Romans 8:10

Romans 8:10 says, And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  Paul had a lot to say about being dead in Christ.  It is more than just the symbolism of baptism.  We are literally to die to the ways of the flesh and sin and to live by the way of the Spirit of God.  If we make baptism simply some kind of rite of passage into God's kingdom without accepting the truth that we are truly changed by our acceptance of Christ, it does us no good.  Though but a symbol of our acceptance of Christ, we must acknowledge what that symbolic gesture means.  We literally accept the burial of the old earthly nature, or the flesh corrupted by sin, and the resurrection to a newness of life by the Spirit of God.  Verse eleven adds, But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.  Notice that Paul did not say that if the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, lives in us that after this life is over we will be quickened, or made alive.  Paul stated than when we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit our mortal bodies are made alive.  As Paul would state of himself and we can apply to all believers, it is no longer we who live, but Christ Who lives in us.  We may hear people say that Christianity is a pie in the sky by and by, but it is not a by and by faith. Being a follower of Christ requires a change in our very nature from the moment we accept Him.   We no longer live by the dictates of the flesh, but by the leadership of the Spirit.  Verse twelve continues, Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.  We owe nothing to the flesh as followers of Christ. We no longer are imprisoned by sin, but are set free from its power. Verse thirteen states, For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.  I believe that Paul was saying there has to be a change in our nature if we accept salvation through Christ. We now live guided by the Holy Spirit and not carnal desires.  If we do again give in to those desires, we die to the will of God.  We are still redeemed, but we are not useful at such times.  Verse fourteen adds, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.  When I say Paul states, we should realize that this is really the Holy Spirit speaking through Paul.  Those who do not believe in Christ see the Bible as just a collection of teachings written by many people over many centuries and of no real importance, but as followers of Christ, we must recognize it as God's Word to the world.  As such, this verse tells us that when we are led by the Spirit, which can really only happen after we accept Christ as Savior and Lord and are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, we are the children of God.  Though it is possible for earthly parents to legally disown a child, that does not mean that child is not theirs. We can rejoice that God will not disown us once we are His, but instead seals us to Him.  Verse fifteen continues, For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.  We are not in bondage to God to fear that He will suddenly reject us, but we are His children by adoption.  In adoption, in it truest form, a child is not a part of that family until they do something wrong, but they are as much a part of the family as a natural born child.  Through Christ, we are God's children forever more, and do not need to live in fear of being disowned.