May 12 – Called to Life in the Spirit

Sunday School Lesson

May 12

Lesson 11 (KJV)

Called to Life in the Spirit

 

Devotional Reading: Romans 6:1–14

Background Scripture: Romans 8

 

Romans 8:1–14

1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

 

2. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

 

3. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

 

4. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

 

5. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

 

6. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

 

7. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

 

8. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

 

9. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

 

10. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

 

11. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

 

12. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

 

13. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

 

14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

 

Key Verse

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.—Romans 8:1

Lesson Aims

After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:

 

1. State two benefits for those who live by the Spirit.

 

2. Explain Paul’s distinction between living by the Spirit and living by the flesh.

 

3. Identify a specific area where he or she is not living according to God’s Spirit and make a plan to change.

 

 

HOW TO SAY IT

Corinthians	Ko-rin-thee-unz (th as in thin).
Ephesians	Ee-fee-zhunz.
Galatians	Guh-lay-shunz.
Lamentations	Lam-en-tay-shunz.
Pentecost	Pent-ih-kost.
Philippians	Fih-lip-ee-unz.
shalom (Hebrew)	shah-lome.
Thessalonians	Thess-uh-lo-nee-unz (th as in thin).

Introduction

1. Spiritual but Not Religious

For the last couple of decades, researchers have detected an increase in spiritual interest among people, but little or no increase in church affiliation or attendance. Some identify themselves as “spiritual but not religious” (SBNR). This usually means they have personal beliefs and practices that could be understood as “spiritual,” but have no desire to participate with what they see as “institutional religion.”

Some SBNR folks desire their own religious world apart from a church. This desire is not necessarily Christian in orientation, however. It often borrows spiritual practices from Eastern religions, Native American traditional religions, or ancient pagan sources. The good news: a spiritual thirst exists out there. The bad news: the church is not being seen as the source for quenching that thirst. The insights of the apostle Paul are decisive in overturning this outlook—today’s lesson.

1. Lesson Context

The baseline for last week’s lesson from Romans 3 was that all men and women are sinners. Even so, God has made a way for us to be counted righteous in His eyes.

In the texts that intervene between that lesson and this week’s, Paul went on to examine the life of the great ancestor of the Jews: Abraham. The key verse in that regard is that “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3, quoting Genesis 15:6; compare Romans 4:22). Abraham’s righteousness came through his faith. And that was before he was circumcised (Genesis 17:24) and long before the law was given through Moses.

Paul thereby concludes that faith (as opposed to works) is the God-established pathway to right standing with Him. This pathway predates both circumcision and the law. Abraham was essentially a Gentile when God reckoned him as righteous, since Israel did not exist at the time. This fact undercuts any argument that proposes keeping the Law of Moses is the way to earn God’s favor and attain right standing with Him.

In the chapters from Romans that follow, Paul discusses the three terrifying tyrants of humanity: sin, the law, and death. Sin had dominion over us, but we are freed by the grace of God (Romans 6:14). Sin held out the terror of death as its consequences (6:16, 23). The law enslaved us, but we have been freed to a new life (7:6).

Paul ends Romans 7 with an expression of sincere gratitude for his deliverance from the bondage of sin and the law (Romans 7:25). As he does so, he prepares to address further the issue of the three tyrants.

1. Law of the Spirit

(Romans 8:1–4)

1. Freedom from Sin (vv. 1, 2)

1a. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

 

The opening therefore connects what follows with the now-powerless tyrants noted in the Lesson Context. The fact stated by this verse means, among other things, that the law no longer has power to judge us as requiring punishment. The punishment we have escaped in Christ Jesus is the sentence of eternal death due to our sin (see last week’s lesson; compare Romans 5:21).

Guilt Without Condemnation

An article in the online edition of The Washington Post of August 26, 2017, carried this intriguing title: “Is accepting a pardon an admission of guilt?” The short answer: it’s complicated.

On the one hand, the U.S. Supreme Court declared in 1915 that acceptance of a pardon carries with it a confession of guilt. A pardon therefore releases a person from penalty for a crime, but it does not change a “guilty” verdict to “not guilty.”

On the other hand is the case of Keith Cooper, sentenced in 1997 to 40 years in prison for robbery. As the years passed, mounting evidence prompted the governor of Indiana to pardon Cooper in 2017 for being “innocent of that crime.”

A dictionary definition of pardon is “release from the legal penalties of an offense.” Consider also Numbers 14:19: “Pardon … the iniquity of this people … as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.” Pardon and forgiveness are the same; wrongdoing is admitted, but relief from penalty is requested nevertheless. What the factually innocent Mr. Cooper should have received was not a pardon but full exoneration.

Sinners who stand before the judge of the universe, however, cannot expect exoneration for the simple fact that we are guilty of sin. But Christians have the next best thing: no condemnation despite our guilt. How often does realization of this fact shake you to your core?

—R. L. N.

What Do You Think? In what ways will you live differently in the week ahead given the realization that there is “now no condemnation” for you?   Digging Deeper Frame your response in terms of one pattern each of behavior, speech, and thought.

1b. Who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

 

Many early manuscripts do not have this half verse. But we know that its content is original with Paul since its thought is reflected again in Romans 8:4, below; see commentary there.

 

2. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

 

The opening for introduces Paul’s reasoning for the claim he makes in the previous verse. That claim is based in a contrast of two laws we see here.

Paul has used this approach before, and Bible students naturally have attempted to match them up. For example, is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus here the same as “the law of faith” in Romans 3:27a? Is the law of sin and death here the same as the “law … of works” in 3:27b and/or “the law of sin which is in my members” in 7:23?

Both yes and no conclusions are based on complicated analyses of the Greek text, and good arguments can be made in both directions. But perhaps more to Paul’s point is what we might call “dominion transfer.” This idea (1) recognizes our new status as having been transferred from the dominion of sin and death to the dominion of life in Christ and (2) the agent of that liberation is the Spirit.

Some may object to this idea on the basis of seeming contradiction with the observation that Christ is the one who is the agent of liberation. To clarify, we look again at the beginning of the verse and the New Testament as a whole: the Spirit is indeed the one who gives life (see Romans 8:10, 13, below; compare Galatians 6:8; Titus 3:5, 6). But that work happens only within the context of the sin-penalty having been paid by Christ. So that there’s no mistaking the foundational work of Christ, Paul is quick to stress it again (next verse).

 

What Do You Think? How will you witness to someone who doesn’t accept the Bible’s categories of sin and freedom from it?   Digging Deeper How does Paul’s change of tactics between Acts 17:2, 3 and 17:22–31 inform your response?

1. Weakness of the Law (vv. 3, 4)
2. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.

 

Paul has no argument with the integrity of the Jewish law. He has said it is good and holy (Romans 7:12). The weak link is in our keeping of the law. Our fleshly nature presents a problem not because it is inherently evil, but because it is weak. Our weakness negates any sort of saving power the law might represent (compare 7:18, 19).

God’s remedy for this weakness was to send his own Son. Our situation was dire and hopeless. The law can only condemn. No human being can overcome sin. So God provided one who condemned sin in the flesh, one who could live a victorious, sinless life. This is the act of the incarnation, the Son of God assuming human form according to God’s plan (see Galatians 4:4, 5).

Paul chooses his words carefully. Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh—He appeared, physically, like any other man of His day. Had we seen Him, we would have wrongly assumed Him to be a sinner just like us. He was truly human, but without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Jesus had full awareness that His mission included His death as a sacrifice for sin, paying the price for our salvation (Mark 10:45; 1 Timothy 2:6). This price could not be paid unless Jesus died as a human (compare Hebrews 2:14, 17).

 

4. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

 

The righteous requirements of the law are not discarded but fulfilled through Christ. This fulfillment finds its expression in us because we are the beneficiaries of being justified (counted as righteous). The law maintains its righteousness without compromise while losing its power to condemn. The differences between those who walk … after the Spirit and those who do not come next.

 

What Do You Think? What are some ways we can make ourselves more open to the Spirit’s influence?   Digging Deeper How do John 14:15–18; Galatians 5:16–26; Ephesians 4:29–32; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; and 1 John 4:1 inform your response?

1. Indwelling of the Spirit

(Romans 8:5–11)

1. Life and Peace (vv. 5–8)

5a. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh.

 

Paul gives examples of the things of the flesh in Galatians 5:19–21. Those “whose God is their belly” are focused on “earthly things” (Philippians 3:19). Such people existed in the Old Testament era (example: Isaiah 56:11, 12), and, as we know all too well, they still exist today.

 

5b. But they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

 

The word they does not refer to people who are so spiritual as to ignore bodily needs such as food, sleep, and clothing. It refers, rather, to those who are not controlled by such desires. Their primary focus is achieving spiritual intimacy with God. They find ways to do His will rather than their own. Paul gives examples in Galatians 5:22–25.

 

6a. For to be carnally minded is death.

 

To be carnally minded is to focus on the bodily impulses of the moment. Paul has previously noted that “the end” (that is, result of) of such shameful behavior “is death” (Romans 6:21). The wording in the text before us is even stronger: it equates carnal mindedness with death itself.

 

6b. But to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

 

By contrast, those who are spiritually minded have a certain kind of life and peace that the carnally minded do not. Paul expands on what he means by life in Galatians 6:8: “He that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (compare Romans 8:13, below). This kind of life removes our fear of death. That, in turn, results in us having peace about our future.

The way Paul uses the Greek word translated peace carries a significant difference from how the pagan world of his day uses it. For pagans, the word points primarily to outward peace, as in the absence of war or civil unrest. But Paul uses the word in terms of how the Greek Old Testament translates shalom,from the Hebrew Old Testament. In this sense, peace is more than the absence of strife. One who has the shalom kind of peace has inner contentment that results from having the blessings of God (Isaiah 48:18; etc.). Those who live by the Spirit have such peace.

 

7a. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God.

 

With the opening because, Paul moves from describing what is so to explaining why it is so. As we examine the two phrases the carnal mind and enmity against God, we notice that Paul does not say that one results in the other (contrast Romans 6:21, 22). Rather, he simply equates the two; to be one is to be the other. James 4:4 is quite similar in equating “friendship of the world” with “enmity with God.”

The law of God plays a defining role in all this. For the law to have been nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14) means for Christians that our penalty for breaking the law has already been paid. But the law doesn’t disappear as a standard of conduct. For example, the sin of partiality or favoritism under the old covenant (Exodus 23:3; Leviticus 19:15) is still sinful law-breaking under the new covenant (James 2:1, 9).

To live by the principles of the world is to live as if God’s law and the sin it defines do not exist. To live in such a way is to attempt to be a law unto oneself (compare Romans 10:3; 2 Corinthians 10:2, 12). And a focus on self is idolatry.

 

7b, 8. Neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

 

The phrase neither indeed can be concludes an inability to relate to the law as just discussed. Pleasing God is the only reasonable choice we can make (compare Galatians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:4; 4:1). If we reject the way of faith, we will never please God (see Hebrews 11:6). What we do with this freewill choice is the most critical decision one can make (Matthew 23:37; John 3:16; etc.).

1. Four Facts (vv. 9–11)
2. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

 

The phrases ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit reflects Paul’s assumption that those to whom he writes have “crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” (Galatians 5:24). The dominion concept in commentary to Romans 8:2, above, presents itself again. A person is either within the dominion of the flesh or that of the Spirit. There is no in between, and four facts are important.

Fact 1 is that the Spirit of God indwells the Christian. This is spiritual language, but that does not take away from its reality. The Holy Spirit cannot be detectable by scientific instruments, but is present nonetheless as a constant influence. While we may be able to quench the Spirit and dull its influence (1 Thessalonians 5:19), our faith guarantees the Spirit’s presence (see 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5). Paul also calls God’s Spirit the Spirit of Christ. This is not a different person. The Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit and Christ’s Spirit.

Fact 2 is that the lack of the Holy Spirit’s presence means a person is none of his. The Holy Spirit is God’s mark of His chosen (Ephesians 1:14). There is no such thing as a Christian believer without the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit; that would be a contradiction in terms.

 

10. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

 

Fact 3 is that we can have a living, vibrant relationship with God in the here and now. This is possible despite the fact that our bodies are dead because of sin (Romans 5:12). What makes such a relationship possible is the imputed righteousness Christians have by means of Christ’s death (3:21–26). The Spirit is life!

Interestingly, Paul makes no difference between the Holy Spirit’s indwelling a believer and Christ be in you. To have the constant presence of the Holy Spirit is to have the presence of Christ in a real way. There is one God in three persons (see Matthew 28:19).

 

11. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

 

Fact 4 is that the presence of God’s Spirit assures Christians of resurrection life, life beyond the day our current mortal bodies expire. The only way this happens is through the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead (compare John 5:21). Eternal life is not mentioned here as such, but it is implied. After all, what point would there be in being raised from the dead only to die yet again later?

III. Leading of the Spirit

(Romans 8:12–14)

1. The Good Kind of Debt (vv. 12, 13)

12, 13. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

 

Paul stresses a choice, a choice sharpened by his use of debtors terminology. This word can refer to financial obligations (as in Matthew 18:24). But Paul uses it in the sense of moral obligations (compare Romans 1:14; 15:27; Galatians 5:3). His readers, brethren in Christ, indeed have such an obligation. Since that obligation is not to the flesh, to live after the flesh, then it must be to the only other choice: the Spirit. That obligation is to kill the deeds of the body. This is Paul’s great plea. Life in the Spirit must include rejecting self-centered impulses approved by the world (compare Colossians 2:20–23). Those who do fail to do so are aptly described by Paul’s list in 2 Timothy 3:1–8.

This self-mortification is not easy. It is a complete reorientation of our priorities with God as the focus. We could never do this by our own willpower. It must happen through the Spirit. God does not expect us to live the spiritually pleasing life without giving us the resource we need to be successful. Through the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we are able truly to live and produce the deeds of a godly life (Galatians 5:22–25).

 

What Do You Think? What warning signs should we be alert to that indicate a fellow believer is slipping back into the deadness of life before the Spirit?   Digging Deeper Under what circumstances should a church’s intervention to help reverse the problem give way to disfellowshipping to protect the congregation as a whole? Consider in your response Matthew 7:1–5, 15–20; 18:15–17; Romans 2:1–4; 14:1–15:2; 16:17, 18; 1 Corinthians 5:11–13; 2 Thessalonians 3:14, 15; 1 Timothy 6:3, 4; and Titus 3:10.

1. The Right Kind of Status (v. 14)
2. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

 

To “live by the Spirit” or “walk in the Spirit” is to be led by the Spirit of God. We live to serve God according to His direction, not according to our own desires. Then we are sons of God, with all the privileges a child of the king may expect. We are heirs (Romans 8:17; Galatians 4:7).

We remind ourselves that by the phrase “the flesh” Paul is referring not just to self-centered lusts, etc. He is also referring more broadly to the “world” as he uses that word in Colossians 2:8.

Led by the Spirit?

My cousin, a minister himself, tells of a preacher friend who was invited to speak at a church that had no fixed order of worship. Instead, what happened in a worship service depended on when and how the participants “felt the Spirit moving.”

The service began with everyone sitting quietly. Eventually, someone began to sing a hymn, and the congregation joined in. More silence followed. Then someone prayed. More silence. Another hymn. Then came a very long silence followed by a prayer offered by the man who had issued the invitation to the guest speaker. It was obvious that this prayer was a benediction.

After the “amen,” the congregation filed out. The would-be speaker approached the man who had invited him to speak and said, “I thought I was supposed to speak.” The response: “I thought so too. But finally I decided you didn’t feel the Spirit leading you to speak!”

There is a lot more to being “led by the Spirit” than whether one is moved to pray or sing or speak in a worship service. In fact, if our Sunday morning conduct doesn’t match that of our daily conduct, something is wrong. Here’s a hint: it’s not the Holy Spirit who is leading you to live a double life!

—C. R. B.

What Do You Think? What guardrails can we erect to ensure that our living by the Spirit doesn’t become a “holier than thou” hindrance to our witness?   Digging Deeper How should Paul’s stance of being “all things to all men” in order to “save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22) inform your response, if at all?

Conclusion

1. Flesh or Spirit?

Living above the principles of the world is not easy. A media-saturated society surrounds us with opportunities to gratify the flesh. Hungry? Gluttons are welcome at the all-you-can-eat buffet. Sexually anxious? Check out the Internet with your private web browser turned on. Need money for a luxury car? Play the lottery.

Some enticements may not be sinful in and of themselves. But they all can appeal to a persuadable (weak?) part of our nature. They tempt us to take our eyes off God. They have no view of eternity. Let us walk by the Spirit, not the flesh.

 

1. Prayer

Father, strengthen us this day to live by Your Spirit and nothing else. We pray this in the name of Jesus, the one who died for us. Amen.

 

1. Thought to Remember

Yield control to God’s Spirit.

 

 

KID’S CORNER

How We Can Know Our Future

Romans 8:1–14

Sunday May 12, 2019

 

Romans 8:1-14

(Romans 8:1) Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

The Bible describes Christians as people who are “in Christ Jesus,” who have Christ Jesus dwelling in them by the Spirit and who dwell in Christ Jesus to do His will and demonstrate His love and character to others. In addition, to be “in Christ Jesus” means to be in the Body of Christ, the Church. In Romans 12:5, Paul wrote, “so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” The Christian’s close personal spiritual union with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is described in the Bible as “being in Christ” and “Christ in me.” Jesus Christ died on the cross in our behalf and we are justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; therefore, we truly are not under condemnation by the Law of God. In Christ, God considers us judicially in the right. Previously, we deserved and were to receive the wages of sin; that is, death (physical, spiritual, and eternal death). But now, as believers in Christ Jesus, we have received the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus; therefore, we will not be condemned along with the world. In Romans 6:23, Paul wrote: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” As Christians, because we are justified by faith, we are not under God’s just condemnation to die eternally. However, as Paul wrote in Romans 6:11, as Christians we have some responsibilities: “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” As we practice Romans 6:11, we know that we are “alive to God in Christ Jesus,” and we know by experience that we are not under God’s just condemnation. But, as Christians, if we sin and refuse to repent, we will be disciplined by the Lord; as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:32, “But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.”

(Romans 8:2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

In this verse and the following verses of this chapter, Paul teaches about our sanctification: of our being set apart by Jesus Christ for God’s holy and loving use, and how the Holy Spirit will develop our character and draw us closer to God in Christ and help us obey the law of God, the law of love for God, others, and ourselves. Through the process of sanctification in this life, we will be transformed into the image of Christ by the Holy Spirit who will help us study and obey the truth of God and thereby renew our minds. In Romans 12:2, Paul described what we can do to renew our minds: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul described the process and results of sanctification: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” Jesus Christ sanctifies us “in the truth” and God’s Word, the Bible, is truth (see John 17:17). The Bible teaches that the penalty for sin is death, and we have all sinned; so, prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, we will all die physically. Because the Holy Spirit indwells Christians and unites us to Jesus Christ, even if we die physically, we will not die spiritually: we will go to be with the Lord Jesus in heaven where we will await His return and the resurrection of our glorified human bodies. By His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ has set us free from the law of sin and death; we are not under the condemnation of the law to die eternally. Apart from faith in Christ Jesus, we would suffer both physical and spiritual death forever. Since we are set free from the law of sin and death, the Holy Spirit can work within us to sanctify us and enable us to serve the Lord Jesus according to the will of God.

(Romans 8:3) For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,

Because we have desires and emotions (the flesh) that have been strengthened in their sinful intensity or power by our previous sins and temptations, when we are tempted to follow sinfully these or similar desires and emotions (the flesh) and sin once again, we become too weak to resist when we know, reason about, or are reminded that what we are tempted to do is against God’s law and sinful. The flesh (our desires and emotions) are not sinful in and of themselves, for Jesus had emotions and desires, but we are not to follow our emotions and desires when they would lead us to disobey the law of God. However, even when we know the law of God and know right from wrong, we are so weakened by our previous sins and strong sinful temptations (that previous sins and failings have made even stronger) that our knowledge is not sufficient to help us resist our temptations; therefore, eventually we sin once again. But thanks be to God for sending His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh (as a fully human being, but without sin)! Jesus Christ condemned sin in the flesh by always perfectly resisting His temptations to sin, by refusing to follow His emotions and desires when they tempted Him to sin, and therefore perfectly obeying the law of God. As the perfect Son of God, Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice acceptable to God and as the only perfect substitute possible for the punishment we deserve for our sins. We need more than rules and regulations and knowledge of right and wrong that the law gives us. We need God’s help directly and personally through the Holy Spirit.

(Romans 8:4) so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Because Jesus Christ wants to sanctify us or make us holy, He has filled us with His Spirit, and as we study the Bible, He increases our knowledge and understanding of God in Christ and the truth of God’s Word written. The process of sanctification helps us increasingly fulfill the righteous requirement of the law; which is to love God, others, and ourselves according to the Bible. In Christ Jesus, we now walk according to the Spirit and habitually practice obeying the law of love (though imperfectly obeying the law of love, we become increasing perfect in love). The direction or purpose of our daily lives is no longer to selfishly fulfil or follow our desires and emotions and commit sins. Jesus Christ has changed the direction or purpose of our lives, so we now live or intend to follow the Spirit of Christ.

(Romans 8:5) For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

Those who have not bowed before Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior have not been set free from slavery to sin—from bondage to the law of sin and death. By God’s grace (by God’s free gift) through faith in Jesus Christ, true Christians have been set free from bondage sin; therefore, the true Christian will choose to set their minds (with the help of the Holy Spirit) on the things of the Spirit. If Christians sin, it is because they have temporarily set their minds on the things of the flesh; therefore, they must repent and choose to set their minds once again on the things of the Spirit.

(Romans 8:6) For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,

To “set the mind on the Spirit” is to focus on and resolve to follow (with the Lord’s help) the leading of the Holy Spirit according to the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit will never lead anyone to disobey the commands and teachings of Jesus Christ and the apostles in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit will never lead or encourage us to follow our desires and emotions when they tempt us to disobey the law of God. The Spirit of Christ encourages Christians to choose every morning and throughout the day to follow the Holy Spirit and the truth revealed by Jesus Christ in the Bible. After we have set our mind on the Spirit, through our prayers, our study of the Bible, and the guidance and power the Holy Spirit gives us, we will know good and loving things to do and we will be able to obey Jesus Christ in everything. We will then know by experience the spiritual life that flows from walking in the ways of Christ. We will know the peace of God within ourselves; our conscience will not condemn us but affirm our way of life is consistent with the will of God. We will know what it is like to live now in the Kingdom of God; for as Paul wrote in Romans 14:17, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

(Romans 8:7) because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,

Those who have not bowed morally and spiritually before Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior cannot do anything other than set their minds on fulfilling their selfish desires (the flesh). They cannot do anything but disobey God, because they remain hostile to (at war against) God. They may call themselves “Christians,” but they remain self-centered and committed to trying to use God and others to fulfil their selfish desires. They live in a state of war against God because their way of life is hostile to God. They cannot and will not love the Lord their God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength or their neighbors as themselves. They will disregard God’s laws and when confronted with God’s laws and the demands of the law of love, they will not submit to God’s laws but will continue to live in disobedience to God’s laws and unreasonably argue against the Biblical and spiritual application of God’s laws.

(Romans 8:8) and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

The true Christian can please God and make God happy by the set of their minds and the corresponding way they live according to the Bible. They have set their minds on the things of the Spirit and going where the Spirit of Christ leads them. Those who have set their mind of the things of the flesh are “in the flesh” instead of “in the Spirit.” By following their emotions and desires instead of sound reason and the truth of the Bible, they cannot please God. Those who are not Christians open themselves up to the punishment of God. If a true Christian sets their mind temporarily on the flesh, they open themselves to the corrective discipline of God until they repent and return to obeying God. As a true Christian, if we temporarily set our minds on the flesh, we grieve the Holy Spirit. As Paul commanded and warned in Ephesians 4:30, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

(Romans 8:9) However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

If we are true Christians, the Holy Spirit dwells in us. The Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. The Bible uses a variety of ways to teach that God is one God in three Persons. If the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we belong to Jesus Christ and He is our Lord and Savior; therefore, we choose to set our minds on the Spirit and doing God’s will and wanting God’s will to be done even if we preferred something different. As true Christians, from time to time we will be tempted to follow the desires of our flesh and we will sometimes sin, but the Holy Spirit (sometimes along with God’s discipline, if necessary) will lead us to repent and return to following the Lord Jesus.

(Romans 8:10) If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

Because of sin our bodies will die someday, unless the Lord Jesus returns before our death. The Spirit of Christ indwells us, while the risen, glorified, human body of Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of God. Since Jesus is God, the Son of God, Jesus’ Spirit can indwell every Christian all around the world, even as He holds the whole world together (see Colossians 1:17). The Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of life, indwells true Christians and enables and leads them to do what is right, to focus on righteousness instead of godlessness, to focus on love, trust, and loyalty to Jesus Christ and God our Father. Indeed, as Paul wrote in Romans 8:16, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God;” therefore, we call God “our Father.”

(Romans 8:11) But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Paul summed up a major component of our Christian faith in this verse. Because the Holy Spirit indwells true Christians (and really, you are a true Christian or you are not a Christian at all) when our mortal bodies die we will be given new bodies and be raised from the dead at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Paul described this in greater detail in 1 Corinthians 15). The same Spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead will raise us from the dead, but even in death the Spirit of Jesus Christ remains united with our spirit. Our spirit will remain with the Spirit of Christ in heaven until we return and reign with Christ in our glorified, resurrected human bodies.

(Romans 8:12) So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—

We owe our lives and eternal destiny to Jesus Christ, who died on the cross so God could with love, justice, and mercy forgive us for our sins—for we once set our lives on following our sinful desires, our desires of the flesh, contrary to the law of love for God, our neighbors, and ourselves. We do not owe anything to the flesh that led us into sin and hostility toward God. Nor do we owe anything to those who may have led us into sin. As Christians, we have no good reason to return to living according to or following the desires of the flesh.

(Romans 8:13) for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

To live according to the flesh means to live unlawfully (contrary to God’s law of love) while following our desires and emotions instead of sound reason and the Bible’s teachings. The Bible teaches us how to live as God created us to live in His image. If we insist on living unreasonable lives apart from God, then we will die physically and spiritually and remain separated from God. Therefore, we must pray for the Holy Spirit to help us study the Bible and apply the Bible rightly so we can follow the ways of Jesus Christ. In the strength of the Holy Spirit, we must pray and strive to “put to death” the ungodly and unloving desires that the world, the flesh, and the devil tempt us to follow.

(Romans 8:14) For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

If we are children of God, then we will be led by the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God is not “the spirit of slavery” so that we “fall back into fear,” but “the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ (see Romans 8:15). We want to obey God, because we love God. The Spirit of God will help us read, understand, and rightly apply what the Bible teaches. The Spirit of God will give us love, courage, wisdom, and power to do the will of God in all things. Whenever we are tempted, fall, and follow the flesh that fall will be temporary and the exception to our regular way of life of obeying Jesus Christ. Following the flesh will not be the rule or direction of our lives as the Holy Spirit continues to sanctify us and set us apart for God’s holy use. If we do not return to following God our Father as the Bible teaches; then, God will discipline us as we read in Hebrews 12:6, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

 

 

How We Can Know Our Future

Romans 8:1–14

Sunday May 12, 2019

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).

In some sense, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead was a team project. Jesus said that He had the authority and power to lay down His life and take it up again, and His Father had given Him the command or charge to do so (see John 10:18). In 1 Corinthians 6:14, we read this good news: “And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.” Finally, in Romans 8:11, we learn that the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead; and if the Holy Spirit dwells in us, He will raise us from the dead. After death, in God’s perfect timing, God will someday give His children new resurrected bodies especially suited for living in a new heaven and on a new earth. We can know whether God’s promises of new life after death apply to us. We can know the direction of our daily choices. Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to indwell His followers, and we can know if we are walking in the Spirit according to the Bible. We can also know if we are walking according to the flesh, according to our emotional desires in unreasonable ways that are contrary to our conscience and the will of God. We can know if we have set our minds, our life purpose, our ultimate intention on loving Jesus and following His ways. Through faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit gives assurance, life, and peace to those who set their minds on loving and serving God. — LG Parkhurst Jr.

 

Thinking Further

How We Can Know Our Future

Romans 8:1–14

Sunday May 12, 2019

Name ________________________________

 

Update later

 

 

 

Word Search

How We Can Know Our Future

Romans 8:1–14

Sunday May 12, 2019

Name _________________________________

 

B Y E X T B T U J C F Q X H E

W S A R A I X L O W Z R T M J

O P E C W M R N I B A S E Y A

X K I Z A J D I Z V I H F E T

H A M V N E C A P R E O X I S

O L C S M S L V H S C G L H D

H A Z N U H Z C D L M N T Y N

Z C E S A S Q J P O F A S W I

F D E G V E O D E L E N Q I M

T J K P K L U R A D H Z U T N

H V W L B F I W C T A W D E D

R N S O A T H Q E Z E S I S R

X O X U S W U R F Y R Q E B P

N V M T H O S T I L E L I O Y

S U D N I M X W V U A U A Z J

 

Christ

Spirit

Free

Law

Sin

Death

Son

Flesh

Condemned

Walk

Live

Set

Minds

Peace

Hostile

 

True and False Test

How We Can Know Our Future

Romans 8:1–14

Sunday May 12, 2019

Name __________________________________

 

Circle the true or false answers. Correct the false statements by restating them.

 

1. The law of the Spirit of life frees those in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. True or False

 

2. Jesus came into our world in the likeness of sinful flesh and He condemned sin in the flesh. True or False

 

3. There is no way to fulfill the righteous requirement of the law. True or False

 

4. Christians can walk according to the flesh and according to the Spirit at the same time. True or False

 

5. People who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh. True or False

 

6. People who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. True or False

 

7. Some who love God set their minds on the flesh and will not submit to God’s law. True or False

 

8. Christians are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, and to set their minds on the Spirit is life and peace. True or False

 

9. Because everyone is a sinner, the Spirit of God cannot dwell in anyone. True or False

 

10. All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. True or False

 

True and False Test Answers

 

1. True
2. True
3. False
4. False
5. True
6. True
7. False
8. True
9. False
10. True

 

Prayer

Father, strengthen us this day to live by Your Spirit and nothing else. We pray this in the name of Jesus, the one who died for us. Amen.