Rom.8:9 - “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” The Holy Spirit is the spiritual DNA of Christ - He is the one changing me into Christ’s character (2 Cor.3:18), sanctifying and renewing me (Rom.5:16, Titus 3:5), leading me into all Truth (Jn.16:13), illuminating God’s Word to me (1 Cor.2:12), enabling me to obey God (Ez.36:27), empowering, strengthening and energizing me (Eph.3:16, Col.1:29) and producing His fruit, the very attributes of God Himself, in me (Gal.5:22-23). “If” I am a Christian, then the Spirit of God lives in me and I will be being conformed progressively and comprehensively into His likeness. If I am not becoming more and more like Him, it is doubtful His Spirit is even in me - you can judge a tree by its fruit (Mt.7:17). My friend Chad recently hit the nail on the head, echoing Jesus’ words in Jn.14:15, asking, “How can a real Christian not share His faith?” The same goes for prayer, giving and every other Christian discipline. 1 Jn.3:9 - “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” His DNA, if present, produces His characteristics in me.
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