“That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:4)
“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 does not belong to Him.” (Romans 8:9)
Romans 8 draws a line between two paths. One is shaped by the flesh, the other by the Spirit. For those in Christ, the old way is behind us. We walk now in the Spirit, not the flesh.
This is not a distant hope. It is the believer’s present reality. When we trusted Christ, the Spirit made His home in us. We were lifted from Adam’s fall and placed into the life of Jesus.
As 1 Corinthians 1:30 reminds us, “But through Him you are in Christ Jesus.” Our new life does not rest on human effort but on divine placement. The Father Himself has positioned us in His Son. That is why Paul can declare with confidence, “You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit.”
Still, many wrestle with what it means to walk by the Spirit. We think it demands constant effort. But Paul points us to something simpler. Walking in the Spirit begins by knowing we are already in Him. It is not about earning His nearness, but trusting His life within.
The struggle comes when we forget where we dwell. Though freed from the old life, we sometimes live as if still chained to it. The flesh whispers that holiness is ours to achieve. The Spirit calls us to rest in what Christ has finished.
Walking in the Spirit means living daily under the guidance and influence of the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to shape our choices and renew our hearts. It is an active dependence rather than a passive belief. We yield, and He leads.
Jesus used a similar image in John 15 when He said, “Abide in Me, and I in you.” The word abide means to remain, to stay connected. Disobedience, then, is not a matter of losing salvation or returning to the flesh. It is a matter of independence—stepping out of fellowship with the One who is our life. A religious life lived in self-effort may appear impressive, but it remains empty unless it flows from the Spirit within.
Paul reinforces this in Romans 8:12, saying, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh.” Our only actual obligation now is to the Spirit, for He is the source of our new nature. We no longer owe anything to the old life that once held us captive.
Many feel the tension. Scripture promises new life, yet old habits tug at our hearts. The answer is not to try harder, but to see more clearly. The more we behold Christ, the more His life shapes ours.
Each act of faith deepens our awareness. When we trust Christ’s life within us, obedience grows. When we grasp for control, we drift. The difference is simple dependence.
To live from the Spirit within is to live with open hands, trusting that God’s life in you is enough. The law’s demand is not ours to meet, but Christ’s to fulfil in us. Our part is not to produce holiness, but to stay open for the Spirit to bear fruit.
As we yield each day, fruit appears. Peace steadies us. Joy overflows. Patience grows where we least expect it. The Spirit brings what the flesh never could.
You are not in the flesh. You are in the Spirit. This is not a burden to carry, but a truth to receive.
Reflection:
When failure or weakness comes, remember where you stand. You are in Christ. His Spirit lives in you. Let this truth quiet striving and awaken the joy of resting in Him.
Shalom, Jacques
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