It is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to rid us from all sin. The sin nature of which we are all born with due to Adam’s fall should not have dominion over the Born Again Believer.
“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under Grace.” Romans 6:14
It is the Cross of Christ which gave the Holy Spirit legal means to do all that He does within our lives. At Salvation we are baptized into Jesus’ Death and dead to our sin nature. It is our will to believe in the atoning work of Jesus Christ that gives the Holy Spirit the right to come into our heart and isolate our sin nature which gives us the ability to believe. If we do not will (want) to believe, the Holy Spirit does not isolate our sin nature and it remains on the throne of our heart producing fruit unto death.
“4 Wherefore, my brethren, you also are become dead to the law by the Body of Christ; that you should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of Spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.” Romans 7:4-6
Being buried with Christ in the Baptism into His Death, we are dead to the law. It is the law which quickens our sin nature but it is the Holy Spirit which quickens the Divine Nature given unto us when we are Born Again and continues calling us unto Holiness and Righteousness.
“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:4
When we are in the flesh, the motions of our sin which were by the law, dominates our members and brings fruit unto death. When we are in Christ, we can serve in the newness of the Holy Spirit.
The problem is that once we are Born Again by faith in the Cross of Christ unto Salvation, we then resort to faith in a law (any law) to live a holy life and by doing such we hinder the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our heart. The Holy Spirit is not producing fruit unto God but the letter of the law is producing fruit unto death. The sin nature which was once isolated because of our faith in Christ, has now been loosed from the power of the Holy Spirit and begins it’s work unto death. The Holy Spirit does not have the legal means to isolate our sin nature when our faith is in the letter of some law to live a holy life. Although He lusts to envy and to expel that which is causing us to stumble, it is our faith in these other means that hinders His Work. We make the Cross of Christ of no effect when our faith is in these vain philosophies presented as Biblical doctrine to live a victorious Christian life.
“For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the Law of Sin and Death.” Romans 8:2
It is a legal right that we must give the Holy Spirit latitude to perform His work in our lives. The key is faith in the Cross of Christ for all that we receive from God. Faith in Who Christ is and what He did to break the power of sin will open the doors of Heaven. Blessing upon blessing will pour out; they will chase us down…even in the most difficult of circumstances.
Examine your faith for holy living. Is it in our will power, our abilities, talent or intellect? Or is it in Jesus Christ and Him crucified…be determined to know nothing else among you.
“And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23
-Donna Clark Warren
Living in The Spirit 