Romans 8.6-The Mind-Set Produced By The Flesh Is Death But The Mind-Set Produced By The Spirit Is Life And Peace
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday October 23, 2008
Romans: Romans 8:6-The Mind-Set Produced By The Flesh Is Death But The Mind-Set Produced By The Spirit Is Life And Peace
Lesson # 247
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 8:1.
This evening we will continue with our study of Romans chapter eight.
By way of review, we have noted the following:
In Romans 8:1, Paul assured his Christian readers in Rome that there is never any condemnation, none whatsoever for them because of their union with Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Next, in Roman 8:2, he taught the Christians in Rome that the life-giving Spirit’s authoritative power, by means of Christ Jesus, has set them free from the authoritative power of the sin nature as well as spiritual death’s.
Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
Then, in Romans 8:3, Paul “explains how” or presents the “reason why” the life-giving Spirit’s authoritative power, by means of (the death and resurrection of) Christ Jesus has set them free from the sin nature’s authoritative power as well as spiritual death’s.
We noted the first statement in this passage where Paul teaches that the Law was unable to deliver sinful humanity from the sin nature and real spiritual death.
Then, we read in this verse where the Spirit was able to set the Christian free from the sin nature and real spiritual death because the Father executed the sin nature through Christ’s physical death.
Romans 8:3, “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh.”
Romans 8:4 teaches that the Father’s purpose for sacrificing His Son on the Cross was so that the righteous requirement of the Law would be fulfilled in an experiential sense in those Christians who are not conducting their lives in submission to the sin nature but are conducting their lives in submission to the Spirit.
Romans 8:4, “so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Then, in Romans 8:5, Paul teaches that those Christians who are in submission to the sin nature, occupy their minds with the desires of the sin nature whereas those who are in submission to the Spirit occupy their minds with desires of the Spirit.
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.”
This evening we will study Romans 8:6 and in this passage Paul teaches that the mind-set produced by the sin nature is temporal spiritual death, i.e. loss of fellowship with God whereas the mind-set produced by the Spirit is life, i.e. experiencing eternal life and peace.
Romans 8:6, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”
“For” is the “emphatic” or “intensifying” use of the post-positive conjunction gar (gavr), which introduces a statement that advances upon Paul’s statement in Romans 8:5 and intensifies it.
In Romans 8:5, Paul teaches that those Christians who are in submission to the sin nature, occupy their minds with the desires of the sin nature whereas those who are in submission to the Spirit occupied their minds with desires of the Spirit.
Now, in Romans 8:6, Paul’s statement advances upon his statement in verse 5 and intensifies what it means to be in submission to the sin nature and what it means to be in submission to the Spirit as a Christian.
In verse 5, he taught that the result of submitting to the sin nature is the occupation of one’s mind with the sinful desires produced by the sin nature whereas in contrast to this he teaches that the result of submitting to the Spirit is the occupation of one’s mind with the godly desires produced by the Spirit.
Now, in verse 6, he is going to advance upon this statement in verse 5 and intensify it in the sense that he is going to present the ultimate result of submitting to the sin nature in contrast with that of submitting to the Spirit.
Romans 8:6, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”
“The mind” is the noun phronema (frovnhma) (fron-ay-mah), refers to the Christian’s “mind-set” or “state of mind” or “mental attitude” and is used in relation to both the sin nature and the Spirit.
“The flesh” is the noun sarx (savrc) (sarx), which refers to the sin nature from the perspective of its location in the Christian.
The noun sarx functions as a “genitive of production” meaning that this “mind-set” or “state of mind” is “produced” by the sin nature.
It is produced by the sin nature because Paul taught in Romans 8:5 that those Christians submitting to the sin nature are preoccupied in their thinking with the desires produced by the sin nature.
Therefore, the mind-set “produced by” the sin nature is the direct result of the Christian being preoccupied with the desires produced by the sin nature, which culminates in a loss of fellowship with God.
Romans 8:6, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”
“Death” is the noun thanatos (qavnato$) (than-at-os), which refers to “temporal spiritual death” or in other words, “loss of fellowship” with God.
As we noted in detail, Paul is speaking in the context of the Christian’s sanctification.
Therefore, since “real spiritual death” is used exclusively for the unbeliever and “temporal spiritual death” is used exclusively of the Christian, the latter is being referred to here by Paul in Romans 8:6.
“Temporal spiritual death” or “loss of fellowship” with God takes place when the believer commits mental, verbal or overt acts of sin as a result of obeying the desires of the sin nature.
“But” is the “adversative” use of the conjunction de (deV) (deh), which introduces a statement that presents a contrast with Paul’s statement that the mind-set produced by the sin nature is as an eternal spiritual truth, temporal spiritual death.
“The mind” is the noun phronema (frovnhma) (fron-ay-mah), which once again means, “mind set” but this time it is used in relation to the Spirit, which functions as a genitive of production indicating that this mind-set is “produced by” the Spirit.
“On the Spirit” is the noun pneuma (pneuma), which refers to the Holy Spirit.
The noun pneuma functions as a “genitive of production” meaning that this “mind-set” or “state of mind” is “produced” by the Spirit.
It is produced by the sin nature because Paul taught in Romans 8:5 that those Christians submitting to the Spirit are preoccupied in their thinking with the desires produced by the Spirit.
Therefore, the mind-set “produced by” the Spirit is the direct result of the Christian being preoccupied with the desires produced by Spirit, which results in experiencing eternal life and the peace of God.
Romans 8:6, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”
“Life” is the noun zoe (zwhv) (dzo-ay), which refers to experiencing eternal life when the believer possesses a mind-set produced by the Spirit that is the direct result of being preoccupied with the desires of the Spirit.
“Peace” is the noun eirene (ei)rhvnh) (i-ray-nay), which refers to experiencing the permanent and eternal peace treaty that God established between Himself and the justified sinner through the death of His Son and became their personal possession forever, the moment they were declared justified by Him through faith in Christ.
Therefore, in Romans 8:6, the noun eirene refers to the peace of God that the believer can experience by having a mind-set produced by the Spirit as a result of being preoccupied with the desires produced by the Spirit.
These desires would include fellowship, learning and applying the Word of God, executing the Father’s will, unity, serving, and praying.
Therefore, we can see from Paul’s statements here in Romans 8:5-6 and that experiencing fellowship with God and losing that fellowship is based upon the believer’s mental attitude.
The believer whose mental attitude is produced by the sin nature as a result of being preoccupied with the desires produced by the sin nature will experience loss of fellowship with God.
While on the other hand, the believer whose mental attitude is produced by the Spirit as a result of being preoccupied with the desires produced by the Spirit will experience eternal life and peace and thus fellowship with God.
The development of Christ-like character begins with the way we think, conforming our thoughts to the mind of Christ.
Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks within himself, so he is.”