There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1 WEB
Paul opens his letter to the Romans with comforting words encouraging believers to walk according to the Spirit. Some translations omit the second portion of the verse dealing with the flesh and the Spirit. However, the description discussed here includes it as Paul mentions the very same concept in other writings attributed to him.
For example, Paul mentions walking in the Spirit in contrast to the flesh in Galatians 5;16-17 writing, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. WEB”
With these words, Paul makes clear that in Christ Jesus we walk in the Spirit and not the flesh. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul warns that those who walk in the flesh will not inherit the kingdom of heaven (Galatians 5:19-21). He then offers these words from Galatians 5:24, “Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. WEB”
Obedience to God
To be free from condemnation, we first accept the grace of God in his forgiveness of sin through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ. We cannot obtain salvation through our own actions. Once saved, we walk according to the Spirit of God. This is the transformation experienced by repentance. We turn from sin and toward obedience to the will of God.
Jesus paid for our sins on the cross. However, this is not permission to continue living sinful lives. Paul writes in Romans 6:28, “What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? May it never be! WEB” As Jesus says in John 8:11 to the woman caught in adultery, “Go and sin no more. KJV” The Lord also says the same to the paralyzed man he healed. John 5:14 records this encounter saying, “Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, ‘Behold, you are made well. Sin no more, so that nothing worse happens to you.’ WEB”
These scriptures help us to understand what it means to walk in the Spirit. Forgiven from sin, we live in obedience to God with the help of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus says to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:24, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. NIV”
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for forgiving my sins. Help me to walk according to the Spirit. Give me strength to forgo the sins flesh and to serve you all the days of my life. In Jesus’ name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: You Are God
