LIFE IN THE SPIRIT Romans 8:12-17

Introduction

Although too much water has run under the bridge of time, I do know I had not yet reached my fourth birthday in 1966. On March 29th of that same year a little girl was born. Sometime in the following months, my parents and I went somewhere in Fayetteville to pick up my sister. I remember holding my new sister at what I considered the “baby store.” Although I have an older sister in heaven who has been there since she was four hours old, Jeana Michelle is the only sister I have ever known. Thinking about that day, I get emotional as I think about a baby girl who needed a mommy and a daddy who wanted a little girl. You see, after I was born, Mama was told she could no longer safely give birth to more children. That baby was now my sister all because of a legal transaction that had occurred shortly before. Because of this adoption, I was given a new sister and my sister was given a new family. From that day forward my sister has not known a day when she was not loved.

In our text, Paul is going to discuss a picture of adoption. Salvation is referred to over and over as a rebirth. In the text before us Paul is going to paint the picture of our salvation as an adoption. The picture of adoption is the very heart of salvation. The background to what Paul is going to do is found in the previous chapter (Romans 7). Romans seven and Romans eight are two contrasting chapters. In Romans seven, the pronouns “I,” “me,” and “my” occur at least forty-seven times. In Romans eight, you observe the term “spirit” twenty-two times. In Romans seven, we observe a person trying to live in the power of their own flesh. They are trying to do it by themselves. That is why Paul will say in 7:24, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

As we come to Romans 8:1, we come to the power of the Holy Spirit. The foundation Paul lays in the first eleven verses builds and connects in verses 12-17. [read Romans 8:1-17]

Chapter eight is all about life in the Spirit. In our text this morning, we are going to be given five indicators of a life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Indicator #1: We Should Remember Who We Were (8:12).

Paul does not write to these Romans as one with apostolic authority or as an “episkopos” (overseer). He comes to them on equal footing because he calls them brothers. It speaks of a proper relationship with others because of one’s relationship with God. He goes on to say that we are all debtors. A debtor is one who owes an obligation, financial or otherwise. Yet, this debt is not to the flesh. Paul, just like us, struggled with sin in the flesh. The flesh cannot save us. The flesh cannot rescue us. The flesh holds no future for us. This brings up a good question. Exactly what is the flesh? Is Paul talking about some platonic dualism where everything physical, including our bodies is evil and only that which is spiritual is good. No, that is not at all what Paul is referring to. The flesh is that inward part of us that experiences sinful desire and uncontrolled passion which causes us to violate God’s law.

I believe John MacArthur is correct when he defines the flesh as “the ugly complex of human sinful desires that includes the ungodly motives, affections, principles, purposes, words and actions that sin generates through our bodies.”

Before coming to Christ that is what we were controlled by. That is not what is to characterize the Christian believer. Life in the Spirit brings us into a new family relationship with God. Since we have the Spirit within us we have a new obligation. That obligation is not to be to the flesh.

To live life in the Spirit we must first remember who we were.

Indicator #2: We Should Realize Our Opportunity (8:13).

By opportunity I am referring to choice. We have a choice when it comes to living in the power of the Holy Spirit. We can choose to live in the flesh and follow the world’s lead. However, there is a promise here. If we choose this route, we will die. Physical death is not what is in view here. Rather, it is spiritual/eternal death. Paul is not talking about the possibility of losing one’s salvation, as some suppose. He is hearkening back to Romans 6:23 where it says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” To live according to the flesh is certain death. Notice the contrast. We could choose to live by the Spirit by putting to death the deeds of the body. The phrase, “but if by the Spirit” is extremely important. You overcome the temptations of the flesh by the Spirit. This is not something that can be accomplished by one’s own power. It is not by the Spirit whereby we build a theology of “let go and let God.” It is not that we sit back and do nothing and let God take care of everything that happens.

This verse states that “you put to death the deeds of the body” by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is strong language. It means to choke the urge out. It means to kill ungodly desires. This is not done in our power. This is done by the Spirit’s power. The phrase, “you will live” shows that we are talking about spiritual life. It says nowhere here anything about working one’s way to heaven by one’s own goodness or merit. It also does not mean that if you put a sin to death one time that it is all over with. We have two options when temptation strikes. First, we can give into it. If we do, our life will crash onto the jagged rocks of disobedience. Second, we can put such temptations to death. If we take this option, by the power of the Spirit we calm the unrest within our souls and experience spiritual victory.

Here is the problem in the twenty-first century American church. The problem is a great lack of spiritual discipline. We equate grace for the freedom to do what we want, act however we want , whenever we want and for as long as we want. Now, I am not foolish enough to think that everyone sitting in these pews or listening by Facebook is experiencing victory over their sins. The truth is that many are not. I know more than I care to know about the lives of some people. I know more than I want to know concerning spiritual improprieties that have bound and are binding some to a life of coming disappointment, unhappiness and spiritual victory. Remember that we are not meant to be debtors to the flesh but it is a choice that we make. There is a living that is death and there is a putting to death that is life.

Indicator #3: We Should Recognize Who We Are (8:14)

We are to recognize the fact that we are no longer slaves to the flesh, but we are sons of God. This brings up an interesting proposition. Notice the cooperative nature of this. It is true that the Spirit does the leading. However, it does not good to lead if we refuse to follow. If you do not follow, you will quench the Holy Spirit’s influence in your life. The next thing you know the power of the Holy Spirit is no longer operative in your life. Why? It is because you have refused to following the leading of the Holy Spirit. As we follow, we must understand that we do not follow in our own strength and power. We need to recognize who we are now and live like it.

Indicator #4: We Should Rejoice in What We Have Received (8:15)

The phrase, “you did not receive” is a reference to our salvation. We have seen a contrast between those who live for the flesh and those who live in the power of the Holy Spirit. Now we observe the contrast between the spirit of slavery that produces fear and the Spirit of adoption that cries out, “Abba, Father!” First, notice what we have not received. We have not received “a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear.” Sin produces fear. A spirit of sinfulness leads to a spirit of fear. Unchecked this spirit of fear will come to dominate your life. If you are genuinely saved, you will not experience such a smothering spirit of fear.

Notice what we have received. We have received “the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!” When I think of adoption, I can’t help but think of Moses. Moses was adopted. You remember the account at the beginning of the book of Exodus. Consider the context of this adoption.

Moses has been born. In Exodus 1:22 a decree from Pharaoh is issued that all of those male babies will have their lives snuffed out. That just will not do. Moses’ mother loves that little boy. When it is no longer possible to hide him, she prepares that little ark and puts it into the papyrus brushes on the side of the Nile River. Enter now Pharaoh’s daughter, who comes down to the river. As her maidens walk among the papyrus reeds, she sees the ark and says, “Go fetch it over her.” Bringing it over, Moses on queue, begins to cry and weep. When he does, the Bible says Pharaoh’s daughter had compassion on him. She said, “He is one of the Hebrew children.” She was saying, “Here is a little baby who is an alien to me and furthermore is under a sentence of condemnation. He is a little Jewish baby condemned by the decree of Pharaoh.

Every little baby born in this world is born under the condemnation of sin. For us today, God has saved us out of the slavery of our sin and has set us free to live a life of victory and power. We have received the Spirit of adoption and this causes us to cry out, Abba! Father!”

Someone is listening to this message today and maybe you did not have a good father. Too many fathers check out on their children and they are sitting right there. Over the years, I have heard the following phrase more times than I can remember: “Pastor Eddie, I wish you were my dad.” Maybe that is you today. Listen to me today. God is the perfect Father. He is the omnipresent Father. He is the omniscient Father. He is the compassionate Father. He is the Father who hurts when we hurt. He is the Father that loved us so much He sent Jesus to go to the cross to pay the sin debt we could not pay. Today we have everything to rejoice about because of what we have received.

Indicator #5: We Should Radiate Christ as We Await Our Reward (8:16-17)

Do you ever doubt the genuineness of your salvation? If you do, you need to be reminded of these verses. Do not be concerned about your feeling about it. You know, I just don’t feel saved. Do not take someone’s opinion about it. Of course you are saved, you are such a good boy. Do not do as the Mormons do and experience a burning in the bosom. That is probably a bad taco. Depend on the inner witness of the Spirit of God as He confirms to your personal spirit the truth that you are indeed a child of God. Although most translations present this inner cooperation as the Holy Spirit confirming what our spirit says about our adoption, I believe the Lexham English Bible has the correct understanding from the Greek when it says, “The Spirit himself confirms to our spirit that we are children of God. As one writer states, “What standing has our spirit in this matter.” The Spirit witnesses to our spirit that we are the children of God as He “endorses our inward convictions.” [Phillips]

To be a coheir with Christ means that we inherit everything Christ owns. Since He owns it all, we get it all, not merely a portion of the whole. This means that we will share in glory in the same manner in which the heir (Jesus)achieves glory. How did Jesus achieve glory? He achieved it through his suffering. If suffering is the Son’s portion, then it will also be the portion of the adopted coheirs. Thus, suffering is the path to glory- “Provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” All that Christ claims as his will belong to all of us as well.

Conclusion

In a day and an age when people no longer believe in objective truth and “feel” that they can identify as whatever they want, it is important that we live our lives with the identity of heirs of God the Father and coheirs with Jesus Christ. Let us never forget who our ultimate Daddy is by walking the Spirit Life.

Prayer

Gracious Father, how humble we are when we think that you would move in us, that you would live in us through your Spirit and that you would take us from death to life. I pray that you will help us live in the recognition and reality of our true identity in you, day in and day out. God, our Father, we love you. Thank you for choosing to adopt us by your sovereign power, purpose and foreknowledge as your children. In Jesus’ name, Amen.