I have been asked many times by new Christian converts why, even though they are saved, do they still have the ability or rather the desire to sin. The answer has always been an easy one to answer but a hard one for the natural man to accept.
Why? Well in all actuality, it is not your natural body that is saved, it is your soul. The flesh never is saved because and has to be brought under subjection. In other words not allowed to do the terrible things it wants to do. The Apostle Paul said that the things the flesh wanted to do were contrary to the things the spirit man inside your body wants to do. He said in book of Galatians, chapter five, the flesh wanted and is very able to commit adultery and fornication because these things are natural to it. He went on further to say that the flesh was unclean. Those things that are dirty, it craves. On the purely natural side, skip a few baths and the flesh shows just how much it stinks.
As for lasciviousness, which means to be lustful, the flesh would dwell on it constantly if allowed to. Why? Because it desires pleasure and would be more than happy to let pleasure rule its life. The list the Apostle made was extensive including idolatry, hatred, always wanting to change the rules, the stirring up of jealousy or envy in others, wrath, resists legal authority, heresies, envying others for what they have, capable of murder, enjoys being drunk, loves to go uncontrollably wild. Not a pretty picture now is it?
And those that do these things are not of God at all. No kidding! If you do even some of these things and are not bothered by doing them and you claim to be saved, you might want to do some checking up on your salvation. There is no way that the Holy Spirit inside you would allow you even the slightest peace if your doing such and do not hear Him speaking to you through your conscience. These things are contrary to the Lords nature and if saved, contrary to your spiritual nature as well.
So, if you are child of God, as the scripture says, the Holy Spirit lives in you. Therefore my friend, you have access the attributes of God. What’s that mean? It means that if you allow God to lead you in all things through His Holy Spirit, you’ll display, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance which is self control and not the other things that are natural to the flesh.
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.