YE ARE NOT IN THE FLESH

The new creature is the soul that has become a quickening Spirit by being joined to the Spirit of Christ. When the soul is placed in the Holy Spirit, a rebirthing takes place. The person that was once dead in sins, is now alive in Christ Jesus. Consider the following scripture.

Romans 8:8-9

8. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

9. 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.

Once again, the scripture gives a distinction between those who are the sons of Adam, and those who are sons of God. Apparently, the sons of Adam are considered to be “in the flesh”. In his previous chapter, Paul went into more detail explaining what that really means.

Romans 7:5

For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

We said in the previous chapter that Adam was made a living soul. Well, it was the flesh that brought life to that soul. The body was dead until God blew the soul into it, and hence, the soul needed a body to live. Hence, the term “in the flesh” means that our souls are the source of life for the flesh, by being in it. So, when we were in the flesh, the emotions of sins worked in our bodies, to bring forth fruit unto death. This is what we mentioned in Chapter 5, how the law of sin and death, possessed the bodies of all Adam’s children.

As long as this law is present in the flesh, the person can never please God. Hence for us to be truly saved, we have to also be saved from our sinful bodies. But how?

THE CIRCUMCISION OF THE FLESH

Colossians 2:9-11

9. For in him [Christ] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

10. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

11. In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

In order for us to be saved from our sinful bodies, they had to be circumcised. This is not the natural circumcision relative to the foreskin; but this is a spiritual operation relative to the soul and flesh. This circumcision is the cutting away (removal) of the flesh from the soul. If we could see salvation through a slow-motion lens, we would be able to see that God not only came inside of us when we received the Holy Ghost, but He went through various steps.

Steps according to Colossians 2:9-13

Step 1 – The Circumcision of the Flesh: God removes the soul from the flesh. When the soul and body are separated from one another, they both die, because they are dependent upon each other for life. This death destroys all the sin that was in the flesh and in the soul (Romans 6:7).

Step 2 – Creation of the New Creature: He places the soul in His Spirit. Thus creating a quickening Spirit. When the soul is placed in the Holy Spirit, it is brought

alive, because the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of life. Thus, this new creature is not dependent upon a body to live. Its life is Christ.

Step 3 – The Formation of The Body of Christ: He places the new creature (which is the soul in Christ) back into the circumcised flesh. This is often termed as

putting on the new man, which is Christ in the human body. When the new creature is placed in the new man, the body is quickened alive. Thus, the soul no longer

has the body alive, but the Spirit of Christ does; the soul however, is hidden in the Spirit.

Hence, we can finally understand our introductory scripture.

Romans 8:8-9

8. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

9. 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.

Our souls are no longer in the flesh because they are now inside of the Spirit of God. However, your soul is only in the Holy Spirit, if, the Spirit of God dwells in your body.

Now, instead of the soul being directly in the flesh, now the Spirit is. The Spirit is in the flesh, to be the life of the flesh, as well as the power over it so that it will never sin against you (John 17:2, 1 John 3:9). However, the soul finds his rest in the Spirit.

CHRIST IN THE FLESH

Our souls are no longer in the flesh. We can no longer be defined by anything of this earth. We have been regenerated and recreated into a new creature. Being placed in the Holy Spirit is the salvation of the soul. The soul could not be saved unless it was first removed from the flesh.

As mentioned earlier, this removal from the flesh causes death. This death (though faster than you could blink your eye) is as literal a death as it comes. The person that we once knew is now dead – literally. The woman we once entertained died at salvation.

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Romans 8:10

And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Remember in Step 3, we mentioned that the new creature was placed into the circumcised flesh? That body was resurrected by the Spirit of Christ however, the soul is hidden in that Spirit (Colossians 3:3). As far as the soul is concerned, the body is still dead to it, because it never returned to the flesh on its own.

This is a great mystery. The soul that sins shall surely die. Christ is the only one that had the power over death. He has the ability to give you life even after death. So, if you die at salvation, He can give you life. Seeing that He is life, He has the power to enter your dead body, and raise it to life; however, this is not done for you, but it is done for Him.

He desires to use your body to live a life on earth. He has returned in you as a mystery to the world – the mystery of Christ. Now your very body, is the actual body of Christ.

Ephesians 5:30

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

1 Corinthians 6:15

Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

Our bodies now belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). They are for His use and His use only, hence He says,

Romans 12:1

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

THIS IS THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST! CHRIST IS IN THE FLESH OF THE SONS OF GOD!

The same is true for the women of God. The soul of the woman is no longer in that body, but it is the Spirit of Christ that has the body alive. That female vessel, lives and moves, for the purpose of God only. Christ has entered her flesh to use every part of that body for His purpose. Can he not also use the mouth, to speak His oracles? I believe so. Hence,

Galatians 3:27-28

27. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ [the new man/the body of Christ].

28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.