A Word about Life in the Spirit from Romans 8

Today I am sharing a word about life in the Spirit as I comment on Romans 8:5-17.

Some people have a critical spirit.  One salesman got so fed up with his fussy customers that he quit and joined the police force.  When asked about his new job, he said: “I like it: the pay is good, the hours aren't bad, and best of all, the customer is always wrong!”

There are many different spirits alive in this world today: the spirit of this world, the spirit of evil, and the Spirit of God.  We, of course, need to live by the Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity who is God's presence on the earth today.  He guides us, empowers us and directs us.  In our text today, we learn that we can ignore the Holy Spirit, but if we do so, it is to our detriment.

LET'S LOOK AT LIFE WITHOUT THE SPIRIT 

Verses 5-8 tell us:

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 set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

The population of the world has been categorized in many ways:

Jews and Gentiles.

Moslems and Infidels. 

Developed countries and developing countries.

Rich and poor.

In this passage, Paul gave us a different way to view the world: There are Christians with the in-filling of the Holy Spirit and there are non-Christians without the Holy Spirit.

Paul drew sharp contrasts between these two types of people.

In Verse 5 Paul told us that without God people live in the flesh, but with God people live in the Spirit. He went on to say that those who live in the flesh are dead while those with God are truly alive. In Verses 6 and 7, Paul said that those who live in the flesh are at war with God but those with Him are at peace with God. Finally, Paul stated that people without God are self-pleasing while those who are in the Spirit are God pleasing.

Without God, people are like heart patients. They may look normal on the outside, but their heart is failing them within. They need a heart transplant to have real life. The Holy Spirit gives us the spiritual heart transplant that we need!

LET'S LOOK AT LIFE WITH THE SPIRIT 

In Verses 9-13 Paul described life with the Spirit:

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 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. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Jesus gave us some vital promises before He ascended into Heaven. First, in John 14:16-18 He told us He'd send us the Comforter. Next, in Matthew 28:20 He said He'd never leave us. Finally, in Acts 1:8 He said we would receive power from the Holy Spirit. Paul reminded us of all these promises in Verses 9-13.

This section of Romans 8 reminds me of how my wife and I would put our young son to bed, and remind him that we were just down the hall in our living room. Although he could not see us, we were still there and still with him.

The wording here is very specific, if you are in Christ, you have the Holy Spirit; since this is so, what does this do for us?

The Holy Spirit allows us to please God via imputed righteousness and so, He gives us true life. He also gives us power over our mortal bodies. In these ways He gives us a handle on life!

Unlike what Forest Gump’s mother told him, I think life is like Jell-O: if you grab it on one side, it oozes out the other. We all need to get a handle on life and the Holy Spirit gives us that handle. With Him we are like a cardiac patient with a new heart: we have great potential for an abundant and wonderful life.

LET'S LOOK AT LIFE POSSESSED BY THE SPIRIT  

In Verses 14-17, Paul described life possessed by the Spirit:

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

The Holy Spirit is a gentleman, not a tyrant. He offers us great power and success. He will try to persuade us to do thing’s God’s way and, in His power, but He will not force us!

This is like a modern computer. A computer offers users many resources, but they must access the applications on the machine to benefit from them.

Many Christians are living defeated lives, because they do not access the power that they have available to them in the Spirit. Jesus is their Savior, but not their Lord. Many believers have caught the “I can't” mentality. There is some truth to that thought. We can't, but the good news is that God can!

As Christians we are the adopted Children of God! God has no grandchildren, nor stepchildren. Believers are heirs along with Christ. We may suffer with Christ, but we will also be blessed like Him.

We must allow the Holy Spirit to fully possess us! A heart transplant that is refused by the patient does no good! Likewise, a heart transplant does little good if the recipients continue to abuse their bodies.

We must give ourselves over to the Lordship of Christ, and allow the Holy Spirit to have His own way!

CONCLUSION

We've seen life without the Spirit, life with the Spirit, and life possessed by the Spirit.  Where is your life today?  Where would you like it to be?  It can be there if you only bow your knee and accept the Grace proffered to you by God!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt