Perhaps you've heard of the power of God to keep us from falling, and how God says He will dwell in us, etc.... but wondered just how does that actually work? Practically, how do I have that close union with God and how does God's power keep us from falling?

Let's discover the answers, straight from God's word. We are about to plunge deep into the treasures of truth. As a deep sea diver searches for hidden pearls, so let's dive far beneath the surface of scripture and discover answers to this vital question.

"[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." - Romans 8:1

There's now no condemnation to whom? To them which are 'in Christ Jesus'. Those who are 'in Christ Jesus', don't walk after the flesh, but walk after the Spirit. Let's go a little deeper.

Law of Sin and Death

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." - Romans 8:2

The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus frees us from the law of sin and death. What is the law of sin and death? It is described in the previous chapter, Romans 7:21-23 as 'another law in my members' holding me captive to sin. The word 'members' simply means a part of the body.

We can all relate to being held captive to sin. We find a certain evil habit that, no matter how much we struggle against, we just haven't been able to overcome. We see what is good, we want to do the right, but we are the miserable slaves of a fallen weak human nature that is powerless to stand against the temptations of the evil one.

But! 'The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus' sets us free from this terrible condition. When we walk after the flesh, we're powerless to do good, but if we walk after the spirit we are made free.

There are two experiences described here in Romans 8; one of being captive to the desires of the flesh and the other being set free and walking in the Spirit of God.

Carnal vs Spiritual Mind

"For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace." - Romans 8:6

Now, the mind plays a vital role in this. There is the carnal mind, and the spiritual mind.

The carnal mind has often yielded to temptation is powerless to resist temptation, therefore it results in death. The spiritual mind, somehow has the supernatural power to resist the temptations of Satan and therefore results in life and peace.

Let's just consider the amazing human being. What sets us apart from the animal kingdom? Don't all animals eat food, drink water, reproduce, move around, feel hunger, thirst, and in many other ways function just like us? Animals can even show some degree of intelligence.

So what sets us apart?

The Higher Nature

It's because we God created us with higher moral reasoning powers. We can choose right over wrong, good over evil. It is this higher, spiritual nature in man that puts him above the low, instinct-driven animal.

You see, dear reader, we are getting to the core of the problem. When man sinned, our higher nature became helplessly enslaved to the lower nature (appetites, passions and desires). Now, without the help of God, we could not fully control these things. So, we see Romans chapters 6, 7 and 8 clearly explaining our sad state of being captive to the flesh.

Think about it! Alexander the Great conquered the whole world, yet couldn't conquer himself. He died in a drunken stupor! Slave to his appetite.

Now, we are getting to the exciting part!

Christ in You

"So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you." - Romans 8:8-9

If we are in the flesh and slave to our lower nature, we cannot please God. But we are not in the flesh, if.... What? If the Spirit of God dwell in us.

It's important to note the role of the "Spirit of God". John chapter 16 says the Holy Spirit (or Spirit of God, or Spirit of truth) will not speak of himself, but rather comes to represent Jesus and was to be the comforter when Jesus ascended to heaven after His resurrection. So the next verse we are going to read says that Christ is to dwell in us. How is this possible? Through the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is like Christ's ambassador, who speaks not of himself but directly represents Christ.

Now, this gets exciting!

"And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness. " - Romans 8:10

If Christ is in us, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, what happens? The body is dead, but the spirit is life. What a puzzle, you say. Don't be discouraged, the answer is simple! Remember we talked about the lower and higher nature of man.

The Human 'Spirit'

Just read the verse again, and look at the word "Spirit". Whose 'Spirit' is it? You could read it like this: If Christ is in me, my body is dead, but my Spirit is life. Now, consider the Greek definition of the word "Spirit":

From G4154; a current of air, that is, breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively a spirit, that is, (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, daemon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy spirit: - ghost, life, spirit (-ual, -ually), mind.

What part of this definition applies when it is used in the context of a human spirit?

"...that is, (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc."

Could it be that the human "Spirit" is none other than our higher nature? Yes, indeed it is! It is our 'rational soul', 'vital principle', 'mental disposition' etc. If "Spirit" is refering to the higher nature of man, what about "the body"? It must be referring to our lower nature our animal desires and propensities, the lusts of the flesh.

"And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness. " - Romans 8:10

So, if Christ is in us, our lower nature is dead because of sin, but our mental faculties or our higher nature is life because of righteousness.

Our lower nature dead? Because of sin? Why?

Freedom from Sin

To die to the desires of the flesh is the only way to perfect freedom and complete victory.

"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin." - Romans 6:6-7

The old man (or our old ways) is yielded to Christ; the body of sin is destroyed, that from now on we should walk in freedom from sin. What a powerful, victorious experience!

How does this work in practice? Notice it says we are to be crucified with him, that is, with Christ. How can we be crucified with Christ when he was crucified over 2000 years ago? What were Christ's last words before He died?

"And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost." - Luke 23:46

If we are symbolically crucified with Christ, we too will cry, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit". We will yield ourselves entirely to God.

This is beautifully brought out again in Romans chapter 6.

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members [as] instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto God." - Romans 6:12-13

So what must we do? The answer is in one word. YIELD!

Yield /yeld/ - verb: To resign; to give up; to surrender

In the past we have yielded to the desires of the flesh, but now we earnestly pray "Not my will, by your will, oh God, be done in my life". When confronted with our old habits and practices, we resolutely count ourselves dead indeed to that sin, and cry "Father, into your hands I commend my Spirit! My mind is so weakened by sin, that I cannot resist this strong temptation. You are stronger! I yield myself to you."

Once we have thus yielded our will to Christ, we immediately have the power to resist that temptation. Even though we may not feel it, we are to step forward in faith and firmly, bravely resist, and even flee from the temptation. Be encouraged! When the will of man unites with the will of God, it becomes all powerful!

Think about it! A dead body doesn't respond to anything. So when we have surrendered ourselves to Christ, and Satan comes again to tempt us, we shouldn't stop to talk with the enemy. We are to count ourselves as dead indeed to sin. So, for example, when an immoral image flashes across our vision from some advertisement we are not to respond in the slightest by turning our eyes in that direction, rather we should yield ourselves again to God, flee the temptation, and count ourselves as completely dead to that sin.

Dwelling Place of the Almighty

Now, this gem is going rather longer than usual, but this topic is so deep, powerful and important that I don't want to leave any vital points out.

The final beautiful piece to this picture comes when we realise where the Holy Spirit dwells and what He does.

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love..." - Ephesians 3:17

Who is representing Christ here on the earth now? Yes, the Holy Spirit. (The Holy Spirit is the one who sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts { Romans 5:5}, which explains how we become rooted and grounded in love when Christ, through the Holy Spirit, is dwelling in our hearts.) So where does Christ dwell? In our hearts! Do you mean to say that the fist-size organ of our body that pumps the blood is where God dwells? Not exactly!

The Bible says that "the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11) and that out of the heart are "the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23). The heart pumps the life blood to every organ of our body. Literally, from the heart flows life!

The heart is a fitting symbol of the centre life. Because of this, the Bible often uses the word 'heart', to refer to something else.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" - Psalms 51:10

Here David uses Hebrew poetry to describe the same thought in two phrases. This is very common in Old Testament writings. The phrase "Create in me a clean heart" and "renew a right spirit within me" is saying the same thing twice, using different words.

"And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;" - Ephesians 4:23

We need a clean heart! Our mind, or higher nature, needs to be renewed and strengthened to resist temptation! We are beginning to see a connection between, "Heart", "Spirit" and "Mind".

"For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, ...and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12

Does the fist-size organ, the heart, have thoughts and intents? No! But what does? The mind! In a spiritual context, the Bible often uses the word heart to refer to our mind. Every word and act can be traced back to thoughts that began in the mind. The mind is indeed the centre of our higher, spiritual nature.

These and many other texts clearly show that "Spirit" and "Heart" are often used interchangeably. Here is another.

"The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." - Psalms 51:17

This verse uses "spirit" and then "heart", to refer to the same thing.

So when we read:

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love..." - Ephesians 3:17

Where is Christ, through the Holy Spirit, really dwelling? In our mind!! This, dear reader is powerful. You see, our problem is that our higher mental faculties are enslaved to our lower nature. We can't do what we know to be right. Our will is weak and wavering.

But God has provided an absolutely marvellous way for us to be free from this! This is how.

"For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name [is] Holy; I dwell in the high and holy [place], with him also [that is] of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." - Isaiah 57:15

Broken, and grieving because of sin, we make an entire surrender of ourselves to Christ. The Holy Spirit takes control of our life. Christ, through the Holy Spirit, then dwells in our heart or mind. He unites his omnipotent, all powerful will with our weak and wavering will.

Before we were powerless to resist evil, now by the surrender of our will to God we have all the power of heaven to resist any and every temptation. Before our higher nature was enslaved by the desires of the lower nature; now the higher nature is strengthened by divine power and the lower nature is under the control of the reason and judgement of the higher nature.

The Exchanged Life

Oh friends! This is the exchanged life!

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." - Galatians 2:20

By this means of yielding ourselves moment by moment to Christ, the very life of God is lived out in us.

My dear friend, have you made an entire surrender of your will to Christ? Are you living the exchanged life? The life that runs parallel with the life of God! The life Christ lived while on this earth. Christ longs for you to experience His power, He gave all of heaven and indeed yielded His own life for you.

He is waiting with longing desire to see you in return, yield your life to Him. Then He can work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure.

What are you waiting for? Now is the time to live your life entirely surrendered to Christ.

May your prayer be:

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" - Psalms 51:10

The almighty God who cannot lie, gives you His unchanging answer:

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you" - Ezekiel 36:26

Remember! We have the power to keep Christ within; He has the power to keep us from sin!

Ephesians 3:14-21

"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God."

"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."