Wesley Corpus

For” now every one of them may truly say, “The law,” or power, “of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus,” given unto me for his sake, “hath made me free from the law,” or power, “of sin and death. For that which the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,” did, when he “ con demned,” crucified, put to death, destroyed, “sin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh, mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” (Verses 1-5.) Is it not evident, that the Apostle is here describing a true. Christian, a holy believer?--in opposition, not particularly to a Jew, much less to the Jewish law, but to every unholy man, to all, whether Jews or Gentiles, “who walk after the flesh?” He goes on: “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot. please God.” (Verses 6-8.) The opposition between a holy and unlıoly man is still glar ing and undeniable. But can any man discern the least glim mering of opposition between the Christian and the Jewish law? The Apostle goes on: “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that. raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit which dwelleth in you. Therefore, bre thren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.