Romans 8:28, 37-39
The apostle Paul has a masterful way of conveying the biblical role of the Spirit of God that indwells us in Romans chapter 8. The struggle of the flesh depicted in chapter 7 is answered by walking after the Spirit, which is paramount to being victorious in Christ. The letter killeth but the Spirit giveth life! The law was weak through the flesh and therefore had to be condemned in the flesh. The only way for this to happen was that God, who is a Spirit, had to robe himself in flesh and conquer the will of the flesh by submitting to the process that ultimately led him to Calvary’s cruel and rugged cross.
While doctrinally we understand that the initial sign that someone has received the baptism of the Holy Ghost is that they will speak in other tongues, languages, that they have never been taught or learned, but rather as the Spirit of God gives the utterance (Acts 2:37-39, 10:44-48, 19:1-6), the long term benefit of receiving the Spirit of Christ is the ability for us to walk in the liberty where Christ has made us free.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made”. John 1:1-3
John went on to write in verse 14 of chapter 1, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”. The logos or expression of God was robed in flesh. He was full of the spirit of grace and of truth. Jesus was God made known in flesh and conquered the will of the flesh by perfect submission to the will of the Spirit.
Jesus gave us the example that we need to follow after. Paul depicts the beauty and promises associated with not only receiving God’s Spirit but making a conscious effort to walk after the leading of his Spirit. He said also that, “if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify (kill) the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God”.
God’s Spirit will not lead us to places where his grace cannot keep us. God was not taken by surprise by the events that are taking place around us locally and globally right now. Paul said, “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”. Rom 8:28
We must consider that our Sovereign God has a purpose for each and every one of our lives and that he truly knows what he is doing and what he is allowing. We must continue to walk after God’s leading by his Spirit and mortify the deed of the flesh by the same. During these unprecedented times we can lay hold on the promises the apostle Paul gave us in Romans 8:37-39:
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
We might be shaken but we cannot be removed! God’s love and powerful Spirit are able to keep us in times like these.
Have a wonderful day purposefully walking after God’s Spirit!
Pastor Ken Winkler
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