THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the Law
of God neither, indeed can be. 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.
Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his, ROM 8:7-9.
What is that Spirit of Christ? I want to identify that with Christ Himself. Our
text says, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit
of God dwell in you."
If you have the Holy Spirit, it is that Spirit of Christ flowing unto us from
Christ. It is the Holy Spirit of God who comes unto us through Christ. It says, "Now
if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."
What is that Spirit of Christ? In LUK 22:41-42 it says, "And he was withdrawn
from them about a stone's cast and kneeled down and prayed saying, Father, if thou be
willing, remove this cup from me, nevertheless not my will but thine be done."
We want to take notice that the spirit of Christ is that spirit of submission and
obedience. Christ was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Christ was
submissive to the will of the Father. We need a Saviour in order to be saved from
rebellion.
When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, he rebelled against the Word of God. He
rebelled against the Law of God, so rebellion was born in the garden of Eden, and
rebellion is born in the heart of everyone of us. By nature we have a tendency to rebel.
If the Lord's Word tells us what to do, and it's against our pleasure, rebellion is the
immediate reaction. Rebellion has been born in the heart.
Now let us look at that spirit of Christ and what it was. It was the Spirit of
perfect submission, of perfect obedience to the will of the Father. When we look at the
spirit of Christ, we want to see how He was in the garden when He said,
"Nevertheless, not my will, but thy will be done."
ROM 5:19 tells us, "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners,
so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."
We take notice that it was the obedience of Christ that purchased our salvation.
"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross," PHI 2:8.
Amen. |
