In Touch Daily Devotional
by Dr. Charles Stanley
February 2-3, 2008 – The Power of Christ over the Flesh – Romans 6:14-18
Bookstores devote entire sections to “self-help” titles. However, the self-help concept is flawed, since people can do nothing to improve the fleshly nature. We can clean up our attitudes and actions temporarily, but lasting change is possible only through the Lord Jesus Christ. When His Spirit is living within us, we can be shaped into successful followers of God.
It’s critical to realize that the Law wasn’t intended for salvation. The commands given through Moses are designed to teach us what sin is and how mankind violates holiness. To lead a God-pleasing life, we must follow biblical principles, but doing so isn’t enough to get us into heaven. The Law was created to drive us to the Savior for salvation; through it, we understand our inability to adhere to the Lord’s rules without His help (Galatians 3:24).
Imbedded within the Law is a warning that sin’s penalty is death (Genesis 3:3, 21; Romans 6:23). Christ is the fulfillment of the Law since He took our sin upon Himself and died. When we accept His sacrifice on our behalf, we’re covered by divine grace, and His Spirit comes to permanently indwell us.
Using Scripture, God’s Spirit challenges Christians to bring fleshly habits and thought patterns under submission. He illuminates the believer’s mind with regard to biblical meaning and application. Therefore, the Word is useful for “teaching, for reproof, for correction, and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). There is no self-help in the believer’s life. We are to surrender to the work and way of God’s Spirit.
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