The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God… Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
1. The Christian is at peace with God and at war with sin
A true Christian is known as much by his war as by his peace. You have peace with God because you are in Christ. You have a war with sin because you are in the body. Focus on one, to the exclusion of the other, and you haven’t really grasped the Christian life.
2. Christ lives in us by the Spirit; sin lives in us by the flesh
The Christian does not live in sin, but sin lives in him. He is not in the flesh, but the flesh is in him. A day does not go by without our needing to be washed in the blood of Christ.
3. The Christian is done with sin, but sin is not done with the Christian
The Christian has made a decisive break with sin. “No one who is born of God will continue to sin” (1 John 3:9). But, at the same time, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
4. The Christian lives in the power of the Spirit and experiences the weakness of the flesh
Don’t expect the power of the Holy Spirit to feel the same as taking a bow on the podium at the Olympics. The power of the Holy Spirit is what makes it possible for you to persevere in the challenges of life you are facing.
5. In Christ you are a new creation, but you still have struggles
All of us are tempted, but our temptations are not the same. The great battles of your life will be shaped by your temperament, your experience, and where you live in the world.
Which of these statements do you find most challenging? Why?
