April 24, 2020-Chapter 6: "O Wretched Man That I Am"- Question: 1

QUESTION: 1

What do you think it means to “live in the power of the Holy Spirit” at this time in your life? To help you better understand this question: If a fellow Christian brother or sister came to you and asked, “What does it mean to “walk by the Holy Spirit?”, what would you tell them they must do? (Page 56)

ANSWER To Question 1 (As stated by the Author)

In the first sixteen verses of the eight chapter the name of the Holy Spirit is found sixteen times; you have there the description and promise of the life that a child of God can live in the power of the Holy Spirit. This begins in the second verse: "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" Rom. 8:12). From that Paul goes on to speak of the great privileges of the child of God, who is to be led by the Spirit of God. The gateway into all this is in the twenty-fourth verse of the seventh chapter:

"O Wretched man that I am!"

There you have the words of a man who has come to the end of himself. He has in the previous verses described how he had struggled and wrestled in his own power to obey the holy law of God, and had failed. But in answer to his own question he now finds the true answer and cries out: "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." From that he goes on to speak of what that deliverance is that he has found.

You see the great secret of living a true and holy restful life, is not trying to live it all, because "we can't." We must come to the "end of self" on a daily and moment-by-moment basis and recognize that we are still "wretched sinners". Yes, we are forgiven, once and for all, but still sinners. As we come before the throne of God daily in our life, it is God, through our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, who must do the work through us, not us trying to do the work. Does that make sense? Write me and let me know your thoughts.