Let's see. Where do I start? hmmmmmm
Yes I believe Christ lives within the saved and he is perfect.
I also believe the old body dies a spiritual death when we are born again
If we are now dead, and crucified with Christ, then how can we sin? Our old self is dead, our new self is Christ living in us
Ok, this is the part that stumps me. Our flesh is sinful and regardless of how hard we try we still sin ( even if unintentionally)so how can we be perfect?
When we become a Christian and are born again, we can sin no more, because our human, carnal, sinful nature, can no longer effect us since Christ is now in us, that sin can no longer penetrate, because Christ won over sin, and defeated Satan.
But we do sin. We try hard not to, and feel bad and repent when we do and try to correct our mistakes and learn and grow from them but I don't see how we can be perfect and still sin. Then again I also don't see how Jesus could dwell in a less than perfect temple either, though. Most confusing.
We were already saved, and these wars don't determin our salvation, just our rewards since we are dead to sin, and no longer punishable by the law.
Finally! Now this part I understand :')
Ask yourself, the part of you that sins, is it your flesh, or the Spirit of Christ? The flesh will die, leaving only the Spirit of Christ that will be quickened to eternal life.
When you sin now, it only effects the flesh, not our Spirit that is now protected by Christ Spirit, which can not sin.
You seem to be considering your flesh as the heart of a person, but its simply a covering that will be discarded when you die, and it’s what pleasures in sin in us now. When your sinful flesh dies, it’ll have no effect on your spirit that Christ has indwelled in you.
The Jews also worried about the appearance of the outward flesh, over the inner heart, which was what God saw, not their outward righteousness.
We’ll never be able to truly distinguish between the two, flesh and spirit, until our fleshly body dies, and for the first time, that burden will be gone. We’ll see how easy it is to be perfect, with Christ mind in us, and our earthly body gone.
No longer will it be constantly yelling at us to do this, or do that, eat this, or smoke that, or drink this, or look at that.
JH :-)