Sermon Tone Analysis

Life in the Spirit

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Again, therefore changes the flow from Chapter 7, the struggle between the law and binding judgment from the law, and the constant burden that came with it until death.

When God redeemed us through Jesus’ death and resurrection, He knew sin would remain in the flesh.

He could have dealt with this problem by bringing about the immediate judgment of the ungodly and the bodily redemption of believers, just as we expect will happen in the future “day of the Lord.”

Instead, God relied on the very same model that Jesus used to resist the sinful longings of His flesh.

He gave us His Spirit to dwell in us and help us live in humble submission.

Paul continues with his dissertation on the RELEASE from the law that has come to those of us who are in Christ Jesus.

What does it mean to be “in Christ Jesus”?

For us to follow God, we had to be free from slavery to sin and its penalty—that was just the beginning.

To build on this foundation, we must actively submit to the Spirit’s ministry in our lives.

God’s indwelling Spirit enables us to be “saved by His life” (5:10); His life is lived out through us as His instruments for righteousness.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do.

By sending his own Son nin the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,3 he condemned sin in the flesh,

The word for introduces the reason there is no condemnation for the believer; the Spirit has replaced the law that produced only sin and death with a new, simple law that produces life: the law of faith.

The law of faith comes through the message of the gospel.

By faith, we are released from sin and death, and since sinful mankind could not do this themselves, Jesus came as a substitute - in our place.

He delivered sinners from the penalty of sin.

As Christ became fully man, he took on the appearance of each of us in the sinful flesh, yet lived a sinless life - one that could be looked upon as acceptable in the eyes of God.

It was though this sinless life that the substitution could be perfectly made and we, also, are fight righteous (acceptable) in the eyes of God.

4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

in order that - there is a REASON Christ did this - so that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us.

What does it mean for the righteous requirement being fulfilled?

The Law cannot produce holiness, it only reveals sin.

But, the Holy Spirit enables us to walk in obedience to God’s will.

The righteousness that God demands in His Law is fulfilled in you through the Spirit’s power.

5 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” starts into Paul’s comparison between those who live in the Spirit vs/ the flesh.

The carnal minded person follow after the things that make them happy - they rely on nature and their natural mind.

In contrast, the one living in the Spirit is guided away from sinful nature and their mind is influenced by God.

It brings about the sheep vs goat image provided by Matthew 25:32 “32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”

Joshua 24:15 “15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.

But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

We choose whether we follow our own sinful nature, or whether we submit to the indwelling Spirit.

6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

7 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.

8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

How do we differentiate the mind of the flesh and the mind of the Spirit?

There is the carnal mind vs. the spiritual mind.

The carnal mind is the mind of man’s flesh or body.

It is the mind with which man is born, the fleshly mind which he inherits from his parents.

A carnal mind means any mind that does not find its basis in God, any mind that is not focused upon God first.

A carnal mind may focus upon a moral, upright, and cultured life and still ignore, neglect, and exempt God.

A carnal mind may also focus upon religion and still exempt God.

A carnal mind is a mind that finds its basis in this world, that focuses its thoughts upon the physical and material instead of God.

The unsaved person is alive physically, but dead spiritually.

The inner man is dead toward God and does not respond to the things of the Spirit.

He may be moral, and even religious; but he lacks spiritual life.

The fate of the carnal mind is death.

By death is meant spiritual death, being separated and cut off from God eternally.

It means the soul is dead now, while the man lives on this earth.

It also means that the soul remains dead (separated and cut off from God) even when the man enters the next world.

The Spiritual mind is the natural mind of man that has been renewed by the Spirit of God, possessed by the Spirit or controlled and dominated by the Spirit.

It means that the man who walks after the Spirit minds “the things of the Spirit” day by day.

And note: it is the Spirit of God who draws the believer’s mind to focus upon spiritual things.

The Spirit of God lives within the believer.

He is there to work within the believer, both to will and to do God’s pleasure.

He is there to keep the mind and thoughts of the believer focused upon spiritual things.

The fate of the spiritual mind is life and peace.

It is the very opposite of death.

The spiritual mind is a state of mind, a mind that is filled with life and peace, with thoughts of life and peace.

The spiritual mind dwells in life; it lives all that life was intended to be and lives it eternally.

In the study of Romans 7, we have seen that the old nature rebels against God and will not submit to God’s Law.

Those who have trusted Christ enjoy “peace with God”, while the unsaved are at war with God.

“ 

‘There is no peace,’ saith the Lord, ‘unto the wicked’ ” (Isa.

48:22).

9 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.

How do we know the Spirit dwells in us?

The power of the Spirit is seen in the word dwell.

The word dwell gives the picture of a home.

The Holy Spirit dwells within the believer: He makes His home, takes up residence, and lives within the believer just as we live in our homes.

Now, can we get comfortable where we live and neglect what is around us? Just because we have neglected to LOOK for (or commune with) the Spirit does not mean He does not live in us.

Note how the deity of Christ is being proclaimed.

The “Spirit of Christ” is said to indwell the believer the same as the “Spirit of God.”

Both are said to be equally within the believer.

The power of the Spirit removes the believer from being “in” the flesh and places him within Himself, within the Spirit of God.

The power of the Spirit identifies the believer as being “in” Christ.

This is easily seen.

Whatever spirit dwells within a man, it is that spirit to whom man belongs.

If he has the spirit of selfishness within, he belongs to the spirit of selfishness and is known as being selfish.

If he has the spirit of complaining, he belongs to the spirit of complaining and is known as being a complainer.

If he has the spirit of evil, he belongs to evil and is known as an evil person.

If he has the spirit of caring, he belongs to the spirit of caring, and he is known as a caring person.

If he has the Spirit of Christ, he belongs to Christ and is known as a follower of Christ.

10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

11 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.

The idea of the Greek makes this verse clear: “If Christ be in you, although the body is to die because of sin, the spirit shall live because of righteousness.”

Very simply stated, the body of man does die, but his spirit can live forever if Christ is “in” him.

Man’s body is to die because of sin: the body is corruptible, aging, deteriorating, decaying, and dying.

It is in a process of dying—in such a rapid movement toward death—that it can actually be said to be dead.

The body is dying; therefore, its death is inevitable.

However, it is in the midst of death that the Spirit of Christ enters.

He enters and converts the spirit of man from death to life.

Heirs with Christ

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

13 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.

“So then” has all the great truths in mind from Chapter 6:1 to this verse!

Identified with Christ, our old man was crucified with Him, our connection with Adam the first being thus broken by death.

Next we share His newness of life as being in Christ Risen.