Although Christ is in us, our body is still dead because of sin. The indwelling sin has brought death to our body. However, we should not be troubled by our dead body since our regenerated spirit is life because of righteousness. The indwelling Christ brings life to our spirit through righteousness. This righteousness is the righteousness of God, which is Christ. Christ is firstly righteousness to us and then, because of this, He is life also to us. When the prodigal son returned home to his father, he was not qualified to sit down with him and eat the fatted calf. He was not yet clothed with the proper garment, the best robe, which typifies Christ, the righteousness of God, as the covering that qualifies us to sit with the Father and to enjoy Christ as life. First we must have Christ as our righteousness. Then under this righteousness, under this righteous “robe,” we are qualified to enjoy Christ as our life. As long as Christ is in our spirit, our spirit is life because of Christ as our righteousness. Now not only is the Spirit of God life; even our regenerated spirit is life. The Spirit who is Christ Himself is now life in our spirit. Therefore, our spirit becomes life. The indwelling Christ has brought life to our spirit.
Verse 11 says, “But if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from among the dead dwells in you, He Who raised Christ Jesus from among the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit Who indwells you.” The Spirit in this verse is the Spirit of resurrection. We have seen that our spirit is life (v. 10) and that our mind also is life (v. 6). Now we come to the last item of our being, our mortal body. Our body is dying. However, life is given even to our dying mortal body. Our body can participate in this life, be sustained with this life, and be supplied with this life through His Spirit who indwells us. Undoubtedly, the indwelling Spirit is the resurrected Christ (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17). Christ as the indwelling Spirit constantly imparts life to every aspect of our being.
An excellent illustration of this is electricity. Although electricity has been installed into a building, its flow can be frustrated. Christ, the life-giving Spirit, has been installed into our being as the heavenly electricity. However, only a small part of our being gives Him a free course; most of our being is not open to Him, but rather frustrates Him. For example, your emotions may be a frustration to Christ. Therefore, Christ has difficulty imparting Himself as life into your emotions. You need to pray, “Lord, deal with my emotions. Break through my emotions that You may impart Yourself as life into them.” We need this kind of experience. Do not take this as a doctrine or teaching. This must be put into practice. If you practice this, you will find that Christ as life is now in your spirit, waiting for an opportunity to spread Himself into every area and avenue of your being. He is waiting to penetrate the hidden parts of your being. If you open yourself to Him, He will even impart Himself as life into your mortal body, making you a person who is filled with all the riches of His life. He will become in you a fourfold life, to make your spirit, mind, and body living.
Verse 12 says, “So then, brothers, we are debtors not to the flesh to live according to flesh.” This verse also proves that after we are saved the possibility still remains of living according to flesh. If this were impossible why would Paul remind us that we are not debtors to the flesh? We need to say, “Hallelujah! I am not a debtor to the flesh. I don’t owe it anything. I am not obliged to it. I am discharged from it and freed from it. I have been fully liberated from this hopeless thing called the flesh. I am not a debtor to the flesh to live according to it any longer.”