Romans 8:9-17
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
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The same Holy Spirit, whose power raised Jesus from the dead, lives in me! Wow! What would happen if I lived that truth? For one, it is the power by which I put to death my sinful nature. So the power struggle we noted in verses 1-8 is no struggle if we let the Holy Spirit exercise control.
Up to now, Paul has painted a bleak picture of our struggle with our sinful nature. But now, because of the cross, sin is conquered. And I am given the Holy Spirit whose power, if used, allows me to break free from the condemnation and from the struggle with my sinful nature. It is the power of the resurrection that is the key to my victory. (See Philippians 3:10.)