Romans 8:5-11
Last week we looked at verses 1-4 and today we will look at verses 5-11
I was thinking the other day as I was flipping around on TV stopping at several of the many so called religious programs that were on, that this world has created for itself many of what I would call “a la carte religions.”
What I mean by that is this, that there are many churches, ministries and of course people out there today that pick and choose what in Gods word that they feel they can deal with or tolerate and take this group of items and put them together along with sometimes completely misinterpreted verses and create a religion, a false religion that they attempt to live their life by. I would say that this could also be looked at as a false idol, kind of like creating a golden calf of sorts to worship.
I want you to know that I do not take this position up here lightly and as mere humans sometimes we tend to rebel or reject what it is we hear in Gods word. We can have an internal struggle against our hearts and our minds so we think it rational to avoid this turmoil by leaving out or twisting what it is God has said in order to ease this turmoil in us in some way.
The reality is that what is created is not only a very weak religion but also a very weak Christian and possibly even a person who thinks they are a Christian but is not, unfortunately the reality is, they were misled by a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
God’s word is not something we can just pick apart to appease or to make someone feel more comfortable. Gods word is suppose to confront us, it is suppose to convict us, it is also suppose to comfort us, it is suppose to guide us and direct us, it is suppose to build us up to be more like Christ. If Gods word does not create turmoil in you from time to time, then we need to talk because it should.
It is important for you to keep me in your prayers. Pray that God will guide me and keep me on course and that He would be glorified by the teaching of His word here.
Romans 8:5-11 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
What we see in verses 5-11 are some differences between an unsaved person and a saved person. So lets start by taking a look at a few of these differences.
In verses 5-8 what we see Paul describing here is the unsaved person, and he tells us four characteristics about this person.
(1) His Thinking – In verse 5 Paul talks about the unbeliever’s thinking, telling us that “those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires.”
(2) His state – The next verse describes the state of the unbeliever. That state is a state of “death.” Paul is not speaking of a physical death here but one of the unbelievers spirit. What that means is that the unbeliever is unresponsive to the things of God like a corpse would be unresponsive in any way to the things of physical life.
(3) His religion – It may be strange to talk about religion when we are talking about an unsaved person but the fact is that religion is not what saves a person so it is not uncommon to see religion in an unsaved person. In verse 7 it says “the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.”
Here the unsaved person’s religion is that which is against God, and we have already talked about those who have a religion that is false or an “a la carte religion” which is also a religion against God. It is against God because it is a religion that has been created or a religion were the person says I know what is better for you, more than God does.
(4) His present condition – The last thing Paul says of the unsaved, or “fleshy,” individual is that a person like this “cannot please God.” And how could they? They are completely against Him.
Characteristics of a Christian
(1) The Christian’s thinking – The believer has his mind “set on what the Spirit desires” (v-5). Let’s think about that for a second. When a person asks you what does it mean to be saved, how do you answer them? Is it upholding some sort of rules or regulations? Is it saying some sort of prayer? No. None of these for sure. What it means is what Paul says. The Christian is someone who has been born again by the work of the Holy Spirit and who now, as a result of that internal transformation, has his mind set on what the Spirit of God desires. There mind is now controlled by the heart or the Spirit not the flesh.
If we are Christians, it does not mean that we have attained this high standard, at least not fully. But it does mean that we want to. It means that we have a strong desire to because of the Holy Spirit working in us. The Spirit has our mind set on the things of God.
(2) The Christian’s state – The second specific characteristic of the Christian is their state, described as “life and peace” (v-6). This is the opposite of “death” which describes the non-Christian. This is again describing the spiritual self and not the physical self. It is the assurance of eternal life in heaven.
Romans 8:9-11 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Verse 10 states “But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.” The battle with the sinful flesh is an ongoing battle. The key in all of this is to remember that Gods Spirit is with you. You must join your heart and our mind as one in order to control the struggle we all have with the sinful flesh.
We must not allow the flesh and the mind to join together because of the strength that the two combined will have over us. The Christian puts the heart and the mind to work together, so this way they can live a life controlled by the spirit thus bringing glory to God.
List of things that do not mean you are saved
A knowledge of scripture
Following rules or laws of religion
Spending time in servant hood
An outward expression of praise or worship
Great confidence
Churches today make it seam that salvation is an easy thing to obtain. Just say a few words and stick your head under the water and hocus pocus your saved. The truth is Christ has told us in Mathew 7:14 “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life” the fact is that in here with us right now there are some who we care for very much that may not make it. That is why we must always look at ourselves closely to insure that we are living a life controlled by the Spirit and not by the flesh. Saying you believe is not enough. You must live your life controlled by the Spirit.
It is all of our jobs as Christian brothers and sisters to look after one another, to take care of one another. We are all called to shepherd our own hearts and minds, but I say we are also called to shepherd each other.
Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
In John 10:14 Jesus said "I am the good shepherd.”
Christ is our shepherd and we are to be as much like Christ as we can.
We also need to be shepherds ourselves, tending to not only ourselves but each other as best as we can.
We are to be a reflection of Christ, as He is a shepherd to us so we should be a shepherd to others.
