5 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. 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 8:5-8
So, Romans 8 chronicles the activity of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer in Christ. As we considered in our last study, the first thing that the Holy Spirit does for the believer in Christ is to teach us and to remind us that we are no longer condemned by our sin, even though we still struggle with it. Yes, Christ died to deliver us from the penalty and the power of sin, and even the presence of sin. But, our struggle with sin will not be over until we get to heaven.
In today's passage we are considering the second thing that the Holy Spirit does in the life of the believer in Christ which is to teach us to think God’s thoughts. When we think God's thoughts and make choices accordingly, we will experience the culture of God which is what the law of God is all about.
In v.5 of today's passage we read, "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."
In Romans 6-8 the Apostle Paul instructs us about our sanctification which is a process whereby our souls are being changed by God. Whereas justification renders our spirit alive to God, sanctification makes our souls which are made up of our minds, wills, and emotions, more alive to God. In today's passage, the Apostle makes a clear distinction between walking in the flesh and walking in the Spirit. The believer's on-going relationship with the Spirit of God is life-giving. An on-going relationship with the flesh or the sinful desires that we still have within us, invites various forms of death. The one that we feed the most, either the flesh or the Spirit, on a given day will be strongest.
Now, as believers in Christ, we have a daily choice whether to feed the flesh or the Spirit. We feed either of these in our lives by obeying the lead that both provide. When we feed the flesh, we feel conviction from the Holy Spirit who abides within our spirit. This is good because this is God's way of telling us through His Spirit not to go in the direction of sin. This guilt from the Holy Spirit in response to the poor choice of feeding the flesh within us is a good thing. But, when we feed the guilt and punish ourselves as a result, we essentially allow sin to drag us further away from God. When we live with a sense of guilt that drives us away from God, we must correct that poor theology and move on. We should not sin because it is not wise to do so, but we will never this side of heaven be perfect at this process of sanctification. Sin will always lead us to be more self-absorbed than self-giving, whereas the Holy Spirit will always lead us down the path of humility and selflessness.
When we walk according to the Spirit or we feed to some degree the Spirit who lives within, we will experience the life the Lord Jesus died to give us. We will never 100% walk in the Spirit this side of heaven, however we can get better at it. This will result in the inculcation of the culture of God within us and we will realize a heightened sense of God's involvement and influence in our lives. We never earn God's influence but we realize it when we walk according to the Spirit. When we walk according to the flesh the process of walking with the Spirit is hampered. This difference can be seen in what we "set our minds on." Our sanctification begins with what we choose to put first in our thinking which informs our volition and our emotions.
In v.6 of today's passage we read, "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."
When we, as a Christian, live like the world, we are living according to the flesh. Having our thinking governed and framed up by the flesh leads us to various forms of death. These forms of death include: fear, guilt, hostility, and emptiness. Death is not something waiting for us at the end of our lives, it is something we experience right now, whenever we feed it.
When we are defined by anything other than God, we are being defined by sin. As mentioned, fear results. Fear shows up in our lives as worry and anxiety. Guilt shows up as shame, self-hatred, self-righteousness, or legalism. Hostility manifests itself as hate, resentment, bitterness, revenge, or cruelty. Emptiness arrives in our lives as loneliness, depression, discouragement, despair, and meaninglessness. These are all symptoms of death.
When we are defined by God and His word we find ourselves walking in the Spirit. The qualities that we enjoy when we are walking in the Spirit include: trust, hope, and confidence. The are the qualities of eternal life which will render the peace of God in our everyday experience. Once we were made right with God by trusting the finished work of Christ on the cross, we should have experienced the feeling of acceptance, security, and assurance. Poor theology can hamper such good thinking informed by biblical teaching. Biblical thinking informs us that we are totally accepted by God through His Son and we should never have a different posture. But, at times, we have unbiblical thinking which is caused by our poor choices. We must be patient because our sanctification is a process and it takes time to learn to set our minds on the messages that the Holy Spirit speaks to us on a daily basis. The Holy Spirit will never tell us that God no longer loves us. His primary message to us is that we are no longer condemned. And, it is from this posture that we learn the thinking and culture of God, all the while being taught by the Holy Spirit who always works in tandem with God's word, the Bible.
In v.7-8 of todays passage we read, "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."
Those whose minds are set on the flesh are being defined by the flesh which is in its essence sin. Sin always delivers destruction. Oh, it is fun for a while until it decides to render its death in our lives. When we are defined by sin, we are "carnal." To be carnally minded is to live after the things that are opposed to God. Those who think life consists only of making money, pleasing self, and being defined by something other than God are in opposition to God. And, as we read in James 4:6, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Whenever we live for self, for our own advancement, God is against us. This does not mean we lose our salvation, it does means that a spanking from the Father will be soon arriving.
On the other had, the mind that is set on the Spirit pleases God. This is what God desires for us because it is His way that brings life into our existence. God's grace is accessed this way. When we walk according to this world's way of thinking, even though we are believers in Christ, His grace can not operate as He desires unless we avail ourselves to His culture. He loves us just the way we are, but He loves us too much to let us stay the way we are.
