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Life in the Spirit: Dependence and Surrender

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”

One of the great passages in the Bible on the Holy Spirit is Romans 8. In Romans 8, we learn about life in the Spirit, contrasted with life in the flesh.

The Holy Spirit is God. He is fully God, and He is in every believer. We are to live surrendered to Him and dependent upon Him.

The flesh is the selfish, sinful tendencies that we all have as humans. The flesh is not me but it is with me. Romans 8:9 teaches us that we are to live in the Spirit, characterized and governed by the Spirit, and not in the flesh, characterized and governed by the flesh. Moreover, verse 9 teaches us that every Christian has the Holy Spirit inside him. “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” From the moment we trust Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit comes into us. Verse 9 says we are in the Spirit. Verse 4 calls us to walk according to the Spirit. Verse 5 says to live according to the Spirit. Verse 6 says set your mind on the Spirit. Verse 14 says we are led by the Spirit.

What does all this mean? What is life in the Spirit? Two things—dependence and surrender. We depend upon the Spirit and not upon ourselves. We depend upon the Spirit to guide us, strengthen us, protect us, transform us, and lead us. And because we are dependent, we surrender. The Spirit is in control, not me. I give up control. Spirit, lead on.

This is life in the Spirit, by the Spirit, from the Spirit. Dependence.

Surrender. Is this true of your life?