The Holy Spirit Releases Life

Romans 8:9-13; 3/16/2025; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang

Introduction

We know that the coming of the Holy Spirit is sent by the Holy Father and the Holy Son to participate in God’s salvation plan.  The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity.  It is the same glory and substance as the Father and the Son.  It transcends all laws and bears the burden and responsibility of life.  More importantly, in God’s salvation, the function of the Holy Spirit is even freeing a life originally enslaved by sin.  Let’s look at the first point: 

The mystery of life’s belonging

When it comes to life, people are often confused, right?  Anyway, to live is to live. As long as there is a way to make a living and to take refuge in whoever gives you benefits, it becomes a golden rule that people are accustomed to.  But, is this the life in your mind?  First of all, the essence of life depends on belonging.  Obviously, the essence of life is not to live, but to see where it belongs.  Moreover, there are not many choices between being of the Spirit or of the flesh.  How do you know where you belong?  The Bible says: “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.  (Romans 8:9)”  So how do we know if the Spirit of God dwells in our hearts?  The Bible says: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. (Romans 8:16)”  Children of God must first do everything in the name of the Lord; secondly, they must imitate the Lord’s style, loving God, loving others, and loving others as themselves.  The third is to have the spiritual sensitivity to confess and repent, and not to be like King Saul, who refused to surrender the sovereignty of his life to God until his death.        

Secondly, the Spirit of Christ is discernment.  Of course, as the Bible says: “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (Romans 8:9)”  How do you know if a person has the Spirit of Christ?  The Bible says: “ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. (1 John 4:3)” It’s not just about confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, but more importantly, believing in your heart!  If a person believes in his heart, he will surely bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit!  What you say and do will be consistent with the gospel you believe.  In fact, the essence is to act in a manner worthy of a repentant heart and worthy of the grace you have received!  If you cannot live out repentance, you will not be saved.  If you cannot live out gratitude, it will be difficult to be sanctified.        

Finally, Life and death are controlled by God.  Some people may still quibble and say that I believe it!  You see, I serve, contribute, participate in short-term missions, offer time and all kinds of resources.  How can you say that I do not belong to Christ?  Frankly speaking, it doesn’t matter who speaks and who doesn’t.  What matters is that one day Christ will speak.  What to talk about?  Saying: I don’t know you!  In here, Paul is exhorting us to be humble and trembling in our hearts.  There is no need to be boastful and arrogant, boasting and disobedience becomes a habit, so that it becomes difficult to turn back.  Don’t forget that it is Christ who is the Head and who rules through His body!  If He truly is in our hearts, the Bible says: “Although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (Romans 8:10)”  Let’s look at the second point:

The resurrection of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit

”The Spirit is life because of righteousness.”  It refers to the Spirit of resurrection reigning in our hearts.  Only the Spirit of resurrection has the authority to make us live for righteousness.  First, receive God’s Spirit with joy.  Frankly speaking, We are unfamiliar with the Holy Spirit.  Not only is it unfamiliar, but it will also be rejected.  Even if we accept it in our consciousness, subconsciously, we often even unconsciously suppress the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  Paul introduced the Holy Spirit in a very special way.  He said, who is the Holy Spirit?  It is “the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead.”  It means asking the disciples, do you know the mystery of Christ’s resurrection?  It was the Holy Spirit, whom we are unfamiliar with, who raised Jesus from the dead.  Paul’s introduction enables us to readily receive the Holy Spirit and obey the Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives.  This is an attitude, and it is also a deepening of the understanding of God, so that we can know more and more about God.  

Second, it is the Spirit from “in” to “dwell in”.  In today’s scripture, the word “if” appears twice.  Once in verse 10, “if Christ is in you.”  Another time is in verse 11, “  “If the Spirit dwells in you.”  What does it mean?  Regarding the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Bible does not force us, but invites us.  God seems to be asking here:  Are you willing to invite me to live in your hearts?  We may ask, on what grounds?  Why?  The truth is actually very simple, and there is only one reason, that is, Christ wants to dwell in our hearts.  The process of “from being in to being dwell in” in the scriptures is actually the progress, depth, and advancement of the relationship between God and man.  

Finally, the mortal body comes to life.  This is the fruit brought by the indwelling of Christ, the fruit of resurrection, the fruit of life, and the fruit of mission.  The fruit of resurrection is intended to resolve the issue of our spiritual identity.  Only those who belong to the Lord have the possibility of receiving resurrection life.  The fruit of life is living out the resurrection life received from the Lord, not just talking about it.  From words to faith, from faith to deeds, and from deeds to missions.  The fruit of mission is the overflowing of the blessing of life that belongs to the Lord, so that the testimonies flowing out glorify God and benefit others.  As the Bible says, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  We cannot wear new shoes and walk the same old path!  Let’s look at the third point:

Living in obedience to the Holy Spirit

Living by the Holy Spirit is a core value of the Bible.  It’s just that we may only stay at the point where we know it but don’t necessarily follow it.  Why?  This is because we have forgotten the other disjunctive, the opposite disjunctive, which is the consequence of disobedience to the Holy Spirit.  First, the choice between the Spirit and the flesh.  This is an old topic, right?  For us, living in the flesh will become more accustomed and more skillful.  At least some people will ask why we should obey the flesh?  It seems to be something that comes naturally, without any obstacles or reasons.  It has been a habit for many years.  Lincoln emancipated the black slaves.  However, when many black people saw their original masters on the road, they would still lie down on the ground and ask the master to step on their back and get on the horse.  We may be the same.  When temptation comes, we can’t help but sin.  We forget that Christ has actually paid off our sin debt in the flesh, and we no longer need to be entangled and bound by the flesh.

Secondly, if you live according to the flesh.  What is flesh?  The flesh is the sin we inherited from Adam and the resulting fall and corruption.  The specific manifestations are our flesh, lust and other emotions that do not glorify God.  Logically speaking, as those of us who have been reborn and saved and have overcome by relying on the Lord, we have been freed from the temptation of sin and have nothing to do with sin.  However, we who have been crucified with the Lord still have a body that is capable of sin.  Paul said, How miserable I am!  The suffering lies in living according to the flesh and meaninglessly.  What to do?  Paul said, rely on the Lord and not on yourself!   Life depends either on oneself or the Holy Spirit!  The difference is between being bound or being free.

Finally, mortify the body by the Holy Spirit.  Once a person chooses to rely on the Holy Spirit, things are completely different.  From now on, the focus is far away from sin.  Now that it is far away, God no longer condemns us!  The prerequisite for no longer being condemned is to be in Christ Jesus, and the first step in life in Christ is to repent of sin.  A person who often confesses his sins and repents will be sensitive to sin and will not commit sin easily.  On the contrary, those who never confess and repent are insensitive to sin and resist confessing their sins.  It is impossible for a person who refuses to confess his sins to mortify the body by relying on the Holy Spirit.  In this way, it will be difficult for the Holy Spirit to release his life.  May I ask, what is your choice?

Conclusion

Well, thank the Lord! The Holy Spirit releases life, and through the ownership of our lives, the resurrection of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and obedience to the Holy Spirit, we will gain life! May God grant us peace, walk with us on our pilgrimage, and release our lives!

Let us pray ……

 

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 

10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 

11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 

13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.