“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you… If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:1-9,11
Accordingly: In a way that is appropriate to particular circumstances; in accordance; correspondingly. So; consequently. Agreeably; suitably; in a manner conformable.
What is true determines all that follows. For a Christian who has passed from death to life, from slavery to freedom, from condemnation to forgiveness, there is much that accordingly should follow. He is to live in such a way that no longer indulges the flesh but honors Christ. No longer tethered to sin’s oppression and allure, he is free to live according to the Spirit, to serve and obey Him rather than self. The challenge is the daily will and decision to do so.
As believers saved and kept by Christ, our lives should be characterized by the Spirit rather than the flesh. By God’s supernatural work, our shame has been replaced with righteousness and belonging, and our weakness has been transformed with resurrection power. We no longer think or behave as unbelievers with doubt and confusion, but with renewed minds conform mindset and actions to the Spirit’s sway. (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:17-32)
What about our status as those saved by Christ? Do we grasp the practical realities of the spiritual work of our Savior? Do we seek to understand the ramifications of our position in Christ, and exercise their outworking? (2 Corinthians 5:17,21)
How does it bear out in our living? What does our salvation mean in daily choices and interactions? How do our decisions reflect that we have our minds set on the Spirit? How do we portray in demeanor, attitudes, and words our freedom from condemnation? Are we self-deprecating and critical, or quick to express gratitude and extend grace? Are we grouchy and vengeful, or eager to share, love, and praise?
Lord, in gratitude for and the power of all You have done, may I live zealously and confidently according to my status in Your grace, to the praise of Your goodness and glory.
As the rain and snow 