“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. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you,” (Rom. 8:9-11, ESV).

We are an “Easter People” because Jesus rose victorious from the grave. We are also a “Pentecost People” because the Holy Spirit has kindled faith in the risen Christ within us. The unclean spirit has been cast out as the Holy Spirit has entered in and made us God’s own possession.

The Spirit who lives within you enables you to live according to the Spirit, not according to the flesh. As the Holy Spirit works within us through the Word and the Sacrament, we are strengthened to live by the Spirit. Apart from the Spirit, we can only live according to the flesh. Because the Spirit lives within us, we are to live as the righteous. Martin Franzmann describes life in the Spirit when he writes, “The indwelling Spirit is the Spirit of God who raised Christ Jesus from the dead … If He was raised, that involves us, for we are by Baptism incorporated in Him,” (Romans: A Commentary, p. 145).

This means that the baptized children of God celebrate our new life by the Spirit dwelling within us through faith in Christ. This new life is different from the world, which lives according to the flesh. By the Spirit’s work of sanctification, we are able to live each day by the Spirit in our varied callings. May we rejoice in the Holy Spirit’s work within us each day as we receive life in the Spirit here in time and there in eternity.

Prayer – Almighty and ever-living God, You fulfilled Your promise by sending the gift of the Holy Spirit to unite disciples of all nations in the cross and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ. By the preaching of the Gospel spread this gift to the ends of the earth; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Fraternally in Christ,

President Lee Hagan