God has chosen to operate His work from the basis of faith. "The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus" (
Romans 8:2) is God's prescribed order of victory for the Believer over sin, the world, the flesh, and the Devil. This means that the Believer must place and maintain proper Faith the size of a mustard seed exclusively in Christ and the Cross of Calvary, i.e., The Finished Work, i.e., The Blood of Jesus, where the victory was won so that His life would be lived through you. This gives the Holy Spirit the legal means to help and do what is needed to be done in the Believers life because the Believer is glorifying Christ, God's beloved Son in whom He is pleased. You are now operating in the spirit. No Believer can fix the flesh with the flesh. All fruits that are added to the leaves of the Believer most be done by the Holy Spirit or you enter the works of the flesh (
Gal. 5:19-21).
The Holy Spirit doesn't require much of us, but He does require one thing, and without reservation.
Our Faith must be exclusively be in Christ and the Cross; understanding that this is God's Prescribed Order of Victory (
Rom. 8:2).
The Holy Spirit works strictly within the parameters of the "Finished Work" i.e., "The Cross of Christ" i.e., "The Blood of Jesus;" which demands that our Faith be placed and maintained exclusively in the Cross of Christ. The reason is simple, that's were the price was paid, and the victory was forever won (
Romans 6:1-14;
1 Cor. 2:2;
Gal. 5;
Gal. 6:14;
Eph. 2:13-18;
Col. 2:14-15).
Victory over sin:
Romans 8:2
Victory over the world:
Galatians 6:14;
1 John 5:4
Victory over the flesh:
Galatians 5:24
Victory over the Devil:
Hebrews 2:14;
Colossians 2:15
The Apostle Paul makes it very clear in
Romans 8:10 that the physical body, mind / intellect, and the heart (which is evil -
Jeremiah 17:9) has been rendered helpless because of the original sin; consequently, the Believer trying to overcome by willpower presents a fruitless task. Only the Holy Spirit can mortify the deeds of the flesh and make us what we ought to be (
Romans 8:13). This means we cannot do it ourselves. Once again, He performs all that He does within the confines of the Finished Work of Christ (
Romans 8:2).
If a Christian will and their efforts to live for God is in anything except Christ and the Cross, i.e., Finished Work, The Blood of Jesus (
Romans 8:2), Satan can override your will and force you to do things you don't want to do and trying not to do (
Ephesians 6:12). Jesus said deny yourself and pick up your cross and follow me (
Luke 9:23).
Remember our bodies are dead and useless to God. The heart is prone to wander away from God's love and eat from "The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil." The reason why the body is dead is because of the effects of the fall has made us totally incapable of yielding spiritual obedience on a regular basis (
Jeremiah 13:23). So there must be a source outside of myself that helps me to enter into sanctification which is the Holy Spirit (
Romans 8:13).
Note: The Believer must repent not just for the bad they are doing, but also for the good they are doing. Why? Because the Believer can depend on the good to get them through (
Jer. 6:13-15). Good things will always follow right living. However, that is not God's way. His way is Faith exclusively in Christ and His Finished Work (
Rev. 3:17-22).
How does a Believer maintain Faith exclusively in Christ and the Cross? By just believing in Jesus (who He is -
John 1:1-14) and what He accomplished at Calvary Cross where the victory was one.
Romans 4:5 -
Galatians 2:19-21 NKJV -
1 Corinthians 1:18-25 NKJV -
Colossians 2:11-15 NKJV
JSM