Walking in Victory – 2 Cor. 5:17 (with MP3!)

Walking In Victory: By The Power of Grace

In Romans 3 – 8, Paul systematically outlines the principles necessary for our personal victory and transformation. Paul describes who we are in Christ and our new position before God in which we can receive great spiritual wealth referred to as the riches of God’s grace in Ephesians 1:7 and 2:7. In it, Paul also outlined the new power, desires, and insights that we can experience in our daily life. We need to hear these truths repeatedly until they become alive in us, filling us with living understanding.

The foundational truth concerning the grace of God in Romans 5 is that grace enables us to reign in life and gives us confidence before God. All of a believer changed the day we were born again. Every believer became an heir to great spiritual wealth because of abundant grace and the gift of righteousness. Romans 5:17 – 18 says,

“Those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One Jesus Christ… Through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all…”

The Gift of Righteousness

The gift of righteousness is a powerful word with many implications. Basically, it has both legal and emotional implications. Receiving the gift of righteousness gives us a new position and a new relationship with God as sons with glorious privileges. The gift of righteousness restores us to right standing before God and restores back to us all that was lost in Adam’s fall. Romans 5:18, 20 – 21 says,

“Through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men… Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life…”

Receiving His righteousness is a legal fact in God’s court. Jesus put the guilt of our sin away and satisfied the claims of justice as our substitute (Rom. 3:24 – 26). He paid the legal debt of our sin that was required to satisfy God’s justice. This made it possible for us to receive God’s righteousness. A salvation that could not make man righteous is not salvation, but only religion (2 Cor. 5:17 – 21).

God has restored His own quality of righteousness to man. Everything that could disqualify us from encountering God is removed. The finished work of Christ guarantees it. Part of our identity is in being the righteousness of God. As a result of the gift of righteousness, God clothes us in the free gift of Jesus’ righteousness. God put His righteousness on us like a garment on the day we were born again. Now He sees us through His own righteousness because the righteousness of God is being imputed to us (Isa. 61:1; Gal. 3:27; Rom. 4:3 – 6, 9 – 11, 22 – 24; Jas. 2:23).

There is a second implication of receiving the gifts of righteousness: the emotional implications. As a result of the gift of righteousness, God enjoys and delights in relating to us from the moment we are born again. This does not mean that He is delighted in all that we do. He delights in the relationship, though there are actions and attitudes that He is not pleased with.

The gift of righteousness is a free gift! We receive God’s righteousness freely, fully (100%), and instantly (at our new birth). Our weakness in the follow through of our sincere desire to obey God affects what we experience in God now, but it does not affect our legal standing before God.

The Reign of Grace

In Romans 5:20 – 21, Paul made a declaration that where sin abounds, grace abounds more.

“Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life…”

Now, he applied this declaration by saying that in the same way that sin reigned in our lives before our salvation, even now grace reigns in us. In other words, as the dominion of sin brought damage and loss to us, so now the dominion of grace brings restoration and blessing, in a greater measure.

Under the reign of sin, we suffer four things:

1. We were under condemnation before God. (Rom. 3:23; 5:16)

2. We had no power over sin at the heart level, or over sickness, fear, and lack. We also had no ability to challenge Satan’s attack against us. (Rom. 7:14 – 24)

3. We were under darkness without the ability to understand the Word, or to receive divine direction for our life. (Rom. 3:10 – 12)

4. We were destitute without hope of a good future in God. (Rom. 3:13 – 18)

Under the dominion of sin, we have automatic sinful responses at the heart level. We were powerless before sin in our heart. When the impressions and promptings of sin arose in our heart, we had no ability to overcome them. We had no ability to challenge Satan’s attack against us.

However, the reign of grace gives forgiveness, new power, new desires, and new insights. Now we have new abilities to resist sin and Satan. We are all equipped to reign in grace. This passage is foundational to our identity before God. The reign of grace gives us four things (we do not have to ask God for these but thank Him for them):

1. The Father’s acceptance and affection: God enjoys and delights in relating to us as His children. There is no condemnation or any sense of rejection in His sight. (Rom. 8:1, 14)

2. Authority to use the name of Jesus: We have authority to use Jesus’ name to release the works of God and to hinder the works of Satan in our life, circumstances, and nation. We are anointed with His power to operate in supernatural ministry to help others.

3. Indwelling Spirit: The Spirit gives us power and direction to walk in victory and to know God, His Word, and His will. He gives us new desires and insights (spirit of revelation). The Spirit is our friend, teacher, and leader, who fills us with the love and fear of God. (1 John 2:20, 27)

4. Divine destiny: We have a good future in God being joint heirs with Christ, sons of God and the Bride of Christ (Rom. 8:14 – 18) who will function forever as kings and priest ruling the earth (Rev. 1:6; 3:21; 5:10; 20:6). We rejoice in the certainty of the hope of glory (Rom. 5:2; 8:18, 30). Every day of our life is relevant as we do God’s will, because He sees it and gives us eternal rewards for our faithfulness (Luke 19:17; Mt. 10:42; 25:21).

As a result of the reign of grace, we are new creations and we are no longer under the reign of sin. Old things passed away and all things are new (2 Cor. 5:17 – 18).

Our former condemnation has passed. Now we can feel confident in God’s affection, knowing He enjoys us as His beloved children (Rom. 8:1, 15 – 16).

Our former powerlessness has passed. Now by the authority of Jesus’ name and the indwelling Spirit we have the ability to walk in victory with new desires, as we resist the impulses of sin, sickness, fear, lack, and Satan’s attack (Rom. 8:2 – 13). We have authority to release God’s works as we operate in supernatural ministry to help others.

Our former darkness has passed. Now we have the indwelling Spirit to lead us into new understanding of God, His Word, and His will for our lives (Rom. 8:14, 26 – 27).

Our former destitution has past. Now we have a divine destiny and a good future in God being joint heirs with Christ, sons of God and the Bride of Christ (Rom. 8:14 – 18) who will function forever as kings and priest ruling the earth (Rev. 1:6; 3:21; 5:10; 20:6).

Key in Understanding the Truth about Reign of Grace

Many believers still live in defeat because they neither know who they are in Christ, nor the position they have before the Father. The sense of condemnation is a root cause of many spiritual failures. It kills faith, leaves us with a sense of rejection, makes prayer difficult, and hinders our desire for God.

We do not realize that God has already given us abundant grace to reign in this life (Rom. 5:17, 20 – 21; 2 Cor. 9:8; Titus 2:11 – 12). Grace gives us the gift of righteousness to lead us to living in righteousness. We must understand our legal position with imputed righteousness and living condition with imparted righteousness. Paul did not separate imputed righteousness from imparted righteousness as competing realities. They are a dynamic part of each other by being together as one great reality in the grace of God.

The key to understanding this truth is in Romans 6:2, 11.

“How shall we who died to sin [separated from the reign of sin] live any longer in it?” (Rom. 6:2)

“Reckon [see] yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ…” (Rom. 6:11)

Romans 6:2, 11 are one of the most important truths to understand the reign of grace. It is the key for us to understand the full reign of grace for us to walk in victory over sin.

In context of Romans 5:17 – 21, Paul had just spoken about the reign of grace being more powerful than the reign of sin in our life. The reign of sin speaks of the position we were in before Christ, in which sin had the mandatory control over our hearts. We were powerless and defenseless before its control.

In Romans 6:11, Paul was not giving an exhortation to die to sin in the sense of renouncing it. He was not exhorting us to do something for God, but to believe in something that God did for us. The verb “died” ‘is in the aorist tense, indicating an action that happened once for all in the past.

Grace gives us confidence to begin anew after we repent of our sin and it gives us power to obey and press hard after God. Those with the greatest revelation of grace are most zealous and passionate in pursuing God. Grace gives us the gift of righteousness to lead us to living in righteousness. We must understand that our legal position with imputed righteousness and living condition with imparted righteousness. Paul did not separate imputed righteousness from imparted righteousness as competing realities. They are a dynamic part of each other by being together as one great reality in the grace of God.

Renewing of our Mind

Many believers live in perpetual defeat because they do not know have the true revelation of grace in Romans 5. If we do not understand this, we will not enjoy the benefits of freely receiving the righteousness of God. The passivity so common today is the fruit of lacking the revelation of grace.

Until we understand it, sin continues to reign over us as our master. When we know that we are God’s righteousness then sin is defeated in our lives. Understanding of God’s righteousness causes us to have a confident spirit instead of living as a slave with sense of inferiority before the reign of sin.

The believer with an unrenewed mind does not understand his position and privileges in Christ. In Christ, we are in an entirely new position, but many live in the old poverty because of old thinking. On the day we are born again, we still have the old thought patterns and emotions that were formed in us while we lived under the reign of sin.

We are only being transformed by changing the way we think. We must allow the truth about the reign in grace in Romans 5 to renew our mind. We must live in agreement with God’s Word.

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (Rom. 12:2)

“Put off… your former conduct… and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” (Eph. 4:22 – 23)

Walking In Victory: By Walking In The Spirit

2 Corinthians 5:17 – 21 is a summary of Romans 3 – 8. Through it, Paul made a powerful and dramatic declaration that believers have become a new creation in Christ with all things becoming new at the new birth.

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

What Paul is saying in 2 Corinthians 5:17 is the new creation of our “spirit man.” And this has vast implications in our walk with God!

To understand the glory of the new creation, we must first understand that God created humans with three parts – spirit, soul, and body (1 Thes. 5:23). Man is a spirit, he has a soul, and lives in a body. The “real person” in any man is the spirit-man. It is this spirit-man (or inner-man) that is being made alive in Christ called the new creation.

Every human being is created with a spirit so that we could relate to God who is Spirit. Our spirit is the place where we communicate with God directly (John 4:24; 1 Cor. 2:10 – 11; Psalm 42:7). Our soul speaks of our personality, consisting of our mind, emotions, and will. Our body has five senses which enable us to receive from the physical world. It is our spirit that enables us to receive from the Spirit who guides us into all truth and reality (John 14 and 16). Unfortunately, most believers do not know who they are in their spirit as they do their soul and body.

Result of the Fall of Adam

Before Adam sinned, his spirit governed his soul and body. His five senses were subject to his spirit. After he sinned, he became spiritually dead. He lost his ability to relate to God. Everything was reversed, and his body (i.e. five senses) and soul (i.e. emotions) gained power over his spirit. His spirit became subordinate to his senses. His spirit lost dominion and his five senses took over.

By grace of God, our spirit is joined to the Spirit of God at the new birth! Thus, we are filled with His supernatural life (1 Cor. 6:17). At the new birth, our spirit man was created anew, not our body or soul (2 Cor. 5:17). Our spirit was made anew – recreated, but not in the sense of being created out of nothing. We were so radically re-fashioned that Paul uses the term “created” (Eph. 2:10; 4:24; Col. 3:10).

Three Time Frames of our Salvation

As believers, we experience the fullness of our salvation in three time frames – past, present, and future. Only a third of our salvation is complete at the new birth – the salvation of our spirit. The three stages of our salvation are as follow:

1. <u”>Past tense: Justification – we have been saved and our spirit is created totally anew in holiness. (2 Cor. 5:17 – 21)

2. Present tense: Sanctification – we are being saved and our soul is growing in purity. (Acts 26:18; 1 Thes. 5:23)

3. Future tense: Glorification – we will be saved and our body will be resurrected in glory. (1 Cor 15:35 – 58)

Our new spirit-man is righteous at new birth and forever. Just as Jesus stands righteous before God and possesses righteousness in His spirit, so are we, even in this age.

In the old creation, we were under condemnation before God. We were powerless before sin at the heart level. We were under darkness, lacking the ability to understand the Word, or to receive divine direction for our life. We were destitute, without hope of a good future in God.

In the new creation our condemnation passed away. Now we can feel confident that God enjoys us. Our powerlessness and darkness have passed. Now by the authority of Jesus’ name and the indwelling Spirit we can walk in victory over sin and receive new understanding of God, His Word, and His will. Our former destitution has past. Now we have a divine destiny in God.

Primary Orientation in our Spiritual Life

After our re-birth, our primary orientation in our spiritual life shifts to being led by our spirit instead of from our five senses, physical appetites, and emotions. This is called walking according to the Spirit in Rom. 8:1 – 5.

In Galatians 5:17, Paul is describing the violent war that every believer faces. The flesh is waging a full scale war against the Holy Spirit’s mandate in our lives. We need a revelation of the violent clash of powers that is involved in this war. We must not get ourselves in a position where we trust our flesh to choose right. It is in violent opposition to the Holy Spirit. We must guard against it. Both Paul and Peter warn us against it in Romans 8:5 – 7 and 1 Peter 2:11 .

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor can be.” (Rom. 8:5 – 7)

“I beg you as…pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” (1 Peter 2:11)

Romans 7:21 – 25 tell us that the war will not just go away. The Holy Spirit in us is greater than the devil and the flesh (1 John 4:4), but His power works in us only as we actively engage with the Him. We cannot make peace with our spiritual dullness, barrenness and bondage. This war is real. There is nothing comparable to the life the Spirit gives our heart. We need to be replenished daily.

Called to Walk in the Spirit

In Galatians 5:16, Paul gives us an essential command, “Walk in the Spirit,” with a great promise, “You shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” We desire to see this promise fulfilled more in us. We can only find liberty from sinful fleshly desires as we maintain a vibrant relationship with the Holy Spirit.

“I say then: walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)

To “walk” in the Spirit means to engage with the Spirit or to maintain an active dialogue with Him throughout our daily life or to maintain a vibrant relationship with Him. This is the only way to overcome the power of lust. To “walk” in the Spirit also means to walk out our daily life choices by embracing what the Spirit values and refusing what the Holy Spirit is grieved by (Eph. 4:30). We must be determined to walk in the Spirit’s values and make continual quality choices.

In Galatians 5:16 – 25, Paul used three verbs to describe our relationship with the Spirit. He called us to walk in the Spirit (v. 16), which requires us to be led by the Spirit (v. 18) and to live in or by the Spirit (v. 25). Paul emphasized two issues in walking in the Spirit:

1. Being led by the Spirit. (Gal. 5:18; Rom. 8:14)

2. Living in the Spirit or being alive by the Spirit. (Gal. 5:25)

To be “led” by the Spirit is to follow His leadership by being watchful of the Spirit’s promptings, especially in our spiritual life (i.e. thoughts, words and deeds). We must constantly and consistently honor instead of ignoring the Spirit’s leadership in the small decisions of our spiritual life. We cultivate an awareness of the Spirit’s leadership in what we say (i.e. speech), what we look at (i.e. eyes), how much time we give to feed our spirit (i.e. our time and schedule) and how we spend our finances (i.e. money). The one who has minimal fellowship with the Spirit, will walk in lust. We must also refuse the lie that the Holy Spirit is not Lord, viewing His promptings as optional. This is devious because we cannot do well without His leadership. We want to be led by the Spirit and to engage Him more.

To “live” in or by the Spirit is to be empowered with the Spirit’s life as we are fed by the Spiritual food which is the Word of God. It matters how much time we give in our schedule to feed our spirit. One who has an under-nourished spirit will walk in lust. Our authority is found in our inner life with the Spirit. We need the release of God’s life within us that the Spirit promises. Our dialogue with the Spirit is greatly enriched by pray-reading the Word. We will fill our heart with God’s Word because the “voice of the Spirit and the Word” is much stronger than the “voice of sinful lust.” Bible study must create an active dialogue in our heart with God.

As we pursue all three facets of the “diamond” of our relationship with the Spirit (i.e. walk, led and live by the Spirit) then we will renew the spirit of our mind as mentioned in Ephesians 4:23 – 24 and Romans 12:2.

“Be renewed in the spirit of your mind… put on the new man…” (Eph. 4:23 24)

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (Rom. 12:2)

We must declare war on everything that quenches the Holy Spirit and thus, our spirit. We must refuse to grow accustomed to a quenched and dull spirit. The Spirit beckons us to a continual flow of life-giving fellowship with Him. The Holy Spirit is our only power source to overcome sinful lust.

Our Inheritance is a fully Alive Heart and Mind in God

Hebrews 10:16 promises that it is the inheritance of every believer to have a fully alive heart and mind in God.

“This is the covenant (promise) that I will make with them… “I will put My laws (Word) into their hearts (emotions) and in their minds (understanding) I will write them…” (Heb. 10:16)

God promises to release the Spirit of revelation to our mind as we progressively gain living understanding of His Word. God promises to empower our emotions as we feel the power of His Word with new holy desires. God promises to write His Word on our heart and mind (2 Cor 3:3) as He wrote the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone in Exodus 31:18.

God writes His Word on our heart as we live by it. We are to live by or be spiritually healthy in our heart by feeding on God’s Word. Our heart lives and becomes strong and healthy by feeding on God’s Word in spirit and truth.

The opposite is also true. Our heart dies and becomes weak and sick without feeding on God’s Word. The most substantial way in which we feed our spirit and bolster our spiritual strength is by feeding on God’s Word in spirit and truth. Many are spiritually dull with a sick heart because we are not feeding our spirit with the Word of God.

Prayer, fasting, meditation on the Word, and obedience positions our heart before God to freely receive. These activities do not earn us God’s favor but we set our heart to freely receive from God.

Let us ask God for grace so that we can receive the fullness of our inheritance in this age and lean upon the Spirit so that we can experience the victory in our life!