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Paul seems to be saying that this is something that has to be done by us. Elsewhere he does make clear that we cannot do it in our own strength. However much we may want to do what is right, we can only do it as the Spirit of God enables us. We have already mentioned Paul's words in Romans 7 vv.18 and 19. We need to fully understand this part of Paul's teaching. Read carefully Romans 7 verses 14 to 25. Over and over again, Paul stresses his inability to do what he knows is right. He says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do". Again, "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out". Yet again, "When I want to do good, evil is right there with me". Paul had begun by saying that he was "sold as a slave to sin". No wonder he says,"What a wretched man I am." He concludes by asking "Who will rescue me from this body of death?" Thankfully, he gives the answer immediately. For us, accepting that we cannot free ourselves, we have to be wanting this freedom, believing in the One whose gift it is, asking and being open to receive.

We have seen how the Cross and the death of Jesus have dealt with what we have done. Now we see how these deal with what we are. This power of sin that is within us has got to be destroyed. It has to be put to death. This can only happen on the Cross. Now we have to identify with Jesus on the Cross, so that in him we can die to our sinful nature. We will examine some words and images from scripture to see how this can come about.

First, let us look at a distinction made with regard to the work of the Holy Spirit. John 14 verse 17 gives us these words of Jesus that he, the Holy Spirit "lives with you and will be in you". "With you" and "in you" imply two different conditions for two different purposes .Jesus said to the disciples, "But you know him," and we too should know him now, for he has also been with us as teacher and guide. He has come alongside us as the advocate, he has taught us scriptural truths, led us to the cross, and convicted us of our sins. He has revived memories of past hurts, revealed the meaning of the death of Jesus, guided our confession, and then confirmed our forgiveness and reconciliation with God. That has been the work of the Holy Spirit "with us". However the Holy Spirit can also live inside us, united with our own spirit. Here his work is to make us holy and acceptable to God, and empower us in his service. The change from WITH us to IN us comes when we believe in the divine nature of Jesus and surrender our lives to him. For us this may happen at different times, so do not expect your experiences to be exactly like anyone else. We will consider this and its implications in part 5..

The Spirit of God cannot be controlled or commanded to suit our requirements. He can indeed be resisted and his purposes thwarted, but he cannot be manipulated positively to do our bidding. We invite the Holy Spirit to guide our lives on the understanding that he comes to fulfil his will and purposes and not ours. Jesus said, "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit". (John 3 v. 8). This being the case, having asked the Holy Spirit to lead us into his truths, is there nothing we can do except wait, and let the Spirit work as he wills? In fact I am going to suggest a series of Bible meditations which help us to see how the Holy Spirit is working in order to affect our lives. The meditations do not cause the work of the Spirit. That happens independently. They do help us to understand something of what is taking place.

Jesus uses the wind as an analogy for the Holy Spirit. He uses this kind of figurative language all the time, for example when he talks about light, salt, mustard seeds, birds, fish and sheep. Doing this, as well as teaching in parables is an invitation to us to use our imaginations. We have mentioned already the usefulness of the imagination, and how it can help us when reading narrative passages from the Scriptures. Our imagination brings the stories to life, as we see in our minds the people and happenings, the sounds, voices and expressions.