To understand the believer’s relationship with Christ we need to see who we were and who we really are now. Every human is born to be God’s living, freely willing, container. We are perfectly made and designed to receive and express something of great value... Christ’s very life. This then is our purpose.

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? ²⁰ For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (KJV)

Every believer is forever to be a living container of the very life of God in Christ, as the resurrected “Spirit of life” (Rom. 8:2a). The important part of us is our content… who and what we contain.

Yet, there are two natures within every believer. A nature is the “spirit or force that directs, controls and maintains.” (Webster’s Dictionary). The two natures in believers are; 1) Christ as the Spirit of God, the Holy “Spirit of truth”, and 2) Satan’s Sin spirit, “the spirit of error.”

“We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:6 (KJV)

When we were first born we all contained Satan’s Sin spirit “that spirit that doth work in the children of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2), which operated in us and through us (Jn. 8:44). Since Adam and Eve chose to disobey God in the Garden, that Sin spirit came into them and has passed to all the lineage of Adam (Rom. 5:12). Their choice still affects all us humans today, being joined to Satan’s nature in our flesh (Rom. 8:3, 7:17, 20).

But, because of God’s great loves for us, He sent His Son Jesus to redeem us from the power of Sin, the “ordinances” … “the Law” (Eph. 2:15), and pay for our sins (Rom. 5:6-10). If we believe to receive Jesus’s cross-work on our behalf we immediately receive His “Spirit of life” into our spirit.

There are the two ‘natures’ in the believer. Our union with Satan’s Sin spirit is broken in that our Old Man (nature) died with Christ at the cross.

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized (immersed) into his death? Romans 6:3 (KJV) Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, (so) that the body of sin might be destroyed (Gk. kartargeo, rendered powerless), (so) that henceforth we should not serve Sin (the Sin nature in our flesh). ⁷ For he that is dead is freed from Sin (from Sin’s dominion).” (Romans 6:6-7)

After receiving Christ into us He becomes our operator, and we are in union with Him as His co-operator.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
¹¹ For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.” (1 Cor. 2:11-12) ¹⁶ For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor. 2:16)

Christ’s “Spirit of life” is forever joined our “spirit of man.” (Zech. 12:1). “But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.” (1 Cor. 6:17) Our two spirits became forever “one spirit,” so loss of salvation is impossible!

Due to ‘our co-death with Christ’ (Rom. 6:3, 6-7 above), Satan’s Sin spirit is now isolated in our flesh and rendered powerless. (cf. Rom. 8:3, 6:7), until we exchange these sin-laden bodies for new, sinless, glorified bodies in the Rapture. Yet, as “the accuser of the brethren,” the Sin nature lies to us… telling us his evil thoughts are our thoughts... then condemning us. Satan wants us to think that what we think independently, is “just us,” ignoring the truth that as His purchased containers, we are filled with Christ as ‘the new us.’ (Gal. 2:20).

Believing Satan’s lies is the root of all sin that may persist in our lives... tempting us to act on our own rather than living by trusting Christ to lead us. It’s very important to know that we are not able to operate ourselves independently of Christ in us. It may feel like “us” and seem like “us” deciding and doing, but it is never “just us” who is in action. We have the choice of believing who we really are in Christ.

I should trust that I am in ‘one with Christ,’ that He lives His life through me… as I trust in him (Col. 1:27). If I think I have power as an ‘Independent’ Self, then Satan reigns to misuse me in body and soul. We have one function, which is to continually choose by trusting in who we will be operated by, Christ or my helpless Self!