Concluding Remarks

But be it remembered that, though so blessedly delivered as to be walking in the liberty and joy of the Holy Spirit, and waiting for God’s Son from heaven, we can never forget that the flesh is in us; but the flesh is not us; for before God we are in Christ, and not in the flesh. Yet we never lose the sense that in us, that is, in our flesh, dwelleth no good thing, or that the two natures are opposed to each other. We find too that our communion with the Fattier is interrupted when we trust the flesh and walk in it, though our relationship to the Father never can be altered, for which we adoringly praise and give thanks.
It is also true that the delivered soul groans as having a mortal body; “for we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened.” In this he groans, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with his house which is from heaven — his glorified body. He is often painfully conscious that he has a mortal body liable to disease and death (2 Cor. 5; Rom. 8:11). The delivered soul has also groanings within; for being born of God, and having the Holy Spirit, his affections and thoughts are according to Christ, who was the suffering Savior, and is still the rejected One, who is coming, not only for the redemption of our body, but to bring even this groaning creation into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. “Ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body” (Rom. 8:23). The Lord was a Man of sorrows, and knew what it was to groan in Himself. By the Spirit also believers know what it is to have unutterable groanings in prayer, for “the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26).
How many groans the Lord Jesus will hush when He comes again! How blessed is the thought that when Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, we shall be manifested with Him in glory! (Col. 3:4). Meanwhile may our hearts be taken up with Him where He now is as our eternal treasure, while we stand fast in the liberty wherewith He has made us free, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.