Do you realize that you are in the spirit? Romans 8:9 gives us the boldness to say that we are in spirit: “But you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him.” The words “if indeed” are a correct translation. However, the word “if” refers to a condition, to something that is conditional. The word “since” also refers to a condition, but to a condition which has already been fulfilled and has become an accomplished fact. For example, I may say to a brother, “If you come, I will give you a Bible.” The word “if” as used here indicates a condition to be fulfilled. But I may say, “Since you have come, I shall give you a Bible.” In this sentence the word “since” indicates a condition which has been fulfilled and is now an accomplished fact. To say, “If you come,” indicates a condition to be fulfilled. But to say, “Since you have come,” indicates a condition which has been fulfilled. The meaning in verse 9 is that of the second case—a condition which has been fulfilled. Thus, here Paul is saying that we are in spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in us. It is a fact that the Spirit dwells in us. This is not a condition to be fulfilled, but a condition which has already been fulfilled and has become a fact. Therefore, since the Spirit of God dwells in us, we are in spirit.
I have the full assurance that, as believers, God’s Spirit dwells in us. This is a fact which no one can deny. According to 8:9, we may have the assurance not that the Spirit of God will dwell in us, or simply that He has dwelt in us, but that He is dwelling in us right now. Oh, it is a marvelous fact that the Spirit of God dwells in us! Because of this fact, we can boldly say that we are in spirit.
Even though we fail and make mistakes, the Spirit of God continues to dwell in us. For example, we may sometimes lose our temper, but this does not change the fact that God’s Spirit dwells in us. His indwelling is continual, without any break. Now since the Spirit of God dwells in us, we are in the spirit. This also is a fact. Thus, in verse 9 there are two crucial facts. First, it is a fact that the Spirit of God dwells in us and that we have the Spirit. Second, it is a fact that we are in spirit.
On the one hand, in verse 9 Paul says that we are in spirit since the Spirit of God dwells in us. On the other hand, he says that if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him. Suppose we said, “Since the Spirit of God dwells in me, I am of the Spirit.” Suppose we also went on to say, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not in Him.” These changes of prepositions would make a great difference.
It is wrong to say that since the Spirit of God dwells in us, we are of the Spirit. It is also wrong to say that if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not in Him. Here the preposition “of” refers to position, whereas the preposition “in” refers to condition. If we do not have the Spirit of Christ, we are not of Christ. This is a matter of position. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ is not of Christ, and he does not belong to Christ. As believers, we do not have any problem concerning position. We have the Spirit of Christ, and we are of Him. However, we may have a problem related to condition, as indicated by the preposition “in.” We all can say with confidence that we are of Christ and belong to Him. But, as we have pointed out, we may hesitate before we say that we are in spirit.
Our position of being of Christ never changes. For this reason, it is wrong to say that sometimes we are of Christ and that at other times we are not of Christ. No, we are always of Christ, just as we are always of the family in which we were born. No matter where you may be, you are of your family. This is a matter of position, and it is not subject to change. But although we are always of a particular family, we may not always be in that family. To be in a family, like being in spirit, is conditional. We must admit that sometimes we have a problem concerning being in spirit. To repeat, we never have a problem with the position of being of Christ. However, sometimes we have a problem with the condition of being in spirit. In this message we are dealing with the condition, not with the position. The matter of position has been settled once for all. Hallelujah, we all are Christ’s! We all are of Him. But our condition with respect to being in spirit may not be fixed or stable. Therefore, in the next message we shall consider how to stabilize our condition of being in spirit.