But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. (Romans 8:9 NKJV)
The flesh contends against the spirit. The flesh desires the things of the world, loves the world, and lives according to the fashion of the world. The spirit is the opposite of what the flesh is. The spirit lives according to the guidance of the Spirit of God – the Spirit of Christ – and desires the things which are spiritual, pursuing those which benefit the spirit. If we are indeed the children of God, His Holy Spirit must be dwelling in us. He is in us and we are in Him. It is the same spirit which will resurrect us upon His second coming. Our flesh will be changed from mortal to immortal – from earthly bodies to heavenly bodies suitable to enter Heaven. Christ was the forerunner of us all who will enter the gates of heaven. We shall live eternally – without sorrow and pain; without hunger and thirst; without sickness and death. Right now, we are to live in the spirit and not of the flesh. We are to remain pursuing holiness, which is the image of Christ, our Lord God. Let the hand of God form us into His perfect image, Christ-like, and be glorified in heaven.
