"12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." ~ Romans 8:12-13
In Romans 8:1-4, the Holy Spirit reminds the believer that he is not condemned, especially since he still sins after being "born again." In Romans 8:5-8, the Holy Spirit teaches the believer to think like God thinks. In Romans 8:9-13, the Holy Spirit enables the believer to live the life that Jesus died to give him.
In v.12 of today's passage we read, "Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it."
In context, the Apostle Paul clearly draws a distinction between the flesh of the believer in Christ, which is he sinful desires that yet abide in us, and the Spirit of God. These are the two primary influences in the life of the believer in Christ. The one we feed the most wins in a given day.
The believer in Christ is not obligated or indebted to the sinful desires within us. The reason we are not obligated to the flesh is due to the fact that we are no longer enslaved to the flesh. The Greek word that the Apostle Paul uses for "obligation" carries with it the gratitude that we gained once we first understood and appreciated the gospel. It is the very love of God that motivates the believer in Christ, who is no longer destined to hell, into action. You will remember that mankind's descent away from God began with a lack of gratitude. Implied in the usage of this word is the very important role that gratitude plays in the motivation of the believer who in learning to walk in the Spirit. When my sons were children, they loved to put their feet on top of mine and they would experience my inertia as we walked along. This picture gives us an idea of what it means to walk in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit is recognizing the leading of the Hoy Spirit in our every day lives and depending upon His inertia at living the Christian life.
In v.13 of today's passage we read, "For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live."
The Apostle Paul utilized the word "Spirit" here, because he is referring to the Holy Spirit. Whenever we see in and through our yielded lives the truth of God being expressed, we must be quick to recognize that this is the work of the Holy Spirit. This is not our works. This is why God's them to fruit of the Spirit.
Here, the Apostle Paul describes the inside out difference that the Holy Spirit brings to the life of the follower of Jesus Christ. When we all entered this world, we entered it indifferent to God. As the Apostle Paul tells us in the book of Ephesians, we were dead in our sins and trespasses. But, once we trusted in the finished work of Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin, we were given a new heart for God. This difference is a new way of looking at God, a new way of understanding Him. Trusting in Christ rendered in us an inner new-birth that liberates us not only from sin, but from our old way of viewing God. It is as if the scales that were causing us to be blind to God were removed.
Here, the Apostle Paul describes the inside out difference that the Holy Spirit brings to the life of the follower of Jesus Christ. When we all entered this world, we entered it indifferent to God. As the Apostle Paul tells us in the book of Ephesians, we were dead in our sins and trespasses. But, once we trusted in the finished work of Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin, we were given a new heart for God. This difference is a new way of looking at God, a new way of understanding Him. Trusting in Christ rendered in us an inner new-birth that liberates us not only from sin, but from our old way of viewing God. It is as if the scales that were causing us to be blind to God were removed.
Our newfound relationship with God has as its goal a deeper intimacy for us with Him. The secret to drawing nearer to God is having Him draw near to us. And, our intimacy with Him most often comes on the heels of learning to hear His voice in our hearts as we go through the trials of life. The trials drive us to Him and His word enables us to hear Him. Trust is at the heart of intimacy with God. The more we trust Him, the closer we let Him get to us. The degree to which our trust in Him is the degree to which our intimacy with Him grows.
This is real life, when we connect with the God of the Bible who chose to become vulnerable enough to attract our hearts, this results in the arresting of our hearts. His vulnerability has shown up in our lives in a variety of ways from His virgin birth to His death on the cross. This has resulted in the opening wide of our hearts to this God who is convincing us that the way of the flesh, the way of sin is futile because it only delivers death in all of its forms. The beauty of it all is that He has supplied us His Spirit so that we can not only say yeas to the truth but also to know the truth for ourselves in the most intimate way.
