Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" Romans 6 : 11
In every unregenerate person there is but one nature, his fallen nature; but in every Christian there are two, his fallen self which was judicially put to death when Chrisat died. and his new regenerate nature which was secured for him by Christ's resurrection.....If the old nature which we inherited from the fall, died actually in us at the time of our conversion, the first seventeen verses of Romans 8 can have no meaning. Rom 8:1-17
What the Apostle is here insisting upon is that a power is given to us, the Holy Spirit, by whom if faith be present and continous, the power of self is negated.: it is annulled - that is, it is put out of business. Sin is not dead, but we are to reckon ourselves dead to it.
When Peter walked on the water the power of gravitation did not cease to exist, but the operation of a greater law rendered it, for the time being inoperative..But as soon as Peter removed himself from under the new law, the old law asserted itself again, and he began to sink.
"Now the law of the spirit of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made us (at the time of our conversation) free from the law of sin and death" so that no longer are we to walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit" If the Holy Spirit trusted by us, cannot enable us to live a life of continous victory over indwelling sin, then Christianity is a failure and a farce.
But Christianity is not a failure and a farce , for Paul triumphed : and if he did we can: and the Spirit who can give us victory for a single hour, can give us victory every hour. The chapter which begins with "no condemnation" shows there need be no defeat.
