Introduction The Holy Spirit declared us not guilty in verses 1-4. We have new life in verses 5-17. Not guilty means no future judgment which results in permanent separation from God. New life means we have full and free forgiveness (vv.6-8). We are free from defeat which means no obligation to the flesh or the old nature or all that we are apart from Jesus Christ (vv.5-17). We need not be controlled by addictive behavior. We are now in Christ. We are justified, we are accepted, we are forgiven, and we are sanctified. We are joined to Christ, we belong to God, and we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. We are under no obligation to our old sinful nature. Romans 8:12 (NLT) 12 So, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. In this section Paul is describing life on three different levels. Then Paul encourages the Romans to live life at the highest level. The lowest level is life apart from Christ. The next level is life in Christ. But there is another level. Christians are not to be content with mere possession of the Holy Spirit. We must allow the Holy Spirit to possess us! For some that sounds creepy. To allow a strange power or person to control you does not sound attractive at all. But the Holy Spirit is not a strange power or a strange person. The Holy Spirit is God. When we are led and controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we manifest the fruit of the Spirit and the character of Christ. We have the power necessary to overcome sin in our lives. The key scripture in understanding this section of is found in verse 9; But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit), he is not His. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ by definition does not belong to Christ and cannot have life. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:26). The Dead Do Not Have The Spirit (vv.5-8) Life On The Lowest Level I see dead people Dead people think about dead things. Paul contrasts the life of the flesh with the life of the Spirit. Romans 8:5 (NLT) 5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 1
What is a fleshly mind? One Bible translator writes, For those who are habitually dominated by the flesh, put their minds on the things of the flesh (Wuest; p.131). The Greek word for mind here is phronousin which speaks less about understanding or intellect and more about attention or occupation of being, caused by a natural disposition. We might use the expression, mind set. When you say to someone, Do you mind? You are really asking them if they care. Let me try to make that simple. Why do dog s bark? In part because they are dogs. Non-Christians have a mind-set that is focused on sin. What do unbeliever s think about? It can be basically broken down into three categories; (1) me; (2) myself; and (3) I. People apart from God are dominated by lusts, and addictions, compulsive behaviors that control us. Some might argue, But God made me to eat food, have sex, and enjoy life. There is nothing wrong with eating food, having sex and enjoying life. What is wrong is doing all of these things and excluding God from our thinking. An unbeliever s life is empty, futile, plagued by guilt. The unbeliever has a death-like existence. When do you think about? Guilt, shame, dishonesty, euphoria, how you can be happy. Do you fear rejection? (v.6) Romans 8:6 (NLT) 6 If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace. All unbelievers are dead spiritually. They can be moral (relative to Jesus) or even religious, but not alive. Here it is the mind of the flesh which is given to death. Here it is the Spirit (the mind of the Spirit not the human mind that is life and peace. Who or what controls your mind right now? Paul described humanity in Romans 1:21-24. Romans 1:21-24 (NLT) 21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people, or birds and animals and snakes. 24 So God let them go ahead and do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other s bodies. Paul reminds us what happens when people fail to recognize God as Creator and humanity as a part of creation. People become angry and bitter towards God, they reject God s authority in their life. Next comes a hard-heart and a determination to tune God out of one s life and existence. What happens when God is not given his rightful place? 2
The true God is replaced with a false god. We are human beings. We worship. For human beings to live without a god is like a fish without water. When the true God is rejected a new god is fabricated. Just name an addict s addiction and you have named his or her god. Human beings are a wasteland of powerful addictions, violence and perversion. Addiction is nothing more than what Keith Miller called the blinding self-absorption called sin. Sin is the universal addiction to self that develops when individuals put themselves in the center of their personal world in a way that leads to abuse of others or self. Sin causes sinners to seek instant gratification, to be first, and to get more than their share now (quoted in Putting Your Past Behind You by Erwin Lutzer p.58). The truth of God is changed into a lie. Human beings are made in such a way that it is difficult for us to violate what we know to be true. What happens when our desires, lusts, and addictions, become harmful? We lie. We rationalize our behavior. The only way this can be done is to call God s truth a lie. All addicts change the truth of God into a lie. Do drunks and fornicators, drug addicts and Enron executives, lie to other people, and lie to themselves? There s nothing wrong. It s somebody else s fault. Addicts lie, blame others, or assure themselves they are in complete control of their pet addiction. They can stop anytime. Mark Twain said, Of course I can stop smoking anytime, I ve done it thousands of times. Besides we can live any way they want! This explains why addictive behavior involves so much denial; no one can practice destructive behavior for long without exchanging the truth for a lie. Truth and wholesome behavior are linked. God given natural functions are exchanged for unnatural functions. People want to take control of their lives without God. People say they have every right to meet their needs without God. Addiction is nothing more than trying to meet legitimate needs in illegitimate ways. When a man squeezes God out of his thoughts, he ends up making many vain attempts to deaden the pain of an empty life (Erwin Lutzer pp.60-61). (v.7) Romans 8:7 (NLT) 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God s laws, and it never will. So then those who are in the flesh cannot please God (NKJV). No verse so completely demonstrates the utter lost ness of the flesh. William Newell; Your estate in the flesh was as lost as that of the demons. For nothing worse could be said of them that they are enmity toward God and are not able to be subject to His law. God has certainly given the flesh up, and nothing but sovereign mercy ever redeemed a human being. The unbeliever is hostile to God. You might be thinking, I am not a Christian and I am not hostile to God! Think carefully for a moment. Who is God? Is God the God of the Bible? Is God Jesus Father? Does the God of the Bible call you to lay down your rebellion and receive Jesus Christ as the solution to your sin? Is the God of the Bible urging you to come to Christ? Jesus said in John 5:39-40 (NLT) 3
39 You search the Scriptures because you believe they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! 40 Yet you refuse to come to me so that I can give you this eternal life. Unbelievers shake their fists at God and accuse Him of injustice, pettiness, and false righteousness. The unbeliever has a life-style of immoral rebellion. Those without Jesus do not long to submit to the Savior, they shun God s standard (of right and wrong). Who are you to say what is right and wrong? They go their own way. They do their own thing (v.7b) it never did obey God s laws or is not subject to the law of God. (v.8) Romans 8:8 (NLT) 8 That s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. Do you get frustrated with the unbeliever Christian? Are you angry or mad or disappointed that people who do not know Christ do not act like Christians? Why? The Bible does not pretend that unbelievers can act like Christians! There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked (Isa.48:22). What hypocrisy! Christians expecting people in the world to love God, honor the Bible, be good! It can t happen! Unbelievers cannot submit to God or please God even if they wanted to! They have no power! No wonder their life is so miserable! Don t hate them! Don t resent them! Don t fear them! Love them! Reach out to them with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The only way anyone can be saved and transformed is by the redemptive power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. To be in the flesh means to be lost, outside Christ. The unsaved person lives to please himself are rarely if ever thinks about pleasing God. The root of sin is selfishness I will and not Thy will. To be unsaved and not have the Spirit is the lowest level of life (Warren Wiersbe p.539). The Living Have The Spirit (vv.9-11) (v.9) But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His Romans 8:9 (NLT) 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 are not Christians at all.) What does it mean to be a Christian? The Spirit of God lives inside you. And if the Spirit of God dwells in you, you can count on being controlled by that same Spirit. This is the mark of the true Christian. The true mark is not reading your Bible, going to church, having a testimony. The Spirit dwells makes a home in you. The Spirit is the true element in which the believer lives; like water for a fish; air for a bird; like pockets for a lawyer (just kidding). The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Christ because Jesus 4
promised to send, Him. He is the Comforter, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father (John 15:26). (v.10) and if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness Romans 8:10 (NLT) 10 Since Christ lives within you, even though your body will die because of sin, your spirit is alive because you have been made right with God. The body is destined to die, unless the Lord Jesus returns first. The Spirit gives life to the body now so we can serve God now! If we die, the body will be raised from the dead, because the Holy Spirit has sealed each believer see Eph.1:13-14 (Wiersbe pp.540-541). What happens when the Holy Spirit lives inside of you? When I became a Christian the world changed but not really my perception of the world changed. The grass was greener, the sky was bluer, and life was different. (v.11) the key expression is give life The world of the believer is contrasted with the world of the unbeliever. The unbeliever s mind-set leads to death. We focus on life. We have the mind of Christ, a mind-set that is focused on the Spirit. The Holy Spirit creates within the Christian a deep-mind set towards the Spirit. When you became a Christian did you desire the sincere milk of the Word of God? Did you crave prayer, fellowship, and Bible study? Are you moving toward righteousness and away from selfishness? Are you driven to do good instead of evil? Do you have a real, vibrant, living relationship with Christ? Are you abiding in a profound sense of wrath and judgment or the life and peace (v.6b) that Paul talked about? Non Christians can never, I repeat never have real life and real peace. Those words are different as they apply to the unbeliever. Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. who raised Jesus from the dead. Tucked away in this verse is the personal name of Jesus. It was Jesus who they crucified and laid in the tomb. Here we are called on to reflect on the position of weakness and deadness in which Jesus once was. But God raised Him from the dead. The same Spirit is living in us. What if our bodies are dead because of sin? Then God will raise us from the dead. will also give life to your mortal bodies The word mortal means subject to death; and is only applied in the scriptures to the body. The Victorious Christian; The Spirit Has You! (vv.12-17) The Highest Level 5
(v.12) Living at the highest level means allowing the Holy Spirit to direct us. It means allowing the Holy Spirit to provide our plans and purposes and lives. What can we expect if we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us and direct us, if we give God permission in our lives and for our lives? Romans 8:12 (NLT) 12 So, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. But I am the adult child of an alcoholic. But I was abused as a child. I am a drug, food, gun, work, pornography, you fill in the blank addict. I am a recovering Catholic, alcoholic, etc. I do not deny that we have powerful compulsions. But you are no longer obligated to obey those compulsions. You don t understand the compulsions are too powerful. Why are you asking me to reject the scripture in order for you to justify your sin? The Bible says you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. May I tell you why I believe so many people are living a lifestyle of compulsive and addictive behavior? They have replaced the true God with a false god. The truth of God is changed into a lie. God given functions are exchanged for unnatural ones. Guilt and shame blossom in the lives of the chronic sinner. This leads to dishonesty, euphoria, (the rush from your drug or addiction of choice) and the fear of rejection being found out. The addict wants out wants help but fears being rejected, despised, thought a sick pervert. Now they are caught between a rock and a hard place. I believe this is why recovery groups have become so popular in our culture. People are looking for a place were they can be honest about themselves and their battles. This is why we have so many anonymous groups for sex addicts, gamblers, overeaters. The addict says, Finally I ve found someone who understands my struggle, and can t reject me because he or she is the same predicament I am! People don t think they can be honest with God, honest in church, honest with each other. (v.13) If you live according to the flesh (literal translation) you are about to die! Romans 8:13 (NLT) 13 For if you keep on following it, you will perish. But if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it and its evil deeds, you will live. Talk about a red light! Talk about a warning! Unbeliever take the warning! Paul lists some holy obligations. We are obligated to stop engaging in sinful lifestyles. And since we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we can obey! We are to allow the Holy Spirit to be the Spirit of Death! 6
but if you by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Do you remember Jack Kevorkian the so called mercy killer? You must allow the Spirit to kill the deeds of the body. The Spirit delivers from the old nature producing righteousness in the believer! Conclusion There are four things Paul mentions in the closing verses of this section: (1) Verse 14; We can be led by the Holy Spirit. For as many as are led by the Spirit, these are the Sons of God. The word led here means to show the way, to guide (He came from heaven to earth to show the way). We can be led by the Spirit by simply making ourselves available to His leading! How can I be sure that it is the Holy Spirit leading and not my imagination? Let me give you some simple guidelines (I hope). The Holy Spirit will never lead you to do something that would grieve the Holy Spirit, dishonor the Father or disobey the Son. The Holy Spirit will show you how to flush out the flesh and flesh out the Spirit. The Spirit never gets sick of applying the truth of God s Word to your life. (2) Verse 15; We can have a close intimate walk with God that is free from fear. You don t have to be afraid that God will reject you. God has saved us from sin and adopted us into His family. The restrictions have been lifted. We can call God Daddy (this is amazing intimacy). Prior to Jesus, no one dared call God the Father papa, daddy, abba. Adoption meant the placing of a son. Adoption follows regeneration. Adoption was something very different in the Roman culture. Adoption provided a legal and irrevocable inheritance. Ancient Fathers could not disown adopted children. We never adopt our own children. But God will adopt any other than His own (God only has one begotten Son!). (3) Verse 16; We have assurance that we belong to God. When the Spirit controls our lives His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. (4) Verse 17; We are reminded of value and worth before God. How completely foreign to modern ideas of self-esteem and self-worth. There is a prelude to glory, and that is pain and suffering (1Peter 4:13). The things that seem to harm us on the outside are the means whereby God changes us on the inside! This change makes its final mark when the body dies and we are changed forever. The glory that Jesus by right will be ours by grace. Who is in control of your life? Addictions? The Holy Spirit? Are you severing sin and yielding control to the Spirit? Having begun in the Spirit... 7
What makes your life significant? Home, family, job etc. Or is your sense of value buried in what Jesus has done, is doing and will do in your life? Your answer will reveal where your ultimate commitment and priorities lie. 8