses the thoughts of believers on spiritual matters. The Bible also tells us not to set our minds on earthly things but to set our minds on heavenly things, which actually tells us to focus on spiritual matters. When we concentrate our thoughts on the Holy Spirit, we will inevitably bear the fruit of the Spirit.
To bear the fruit of the Spirit, you must place your thoughts on the Holy Spirit, and naturally, you will bear the fruit of the Spirit. If you are always thinking about how to change your bad temper and bad habits, your focus is always on these fleshly things, and the result will still be the fruit of the flesh. To go deeper.
If you want to avoid sinning, the best method is to focus your gaze on the Holy Spirit, rather than thinking every day about how not to sin; if you do that, you will continue to sin. We should place our thoughts on the work that Jesus has accomplished and the mission that God has given us. What did Jesus come to do?
In Matthew 20:28: Just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
The purpose of Jesus Christ's coming is to serve others. If we focus our attention on serving others, there will be much less conflict in this world. Thank God, this is the way to overcome the flesh. In Luke 19:10, it says that the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost; this is the ministry of Jesus.
And we, called Christians, should do what Jesus did. What did Jesus come to do? To seek the lost, to save the lost; this mission is upon each of us. When you see someone weak, fallen, or sinning, you should help them stand up rather than strike them down. Thank the Lord; this is called spiritual matters, and this is also called setting the mind on the Spirit.
We should focus our thoughts on knowing God, relying on God, and understanding God. Why do you come to listen to the word? It is actually to know God more deeply, to learn how to rely on God more deeply, and to understand God. If it is just to enter the kingdom of heaven, then at the moment you accept Jesus, you are already a person in the kingdom of heaven, and there is no need to gather every time. Because you want to overcome this flesh, you need to rely on God's word to conquer fleshly matters and make the flesh submit to you.
Every day, focus on spiritual matters. Thank the Lord. Also, our thoughts should model after Jesus Christ. How can we have the likeness of Jesus Christ? Some say we need to strive to learn from Jesus Christ, to bear the cross, to put to death ourselves; in fact, this does not align with the Bible.
2 Corinthians 3:18: And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
This is the difference between modeling after Jesus Christ. Legalists will tell you that you are already a Christian, so you must eliminate your bad habits and sins in your life and restrain yourself from sinning; only then can you be called a Christian and glorify God.
But under grace, we would say the opposite: you are like standing in front of a mirror; what you see is not the past filthy, fleshly you. What you see in the mirror is the shape of the Lord Jesus. When you see Him, you know that the current you is the image of the Lord Jesus Christ; you are glory upon glory. This is not something you achieve through effort; it is because God has placed this glory upon you.
You are not striving to become righteous because you are already righteous. God has already added this righteousness to you. You are not striving to become holy; it is God who has given holiness as a gift to you. You are not striving to be pleasing to God; rather, God is already pleased with you because Jesus Christ shed His precious blood for your sins on the cross and sacrificed for you. All of this has been settled. When you see the you in the mirror, you are already glory upon glory. We just need to live out the life that this glory should have, which is the life of a spiritual person.
Just as we often say, you are a prince or princess in the kingdom of heaven; it does not mean that after becoming a princess, you look down on everyone. No, it means you should live out the style and identity of a princess. First, you need to have a generous heart because this kingdom is yours, and you can love them. Thank God; this is the spiritual person, not relying on ourselves.
Where is the distinction between these two?
The flesh relies on itself, but the spirit relies on the Holy Spirit, relying on the completed work of Jesus Christ. The difference between these two is very significant. One relies on God and can overcome all things; the other relies on oneself, occasionally achieving victory but usually failing. What results do these two kinds of thoughts bring?
Verse 6: To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Setting the mind on the flesh brings death. What does this death refer to? It means being separated from God, eternally separated from God. It refers to a person living in this world whose spirit is already dead, entering a state of separation from God. They do not regard God in this world, do not pay attention to future heavenly matters, only focusing on fleshly matters, what to eat, what to drink, what to wear, only paying attention to these things, acting according to their own will. What they have are all earthly thoughts.
For example, when you evangelize, you will definitely encounter such people who say, "Does believing in Jesus give money? Does believing in Jesus provide food? After death, Jesus will take care of us, but while alive, don't we have to rely on ourselves?" What do such people see? They see everything as relying on their own fleshly actions, thinking only of earthly matters. Some even say that Jesus only cares about matters after death; while alive, they must rely on themselves. These are all fleshly thoughts. They reject God in this world because they think they are good enough.
Two extremes: First, "Why should I thank your God? Everything I have is from my hard work, and you say it is given by God; that is too unfair." The other is extremely self-deprecating, feeling that nothing will succeed, "How could God want me? This is how I will be for my whole life..."
Brothers and sisters, these are two different views, but in reality, they are both fleshly matters. They reject God, do not receive God's grace, and do not acknowledge the grace God brings them. So simply put, if a person's thoughts choose the flesh instead of God, then he is destined to be separated from God, not thinking about God at all, not wanting God, only wanting to rely on himself. This person is indeed separated from God.
People have the right to choose their own path. It is important to remember that the Holy Spirit does not force us to choose. From Genesis to Revelation, God has always given us the right to choose: two trees, God let Adam choose for himself; the ark (Noah's Ark), let you choose whether to enter or not; in the wilderness, God let you choose to look at or not look at the bronze serpent; when Jesus Christ came, God still lets you choose to believe in Him or not. This is the right to choose for people. Some say, "I just don't want to believe; what can you do?" God will absolutely not force you and will respect you, but do you know what the consequence is? Death.
So verse 6 says: To set the mind on the flesh is death, meaning that the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. And those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Earlier, I particularly mentioned what it means to be of the flesh, giving many examples. This tells us that a person who does not rely on God and does not acknowledge what God brings him is destined to be hostile to God. However, many people misunderstand this, thinking that they are already believers. When I think about how to make money, I am a person of the flesh... In fact, this idea is wrong. If you are indeed centered on God, even when you are making money, you are still relying on God and are still a spiritual person.
Some say, "I pray for my child to get good grades," and immediately someone hits back, "You are of the flesh; you are only thinking about worldly matters. Can't you think about spiritual matters?" In fact, people do not understand that they misunderstand the concept of being fleshly. Those who do not rely on God bring life and peace, while those who are fleshly bring death and separation from God; this is what being fleshly is. Therefore, setting the mind on the flesh is the same as being of the flesh, because setting the mind on the flesh inevitably brings death, which is separation from God.
It does not mean that as soon as we set our minds on the flesh, we die immediately; that is not the meaning. It refers to the separation in the spirit, being apart from God. God loves the world, but He will never hinder our freedom and will, nor will He force people to choose Him. When we are willing to say, "Lord, I am willing for the Holy Spirit to take control of my life; I am willing for the Holy Spirit to help me," the Holy Spirit will come to help us.
Brothers and sisters, this is why it is said that all who receive Him, who believe in His name, He gives them the right to become children of God. The Bible often mentions that believing leads to salvation. Why must we first accept Him? When a person believes in God, he acknowledges that He is your God, and you are willing to let Him guide and lead your life to live a different life.
The mind set on the Spirit brings life and peace, which is the exact opposite of death. The mind set on the Spirit is a state of the heart, a state filled with life and peace. Because the Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus Christ, when Jesus Christ fills your heart, you will surely be filled with joy and peace. The whole person will be joyful, full of confidence in life, and positive. You will also bear the spiritual fruits, such as love, joy, peace, etc.
When a person often meditates on Jesus and what Jesus did on the cross, he will understand the love of the Father more. The thoughts will be renewed, knowing that he has been reconciled with God, knowing that he has been forgiven and accepted by God, and a person's behavior will naturally change.
When you understand all this, you are a spiritual person. And you know that God makes all things work together for good, and that God has given eternal life as a gift. What is the purpose of his life on earth? It is to serve God in the glorious position that God has given him. Although he serves his boss in the world, he is actually serving God. Although he is working, he is actually serving God.
Because God wants His company, in his workplace, to proclaim God's great power. Although he is doing business, God raises him up to be a glorious minister to serve God and spread the good news of God. Brothers and sisters, this will bring peace and life to people.
Those who set their minds on the Spirit are willing to live in harmony with others because they have received the love of Christ and unknowingly live out the likeness of Christ, loving these people with the love of Christ, caring for people, just as Jesus cared for the people of Israel, willing to help the people.
Those who set their minds on the Spirit focus their thoughts on spiritual matters. They know that God is the source of life and peace because this is God's promise. Moreover, the Bible has many testimonies that have already told us. In Hebrews 11, it tells us many testimonies of great spiritual people, which are testimonies of their faith and testimonies of their final outcomes. These spiritual people provide us with good examples.
So in John 5:24, I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life; he does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life.
When we accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we already belong to Christ. Then we are spiritual people, and God is willing to let us see the kingdom of heaven and the beautiful blessings of the kingdom of heaven. The first gift He gives us is that we are no longer condemned. Let us understand the love of Jesus and that His guidance for us is the best. In this way, people will willingly obey the words of Christ. Their thoughts will increasingly resemble Christ.
The mind set on the flesh brings corruption and death. Because everyone thinks of themselves, is self-centered, and does not care about others' lives. No matter how beautiful the world is, it has nothing to do with us. God established the church in the world to let us love one another. This is the model of the kingdom of heaven, allowing us to experience the beauty of the kingdom of heaven while on earth.
When a person lives in the flesh and sets his mind on the flesh, he does not submit to God's law and does not truly believe that God really loves him. They are unwilling to accept this, which is the sinful nature that fills the flesh. In the last days, we see the coldness and distrust between people, and we know the terrible consequences brought by setting the mind on the flesh. Those who set their minds on the flesh are not interested in God's word and will not live according to God's word. They prefer to do as they please, doing what they like, indulging in the pleasures of this world.
But you are a spiritual person; God delights in you. When you are willing to accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior, He has already separated you from the world, and you are different from the people of the world. Your hometown is in heaven, and while you live on earth, you possess the authority and glory of Christ. You are a channel of blessing. You are a child of God.
Why should we focus our gaze on Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit? Because when a person is filled with the words of the Holy Spirit, he will naturally have faith, and his behavior will reflect the likeness of Christ. If you spend all day watching negative news from the world, we will have no confidence in life and feel that living is meaningless...
If a person's eyes are not on Christ, they will definitely be on the world. What does the world tell people? Most of it is negative. For example, today someone went out, and a brick suddenly fell from the sky, hitting them on the head; someone rode their bike home at night, and the manhole cover was not covered, falling inside and dying; someone’s plane crashed; someone dropped their child off at school and was killed by a criminal...
If you watch these news stories all day, you will be afraid to go out. If you constantly see that certain foods are unsafe, when you eat, you will think that maybe these foods were made in the same way, and you will feel very disgusted. These things have a huge impact on us. If your thoughts are filled with the words of the Holy Spirit and guided by the Holy Spirit, you will be released from these fleshly desires. Thank the Lord, it is like this.
Every day when you go out, you will say, God is with me; even if a thousand fall at my side, ten thousand at my right hand, this disaster will not come near me, for God is with me; He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies; I will not fear the arrows that fly by night and the heat of the day.
When you look at problems with Christ at the center, this is setting your mind on the Spirit. You know that God is on your side, that God is with you, and you can be released from various dangers, fears, and worries. This is directly related to our lives. In fact, our thoughts are being renewed every day. You are either renewed by God's word or renewed by the people of this world or by the environment. In short, there is always renewal, but God wants us to be renewed by the Holy Spirit, wants us to set our minds on the Spirit, because this will bring you peace and joy, and will give you what people in this world dream of.
Some people want to sleep soundly at night, but they cannot sleep, filled with worries. They lie in bed at night, and although the bed may be more expensive than yours, made of silk and various good materials, they still cannot sleep because they are filled with worries, insomnia, and troubled by various things, bound by them, unable to find release. Brothers and sisters, you can be free from all of this because the Holy Spirit can absolutely release you from all of it, because the Holy Spirit lives in us.
Verse 9: If the Spirit of God dwells in you, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit.
In fact, the original text does not have "Holy"; it says that if the Spirit of God dwells in you, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit. What is a spiritual person? To determine whether one is a spiritual person or a fleshly person, there is a standard: Does the Spirit of God dwell in his heart?
If He dwells in your heart, you are a spiritual person. No matter what others say, no matter how bad your behavior is, or if you curse, you are still a spiritual person. Or if he only prays for earthly matters, asking for more money in business, asking customers to give more money, others may say you are fleshly, but you are still spiritual because the Holy Spirit dwells in your heart. This is the standard for discerning whether one is spiritual or not.
The word "dwell" in the original text is a picture, like a home. It is the Holy Spirit dwelling in the believer's heart, making the heart a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit wants to establish this home with God's word. If we are willing to live according to God's word every day, then the Holy Spirit will give you many beautiful thoughts, spiritual inspirations, leading you to live differently every day and enjoy the beauty of Christ.
If the Holy Spirit is in you, then the Holy Spirit is also in you; you cannot be separated from Him, and He cannot be separated from you. In John 11, it tells us that on that day, you will know that I am in the Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
Jesus had already told us this before; perhaps at that time the disciples did not understand what it meant that you are in me, and I am in you. You are clearly a person; how can I be in you? When we have the Holy Spirit, we understand that the Holy Spirit dwells in you, you dwell in the Holy Spirit, Christ is in you, and you are in Christ. This is the meaning because He dwells, never to be separated. It is not a temporary dwelling; it is a permanent dwelling in you. At the moment you accept Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells in your heart, and you are changed; you are no longer fleshly but spiritual.
Verse 9: You are of the Spirit; if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
In the future, when God calls us back to heaven, for example, when Jesus Christ comes again, who will He take? It depends on whether you have the Spirit of Christ within you. This distinguishes whether you are a child of God, not by whether you have a mark on your head, whether you have been to church, or whether you have a cross at home, but by whether you have the Spirit of Christ within you. If you have the Spirit of Christ within you, you are a spiritual person, a person of Christ. If a person does not have the Holy Spirit, he will be left behind.
Verse 10: But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
The power of the Holy Spirit can transfer believers from the flesh to the Spirit. From a positional standpoint, you are no longer a person of the flesh; you are in Christ.
For example, if someone used to cheat or steal from others and felt quite pleased with themselves, but after believing in Jesus, they feel uncomfortable about what they did; this indicates that they have already felt uncomfortable with these fleshly things. This is the power of the Holy Spirit renewing us.
Those who believe in Jesus Christ all have the Holy Spirit. The spirit that was dead before believing in Christ will not be guided by the Holy Spirit, but those who accept the Lord Jesus will live guided by the Holy Spirit, allowing us to live more like Jesus Christ. He will tell you what your true identity is, will make you live with value and meaning, and will enable you to bear the fruit of life.
However, if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Each of our bodies faces death because of sin, but because people have accepted the Lord Jesus, they have come back to life. The Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is the Holy Spirit, and this Holy Spirit is now in your heart. In God's eyes, you are a living person, a person with spirit.
At the moment you accept Jesus, your spirit instantly comes to life; Christ gives His life to you. Your body gradually moves toward death, but one day God will change this body, transforming it into a glorious body. This is what will happen at the second coming of Jesus Christ; coming to life refers to Him re-giving life, which is different from the current state. Those are two completely different bodies because the current one is mortal, and the resurrected one will be immortal.
Now let us look at a passage of scripture, 1 Corinthians 15:42-44:
So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
When you accept Jesus, what change has occurred in your life? You were originally a person of the flesh, thinking only of fleshly matters, separated from God, and your spirit was dead. But when you accept Jesus, God makes the dead spirit come alive. Now you become a person with spirit, and that spirit is the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit is filled with all of God's great power, glory, holiness, and righteousness; this is the life you are now living.
This Holy Spirit dwelling in your heart is the Spirit who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and He will also make your body come alive again. This will certainly happen in the future. When Jesus Christ comes again, your body will change. Although you are currently a fleshly body, sometimes impulsive and sometimes angry, this is called the fleshly body. You sow the fleshly body, but when you are resurrected, you will have a spiritual body. Hallelujah!
What does resurrection mean? It means to die first and then live. Your body has not yet died, so you cannot be resurrected now. When will you be resurrected? It is when this body dies. The body that is not yet dead is a fleshly body; the resurrected one will be a spiritual body.
When Jesus Christ comes again, your body will be resurrected. At that moment, when the last trumpet sounds, the fleshly body will instantly change to become like the glorious body of Jesus Christ.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise you. All our actions and words today are brought forth by the spiritual thoughts within us. When the Spirit of God dwells in our hearts, we are no longer people of the flesh but people of the Spirit.
You love me so much, letting me know these spiritual matters. You want me to place my thoughts on the Holy Spirit, so that we can bear the fruit of the Spirit! Please lead me to experience your presence and goodness more in life. I am willing to know you more and receive abundant life. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen!