Those Who are In Christ Jesus

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:1-8 ESV)

There are so many people these days who quote just the first verse here, and they assume that, because they made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, that they are now “in Christ Jesus,” and thus that they are no longer condemned, and so heaven is now secured for them when they die, end of story. And this is why I stress CONTEXT, because so many false teachings come from Scriptures taught outside of their context and thus are misinterpreted. Therefore many people are believing lies and not the truth.

We have to keep reading…

For what does it say next? God, by sending his own Son (Jesus Christ) in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 

In other words, Jesus Christ (God the Son) was sent to the earth by God the Father for the express purpose to be our sacrificial lamb on a cross for the sins of the entire world, nearly 2000 years ago. In his death, Jesus Christ became sin for us that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. For when he died our sins died with him, and were buried with him, and then on the third day he was resurrected from the dead triumphant over sin, hell, Satan, and death, so that we would now be delivered from slavery to sin.

So, what is the “righteous requirement of the law”? There are many different thoughts on this subject, I have found. This is by far the one that makes the most sense to me:

“That the righteousness of the law - That we might be conformed to the Law, or be obedient to its requirements, and no longer under the influence of the flesh and its corrupt desires. Might be fulfilled - That we might be obedient, or comply with its demands.” (quote from Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)

But, bottom line, it is required of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ that we must walk (in conduct, in practice, in purpose) no longer according to our sinful flesh but now according to (in agreement with, in submission to) the Spirit of God. Like Jesus said, if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) Jesus. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin, we will lose them for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, and obey our Lord, we have eternal life.

And then we have many passages of Scripture throughout the New Testament that teach us that we must obey our Lord and his commands (New Covenant), that we must no longer walk in sin, making sin our practice, but that we must now live holy lives, pleasing to God, in the power and working of God’s Spirit within us as we yield control of our lives over to God and we submit to his will and purpose for our lives. For if we continue living in sin, and not in obedience to God, we do not have eternal life.

For if we live according to our sinful flesh, and not according to God’s will for our lives, then our minds are set on the flesh, not on pleasing the Lord with our lives. And to set the mind on the flesh is death, not life eternal. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. And we still have to obey our Lord and his commandments (New Covenant), and we still have to live to please him, in his power and strength.

So, those who are “in Christ” are those whose minds are set on the Spirit and not on the flesh, who walk (in conduct) according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. We are not perfect people, and we won’t be perfect (complete in Christ) until Jesus returns and he takes his faithful ones to be with him for eternity, which is when our salvation is complete. But we must be those who are living for the Lord and not for the flesh and who are walking in obedience to the Lord and who are no longer walking in sin.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 2 Tim 1:8-9; 1 Pet 1:5; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 9:28; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-29; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]  

As the Deer 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

 So my soul longeth after You

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

 To You alone may my spirit yield

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

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