Scripture: For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:3-4
Observation: Paul ended the prior chapter stating that the law effectively created sin, but teaching what sin was and then our weak human nature desiring to do what was now forbidden. Now he explains the outcome of that ... they law was weakened by our weakness, so Jesus provides both the sacrifice for redemption and the Holy Spirit so we may live in the Spirit instead of the flesh.
The flesh - our earthly selves - will always fail. However, reliance on the Holy Spirit will always prevail, and faith in Jesus will always sanctify us. It is by this, Paul states, that we must live ... the Holy Spirit is our way of life. Living in the Spirit provides us with the strength and will to live according to God's wishes, and the faith to receive forgiveness when we stumble. Living an earthly life according to the flesh is a life hostile toward God himself. In doing this, people are opposed to God himself.
Application: Paul's instructions are confusing, but partly because he constructs long arguments and he has been setting this one up for several chapters. Paul himself cannot avoid sin. The law, designed to teach holy living, instead only points out our guilt when we fail to live according to it, because in our very nature we cannot live a holy life. Therefore, our only hope to live as God has designed is to rely upon the Holy Spirit within us, provided through faith in Jesus, who has also sacrificed himself for the forgiveness of our sins.
It is this 'living in the Spirit' that I yearn for most, and believe is most missing from my faith. There are times I feel the Holy Spirit ... but just a bit. I want more! I truly want to surrender myself to the Holy Spirit and submit to the Lord in my daily walk. I know the major issue in this is not God, but me. I cling to control and my own will instead of surrendering as I should. As Paul said, I do what I hate. I so wish this would change within my heart.
Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit. Amen.
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