ROMANS 8:11-13 THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST GIVES US POWER TO LIVE THE LIFE OF HOLINESS

Romans 8:11 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.  12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors--not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

 11 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.

             Again, it could be translated since. “Since the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you (that's the Spirit of God) He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you."

             We've already had a spiritual resurrection.  We've already died and risen in Christ.  We have a new nature.  We've already been born again.  We've already had one death, and now we have new life in Christ.  We already are the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives within us.  We have the life of God in our souls.  That's already happened. You don't need to fear the physical death.  Because when that happens, the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, who dwells in you, is going to give life to a new mortal body through the Spirit who indwells you.  You're going to have another resurrection.  It's not going to be a spiritual resurrection.  Next time, it's going to be a physical resurrection.  And you're going to get a glorified body.

             To understand this is to understand the nature of the Christian.  The spirit dwells in you, and He is the Spirit that raised up Jesus.  A number of times in the New Testament, it talks about the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead by the Spirit.  The Spirit gave Christ life through death.  He raised Jesus from the dead and gave Him physical resurrection life.  And He that raised up Christ from the dead, and will also give life to our mortal bodies.  We're going to get new bodies.

             1 Corinthians 15:35-45.  "What's that new body going to be like?"  Well, the best illustration, it's going to be Christ's resurrection body.  Verse 35, the Corinthians had asked the same question.  "How are the dead raised and what kind of body are they going to have?

So Paul's answer is, "I don't know, but it's not going to be like what we've got. He will raise us and give us spiritual bodies. 2 Corinthians 5:1-9 “When this earthly tent,” which is our house, is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands."  That's how he describes our new body.  And in this house, we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from Heaven.  Why?  Because we'd like to get rid of this debilitating flesh and the sin and this body of death that is attached to us.  And we will.  And the Holy Spirit has done all of this.  It was the Holy Spirit who freed us from sin and death by applying the merits of Christ's sacrifice for sin to us.  It was the Holy Spirit who enabled us to fulfill the law of God by applying Christ's righteousness to us.  It is the Holy Spirit who changes our nature and moves us out of living in the flesh, according to the flesh, with the things of the flesh, minding the flesh, which is death, both in time and eternity, to being in the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, minding the things of the Spirit, and pleasing God, because we're alive to God.

             Christ provided a no condemnation status and now he tells us that the Holy Spirit secures that status. Chapter 8 really has a lot to do with our security. And that's why the end of it says, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ, and we know that nothing shall separate us. Christ provided it, the Holy Spirit secures it.

 And how does He secure it? By these means, seven ways the Spirit secures our no-condemnation status. Number one: Verses 2 and 3, He frees us from sin and death. Number two: He enables us to fulfill the law, verse 4. Number three: He changes our nature, verses 5 - 11. Then He empowers us for victory, verses 12 - 13. He guarantees our glory, verses 17 - 25. He intercedes for us, verses 26 - 27.

8:12 "So then" Paul continues to draw out the implications of his presentation of Rom. 8:1-11.

Ro 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors--not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

▣ "we are under obligation" This is the other side of Christian freedom (cf. Rom. 14:1-15:13). This is the conclusion drawn from the discussion of sanctification in Rom. 8:1-11, which is both positional and progressive. It also clearly shows that believers still must struggle with the old fallen nature (i.e., 6:12,19; 7:7-24; 1 Cor. 6:18-19; Eph. 6:10-19). There is a choice to be made (initial faith) and continuing choices to be made (lifestyle faith)!

So we say I’ll just relax and let Him do His work.”  That’s the old – let go and let God.  Verse 12, with all the work the Holy Spirit is doing with us, we’re under obligation.  You have an obligation.  That’s the word for debt.  What’s your debt?  Certainly not to live according to the flesh, right?  You don’t owe the flesh anything.  What did the flesh ever do for you? You don’t have any obligation to your flesh.  What that means is there are no excuses now because the power of the flesh has been broken.  It is not a dominating force.  There are no excuses.