Life in the Spirit

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the
life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because
of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies
we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature
but instead follow the Spirit.

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit
think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting
the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey
God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in
you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ
lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made
right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from
the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live
by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you
will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as
his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are
to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.