Romans 8.9a-The Christian Is Not In Bondage To The Sin Nature Positionally But Rather In Subjection To The Authority Of The Spirit
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday October 29, 2008
Romans: Romans 8:9a-The Christian Is Not In Bondage To The Sin Nature But Rather In Subjection To The Authority Of The Spirit
Lesson # 250
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 8:1.
This evening we will note Romans 8:9a and in this passage, Paul teaches that the Christian is not in bondage to the sin nature in a positional sense but rather in subjection to the authority of the Spirit.
Romans 8:1-9, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 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 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. 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 hostile 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 cannot 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.”
“However” is the “adversative” use of the conjunction de (deV) (deh), which introduces a statement that presents a contrast with Paul’s statement in Romans 8:8 that teaches that those in bondage to the flesh, i.e. the sin nature can never please God.
He tells them that they are not in bondage to the flesh.
This is a reminder again to the Roman Christians of their “position” in Christ and that they are no longer “positionally” in bondage to the sin nature but rather positionally in union with Christ and indwelt by Him and the Spirit.
Romans 8:9, “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.”
“You are not in the flesh” indicates that the Christian by no means exists in the state of being in bondage to the flesh, i.e. his sin nature in a “positional” sense.
“In the Spirit” means that the Christian is under the authority of the Spirit in a positional sense.
Now, it has been held by many expositors that Paul is contrasting the unbeliever with the believer in Romans 8:5-9.
They support this interpretation by citing Romans 8:9, which teaches that if anyone does not possess the Spirit of Christ, then he does not belong to Christ and only Christians possess the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
However, this does violence to the context since Paul has been teaching on sanctification in Romans 6:1-8:3 and he continues to do so in Romans 8:4-8.
We must remember that Paul just got through discussing the problems he has experiencing sanctification in Romans 7:14-25.
Then, in Romans 8:1-3, he reassures his readers that even if they fail to experience sanctification like he did, they are still eternally secure.
Now, beginning in Romans 8:4-9, he teaches how they can solve this problem of experiencing sanctification by preoccupying their minds with the desires of the Spirit rather than the desires of the sin nature.
Then, in Romans 8:9-11, he reassures and reminds his readers that the Spirit indwells their bodies and that Christ does as well, which both serve as the principle of victory over the sin nature.
This would give Paul’s readers assurance that they are eternally secure.
It would also challenge his readers to live in a manner worthy of their calling.
In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul would often exhort his readers to walk in a manner worthy of their calling or consistent with their position in Christ by reminding them that they are indwelt by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:18-20).
In the same way that Paul reminds the Corinthians that they are indwelt with the Spirit in order to challenge them to conduct their lives consistent with their position in Christ so Paul does as well in Romans 8:9 when speaking to the Roman Christians.
Paul’s statement in Romans 8:9 would not only encourage his readers and assure them but also challenge them to submit to the desires of the Spirit and be preoccupied with the Spirit’s desires as he taught on in Romans 8:5-8.
The reason why many interpret Romans 8:5-8 as contrasting the unbeliever with the believer is that they do not understand that a believer can become involved in the things they attribute to the unbeliever.
For instance, in verse 5, Paul teaches that those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh.
A Christian can set his mind on the things of the flesh if he chooses to do so and thus prevent him from experiencing sanctification.
Also, in verse 6, he teaches that the mind on the flesh is death. This too a Christian is capable of.
If his mind is occupied with the desires of his sin nature, he will die spiritually, in the sense of losing fellowship with God.
This too will prevent him from experiencing sanctification.
Then, in verse 7, Paul teaches that the mind set on the flesh is hostile towards God.
In verse 8, he writes that those who are in flesh can never please God.
A Christian can also live in submission to the desires of his sin nature and consequently not please God.
Those who contend that Paul is contrasting the believer with the unbeliever in verses 5-8 fail to see that a believer has the capacity to set his mind on the desires of the sin nature as indicated by the many prohibitions and commands in the New Testament that are designed to prevent this from happening.
A case in point is Galatians 5:16-21.
Therefore, Paul’s statement in Romans 8:9 is a reminder of the Christian’s position in Christ and that positionally he is no longer under the authority and dominion of the sin nature.
He is not contrasting the unbeliever with the believer in verses 8:8-9 but rather the believer’s experience in relation to their sin nature with that of their position in relation to the sin nature.
In verse 8, he is teaching that those Christians living in their sin natures can never please God and then in verse 9 he reminds them that “positionally” they are not in bondage to the sin nature but indwelt by the Spirit and Christ.
This would encourage and motivate them to appropriate by faith the teaching in Romans chapter six that they have been crucified and died with Christ and raised with Him.
This would result in experiencing sanctification.
So in Romans 8:8-9, Paul is contrasting the Christian’s experience of living under the sin nature with that of his position of not being in bondage to the sin nature.
In Romans 6:1-7:25, Paul contrasts the believer’s position with his experience and teaches on the doctrine of sanctification in its three stages: (1) Positional (2) Experiential (3) Ultimate.
In Romans 6:1-10, Paul teaches on “positional” sanctification.
In Romans 6:11-13, Paul commands his readers to “experience” their position in Christ, thus he is referring to “experiential” sanctification.
In Romans 6:14, he speaks again of the Christian’s “position” in Christ and thus refers to “positional” sanctification.
In Romans 6:15-16, Paul reverts back to discussing “experiential” sanctification.
In Romans 6:17-18, Paul is teaching on “positional” sanctification again.
In Romans 6:19, is again an obvious reference to “experiential” sanctification.
In Romans 6:20-22, we can see that Paul is contrasting the Roman Christians’ former position in Adam with their new position in Christ, thus he again is teaching on “positional” sanctification.
Then, in Romans 7:1-6, Paul teaches on “positional” sanctification and uses marriage as an illustration of this biblical truth.
In Romans 7:7-13, Paul was speaking from the perspective of his conversion experience thus, he is continuing his discussion regarding sanctification and in particular “experiential” sanctification.
In Romans 7:14-25, Paul continues to discuss his inability to “experience” sanctification.
In Romans 8:1-8, Paul again teaches on both the believer’s “position” and his “experiencing” that position.
Now, in Romans 8:8, Paul teaches that the Christian who lives in bondage to his sin nature in an experiential sense can never please God.
Then, in Romans 8:9, he reminds his readers of their position in that “positionally” they are not in bondage to the sin nature but in fact, indwelt by the Spirit and Christ.