"However , you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit , if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ , he does not belong to Him." Romans 8:9 NASB
The truest, deepest part of you, the center of your being, is your spirit, and here's the amazing news about that part of you. Paul wrote in another place "...he who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him." Your spirit has been inseparably joined with God's Spirit inside you.
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I couldn't even bear to post this opening entry with its natural title, "Finding the real you." I can't think of very many things that sound more shallow and cliché. But despite the fact that the twisted self-centeredness of our culture has cheapened these words, the concept they refer to is perhaps the most important lesson a person can learn. How do you find "the real you?"
Paul wrote, "...but you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of Christ dwells in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him." Note the use of the words, "you are." The idea of being in the flesh or in the spirit in Christian culture has come to refer to someone's state of mind or attitude, and that's an important thing. But if you try to superimpose that use of the phrase onto your reading of this passage, you'll miss its meaning.
This isn't about attitude, it's about identity. "You are" not in the flesh, but "you are" in the Spirit. Your true self is found, not in the natural, physical, emotional or rational, but in the spiritual. He's saying that if you want to know who you really are, live truly, honestly, openly in this life, it's going to be a spiritual endeavor, not a physical one. If you want to access genuineness in yourself, you have to look deeper than what you see.
In fact, perhaps the most important thing to note is that he says "Spirit" not "soul." Many of us have the mistaken idea that the "real you" is the one no one else knows about, the person you are alone in your room at night, the one with all the secret dreams and fears, regret and shame. I'm thrilled to tell you that the real you is much deeper than even that. That person, as deeply hidden as many of us keep it, is no more the real you than your hair or your fingernails. That is your soul--your mind, will and emotions; and though it may be secret and hidden, it's still undeniably natural.
The truest, deepest part of you, the center of your being, is your spirit, and here's the amazing news about that part of you. Paul wrote in another place "...he who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him." Your spirit has been inseparably joined with God's Spirit inside you. We are one with Him. Joined to Him in love. Re-created in Him. The real you is deeper than flesh, deeper than soul, deeper than your appearance or your hidden self. The real you is found in perfect union with God in the center of your being, your spirit.
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