Well, good morning to everyone. Good to see you all this morning, our last summer day. Maybe we'll see it's gonna be warm and sunny. So enjoy that, I guess it's coming. Hey, and we're getting ready feverishly for winter.

So we're continuing our study in this section of Romans 5 to 8, specifically 6:1 to 8:13, and Paul's writing on sanctification. We began the foundational teaching for these truths back in chapter 5 where Paul began to contrast the man in Adam with the man in Christ. He wrote in verse 12 that sin entered the world through Adam and death through that sin, and every man born in Adam is a sinner by nature. He's controlled and dominated by the sin that dwells in him, and this is the true problem for the man in Adam.

Now, God's plan for dealing with this sin problem, we find in chapter 6, is death. Man is delivered from the power of indwelling sin by death, by crucifixion. This death is affected when a man turns to Jesus in faith, trusting in Him in His one-time death in our place for our sins. Romans 6 teaches us that when we believe Jesus, we are united to Him in His death, burial, and resurrection. That we are crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be rendered powerless so that we are no longer slaves of sin. This is the new birth; this is regeneration, and it is through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

So, Romans 5 introduces to us the reality of indwelling sin in the man in Adam, controlling and dominating him, bringing death, eternal death to him. He is a sinner; he's made a sinner. Romans 5:18 and 19 tell us. In verses 20 to 21, we see that this man in Adam is under law, he's under sin, and he's under death. We see in our text today that he is also in the flesh; that is, his body is controlled by the sin that dwells in him so that he lives in a perpetual state of sinfulness.

But God's plan for the salvation of man includes not only justification, that is the imputation of the righteousness of God to the man who believes Jesus, declaring him to be righteous, a positional truth in Christ. His plan also makes provision for an actual change in man when he believes Jesus.

We will see today that Jesus became a man. He took on flesh for the express purpose of condemning sin in the flesh in order that we might be recreated, that we might experience death, burial, and resurrection to a new kind of life free from the controlling power of sin, from the law, and from the fear of eternal death; that we might now walk in the spirit and not in the flesh. 

Romans 5 contrasts the man in Adam with the man in Christ. Romans 6 contrasts bondage to sin with freedom from sin. Romans 7 contrasts bondage to the law with freedom from the law. And Romans 8 contrasts the man in the flesh with the man in the spirit. These are the great truths that teach us the central thread of this entire section: the reality of our regeneration and the basis for a holy life of righteousness, and that is freedom from the power, the controlling power, of indwelling sin. 

Well, let's consider our text together this morning, Romans 8:1. Paul writes, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do and that it was weak through the flesh, God did, by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin. He condemned sin in the flesh that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

I've given you four points on your outline: first, flesh and spirit; second, free from the law of sin; third, finished work of Christ; and fourth, fulfillment of love. 

We have seen consistently through our studies that Paul's method in this section is contrast. He teaches us what is true of the man in Adam and true of the man in Christ by way of contrast—contrast between law and grace, between sin and righteousness, between death and life. In our text today, it's a contrast between flesh and Spirit. 

If you read the first 11 verses of chapter 8, you'll notice something interesting: there are no commands, there are no imperatives, only indicatives, truths. Paul is not telling us to do anything in these words; he is simply teaching us what is true of the believer in Jesus Christ. He who walks in the Spirit, as opposed to the man in Adam who walks according to the flesh, he is in fact in the flesh. 

The flesh here is a negative term. I believe that's not always the case. Sometimes the term flesh simply refers to the physical body, the flesh and blood, the members of the body. But we have seen it used mostly through this section as referring to the physical body controlled by the indwelling sin principle; thus, there's a negative connotation related to the use of the term flesh. It here refers clearly to the lost man in Adam as being in the flesh. 

There's a great pronouncement here by Paul in verse 1 and it links us back to the truth of Romans 7:6. You'll remember our study last week in the intent and purpose of Romans 7:7-25 relating to verse 5. It's crucial that we understand that, that we pay attention to that; that we see the tie between verse 5 of chapter 7 and what raises there. Then the questions he anticipates, the objections that he answers in verse 7 and 13 in the following verses. Paul anticipates these questions that come out of verse 5 where he ties the law to sin and the law to death and the man in Adam. 

So verses 7 to 25 are a parenthesis in the teaching of Paul meant to answer those questions, those objections, and his purpose is to exonerate the law of God as holy, and righteous, and good, and to highlight indwelling sin as the problem in the man in Adam. 

But you'll notice that the man in Romans 7 is in bondage to the law of sin and death, verse 23. But the man in Christ, the man in Romans 8:1-4, our text this morning, has been made free from the law of sin and death by the Spirit. So when we begin Romans 8, we really need to relate it back to 7:6. Paul wrote, "But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter." 

The man here, the man in Christ, serves in the newness of the Spirit, not in the oldness of the letter. The man in Romans 8:1-4 walks in the Spirit, is in the Spirit, and is not in the flesh. 

So verse 1 brings us this great truth, this wonderful statement by Paul: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." There's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Why? Notice the strong linking word, "for," "gar," in the Greek, for there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the Spirit of life has made me free from the law of sin and death. 

The man in Christ is not in the flesh. He is not partly in the flesh. He's in the Spirit. 

Follow with me beginning in verse 5, and please just soak in these words. Listen to what Paul says and believe it, like Mark's been talking about this morning. Believe what he says. 

Romans 8:5: "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, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God." 

Look what he says in verse 9: "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." 

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 

Verse 9, "You are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit if you have the Holy Spirit." You're not in the flesh; you're in the Spirit. And he says if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His; he’s not saved, he's not a believer; he's in Adam. 

Notice the promise of verse 11: "Since the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." 

What does this mean? Some say this refers to glorification, and this statement would be true concerning glorification, but I don't think that's Paul's intent here. It's foreign to the context and flow. What has he been talking about in the first 11 verses? Walking. How we walk in the flesh or in the Spirit. 

He's laying down foundational truth again, "You are not in the flesh." If you are in Christ, your body is dead, but in regeneration and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, life is produced again through your members—righteousness. It is the consistent language he’s used since chapter 6, indwelling sin controlling the outward actions of your body through the members or the Holy Spirit living in our bodies producing righteousness out through our members. 

A believer in Jesus Christ is not in the flesh. He is not carnal. Paul says the carnal mind is an enemy of God. It's not who he is; it's in no way his nature. 

Now, this section is not teaching application; it's simply laying down truth. But I want to be clear: a believer in Jesus Christ can act contrary to who he is. He can choose to reject all of this great truth that God is teaching us about the man in Christ, who he is as a result of the regenerative work of God in salvation. He can act like a mere man. He can choose to submit his members to the sin that still dwells in him. He can walk according to the flesh. But that’s not who he is, even though he walks this way. 

This was the problem in Corinth. Turn over to 1st Corinthians 6 with me and let's look at what Paul says there. 1st Corinthians 6, we have tremendous sin happening in the church in Corinth—horrible sin. And in verse 9, 1st Corinthians 6:9, Paul says to them, "I mean, what do you do with believers who are participating in all kinds of sexual immorality, false worship, and everything that was going on there? How do you remedy that? What do you say to them?” 

Verse 9: "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." 

Look at verse 11: "And such were some of you. But you were washed. But you were sanctified. But you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." 

What's Paul telling them? "You once were this; you were fornicators, you were adulterers, you were drunkards. But you've been regenerated. You've been born again. You've been washed, you've been sanctified by the Spirit." 

They were walking like who they were before Christ—all kinds of wickedness and sin manifested through their members. But it's not who they are in Christ, and that is Paul's plea: don't act like who you were. You are new men now; live like new men. You have been regenerated; you have been washed. 

This is the consistent plea of application throughout the New Testament. Ephesians tells us to walk worthy, though the words mean equal weight—walk in equal weight with who you are. Romans 12:1 & 2, we'll get to that in a little bit, talks about having your life transformed and becoming consistent with who you are on the inside. 

First Corinthians 3 illustrates this truth as well. Turn over to 1st Corinthians 3 with me, please, at verse 1. Pay attention carefully to the words that Paul uses here. 1st Corinthians 3:1: "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food, for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able—for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?" 

This is the other favorite passage for those of us who sometimes want to excuse our sin or those who categorize Christians as carnal, carnal Christians. You've heard that term, as if there's some division and separate categories among Christians. My friends, these people are not carnal in the sense of Romans 8—in the sense of being in Adam and enslaved to sin. Paul says the carnal mind is enmity against God; he's an enemy of God. What is Paul saying here? 

Let's look at that and let's pull the other crutch out from under our arm. He is chastening the believers in Corinth for their rotten, sinful behavior. Whenever I read this verse, it makes me think of high school football, because at halftime when you're in the locker room, and the coach comes in, you're getting kind of mopped up out there and you're not doing so good. The team's not playing up to their potential; the coach will look at all those big, rugged men—football players—and he says, "You guys are a bunch of ballerinas! You're a bunch of little girls! You're playing like little girls in their tutus!" I can hear him speaking in my head. He'll say, "Act like men! Play like who you are, fierce warriors on the battlefield!" 

This is what Paul is saying to the believers in Corinth who are choosing to walk after the flesh, choosing to live like who they were. "Are you not carnal?" Notice what he says—acting like mere men. He doesn't mean they're literally carnal men in Adam; his whole point is the opposite. Stop acting like mere men and live out who you are, supernatural men born again in Christ. 

The coach doesn't mean that the football players are actually ballerinas, actually little girls. And it's just as ridiculous to say that Paul's making another class of Christians here. There’s no such thing as a carnal Christian; it's an oxymoron. A Christian can act like a mere man. He can act in a carnal way, but he cannot be a mere man; he cannot be carnal. This is an important distinction because the question is, who are you really? And therefore, how should you live?

To live in a carnal way, acting like mere men, is an irrational act for the man in Christ; it is totally contrary to who he is. Romans 8:9: "You are not in the flesh." The same word "carnal." Paul says in Romans 7:14, "I am carnal; I am fleshly." He says, "You are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you." And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. You are either in the flesh or in the Spirit, just as you are either in Adam or in Christ—alive to sin or dead to sin, under bondage to the law or free from it, destined for eternal death or possessing eternal life.

This is why I've spent so much time trying to labor through the words and the context and the flow from Romans 5 to 8. This isn't a section primarily about application; it's not commands; it's truth-teaching as to why we can now live a new life. 

And the whole point is that we live a holy and righteous life. Well, what if I'm a carnal Christian? Can I live a holy and righteous life? We need to be careful with the words. There’s no mixing of these things. The whole point of Romans 5 to 8 is to teach the contrast, to lay down the truth as foundational, listen to a rational, logical, reasonable, holy Christian life. This is what Paul builds on when he does get to the application section in Romans 12.

Turn over to Romans 12:1 and 2. This is the beginning of the application of all that he's taught. He calls all of this doctrine that we're studying the mercies of God. "I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." 

It's your reasonable service. Think about that. What's he saying there? If I stand up here and say to you, "You're all a bunch of rotten, vile sinners, Jeremiah 17:9, the heart is desperately wicked and deceitful above all," that applies to you. Your heart is wicked. You're carnal. You're sold under sin. The things you want to do, you never do. I see you—the things you don't want to do, you're constantly doing them. What does that convey to you? Does doctrine matter? What do you then expect from your life? 

And most importantly, it's not true. The promise of the new covenant is, "I will give you a new heart. I will put My Spirit within you. I will quicken your spirit, and I will cause you to walk in My commands." It's your reasonable, logical service to live a holy life. We should expect to live a holy life. We are new men; therefore, we should live like new men. And when I sin, it is contrary to who I am. I’m not saying there isn’t a battle; don’t misunderstand me, but this is beat so hard the other way, I’ve got to beat it back. 

There’s a battle, yes. What is the battle? The battle is clearly laid out in the mind. The battle is to reckon what God says is true, to believe Him, to trust Him, to abide in Jesus—His words abiding in us—to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. So I have a thought, James talks about that in James 1, I have this emotion, this feeling rise up in me—what do I do with that? 

So I’m a rotten, vile sinner, maybe I have a lustful thought, I’m a rotten, vile sinner, I’m carnal, I’m sold under sin; I never do what I don't want to do. I'm just going to indulge that. You know, Paul says, "Reckon yourself dead indeed to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

So I have that feeling, I have that thought, and I say, "I’m dead to sin." I take that thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and I pray to Jesus to help me to do what’s right. And if I do that in that moment, then righteousness will be worked out through my members. It matters; these things matter. 

The mercies of God are all the doctrines we’re studying right now, His mercy, His salvation. "By the mercies of God, based on the truths of chapters 1 to 11, Paul says, 'I beseech you that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service, your rational, logical way of living, walking.'" Why? Because it’s who you are. 

I told Mark I was going to give a Spurgeon line this morning: "Away with your carnal Christians!" You see how this idea of carnal Christians, two natures, all this kind of thing undermines what Paul’s teaching in Romans 6 to 8. We need to recognize that we still have indwelling sin; we need to recognize there’s a battle; but we need to understand God’s means for winning that battle, and the truth of why we can live a new life. 

So we see flesh and spirit. Next, we see free from the law of sin—what a glorious truth for the man in Christ. Romans 8:2: "For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." "For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. On account of sin, He condemned sin in the flesh." 

And I want to just stop here and get your full attention—your full attention right here. Let me ask you, as Mark asked you this morning, are you willing to believe what God says? Are you willing to take Him at His word and believe what He says? Because here’s what He says is true of you, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, if you’ve turned from idols to serve the living and true God; if you’ve rejected works and religion and sacraments and all that self-righteousness and cast your soul at the Savior’s feet: "For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." 

It’s done; it’s finished. If I have believed Jesus, the law of the spirit of life has made me free from the law of sin and death. Let’s review for our understanding what He means when He says the law of sin and death. 

Go back to 7:21, please. "I find then a law that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good, for I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." 

Verse 23 states clearly that this man is in captivity. He’s in bondage; he’s a slave, as he said in verse 14. He’s fleshly and carnal—a slave to sin; that’s what he says in verse 14, to the law of sin which is in his members. And the result is what we see in verses 15 to 17—present tense, continuous action. If you didn’t hear the message last week, please go back and listen to that; it’s present tense in the Greek. The purpose of the tense is to characterize the nature of the action—continuous action with no relief, continually, perpetually, always doing what he hates, never ever doing what is good—that’s what it says. 

This law of sin dominates and controls his inner man, and the result is that sin is produced continually out through his members. This man is in bondage to the law of sin in his members; that’s what he says. But the man in Romans 8:2 is a different man, in fact, he’s a different creature, a new creation, and it says he has been made free—this is passive, has been made; this action was done upon him by someone else. 

And it tells us that it’s the spirit of life—the spirit of life has made me free from the law of sin and death. And verse 3 explains to us how this was affected in the man who placed his faith solely in Jesus on the cross. Verse 3: "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did." 

How did God do it? He sent His only Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and on account of sin, He condemned sin in the flesh. This is so profound. This verse really teaches us in summary all that we’ve been studying. What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh—this describes the man in Adam, in the flesh, and for the man in bondage to indwelling sin, as we see in 7:23. 

The law is of no value for deliverance. What the law does not do well, it does not do at all. What the law could not do—why? Was it because there was some problem with the law? No. Is the law sin? No. Is the law what brought death to me? No. No, no, no. The law is not the problem; that’s the point of Romans 7:7 to 25. The law was given to show us our sin and lead us to faith in Christ. The law is holy and righteous and good; it’s indwelling sin that is the problem—the flesh, the body controlled by indwelling sin. 

What the law could not do because it was weak through the flesh—have you noticed what comes next, these amazing words? God did. God did. 

This would be the place for a lot of amening now. There you go. Away with religion, away with sacraments and rituals and ceremonies. Away with the law-keeping for righteousness because Christ is the end of the law for righteousness for everyone who believes. God did. How did He do it? What was His plan for delivering us from the controlling power of indwelling sin? It was not the law, but what was it? 

God did. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin, He condemned sin in the flesh. Right where sin dwells, right where sin operates—in the flesh, in the body—God sent His own Son, notice this, in the likeness of sinful flesh. He was not sinful; He was not fleshly, but He took on a body in the likeness of sinful flesh, and He did not sin. He lived a perfect and righteous life, and it was in His death at the cross where He condemned sin in the flesh, giving His flesh as a sacrifice for sins, taking on the sins of the world, experiencing the full punishment, the wrath of God for my sins and for yours. 

And He not only defeated sin and death and hell, making provision for the penalty of sin for us, but He also defeated sin, taking away its power in us, over us. He condemned sin in the flesh. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. He did it; it's finished. 

And it's only by faith that I can receive His righteousness and His very life and freedom from the power of sin and death. Let me ask you, do you want to add something to this, to Jesus, to His finished work? Do you want to put law on the believer? Do you want to require circumcision, or sacraments, or works, or rites, or rituals? 

Let’s see what Paul says about that. Turn to Galatians 1 with me, please, Galatians 1 and 6. Paul had gone into the region of Galatia, preached the gospel; people had been saved, they founded churches, and he gets news back about legalism entering that area—law being forced upon them. 

Galatians 1:6: "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another. But there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed." 

"As we said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be anathema." Let him be cursed. "For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ." 

Any other gospel? He uses the word heteros, another, a different. And he says it’s not good news; it’s not another way. If a man preaches any other gospel, there’s only one way. If a man preaches any other gospel than the truth of salvation from the wrath of God by grace through faith alone in Jesus alone in what he accomplished—what he finished on the cross—then let him be cursed to hell; that’s what Paul says. 

And he’s concerned; he’s worried, anxious that even those in the church may well put up with another Jesus. Turn over to 2nd Corinthians 11 with me, please. 2nd Corinthians 11:2: "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you may well put up with it." 

He says don’t put up with another gospel, another Jesus. Did you know there’s another Jesus? He’s not the Jesus of the Bible; He’s not sufficient in His payment for sins—a Jesus who’s insufficient to save, a gospel that requires works or suffering to pay for our own sins, or anything added to Jesus and His finished work on the cross, His death, burial, and resurrection. This is the simplicity that is in Christ—justification by grace through faith. 

And my friends, it is also sanctification by grace through faith as well, based on what Jesus has accomplished. Our text says, "For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin; He condemned sin in the flesh, why?" 

Verse 4: "In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." God didn’t save us just to keep us out of hell and take us to heaven; He also saved us to recreate us, to show the transforming power of the gospel in our lives so that we might glorify Him and be a witness to the world. 

We see flesh and spirit; we see free from the law of sin; we see the finished work of Christ; and in our last point this morning, we see the fulfillment of love in those who walk according to the Spirit. It’s the finished work of Christ that allows us to now live in holiness and righteousness because He condemned sin in the flesh where sin dwells. He dealt with sin through death, and we, when we believe Jesus, die with Him, die to sin, die to the law, die to the flesh, die to death itself. And He recreates us, and now those who have died live for Him—no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for us. 

God has given to us His Holy Spirit; Jesus lives in us, and the life that we now live, we live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us. Paul says, "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." 

What’s the context there? Walking, right? Conduct, how we live, the life that I now live. So God has dealt with indwelling sin by crucifying us and burying us with Jesus and raising us to a new kind of life, and the very power, Ephesians 1—that raised Jesus from the dead lives and works in us to accomplish His will of holiness. 

This is God’s will for your life, Thessalonians, your sanctification. 

In order that, verse 4 of our text says, "That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." What’s the fulfillment of the law? 

Turn over to Romans 13 with me, please, Romans 13:8. What is the fulfillment of the law? Again, the context there is walking, is our conduct, is our living. Romans 13:8: "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law." For the commandments: "You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness; you shall not covet." And if there is any other commandment, they are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 

Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. Now, the man in Adam cannot love; he cannot exhibit self-sacrificial agape love. But the man in Christ is marked by love—love for God and love for one another. 

Jesus said the world would know that we are His disciples by this: that we love one another. John teaches us in 1 John 3:23-24 that love is the command of the new covenant. He says, "And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment." Believe Jesus, love one another. 

My brothers and sisters, because I have believed Jesus, because I have been born again, because I have died to sin, to the law, to the flesh, have been crucified with Christ, buried, and raised a new man; because Jesus has dealt with the sin that dwells in me and freed me from its controlling power; because He lives in me and His Spirit empowers me to live a new kind of life as I trust Him and abide in Him; because of all of this and His very life in me, I can obey these commands of the new covenant. 

If I put the law of Moses on my wall, if I tape the Ten Commandments to my refrigerator, and every day I assess my life and I really strive to keep those laws, I’m going to fail because the law cannot produce holiness in my life. But if I look unto Jesus, if I reckon all these things to be true, if I abide in Him and His words abide in me, if I choose to believe Him, to seek Him, to yield to Him, then my brothers and sisters, I will see the fruit of love in my life. 

I will love men as He loves men, and I will give my life as a living sacrifice for His perfect will. I can believe Jesus. By His grace and power, I can love others. By His life empowering me as I abide in Him, Jesus promises that I will bear much fruit. And this is my greatest desire because He has poured His love out into my heart by His Holy Spirit who was given to me. 

These are the truths of the new covenant Christian life, and they are the basis for our holy and righteous, God-honoring, God-glorifying life each day. 

Let me ask you something, Christian, to borrow a phrase from David Needham: Do you know who you are? Christian, do you know who you are? And do you expect to live it out by God’s grace and power? Believe Him, my friend, and trust Him to work it out through you for His glory. I've experienced it for many years and I've seen it in all of you. Believe what is true. Believe what God says. 

Let’s close in prayer. 

Father, we’re so thankful for Your words, Your truth. We’re so thankful for the complete and full salvation that You have provided through Jesus, that He has accomplished the work. We know that there’s a battle, we know that we choose to believe our feelings, our emotions, our experiences; we choose to believe the world, and we sin. We don’t live out who we are; we don’t glorify You. But, Father, we see the truth here, the truth of what You say, and I just pray that You’d help us to believe it and to trust You so that we could see righteousness and holiness, and we could see a witness and men coming to Christ, and all this for Your glory—to glorify You and to raise up Christ and show Him as all-powerful, life-transforming. 

The gospel is the only way. We thank You for Jesus. It’s in His name we pray. Amen.