There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1 NET). Are there any sweeter words than these? Paul, himself, had said this mortal body in which I dwell continuously desires that which is not of God. Had he not concluded, “24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be[y] to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25). Can I ever possibly live this new life so freely given by God to me? Jesus cloaked me in His righteousness. How can I ever hope to be fully transformed from the inside out? It is as if my new life is trapped within this old body of death from which there appears no escape, no matter how hard I try. So, what about this dilemma between life and death?
How can I ever overcome this dilemma between life and death? The new life which should be vibrant, joyous that I have been so freely given by Jesus Christ should be so evident. However, the more I know of His righteousness, the more wretched I realize my own heart is. The more I notice the stench of death that lurks so within my heart. Do I ever genuinely love another as Jesus did? Or is there always a bit of my wretched pride that hampers absolutely loving anything as I should? If that is true, then how can I or we ever overcome this wretched dilemma between life and death? To be fully spiritually alive, I must put to death once and for all the mortal body of sin? But how while I remain in this world within this mortal flesh?
Jesus Christ provided us a way for just that.
How to Overcome the Dilemma between life and death?
Jesus said, “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you…the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14:16-18,26).
A comforter who abides with you forever. The Spirit of Truth, abiding in you—the Holy Spirit who provides all we need to combat this dilemma between life and death.
The Holy Spirit Overcomes within us.
The disciples had to wait for day of Pentecost, after Christ’s final ascension into heaven, for the Holy Spirit’s arrival. Until then they had Jesus with them. Either in his walk upon the earth or in His resurrected body. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit would intermittently indwell great men of faith. But now, the Holy Spirit was being dispersed to reside within every believer’s heart.
Jesus said, “7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” (John 16: 7-11 NKJV).
And Greater Things
Furthermore, Jesus promised, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:12).
How I long until this can be true! That the works which I do will bring glory and honor to His name, not for me. I long until my works be those which lead others to Christ. That I might be a beacon of light to this darkened world. Yet, I am keenly aware, I cannot on my own? For that to happen, I need His power and His love reflecting off a mirror that no longer holds any of the smudges or reflections of my former self.
The dilemma between life and death remains. I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. However, I carry around with me this old corpse of death within this mortal body filled with desires which only lead to death of my witness, grief in my spirit, and distancing from the fullness of life I possess in Jesus Christ.
Romans 8: (NKJV)
19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of [f]corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Concluding Thoughts:
So, must this dilemma between life and death continue on? Perhaps to some degree; however, we have hope both in this life and the next. The Holy Spirit is there to help with our infirmities and in the next post, I want to share even greater news. The Provisions of the Holy Spirit for every believer is what can give us victory today. When we embrace these, we will find that the in the dilemma between life and death we face here on earth–life wins!
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD?
If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you to go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
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Disclosures
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2019
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
credits:
New English Translation (NET)
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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