Sorry, I keep on making the same mistake. I assumed, obviously in error, that everyone can make the connection between
Romans 8:7-8 (which describes depravity of the fleshly mind and the imposibility of those who are "in the flesh" to please God) and
Romans 8:9-10 (which clearly defines who is and isn't "in the flesh" and explains that those who are not "in the flesh" have a dead body because of its sin and a living spirit because of its righteousness).
Yes, sadly people seem to not reconcile these scriptures and while it sounds good that we can choose what it means to walk in Christ instead of following the scriptures, but its always best to allow the scriptures to interpret itself.
This seems to be a verse that is overlooked a lot...
Romans 7:7 Because the carnal mind (sinful)
is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
The conclusion is walking in His Spirit is in harmony with keeping His commandments, and in doing so there is no condemnation. I mean how can anyone argue with Jesus in His very own Words John 14:15 Exo 20:6
As I have stated a few times, God's commandments just make us aware of sin as Paul previously stated...
Romans 7:7 What shall we say then?
Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary
, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”
Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the
law is the knowledge of sin.
What is the condemnation of sin? It is death
Romans 6:23. What this passage in Romans 8 is telling us there is no condemnation if we are not sinning (not an enmity or hostile against God's law ) because we have been transformed by Jesus living in His Spirit, overcome through Him and being obedient to Him, not because we have to because we want to
through love and faith Romans 3:31 1 John 5:3,
John 14:15,
Exo 20:6. If we find ourselves hostile to God's law, that's not a good sign the law just shows us we are sinners and our need for Jesus who gives us the solution to the sin problem. The law is not the problem, the law is holy and righteous
Psa 119:172 Romans 7:12 NIV sin is the issue and what we do with the problem (sin, not the law) depends on who we serve. Our obedience to God leads to righteousness, our obedience to sin leads to death
Rom 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey,
whether of sin leading to death, or of
obedience leading to righteousness?
In all of this, you still didn't answer my question:
"Do you see in verses 9 and 10 a contrast between the dead sinful flesh and the alive righteous spirit of the person in whom Christ lives?"
Of course I see this, but many want to use their version of what sin is instead of God's. Sin is the transgression of God's law
1 John 3:4 and the law that points out sin is the 10 commandments
Romans 7:7 Mat 5:19-30 God's holy law and what we will be judged by
James 2:10-12 Mat 5:19-30. God's righteousness (right doing) is through His commandments
Psa 119:172 and what too many people do is depend on their version of righteousness instead of God's but this is really just another deceitful doctrine that we can sanctity ourselves, but we can't, we need to depend on God and His righteousness.
If you can't see this, then you will never understand that our righteousness is in Christ (
2 Cor 5:21), and that nothing good dwells in our flesh (
Ro 7:18)."
Do you think Jesus has enough power to keep us from sin? I asked this before but never really received a response. Do you think we can walk in Christ and be sinning and thats serving and loving Christ with all our heart, mind and soul?
Not according to Jesus very own Words... Jesus in His own Words says He doesn't know us if we do not do the will of God and practice lawlessness
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘
I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
How are we known to Christ?
1 John 2: 3
Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
Love to Him we should want to keep His commandments. Receiving His Spirit is conditional.
John 14:15 “
If you love Me,
keep My commandments. 16
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
If we are keeping His commandments, we are not sinning. Jesus doesn't make us do it alone either, but it requires our cooperation.
So, your view of "obedience" is a perpetual cycle of sin, guilt, repentance, and forgiveness. And you see this as evidence of "being in Christ"?
You seem to be arguing with the very Words of Jesus. What is your solution to the sin problem when someone slips and falls, not repent- to live in perpetual sin where we are told there remains no more sacrifice for sin
Hebrews 10:26-30 does not seem like a good solution. Jesus became our Sacrifice for sin, but not only for sin, when we turn from sin and repent, but turn to Him for sanctification and through His power we can overcome sin. You seem to not believe this for some reason, but its a promise of scripture
Mat 4:4 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “
Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Mat 9:13 But go and learn what
this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous,
but sinners, to repentance.”
Mark 6:12 So they went out and preached that
people should
repent.
When we have a heavy and humble heart knowing our sin hurts our Savior and sin separates us from God Jesus Sacrificed Himself so we can turn to Him and have confidence in His promise that He can cleanse us from all sin and unrighteousness
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
And our faithfulness and obedience to His commandments will lead us to reconciliation
Rev 22:14
Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
God does have a people who overcome....
Rev 22:12
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
It is more likely evidence of the curse of the law (
Gal 3:13)
The curse of the law is not continuing in obedience- the wages of sin is death - we are told this over and over again in scripture. The law is not a curse, but deviating off the path of God's righteousness is.
doing its work (
Gal 3:22-25) -- convicting you of sin and condemnation and driving you to Jesus for forgiveness. This is what happens when a person in whom Christ lives seeks rightness with God through obedience to the law instead of accepting the righteousness that is ours in Christ by grace through faith (verse references available upon request).
So let me try to understand you, we do not need to obey God's law and Christ will accept us through faith and faith means we can worship other gods, vain God's holy name covet and steal
or
should we follow what the scripture tells us that faith
upholds the law Romans 3:31 and grace is not a license to sin (break God's law)
Certainly Not!! according to Paul
Romans 6:1-2 but living in faith and grace actually means being obedient to God's law.
If you have the Spirit, you also have the flesh. You cannot train the flesh to be good by submittin it to God's laws because "These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh." (
Col 2:23) But you can deny the flesh what it wants by walking in lock step with the Holy Spirit (
Gal 5:16). If you take every step as the Spirit directs (i.e., you are being led by the Spirit per
Gal 5:18), then you are not under the law.
I am sorry you seem to have such a low opinion of God's law and His righteousness. According to scripture God's law is perfect for converting the soul Psalms 19:7 so whoever is telling you that we should not submit to God's law is teaching you away from the scripture away from reconciliation with God Rev 22:14-15
You seem to misunderstand what it means to not be under the law. What it does not mean is that we can just choose to bypass it and depend on our own version of righteousness and be saved. These scriptures
Rev 22:14-15 1 John 2:1-6 Mat 7:21-23 Hebrews 10:26-30 answers this plainly. If you go back to
Romans 8:1-8 there is no condemnation if one is walking in Christ walking in the Spirit and not walking in the flesh (sin) those walking in the flesh is an enmity against God and His law
Romans 8:7 but there is no condemnation is we keep God's law though love and faith.
1 John 5:3,
Romans 3:31. The Spirit is given to those
who obey Acts 5:32
I would note that this does not produce righteousness because we have the new man, created by God, according to God, with "true rightteousness and holiness" (
Eph 4:24). And if we "put on the new man" (
Eph 4:24,
Col 3:10) with it's inherrent righteousenss and holiness and walk in lock step with the Spirit of Christ who is in us, who we are one with in the new man, and who is the source of our righteousness, then we fulfill the call to godly living that is so prevelant throughout Scripture. This is what it is described in
Romans 7:6, "But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter."
We can't become a new creation if we are walking in the flesh (sin) and there is no condemnation if we are obeying God and keeping His commandments through love and faith which Paul says keeping the commandments of God,
is what matters 1 Cor 7:19 its the whole duty of man. Ecc 12:13