Romans 7.19-20 observes, I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one that does it, but it is the sin that lives in me.

There are some who claim that as Christians it is possible for us to no longer sin. I do not adhere to this belief. While I have been declared dead to sin and am recognized as such by God, it is not the presence of sin that is dead in me but the consequences of sin that is no longer condemning me and the power of sin over me has been broken.

The body I live in was born with sin in it’s very DNA. This body was not replaced when the Spirit entered me by grace through faith in Jesus the Savior. This body will be replaced with one that never dies and never grows old and never sins but this body I live in now will die, the evidence that sin still resides within it.

This enemy of my soul, this body, can be controlled by the power of the Spirit. I no longer must do its evil bidding for greater is He Who is in me that he who seeks to lead me astray from the good commands of God by appealing to my sinful nature. My immediate feelings, thoughts and desires that come to me without warrant or desire and by nature are evil, like hate, anger, rage, malice, lust, jealousy, covetous and the like do not have to be, and must not be, acted upon.

The Spirit of God empowers me to do the will of God for the glory of God whether my flesh desires to do so or not. I must live in the Spirit by saturating my mind with Scripture, praying without ceasing and meeting with my brethren to be encouraged toward love and good deeds.

In this way I will live a life pleasing to God even as the work of Christ at Calvary, already and permanently, makes me pleasing to God.