In Romeine 8:10, Paulus het geskryf, If Christ is in you, die liggaam is dood weens sonde; maar die Gees is lewe vanweë die geregtigheid. What did Paul mean by that? How do you know if Christ is in you? What does the Bible say about Jesus Christ in you?
When do you belong to Christ?
When you have become a new creation in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit dwells inside of you, you belong to Christ.
By faith in Jesus Christ and through regeneration in Him, jy het 'n seun van God geword (dit geld vir beide mans en wyfies). Your flesh has died in Jesus Christ and your spirit that was dead has been raised from the dead by the power of God and has become alive.
If your flesh with its sinful nature has died, it means that it is dead and no longer lives. Daarom, when you become born again, you shall no longer be controlled and led by your flesh in which the sinful nature reigns.
Die vlees kan God nie behaag nie
Want die vleeslike verstand is vyandskap teen God: want dit is nie onderworpe aan die wet van God nie, nie een van die twee kan inderdaad wees nie. So dan kan hulle wat in die vlees is, God nie behaag nie (Romeine 8:7-8)
Since sin reigns in the flesh because of the sinful nature, the flesh can’t please God. The flesh has the nature of the devil and rebels against God and always wants to do those things, that go against the will of God (Lees ook: Die stryd en swakheid van die ou man en Die wil van God vs die wil van die duiwel).
That’s why Jesus had to come to earth, to deal with the sinful nature of (geval het) man that is present in the flesh.
Jesus came in the likeness of man, so that Jesus could become the Substitute for (geval het) mankind (Lees ook: Was Jesus ten volle Menslik?’ and ‘Jesus het die posisie van die gevalle mens herstel).
If your flesh has been crucified in Christ and is dead, you shall no longer walk after the flesh in the dominion of the sinful nature. Therefore sin shall no longer reign in your life anymore.
Your flesh has died; Dus, you shall no longer live after the flesh and be led by the impulses from the world; the kingdom of darkness that causes your flesh to do things, that go against God’s will and cause you to keep sinning and persevere in sin.
The old man is led by the flesh and controlled by the kingdom of darkness
Before you berou het and became a new creation in Jesus Christ, you were led by your flesh in which sin reigns and controlled by the kingdom of darkness and the will of the devil.
Your mind (jou gedagtes), sintuie, gevoelens, emosies, sal, and the lusts and desires of your flesh reigned in your life and dictated you what to do and you obeyed them (Efesiërs 2:1-7).
Maar nou, that you have become a new creation and your flesh has died in Jesus Christ, you shall no longer be led by your flesh and controlled by the kingdom of darkness that causes you to persevere in sin. You shall no longer walk as a slave of the flesh and live in the bondage of the flesh and sin and death.
Hoe weet jy of Jesus Christus in jou is?
But you are not in the flesh, maar in die Gees, as dit so is dat die Gees van God in julle woon. En as iemand nie die Gees van Christus het nie, hy is nie een van Syne nie. And if Christ is in you, die liggaam is dood weens sonde; maar die Gees is lewe vanweë die geregtigheid (Romeine 8:9-10)
Daarom, broers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. Want as julle na die vlees lewe, julle sal sterwe: maar as julle deur die Gees die dade van die liggaam doodmaak, julle sal lewe. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Romeine 8:12-14)
If through regeneration, Jesus Christ is in you by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ really lives inside of you and is seated upon the throne of your life, then this will become visible by the way you live.
You shall no longer live under the dominion of sin and death, and therefore habitually persevere in sin. You shall no longer do those things which go against the will of God and Jesus (Lees ook: Die gebooie van God en die gebooie van Jesus).
As long as you live after the flesh in ongehoorsaamheid aan God and do those things, which don’t please God but instead please the devil, then this shows that the flesh is still alive and reigns in your life and nothing has changed.
But if you really have become a new creation and Jesus Christ is in you, you shall live after the will of God; the will of the Word. You shall be led by the Word and the Holy Spirit and therefore you shall walk after the Spirit in obedience to God. The Spirit shall have dominion and reign in your life.
Is lying not a bad thing?
This means for example, that when you have a conversation with someone and during that conversation, a thought of a lie (or a white lie) comes up in your mind, that releases you a.o. from your responsibility, jy kan twee dinge doen.
You can either walk after the flesh, by listening to this thought, which derives from the flesh that is controlled by the kingdom of darkness and ensures that when you bow for this thought and obey this thought you will lie and not speak the truth and therefore do the will of the devil.
Or you can walk after the Spirit, by taking this thought captive in Jesus Christ; die woord, Wie sê, that you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor, maar julle sal die waarheid spreek, and follow and obey the Word, and reject this thought and speak the truth, ten spyte van die gevolge.
Because if you have become a son of God and you belong to God and received His nature and Jesus Christ lives in you by the Holy Spirit, then you shall speak the truth, just like your Father.
Does sin lead to eternal life?
As long as you keep doing the works of the old man and walk after the flesh in sins and iniquities, then this proves that your flesh is not crucified in Jesus Christ, but that sin, which is the fruit of death, still reigns in your life.
As long as the flesh is still alive, you shall live in bondage and be controlled by the sinful nature of fallen man and belong to the devil. The sinful nature, which is present in the flesh shall reign in your life and shall keep you in the bondage of sin.
The Word says that sin leads to death and not to eternal life. Daarom, it does matter how you live after you become born again (Lees ook: Once saved always saved?)
The only way to be redeemed from the dominion of the devil and the sinful nature and to be reconciled with God is through faith in Jesus Christ and regeneration in Him (Lees ook Sal jy nie sterf as jy aanhou sondig nie?).
Does the Spirit of Christ live in you?
Dit is dan die boodskap wat ons van Hom gehoor het, en verklaar aan julle, dat God lig is, en in Hom is geen duisternis nie. As ons sê dat ons gemeenskap met Hom het, en wandel in duisternis, Ons lieg, en moenie die waarheid doen nie: Maar as ons in die lig wandel, soos Hy in die lig is, ons het gemeenskap met mekaar, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:5-7)
Maar julle is nie in die vlees nie, maar in die Gees, as dit so is dat die Gees van God in julle woon. En as iemand nie die Gees van Christus het nie, hy is nie een van Syne nie (Romeine 8:9)
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Romeine 8:14)
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God (Romeine 8:16)
We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not (1 John 5:18)
Die Woord sê, that if you have received the Spirit of Christ, you belong to God. Therefore if you have not received the Spirit of Christ, you don’t belong to Him.
If Jesus Christ is in you, deur die inwoning van die Heilige Gees, jy sal lief vir hom, luister na Hom, and keep His commandments. You shall follow Him by obeying Him; the Word and walk after the Spirit in righteousness; na die wil van God.
As jy volg Jesus and walk after the Spirit in righteousness, sin shall no longer have dominion and shall no longer reign as king in your life. You shall no longer live in the bondage of the Wet van sonde en dood, which reigns in the flesh of the old man. But you shall reign in Christ as king and have dominion over sin and through the Spirit, you shall kill the deeds of the flesh and live in the freedom of Christ.
‘Wees die sout van die aarde’
