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.
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.
- Romans 8:5-11
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.
- Romans 8:5-11
Verse 10
If Christ is in you, the body is dead to sin.
τὸ μὲν σῶμα νεκρόν There is a little word in here that brings emphasis to this statement that most translations I don’t think bring out. The word is μὲν. Paul is saying, not just that the body is dead to sin, but that if Christ is in you, the body is indeed dead to sin. It is obvious, of course. The body is of course dead to sin, how could you forget this. Paul is stating an obvious truth that he has iterated over and over. And it’s not that the body is just dead to sin, but as we talked about before, the word νεκρόν has the feel of being put to death. The body is indeed being put to death. Why? Because of sin.
So obviously the body is dead because of sin, but if Christ is in you, the spirit is life because of righteousness.
Here we are not talking specifically about the Holy Spirit now. Paul has moved from that to the comparison between the body and the spirit of the human. Most modern translations translate this with a capital “S”, but if we aren’t talking about the Holy Spirit, we should really have this translated with a lowercase s.
Prior to Christ being in you, this statement would have been said, “obvious the body is dead because of sin, and so is your spirit” But! There’s the but again. Instead of that being true of you, this is true: “Obviously the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness!”
By righteousness, we aren’t talking about our own righteousness here. Ephesians 2:8-9 says that “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” It isn’t by our own accord, it isn’t by our own righteousness, it isn’t by anything we can do. It is however because of the righteousness of Christ. It is however, because of the righteousness and holiness of the Holy Spirit. It is however, because Christ took our sins upon himself that we may be pardoned and washed clean and can be deemed blameless.
Again, we have these two comparisons that Paul is drawing of the believer’s dual nature.
If Christ is in you, the body is dead to sin.
τὸ μὲν σῶμα νεκρόν There is a little word in here that brings emphasis to this statement that most translations I don’t think bring out. The word is μὲν. Paul is saying, not just that the body is dead to sin, but that if Christ is in you, the body is indeed dead to sin. It is obvious, of course. The body is of course dead to sin, how could you forget this. Paul is stating an obvious truth that he has iterated over and over. And it’s not that the body is just dead to sin, but as we talked about before, the word νεκρόν has the feel of being put to death. The body is indeed being put to death. Why? Because of sin.
So obviously the body is dead because of sin, but if Christ is in you, the spirit is life because of righteousness.
Here we are not talking specifically about the Holy Spirit now. Paul has moved from that to the comparison between the body and the spirit of the human. Most modern translations translate this with a capital “S”, but if we aren’t talking about the Holy Spirit, we should really have this translated with a lowercase s.
Prior to Christ being in you, this statement would have been said, “obvious the body is dead because of sin, and so is your spirit” But! There’s the but again. Instead of that being true of you, this is true: “Obviously the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness!”
By righteousness, we aren’t talking about our own righteousness here. Ephesians 2:8-9 says that “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” It isn’t by our own accord, it isn’t by our own righteousness, it isn’t by anything we can do. It is however because of the righteousness of Christ. It is however, because of the righteousness and holiness of the Holy Spirit. It is however, because Christ took our sins upon himself that we may be pardoned and washed clean and can be deemed blameless.
Again, we have these two comparisons that Paul is drawing of the believer’s dual nature.
The Body Being put to death Reason: Sin | The Spirit Brought To Life Reason: Righteousness |
Verse 11
Paul likes making these logic arguments. If the Spirit could raise Jesus from the dead, and the spirit dwells in you, we should have confidence that he will raise his people up as well.
There are two ideas that Paul brings out about the confidence that we can have.
1. The fact that we are possessed by the Spirit which is the source of life is a pledge and security that we shall rise again. It would be unseemly that anything that is possessed by the Holy Spirit should remain under the dominion of death. This wouldn’t make logical sense.
2. If that’s not enough, then secondly, the resurrection of Christ secures our resurrection of us who are in Him. This corroborates very nicely with the wording Paul uses in Romans 6.
a. Romans 6:4 – Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
b. Romans 6:5 – we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his
c. Romans 6:8 – we believe that we will also live with him
“Will give life to your mortal bodies”
What Paul is ultimately trying to show is that the life which we derive from Christ, will ultimately triumph over death. While our present bodies must die, they are not to continue under the dominion of the power of death.
If the Holy Spirit dwells in you, you have the assurance that the Father will raise you from the dead just as certainly as He raised Christ. God promises you a glorified body. If you were regenerated spiritually, you will be regenerated physically as well.
What does the Holy Spirit do for us? Take us from sin to righteousness by freeing us from sin and death, enabling us to fulfill God's law, and changing our nature that we become new inside and out.
This is the distinction of a true Christian. A true Christian has the Holy Spirit indwelling them. Which means out lives should be marked by the Character of the Holy Spirit. Our lives should be marked by holiness, dignity, and joy.
Conclusion
Ultimately we see that Christians are partakers of the Holy Spirit who is ultimately the one in who we will be raised from the dead with.
There are two kinds of life that Paul is comparing and contrasting here.
Paul likes making these logic arguments. If the Spirit could raise Jesus from the dead, and the spirit dwells in you, we should have confidence that he will raise his people up as well.
There are two ideas that Paul brings out about the confidence that we can have.
1. The fact that we are possessed by the Spirit which is the source of life is a pledge and security that we shall rise again. It would be unseemly that anything that is possessed by the Holy Spirit should remain under the dominion of death. This wouldn’t make logical sense.
2. If that’s not enough, then secondly, the resurrection of Christ secures our resurrection of us who are in Him. This corroborates very nicely with the wording Paul uses in Romans 6.
a. Romans 6:4 – Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
b. Romans 6:5 – we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his
c. Romans 6:8 – we believe that we will also live with him
“Will give life to your mortal bodies”
What Paul is ultimately trying to show is that the life which we derive from Christ, will ultimately triumph over death. While our present bodies must die, they are not to continue under the dominion of the power of death.
If the Holy Spirit dwells in you, you have the assurance that the Father will raise you from the dead just as certainly as He raised Christ. God promises you a glorified body. If you were regenerated spiritually, you will be regenerated physically as well.
What does the Holy Spirit do for us? Take us from sin to righteousness by freeing us from sin and death, enabling us to fulfill God's law, and changing our nature that we become new inside and out.
This is the distinction of a true Christian. A true Christian has the Holy Spirit indwelling them. Which means out lives should be marked by the Character of the Holy Spirit. Our lives should be marked by holiness, dignity, and joy.
Conclusion
Ultimately we see that Christians are partakers of the Holy Spirit who is ultimately the one in who we will be raised from the dead with.
There are two kinds of life that Paul is comparing and contrasting here.
- The life which is dominated by human, sinful nature
- The life which is dominated by the Spirit of God
The Life dominated by human / sinful nature | The Life dominated by the Spirit of God |
Focus: self-center | Focus: Christ-Centered |
Law: its own desires – existentialism | Law: Spirit of God, God’s law for righteousness sake (sanctification) |
Manifested: passion-controlled, lust-controlled, pride-controlled, ambition-controlled | Manifested: Spirit-Controlled, Christ-Controlled, God-Focused |
Position to God: Hostile, resentful of God’s law and His control. Enemy of God. | Position to God: heirs, sons, friends, Indwelled by Holy Spirit, not resentful to God’s law, but wants to fulfill it (sanctification) |
Result: Death | Result: Life |
The life of flesh is getting further and further away from God – spiritual suicide according to William Barclay. | The life of the Spirit is becoming closer and closer to God. |
There is no in between, you can’t be a fence sitter. If you’re a fence sitter, then you’re most likely falling into the first category. There’s either the life dominated by human / sinful nature, or the life dominated by the Spirit of God. And the difference in these two position has a stark contrast in the end. Death vs Life.
For those who are without Christ, there can be no assurance, no hope, no holiness, no happiness. They are ultimately condemned by the law according to Romans 8:1-3, they do not have the Spirit of Christ, and they are carnally minded which is death. Therefore, those of us who are in Christ should understand what our life could have been and view this with humbleness, which should drive us to be grateful and pursue holiness.
It is only by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that we can have a source of holiness and a source of life. And to those who are in Christ, to those who are dwelled by the Holy Spirit, to those who, even though the body is being put to death, the spirit is life, to those who wage war against these two natures, to those who are found in Christ, to those… there is now therefore, no condemnation.
For those who are without Christ, there can be no assurance, no hope, no holiness, no happiness. They are ultimately condemned by the law according to Romans 8:1-3, they do not have the Spirit of Christ, and they are carnally minded which is death. Therefore, those of us who are in Christ should understand what our life could have been and view this with humbleness, which should drive us to be grateful and pursue holiness.
It is only by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that we can have a source of holiness and a source of life. And to those who are in Christ, to those who are dwelled by the Holy Spirit, to those who, even though the body is being put to death, the spirit is life, to those who wage war against these two natures, to those who are found in Christ, to those… there is now therefore, no condemnation.