“But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” – Romans 8:10
If you believe in Jesus, embracing His Lordship over your life, then you are in Him and He is in you, and that changes everything! Even when your outward physical situation is grim and deteriorating, your inward situation is gloriously renewed and alive! Though you will die, you will live forever.
The first portion of Romans 8 explores some of the most dramatic aspects of the change that sweeps over us when Christ comes to live within us:
– Because Christ is in us, His perfect righteousness is ours and the requirements of God’s law have been fulfilled (verses 3-4).
– Because Christ is in us, God no longer sees our sin and failures, He see Christ’s perfection (verse 1). There is no longer condemnation for our ugly past. God doesn’t hold that against us and we shouldn’t either.
– Because Christ is in us, our sin no longer defines us or controls us (verse 2).
– Because Christ is in us, we have new desires, hopes, and passions (verse 5). We’re able to set our minds on the things of God rather than merely focusing on the things of this world and the appetites of our bodies.
– Because Christ is in us, we experience genuine and eternal life (verse 111) and peace with God (verse 6).