Your Mind is Set
Notes
Transcript
Please open your Bibles to the eighth chapter of Paul’s epistle to the Romans, and read with me starting in verse 5:
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is at enmity toward God, for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh are not able to please God.
However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But 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 under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die, but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the practices of the body, you will live.
We have been studying for the last several weeks Paul's first and most foundational argument supporting his thesis originally expressed in Romans 8:1, that “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”, this being the fundamental proposition which Paul means to establish, itself helping us understand the fullness and finality of salvation by faith alone in the finished work of Christ alone, that we may be assured of our salvation.
And because that first argument is so very foundational, it was even more important that we carefully examine and comprehend just what the apostle Paul was writing, both originally to the church which was at Rome, and also to we who are the later recipients of this tremendous letter.
And first and foremost, the apostle writes, those who are in Christ Jesus have been set free from the law of sin and of death by the law of the Spirit of life, in Christ Jesus. Through our union with Christ Jesus, the purpose of the law, namely the righteousness of God to which the law serves as a witness, is fulfilled in us. We have been put into this new position by God Himself, in sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin.
But this supernatural change does not apply to everybody, rather it is to those who walk according to the Holy Spirit rather than according to the flesh, or said another way, those who are “in Christ Jesus.”
And I trust you remember that when we looked at that phrase last time, we put forward that to "walk according to the flesh" was directly related to a life lived "in Adam", a life whose general tone and tenor is marked by opposition to the work of the Holy Spirit as described in John 16, first by denying the Holy Spirit's conviction of sin, most notably the sin of not believing in Christ Jesus. Secondly, to deny the Holy Spirit's work in convicting of righteousness, convicting us of our personal denial of Jesus Christ's own righteousness, of denying our own shame and guilt in such thinking. And finally, a life lived walking after the flesh denies the Holy Spirit’s conviction of judgment, that Satan has already been judged as guilty, and that such a judgement by all rights ought to be shared by each person individually for the sin of following after the ruler of this world.
But to ensure that we rightly comprehend this phrase regarding those "who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit”, Paul goes on, to further develop that idea in this second great argument we begin looking at today, expounding and fleshing out for us why it is vital that we be in Jesus Christ and walk according to the Spirit, for it is only those people who do so that are saved, that are truly “Christian”.
So let's pray before we begin to look at this second argument before us today.
O Lord our God, Your words, O Yahweh, are pure words, they are as silver tried in a furnace on the ground, silver which has been refined not once but seven times, it is entirely pure and true. You, o Yahweh, will keep Your words. When You, o Yahweh, arise and set the afflicted man in the safety for which he longs, You will guard him from this generation forever; though the wicked strut about on every side, though vileness is exalted among the sons of men, You, o Yahweh, will save him, for You have declared it to be so, that the name of Your blessed Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, would be exalted above every other name, would receive glory over every other power, that He would receive honor and blessing above every other. Amen!
Now, if you recall when we laid down our general outline of Romans 8, I said at that point that this second argument begins in verse 5, and goes on through the end of verse 13. And you may recall that in a general sense, what he is saying boils down to the fact that there is no condemnation for we who are in Christ Jesus on account of the work of the Holy Spirit within us, for our own spirit has been changed such that what we once were, we no longer are; that not only are we in Christ, but that even moreso, He is in us.
But even this lengthy argument is laid out in a specific manner, and understanding that layout will greatly assist our understanding each component of this argument.
First, Paul lays out the general principle in verse 5, followed quickly by verses 6 through 8 in which he explains what he means in detail, helping us understand the fundamental contrast between the true, Biblical Christian and the non-christian.
Second, in verses 9 through 11, he applies that principle to the individual believer, desiring that we comprehend our present position here and now, but also the certainty of their future as a result of their present position.
Then lastly in this argument, in verses 12 and 13, he calls out for us the practical outworking of our present position, the exhortation that our behavior ought to reflect our new nature on account of our position in Christ Jesus.
Now I want you to recall, as we begin our exposition, that Paul is here speaking of the difference between the Christian and the non-christian.
There are many who have tried to cast these verses as describing the internal struggle of a believer as he vacillates between being a Spiritual Christian and a carnal Christian.
And I’m sad to say that the unfortunate choices in translation of King James’ Authorized version of the Bible has in part caused this, for they in some places render the word σάρξ as “flesh”, as was done in verses 4, 5, and 8, but then inexplicably in verse 6 and 7, the same Greek word σάρξ is rendered as “carnal”, giving those who are not careful in their study by looking at the original languages the wrong impression that such teaching is valid.
Now, this is not to say there are no “backsliders”, for there most certainly are those Christians who have backslidden, who have begun acting as if they were just the same as someone who is “in the flesh”.
Paul himself addressed such men in 1 Corinthians 3:1–3, writing “And I, brothers, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to fleshly men, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are still not able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?”
And although we will address such a person, that is not the primary distinction that the apostle Paul is writing of here in Romans 8 as he distinguishes between those who walk according to the flesh and those who walk according to the Spirit; this should already be abundantly clear from our study in verses 1 through 4 thus far, and it will become even more abundantly clear in this next study, especially as we get into verses 8 and 9.
For what Paul is declaring is that the “righteous requirement of the Law” cannot be fulfilled in a person who is not “in Christ Jesus”. That God’s actions in Romans 8:3-4 are of benefit only for those who “walk according to the Spirit”, and no one else.
So, now, in light of these divisions and with this perspective as our backdrop, let us turn our attention to the basic thesis of this second argument in Romans 8:5,
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
There is a tremendous problem that Paul faced throughout his ministries with those who, on the one hand, focused merely on deeds and actions, such as the Judaizers he speaks of throughout the letter to the Galatians, and those who desired a mere heady feeling that did not affect their lives, as he combatted in part in his first epistle to the Corinthians.
And so, when he makes such a great statement as he had at the end of Romans 8:4, when describing “us” in whom the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled as those “who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit”, there will inevitably be those who will go astray by pointing to various deeds they have done as proof that they are “Christian”.
So Paul restates it more clearly and more fully for us here, laying it out plainly for us to understand, if we only take the time to do so.
And what he says most clearly here, is that a person whose walk is “according to the flesh”, is so by intention, his mind is set on the things of the flesh.
And conversely, a person whose walk is “according to the Spirit”, becomes so likewise by intention, for his mind is set according to the things of the Spirit.
In other words, what Paul is declaring is that it is not merely the outcome that is important, but rather our actions follow our thinking.
This is a thought that ought to be rather familiar to us, for our Lord declared much the same thing in the Gospel of Mark 7:14-15
And after He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.
But Christ went on to better explain this to His disciples when they were alone and they asked Him about it, in verses 18 through 23 explaining…
And He said to them, “Are you lacking understanding in this way as well? Do you not perceive that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and goes to the sewer?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.)
And then, even more pertinent for our understanding today,
And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, adulteries, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. “All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”
But what Paul is saying in Romans 8:5, when he declares
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
…he is saying that all of these things come down to a mind set on only one of two masters – the flesh on the one hand, or the Spirit on the other. He is saying that our walk, the general tenor and thrust of our lives, is entirely determined by which of these powers our mind is set upon.
When we mind something, we cast our attention to it as a thing of great importance.
Perhaps a couple of examples will help us think through these things. In a negative sense, we are offended by those whose interest we feel is inappropriately directed at what we ourselves are doing, and so tell them to “mind your own business”. In a positive sense, we are told by our mothers as children to “mind our manners” when we are to be guests in someone else’s home.
In both cases, we have the same essential idea, it is to intently pursue and regard as important. And so, to mind something, includes not only your intellect, but the wholeness of your attention. The whole of your being is involved in this pursuit. It engages the entirety of your faculties.
Now, this is something critically important for our discussion here, because by “faculties” I mean faculties in the totality of the sense of man being body and soul or spirit, and that the soul or spirit consists of the primary faculty of the mind, here meaning the mental power to think, whether rationally or irrationally. But our faculties also include our will, consisting of our affections and the choices which we then make. And remember, the primary affections are loving what we deem to be good, and hating what we deem to be bad, and then desire, delight, fear, and grief follow according to the presence or absence, and relative distance, to what we love or hate. And we choose, then, according to our strongest inclination at the moment of choice.
So in a diagnostic sense, we discover that when we mind the things of the flesh, the totality of our faculties, both our mind (or better said here, our capacity for rational thinking) and our will are engaged such that regardless of the particular thing at hand, our affections are aligned with the affections of the world – we love what the world loves, we hate what the world hates; we choose what the world chooses, we abhor what the world abhors, our thoughts dwell upon the things of the world.
And so we cannot fail to see the parallel here to 1 John 2:15-16, in which the apostle John admonishes us on this same subject in his own manner, saying…
Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
In other words, both Paul and John, but also our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Himself, all are declaring to us that what our mind, not just our thoughts but also our faculties and affections and emotions which together determine our desires are of an eternal significance, and can only be set upon the flesh or the Spirit.
And so when we go back to Romans 8:5,
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
…we begin to realize that this is not talking about an occasional, furtive, fleeting thought, but rather the habitual trend in the focus of their thoughts and affections and their will. the things they have intentionally sought after most of all, what dominates the intentions of their hearts.
And so, we ought then to consider what dominates the intention of our hearts, knowing that Paul declares we are either “according to” the flesh, or “according to” the Holy Spirit. And to be clear, here, a life lived “according to” something, is to live in such a manner as being under its authority. In this, we find a clear echo back to Romans 5:19, “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were appointed sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be appointed righteous.”
So whether a person is “appointed” – set down into the realm and under the authority, or else “according to”, living their life under the authority”, they both amount to the same concept, except that in saying we were “appointed sinners” in Romans 5, Paul is speaking to how we came to be in such a position, and when he talks about “walking according to” in Romans 8, he is speaking regarding their ongoing manner of life.
So now, we must clearly understand the difference between a mind set on the things of the flesh, as opposed to a mind set on the things of the Spirit.
The danger, of course, is to be entirely deficient in our thinking regarding the meaning of this. Our tendency is to look upon this as referring to the open and shameless behavior by the so-called “dregs of society”, a man who follows his every lust in the open for all to see, the person who has no shame in their obvious sin. This is the mental image we tend to have of the man whose mind is “set on” the “things of the flesh”, and in our own minds and hearts we condemn such a man.
And, of course, we tend to look at the well-groomed man who speaks and dresses well, who goes to church, and gives to charity, as one who is doing things right, and is not like the other.
But what God declares, is that the only difference which matters in a man or woman is whether they are in Christ Jesus, or else in the flesh. The intelligent, self-made moral man is just as condemned as the man who openly follows his lusts, if he is not in Christ Jesus. The fine, cultured Lady is just as guilty as the most miserable girl selling her body on the street, if she is not in Christ Jesus.
Why? Because to “set your mind on the things of the flesh” is the antithesis of setting your mind on the things of the Spirit, it is a mind set on things without God, aside from Him, that if He is involved at all, it is as an aside, a distraction, even.
Take, for instance, our society’s invariable focus on politics. Whether Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal, our culture is constantly bombarded with political messages and propaganda, it is often central on peoples’ minds even when it is not the year for an election, but it becomes all-consuming in years such as this one!
The same is true of our social and cultural interests, whether the subject is immigration, or social security, or healthcare, or education, or the various wars throughout the world.
Or, take man’s other pursuits – philosophies, arts, music, sports, modern or traditional medicine, technologies. These things may be good! They may be enormously helpful!
But what of God? Does your personal interest in Him even come close to these different pursuits?
But even then, we find that more often than not, the person who claims to have a mind set on God, has such a very deficient view of God, that what they worship is a god of their own making – using His name, but they decide what is true about Him, rather than what He says Himself in His word!
Take, for instance, the question of love. It is, of course very much in vogue today to speak of loving everybody! “God is love”, they say, so to be godly is to simply love people and to celebrate them, no matter who or what they are. They will often go so far as to say that for you to say that anything against a person is not very loving, not “godly”
Ah, but although God is love, what these people mean by love, is not the love of God described in the Bible; a love which knows and desires not what a person desires, but is a perfect love which operates in holiness and so desires that those recipients of God’s love be conformed to God’s own holiness, for that is what is best for them. They worship a god of their own making, pulling proof texts out from here and there without realize the whole, or worse realizing and then discarding the whole as being “too hard, too inconvenient” for them.
No, we will find as we go on in this portion of scripture that such thinking is death, it is entirely “in the flesh” and “according to the flesh”, their mind – their intellect, their faculties of affections and will, their desires – all are “set on the things of the flesh.”
But what about the mind set on the things of the spirit? We began looking at that last time – such a mind will be intentionally focused upon the things of the Spirit, as our Lord speaking to the eleven in John 16:14 declares, ““He [the Spirit of Truth] will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.” Even the Spirit’s work in convicting the world of sin and righteousness and judgement that we explored last time, finds its focus and goal in glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ. And such are those who are “according to the Spirit”, for their minds are set on “the things of the Spirit.”
Very well then, we must close at this point, and Lord willing go on in our study next week.
Let us Pray!
