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Commentaries
English
Romans
  
9But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.10And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.11But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.


Paul testified to the believers in Rome and everywhere that the Spirit God overcame their lazy bodies and their malicious selves, because their lives were established on the power and motives of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, he created them, caused them to be born again and grow, kept them, comforted them, confirmed them, filled them with the love of God, prompted them to several services, and strengthened them to do these services. Every believer was pleased to have the Holy Spirit dwelling in him.
Yet, he who does not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in his heart is not a Christian, though he was born of a Christian, for this name means “he who is anointed with the Spirit of God”. As Christ himself was anointed with the fullness of his Father’s Spirit, so is the believer. Neither the name, nor the origin, nor the performance of baptism, nor the payment of the church participation fees can make you a Christian. It is only through the power of the Lord, which dwells in you, that you can become an active member in Christ, belonging to him, and a living stone in his temple. He, who has not received this gift of life and remains void of the love of God, has nothing to do with Christ. He becomes isolated from him. Only he who is born of the Holy Spirit is near to Christ and belongs to him, living in his expanses. So, do not be lukewarm, but be aware that he who does not hold fast to Christ completely and forever has no portion in him. Christ wants you completely, and he dwells in his fullness in you. Otherwise, you are separated from him, for hesitant faith is not faith.
Dear brother, worship the Lord, for Christ will dwell in you if you obtain the anointment of his love. All those who live in the Spirit testify to this miracle, for he confirms to them his presence in their minds.
Do not think that Christ and sin dwell together in your body. You cannot hate anyone and love Christ at the same time. You cannot submit to uncleanness and claim fullness of the Holy Spirit, for this Spirit is jealous, and he destroys your sin mercilessly. Your conscience does not find rest unless you confess all your sins, repent of them with tears, hate them with disgust, and destroy your haughtiness, submitting your polluted self newly to Christ, your Maker. The Spirit of God struggles against your sins, and sanctifies you completely, for Jesus has called you to holiness and not to impurity.
The blood of Christ will cleanse you from all sin, if you believe in him and in his promise. His power is magnified in your weakness. Your will is strengthened, and you deny yourself and live for God. Remember that your body will die for your sins, but the Spirit given to you from heaven lives forever. Thus, we have an incomparable hope, because we bear the life of God in us as a guarantee of the glory, which is expected at the coming of our Lord.
The same power, which worked in Christ when he rose from the tomb, is present and flowing in every living believer. God will run the current of his life in us at the second coming of his Christ. It will appear that the unbelieving multitudes have dead souls, while we are living and glorious by grace, for the Spirit of God works in us, and appears in glory, joy, and power, for he is God himself.

Prayer
O living Lord, we worship you because you gave us your Holy Spirit that we might live as your children forever, justified by the death of Christ, and taking hold of him. You have saved us from our disbelief and corruption. Thank you that death cannot imprison us because we are protected in your hand and the guarantee of your glory dwells in us that we may live as your Son lived among the spiteful humans.
Question
What does the Holy Spirit give those who believe in Christ?