Romans 8:9-11

Romans 8:9-11
English Standard Version (ESV)

 We often tend to think of spirituality as two extremes that cannot exist at once -- we think of ourselves as saved and cured of sin, or in a state of perpetual sin where God would want nothing to do with us.  If you're like me, you've spent most of your time and energy seeking out evidence that the latter is true (if you're like me, it doesn't take much searching...).
  But the reality is vastly different.  Sin still dwells in us, and our flesh is prey to it, but through the power and life of Christ, we are simultaneously raised to new life, clutched from the talons of death and destined for eternity with Christ.  Our sinful nature does not determine our future.
  But sin still hangs around.  So give yourself some grace -- all is not completely healed, but all is not lost because we are not perfect.  Christ comes to us as we are, and while his grace transforms us, we are still living in the midst of a process that is working itself out.  The final victory has not yet been won, and so we wait with anxious anticipation about what Christ will do, but we do so in confidence that Christ has already acted in and for us.