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, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:6-8, NKJV)
Spiritual and death proceeds from the mind that is given to the thoughts, attitudes, motives, and inclinations of the flesh. By contrast, the mind that is spiritual produces life and peace. Paul has already identified the spiritual mind as that which is set on the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5). This mind walks according to the Spirit and bears the fruit of the Spirit (Romans 8:1; Galatians 5:22-23). If your mind refuses to submit to the law of God, you are yet carnal, and an enemy of God. Being “in the flesh” is tantamount to a mind that is set against the will of God and a life that does not obey the law of God. Conversely, the spiritually minded person is the one who obeys the law of God, willingly submitting to its rule and authority. Are you spiritually minded? If so, you are obeying the word of God. Do not be deceived. If you are not obedient to God’s word, then you are not spiritually minded. You are still serving the flesh, and it is past time to repent and submit yourself to the law of God (Matthew 7:21-23).
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. (Romans 8:5, NKJV)
Paul lays out a series of contrasts in Romans 8:5-9 between what it means to be carnally minded and what it means to be spiritually minded. He begins by drawing our attention to this central point: We live what we think. Whatever your mind is set upon produces how you live. If your goal is to “walk according to the Spirit,” then you must set your mind on “the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:1, 5). The “flesh” is the source of evil appetites, and carnally minded people set their minds on these things. The gospel calls us to set our minds on things above and not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:2). The gospel renews our minds (Romans 12:2). This occurs as we deliberately develop the mindset to seek and do the will of God which the Spirit has revealed in the Scriptures. Put your mind on the word and will of God, not on the wisdom and will of those who do not know God (1 Peter 4:1-2). Putting your mind in the right place translates into making choices to do God’s will in life. You live what you think!
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has 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 did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:2–4, NKJV)
The “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” is “the law of God,” it is “the gospel of His Son” (Romans 7:25; 1:9). Life is in Christ Jesus, and the gospel is the “law of faith” by which we are justified (Romans 3:26-27). The law that gives life is set in contrast with “the law of sin and death” – the rule that sin causes death (v. 1; Romans 6:23). The Law of Moses identified sin but could not save sinners (Romans 3:20, 23; 7:10-12). The Son of God became flesh, lived without sin and condemned sin by His life and His death (Philippians 2:5-8; Roman 5:6-11). In Christ, spiritual life is granted to all who “walk according to the Spirit” (who live in and by the gospel, Romans 1:16-17; 5:1-2; 6:1-14). We are not sinners because we are humans, we are sinners because we commit sin (Romans 5:12). Now, by the gospel, we are saved from our sins and choose to serve righteousness instead of sin (Romans 6:15-18).
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1, NKJV)
Christ delivers sinners from the “body of death” produced by sin (Romans 7:24-25). Those who are “in Christ Jesus” escape sin’s condemnation.. Therefore, it is crucial to be “in Christ Jesus,” otherwise, we are still wretched, lost in sin and under its sentence of eternal death (Romans 7:24; 6:23). Scripture says plainly that baptism puts the sinner into Christ (where there is no condemnation): “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27). We become children of God through the gospel (“faith,” Galatians 1:11, 23; 3:2, 23-25). The gospel commands water baptism for the remission of sins (no condemnation, Acts 2:38; 10:48). Once we are saved “in Christ Jesus” we must walk (live) “according to the Spirit.” In Christ, Christians live by the guidance of the Spirit of God, not by the impulses of the flesh. The Spirit guides us through the truth He revealed to the apostles and inspired them to speak and write (John 16:12-14; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13; 14:37; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Christians choose to walk according to the Spirit by following the word of God. Make that the way you live your life and escape sin’s sentence of eternal death.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:33–34, NKJV)
Jesus said we must make the rule and reign of God and His righteousness the priority of our lives instead of the things of this world (Matthew 6:24-32). Daily priorities not only set what we pursue each day, but also what we pursue our entire life. Priorities of the day turn into months, then months into years until finally, life ends. We are tempted to set a lifetime goal of making God our top priority, yet fail to genuinely make Him and His will our daily priority. It is far easier to say Christ is our lifelong priority than to live that priority day by day (Luke 6:46; Matthew 7:21). How can we tell when we have fallen into this deception? By honestly assessing whether we are so worried and anxiously distracted by the troubles of each day that God’s rule and righteousness are pushed to the side (v. 34; Acts 24:25). When daily concerns are our most urgent priority, they distract us and deter us from walking by faith. When that happens, God is not our priority. We are serving another master instead of the One who provides our daily bread and saves us eternally. Strengthen your faith and trust God every day, so that as your days turn into months and month into years, when death comes you will have eternal rest.
22 Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. 23 When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. 24 For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. (Acts 11:22–24, NKJV)
Do people get closer to the Lord or farther from Him when they are around you? Does the influence of your life preserve and promote righteousness, or does it distort people’s consciousness of God and knowledge of His truth? Are you genuinely the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16)? Barnabas was. He was reliable, so the Jerusalem church sent him to Antioch to strengthen the new converts. He was dedicated to the Lord, to His gospel and to God’s people, so he encouraged them to remain faithful. He was a good man who lived by faith under the control of the Holy Spirit, so it was by his efforts that many souls were saved (“added to the Lord”). What an impact one godly person has on others. Be a Barnabas. Commit yourself to setting godly examples, to influencing others for truth and righteousness, to teaching the lost, and to bringing honor to Christ every single day of your life.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. (Hebrews 11:30, NKJV)
This is an enlightening statement about the nature of faith that pleases God. We must remember the inspired scribe had earlier stated, “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). We cannot please God without the kind of faith by which the walls of Jericho fell. (And, when we do, we have earned nothing; we have put our faith in God to save us in His Son.) The historical account of Jericho is in Joshua 6, where the Lord said to Joshua, “See! I have given Jericho into your hand” (Joshua 6:2, 16). God’s grace was on full display as He gave the city as a gift to Israel. Still, Israel did not receive this gift from God until they had encircled Jericho for seven days as the Lord the way God commanded. They obeyed God by faith, and the walls fell (Joshua 6:12-20). This is how God saves sinners today “by grace…through faith” (Ephesians 2:8-9). God is the Giver of salvation to all who believe the Son. And, we learn in Hebrews 11:30 that our belief pleases God when we obey His word (Luke 6:46; Matthew 7:21). To be saved, one must obey Jesus, who commands sinners to believe, to confession faith, to repent and to be baptized (John 8:24; Romans 10:9-10; Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 17:30; 2:37-38; 22:16). Sinners who obey God are saved by grace because their faith pleases God.
Advertisements
“And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Eph. 6:17)
