Why did God allow us to be born into a world of sin? The only possible outcome of life here is enslavement to sin. Still, human existence is an incredible gift of God, since It gives us the opportunity for intimacy with Him—all culminating in a personal joining with God eternally.
        God’s justice demanded that something be done about sin. That’s why Jesus came as a man to take our sins upon Himself through His suffering and death. This radical step was equitable in God’s eyes because it allowed God to credit us with His own righteousness, thus paving the way for relationship with Him. It was the only answer to our tainted human condition.
        Crediting us with His righteousness is the very foundation of God’s redemptive plan in bringing “many sons to glory.” Our redemption means that God has purchased us, much like one would buy a slave for the purpose of setting him free.

God wants good for us while here on earth, but His plan revolves around our union with Him later. His purpose is fulfilled only as we receive Christ, and then enter into a lifelong pursuit of God, in spite of our bent toward choosing self in place of Him. This is why God allows sin such power in our decision-making. Our ongoing battle with the flesh, as we’re relentlessly confronted by a world steeped in sin, boils down to just one thing: radical choice—decision with real meaning.
        But how could a good God give evil the right to exist at all, much less allow it to have such destructive power over us? Again, choice is the answer to this age-old question. In His eternal wisdom, God ordained that His children choose Him freely. And the more difficult the choice, the better He seems to like it. It makes the value we place on Him all the more meaningful.

From Free from the Power of Sin: the Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

Trying to control our flesh through an external system of do’s and don’ts will not change our behavior. True change is only possible when a vibrant connection to the Spirit of God brings about a deep rebuilding of our character.
        Only through God’s indwelling presence can our conscience ever become healthy. Our conscience has tremendous influence on the will, which in turn guides the thoughts and feelings of our mind. It directs our actions from within—standing firm no matter what we find facing us.
        A lifestyle of communing with God is the key to transformation. Vibrancy in any relationship comes as the result of intimacy—it has to be real; it must be alive! What’s really awesome is that when we get close to God we can expect to grow into all He has planned for us. And yet we so often stubbornly refuse it. Why is that? It’s because we’re all wrapped up in ourselves.

From Free from the Power of Sin: the Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

The Bible describes our membership in Christ’s body as being like our own body parts—an eye or a hand, for instance. This gives us an idea of how important it is to function together as a whole. But let’s change our perspective a little: reduce your position to the level of a cell in the body. Immediately your sense of self-importance diminishes a bit, doesn’t it.
        Yet think how vital each cell is to a healthy organism. If that cell dies or becomes malignant it ceases to be useful, or may even become destructive. So it is with us as members of Jesus’ body. Though you may not think of yourself as much, you are essential to the wellbeing of the whole. How could the eye or the hand begin to exist without all those cells working together? And where would Christ’s church be without a vibrant and healthy you?

Our smart phones have become indispensable to us, both for communication and information. When we find a great app we immediately download it; the most important ones go right there on the front page. We tend to do the same with Jesus. We know relationship with God is super important, and thus give Him priority over most other things. Yet still we demote Him to sort of “app” status—someone we go to the minute we have a need.
        It’s not surprising that we’re a bit confused, since inviting Christ into our life has become the centerpiece of today’s evangelism. Look at it from this perspective: What really happens is not accepting Jesus into our life, but that He is allowing us to share in His! He needs to be more to us than something merely added to our life. Jesus is more than an app; He’s the operating system itself!

While trying to change our behavior by disciplining the body has some value, it ultimately never produces the desired result. This is because it merely treats the symptoms—not the disease itself. And not only that, it leads to heaping on a load of guilt when it fails to work. By its very nature, this strategy is doomed to failure because it simply bucks God’s design. His life flows not from the works of the flesh, but from the Spirit of God surging through our spirit.
        The same goes for depending on our intellect. But doesn’t gaining more knowledge about God mean that our heart will change in the process? To some degree it does. Sure it’s important, but that’s not what we need most! God’s strategy is centered on our opportunity to commune with Him. Genuine change in our heart results from the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit bringing our spirit alive to Him.

We can’t fully appreciate what it means to be alive in our spirit until we understand what it means to be spiritually dead. Being dead means that our connection to God is broken in such a way that communication with Him on a Spirit to spirit basis isn’t possible. Since the very definition of spiritual life is the sharing of God’s life, His presence within is our only lifeline.
        Christ’s death on the cross paved the way for every person on earth to experience His indwelling presence. But though He offers it as a free gift, it doesn’t just happen automatically. We receive His gift only by our willingness to turn from our own selfish desires—our sin—and then put Him in charge by making him the Lord of our life. If you haven’t already taken this step, do it now! God will keep His word. You’ll be born again and enter a life you never dreamed possible.

Man’s spiritual nature is God’s supreme gift, since only through our spirit are we able to commune with Him. Indeed, the opportunity for His indwelling presence is the reason our spirit exists. God actually takes up residence in our spirit as we allow Him to do so. Because He has given us the capacity of free will, God lives within us only as an invited guest.
        Our spirit has been fashioned in such a way as to provide the Holy Spirit a dwelling place within. I’m sure you’ve heard it said that within each person there is a God-shaped vacuum which only He can fill. That place is our spirit. Without the inhabiting presence of God, our spirit is simply dead—and therefore purposeless. With Him active inside us, the foundation is laid for fulfilling the purpose for which we were created.

Because suffering plays such a vital role in God’s destiny for us, we can’t just sweep it under the rug. It’s tremendously helpful not only understand suffering, but to embrace it as well. God wants us to experience joy and fulfillment, and even lots of pleasure as we live our lives for Him. But He did not create us for earthly happiness alone, no matter how bountiful life here might turn out to be.
        It doesn’t matter what wealth or prestige we gain in life, or even how wonderful our relationships might be. Mature Christians know that none of this holds a candle to what we’ve really been designed for. None of us are exempt from the challenges and hardships that inevitably come our way. Trials are common to all believers. But it’s certainly not due to lack of interest on God’s part. Just the opposite, actually: He allows suffering because He deeply cares about us.

From Free from the Power of Sin: the Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

Why does God allow us to encounter so much conflict and hardship in life? How does it all fit in with His plan to bring us into union with Him? Choice is the answer!
       Our redemption does not merely rest on our initial decision to make Jesus Lord of our life. It’s true that receiving Christ as Lord is the bedrock of our salvation, but our relationship with Him is built on a series of decisions we make over the course of a lifetime. And because life’s circumstances are tough, these choices are rarely easy. God allowed sin to exist for this very reason.
       If God had designed things so that it would be easy to follow Him, our choices would have little meaning. Our pursuit of Jesus, while forsaking our own selfish desires, is what He wants. And He’s created the ideal system to measure our progress: life here on earth.

From Free from the Power of Sin: the Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself