◆“Christ Dwells Within You” (Romans 8:9-11) September 28, 2025

“The one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.” Some of you may feel uneasy hearing these words. The New Japanese Bible 2017 translates it as: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, that person does not belong to Christ.”

So then, do I belong to Christ? Am I His? Do I have the Spirit of Christ within me? We often ask ourselves these questions. But what does it really mean to “have the Spirit of Christ”? How can we know whether we do or not? Today, I would like to begin by asking this very question.

Let us read verse 9 once more:

“You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.”

How, then, can we know if we have the Spirit of God—the Spirit of Christ? We cannot confirm it with our eyes. It is not about feelings or emotions either.

We can know it in three ways.

First, by recognizing our sin, believing in Jesus Christ as the Redeemer of that sin, and not only believing inwardly but also confessing Him openly in the church and sharing Him with others.

The beginning of recognizing sin is realizing that jealousy, selfishness, and the desire to satisfy our own cravings dwell within us and show up in our actions. Beneath this lies a deeper problem: a self-centered way of living, treating ourselves as if we were God. God calls this sin and holds us accountable. And God says the only way to bear that responsibility is through death—meaning eternal separation from the loving and gracious God. “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

But God sent us the Savior, Jesus. He bore the responsibility for my sin, died in my place, and rose again as proof that the matter was fully resolved. When we know this and accept it as our own story, we know that our sins are forgiven and that we belong to God.

As it is written: “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). To confess Jesus as Savior and Lord is itself the work of the Spirit.

Second, after confessing Jesus as Savior, do we have a daily desire to obey God? Though our sins are forgiven, we still carry a sinful nature. A Christian is not someone who never sins, but someone who has been made sensitive to sin and desires not to commit it. This sensitivity to sin, this desire not to sin, is a sign of being under the rule of the Holy Spirit.

So, how about you? Does the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, dwell in you? Do you belong to God—or not? If you do not belong to God, then whether you feel so or not, the truth is that you belong to Satan. There is no middle ground.

If you realize today that you do not belong to God, you can become one of His right now. By receiving Jesus as your Savior and Lord, and by accepting the truth of Scripture—that your sins were atoned for on the cross—as your own story, you can belong to God.

Now, I said earlier that Christians are not those who never sin, but those who hate sin. This leads us to verse 10:

“But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.”

“If Christ is in you” means if you have the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ. “The body is dead because of sin” means that even as Christians we still act selfishly, think of ourselves first, become angry or jealous when things do not go our way, or boast proudly when they do. This cycle repeats itself.

And yet, “the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.” Though we still carry our old nature, estranged from God, our relationship with Him has been restored, and a new way of living has begun.

Within every Christian’s heart, and in the reality of daily life, there is a struggle between our old sinful nature and the new nature that longs to follow God and please Him. Romans 7–8 vividly describe Paul’s inner battle.

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (7:15).

“For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out” (7:18).

And in verse 24: “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?”

Yet, at the same time, Paul proclaims hope. In 8:1 he says:

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

Though the sinful nature remains, the result of sin—death—no longer rules. The Spirit works within us, guiding us, strengthening us, and empowering us to follow God’s will. This “law of the Spirit who gives life” is the real and living power that governs us.

Verse 11 gives us the hope of resurrection: those who receive Jesus’ saving work as their own will one day, even after death, rise just as Christ did. On that day, we will be fully freed from sin itself, never to sin again.

But this hope is not only for the future. Even now, we are allowed to walk daily in God’s forgiveness, in His grace and peace.

The Holy Spirit is alive and active. He intercedes for us, leads us, comforts us, encourages us, and shows us the right path. We are never alone—God is with us.

Do you have this hope? Are you living in it? Yes, life is hard, and there are times we feel crushed. But God invites us to live in this hope.

Everything begins by receiving Jesus as Savior and Lord. Take that step of faith—believe in Jesus. Let yourself be received as one who belongs to God.

And for those who already belong to God, who have been given the Spirit of Christ, let us give thanks, and let us once again reaffirm that we have hope—not only for the future, but also for today.

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Sermon script modified based on proofreading and translation with ChatGPT.