How to Defeat Sin, the Lusts of the Flesh – Michael Edwards
As believers, we have a choice to walk in the flesh or in the Spirit. First off, it is crucial to understand that you cannot overcome the flesh by the flesh.
If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body,but are of no value against fleshly indulgence. Col 2:20-23 NAS
When we accept Jesus, we are born-again of the Spirit. God who is Spirit, sees us in the Spirit in Christ. He sees us as righteous, sanctified, holy and perfect as the blood of Christ can make us. As he is (Jesus), so are we in this world. Our born-again Spirit is from God and is perfect and does not house a fallen sin nature inherited from Adam. It has no desire to sin. On the other hand, in our fallen flesh still resides the sin nature we inherited from Adam – Rom 5:19. God sees sin condemned in the flesh and our flesh as crucified and dead on the cross with Jesus – Rom 6:6, as we are called to do. God, who is outside of time, sees this as done right done.
Our Spirit has been circumcised and set apart from our flesh by God – Col 2:11 and sealed by the Holy Spirit – Eph 4:30. Our born-again Spirit cannot be contaminated by our dead flesh, but in this life, we face a struggle that Paul talks about intimately in Romans 7:14-25. The question is, what will we have rule our life, our dead flesh or our born-again Spirit?
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