The Miracle That Is Within You; The Miracles That Is You.

“The Miracle Within You; The Miracle That Is You”

Text: Romans Chapter 7

Old House/New House

Before Christ, your soul, your old nature, was like a dilapidated house occupied by two inseparable roommates:

• The Flesh, a loud and defiant squatter, lived as though it owned the place. It fed on pride, invited chaos, and insisted on placing “self” above everything.²
• Sin, the con artist roommate, thrived on deception. It fed the squatter lies, filled the house with destructive compulsions and counterfeit comforts, and though it signed no lease, it ruled through deceit.³

Together they created a toxic atmosphere, rebellion, confusion, indifference towards God, and a counterfeit sense of security.

Then came Christ.

• The old nature, that old house, that corrupted identity formed by sin and the flesh, was crucified with Christ. The old house was not remodeled, but spiritually condemned and destroyed.⁴
• In its place, a new house was built, founded on grace. You became a new creation, with a nature “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” ⁵
• The Holy Spirit moved in—not as a guest, but the permanent resident, sealed as the guarantee of our inheritance.⁶

This new nature is pristine, blameless, incorruptible, and untouched by sin. It is the Spirit’s dwelling place and remains forever holy.

Wouldn’t it be great if that was the end of the story.  But we know it’s not.  Because we still live in mortal bodies…

• The squatter (flesh) and the con artist (sin), though they were evicted from the soul, they remain on the property, which is our physical bodies.  They influence it through its impulses and vulnerabilities.⁷
• They don’t dwell in the new house, and can’t touch the Spirit-born nature. Their reach targets what is fallen in the body, not what has been reborn in the Spirit.⁸

You are the house—rebuilt and Spirit-filled, sealed by grace. Christ lives in you, and you live in union with Him. You no longer serve the squatter or the con artist. You belong to the One who redeemed you, reclaimed you, and now dwells within.

Even when the flesh agitates or sin tempts through the body’s desires, the new nature remains uncorrupted. Their tactics may disturb your peace—but they cannot defile your identity or reclaim ownership.

 “Sealing the Metaphor⁹

Though the believer’s nature has been fully reborn, holy, blameless, and incorruptible, we remain in mortal bodies, vulnerable to temptation. The new nature is not drawn to sin; it is Spirit-born, delights in righteousness, and cannot be corrupted. That is why the Holy Spirit dwells there, it is His sanctified home.

The inclination toward sin does not arise from the new nature, but from the flesh, which remains in and operates through our physical members. Though it no longer defines us, it persists as a separate, displaced influence. Sin, likewise, no longer resides within, but seeks to influence by exploiting bodily appetites, appealing to “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.”

So when a believer feels drawn toward sin, it is not because their nature is corrupt, but because sin and the flesh appeal to what is still subject to corruption and awaiting redemption, not to what has already been reborn.¹⁰  Your inside is heaven-ready.  Your body is a body of death, corruptible and decaying.

The struggle itself is evidence of transformation. The new nature doesn’t fight to become holy; it fights because it is holy. And neither temptation nor transgression can rewrite the deed, corrupt your new nature, or evict the Spirit who lives within.

 Therefore: Four Anchoring Truths

1. Your identity is secure. You are a new creation, Spirit-born, holy, and blameless.¹¹ Just as I am genetically and irrevocably the son of Earnest and Emma Baty.  You are reborn spiritually to belong to Jesus Christ.  That is why, once you become a believer you cannot lose your salvation.  You cannot go back to the old nature.  It’s been destroyed.
2. Your nature remains pristine. Temptation may reach your body and mind, but not your soul.¹² The battleground is the mind. It’s the place where temptation is processed, truth is interpreted, and spiritual warfare is waged.  It’s where we are encouraged to cooperate with God as He is renewing it.
3. Your failure does not redefine you. It exposes where sin found access, but never rewrites who you are.¹³
4. Your fight is not for identity, but from identity. You resist not to become righteous, but because you are righteous in Christ.¹⁴

Additional Ideas:

• The demolition and renewal were instant.  The new construction didn’t take months or years.
• When I led my sister to Christ it happened right before my eyes.  The light of the new nature shone from her eyes.
• The Spirit comes in with housewarming gifts of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience … Self control.

This metaphor is not for entertainment purposes.  It’s for spiritual enlightenment. It’s for deeper appreciation of what Jesus has done for us.  Prayerfully leading us all to a more intimate relationship with Him.  This will be in my notes just as I presented it, and it is footnoted with many verse references. I hope that you will take some time to look them up.  Maybe a few each day this week, as part of your personal time with the Lord.

Scripture References

1. Romans 6:6; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:24
2. Galatians 5:17; Romans 7:18
3. Romans 7:11; Hebrews 3:13
4. Romans 6:6
5. Ephesians 4:24; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Peter 1:23
6. Ephesians 1:13–14; 1 Corinthians 3:16
7. Romans 7:23; Romans 13:14; Genesis 4:7
8. Romans 8:10; Romans 8:23
9. 1 John 2:16; Ephesians 1:13–14
10. Romans 8:23
11. 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:24
12. Romans 7:23; 1 John 3:9
13. Romans 8:1
14. Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 6:10–13