I invite you to turn tonight to Romans chapter 8. We are continuing again our study in the book of Romans, and last time we looked at Romans 8 1 through 4. Tonight we are looking at really verses five through eight and um that will be our sort of cut off tonight. So I will read verses one through eleven but the text will be verses five through eight tonight. um You'll see why this is such rich, rich, good stuff here. So let's give our attention tonight to the Word of the Lord.
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemns sin in the flesh 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. Now our text tonight: 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 to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 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. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 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. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 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."
And let's go to verse 12 and 13: "So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh to live according to the flesh. 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."
And there will end tonight the reading of God's Word.
Well, this is a very pastoral epistle. We need to keep that in front of us, and I think it's easy to miss what Paul's doing in this book thinking it's just more heavier theology. And I find the book of Romans, the more that I think about it and the more that I go through it, to be a wonderful pastoral letter to struggling Christians just to understand who they are, what Christ has done for them, the implications of that, and what it means for them as His people. This is so helpful for that.
Paul has been describing the real struggle of the Christian, hasn't he? And what he says and made this important distinct distinction that we still carry around the body of death, the sinful nature, the body of sin uh that still causes us many problems in this life. And remember what he said in chapter 7: that that really, what had he wanted to help these Roman Christians understand "The struggle still against sin with sin the things that I don't want to do, times this is what I keep on doing!" Then he would go on and say, "It's not I who do do it, but sin who dwells in me." He wasn't excusing sin, but he was helping them. He was concerned that they would be realistic about the struggle. Realistic is really important in this that we don't ever think as has happened in the history of the church that what the New Testament is saying is that we will achieve in this life, before the resurrection and glorification, perfection. There have been groups that taught that. Of course, Wesleyans have taught that, but we don't find that in the Scriptures. In fact, we find First John saying very clearly: if people say they don't have sin, they're a liar.
So this is an important thing to continue to wrestle through, and Romans is helping. As Paul essentially helped them to understand his own struggle in sin: "How could I? How could I do these things so easily that I don't want to do? And what does that really say about me? Doesn't that really call into question my own authenticity as a Christian?" Someone might say. Or, that "Maybe I'm not a believer at all?" jesus and it doesn't often help us because we come to the Scriptures, and just like this morning, Jesus exposes hypocrisy everywhere. That's the natural default of every person: is hypocrisy. It's really good and easy for the pastor to preach against hypocrisy. Did you know that? Because he has a lot of it. And so do you. That's errors in everyone a measure of hypocrisy.
Now, this is this is challenging. How in the world, if people are sensitive Christians, are they not going to draw when you have all this exposure in the Scriptures of hypocritical stuff and false Christianity? Or you might say make-believing going on. How are you not going to draw? If you have this very sensitive struggle with sin and difficult problem with sin, why are you not going to draw maybe a possible conclusion: "Maybe I'm one of those"?
And if you understand this struggle, then I think you see the pastoral implication of what Paul is doing in Romans chapter 8, following the description of it in chapter 7. This is the link from chapter 7 and 8 that he is providing an answer for you, the Christian. Yes, to help with assurance, to help with confidence. But to understand what is happening. And so what he is essentially doing here in these verses five through nine is explaining the crucial difference between the christian What he is christian and the non-christian what a true christian is and what he is not. It's really pretty simple that way, isn't it?
There's a series of contrasts here to help us with that. And so he's saying: "You are this. You are not this. They are this. You are not." It's really it's really comforting when you read it that way.
The Apostle Paul sees the great difference in your life as opposed to those in the world who are in darkness in one great benefit that you have. And who is that? It's the Holy Spirit. I think it's i counted up one time i think it's the Spirit is mentioned 21 times in this chapter. Paul is taken by the work of the Holy Spirit. Paul is captivated by the work of the Holy Spirit.
So Paul basically says in Romans chapter 8, under the inspiration of the Spirit: "There are two types of people, and I'm going to show you very clearly who these two types of people are, what they look like, what marks them as different, and how their lives are distinguished from one another. And I'm doing this with the goal to comfort and assure you."
And you see how important that is for us, isn't it? That's really important.
You remember this glorious statement that after that long struggle the christian struggle that he captured there with the body of sin, the presence of sin even though it's condemning power what he says in Romans 8: the condemning power is lost. He he explained the the presence still of sin in the life of the believer and the struggle that ensues the difficulty that. follows with that But then he makes this glorious declaration in the book of Romans: "Now there is, therefore, no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus."
The verdict is out, and the penalty that the verdict demanded has been dealt with. Condemnation's over. Judgment day passed. It was pushed back in history for you when your savior as we looked at just in the heidelberg bore that in your place, stepped into your place. That's why we call it a substitutionary atonement.
Now, this comes on the heels of that big description in chapter 7 of the Christian struggle with sin. So Paul begins here to explain the truth of the matter: that the ongoing battle with sin does not affect who you are in Christ. Does not affect you you might say positionally in christ and you need to hold on to that, always remind yourself. This is the life of faith. It's okay to preach this to yourself every day. The Lord wants this kind of confidence for you.
"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ. I am in Christ. Condemnation is over for me."
I don't see how you're making any progress in the Christian life until that's embraced by faith. Nothing more is needed. Hear what he said: nothing more is needed, period. There is nothing more you need. You don't do anything to contribute to that justification freely. It's done.
Now, if you understand that in your struggle with sin, you're not going to keep going back and saying, "Oh, maybe I'm not..."
Paul speaks now what the means are for the new life that we have in Christ as we live by faith. And we looked at last time in verse two that he said, "For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." You're free. You're not under the law for condemnation.
Imagine Roman Christians trying to understand this. You know, that's that's important. um Paul said over and over: "I am freely. You are freely justified by faith before God by faith alone." And Paul wanted to help them with that.
"What is happening now in your lives?" The law is actually and then he said something kind of shocking in verse 4: "that the law is actually being fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."
Now, this is challenging, still, a little bit. You know, maybe Paul, you know, thought about the Heidelberg Catechism at that moment and thought, "Yeah, you know, our sinus did say, you will only make a small beginning in this new holiness. It's interesting to me, though, that Paul doesn't always talk like that. I don't think he always felt the need to say that. I think he assumed that. He understood the crucial distinction so well.
Having been justified by faith, you have peace with God. And now what that means is you have and can live in assurance that the Spirit has been given to you. You're not alone. It was never okay. God did His part. He justified you. And this is how Christianity is often pitched now: just moralism. "It's your responsibility the rest of life to get with the program." Well, it is. It's important. But Paul never spoke that way in calling us to holiness apart from the work of the Spirit in us to encourage us this way.
So what Paul does here is describe two very different kinds of people and how they live, as opposed to how the people of the Spirit live. It's impossible to please God, did you notice that, without the work of the Spirit in one's life because nothing good can be done apart from the work of the Spirit. Heidelberg says that, doesn't it? "The good works that we do are done that please God. That yes, we can do things that please God are done by faith, and as we looked at tonight in the Ascension, are done by the power of the Spirit."
So Paul is now providing a clear explanation for us to help us understand the difference. There are two, in his eyes, in his presentation, two totally different kinds of people with totally different desires and different masters. They are different trees. There are different paths. You could use all the language of Scripture. Two very different kinds of people that he explains here. And that's important.
Notice he gives four characteristics here tonight of the non-believer, the unbeliever, the one who doesn't have the Spirit, the one who is not saved yet, or even the make-believer. He doesn't find this confusing. He finds a struggle with sin confusing, but not the distinguishing characteristics of those who have the Spirit and those who don't. And I think that's meant very pastorally for us.
Look at verse 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..."
There Paul says the driving characteristic of somebody isn't who is not a christian verse five "For those who live according to the flesh is that notice there their minds are they set their minds on the things of the flesh." and they pursue the things of the flesh.
Ligonier is doing in a month or two here a table talk issue on human sexuality. And there's some really wonderful sections in there that are coming to help people. I was assigned the article on cultivating sexual holiness in the life, and the little write-up that they send ahead of time to work with, to sort of have a trajectory of thought to help people, said that many professing Christians struggle with pornography addiction, engage in fornication, practice cohabitation outside of marriage, dress immodestly, entertain lustful thoughts and desires.
The article then, the assignment, is to go through and to help to provide practical guidance for Christians to know how best to cultivate in their lives holiness. And one of the crucial things that is important whenever we talk about that is the crucial distinction that the Apostle Paul makes here and how he addresses it. First and foremost, to understand that there is a fundamental difference between those who live in sin without repentance from those who battle sin every day in a way that leads to godly sorrow, which produces true repentance.
So take First John 3 6 "No one who abides in him keeps on sinning." So what do you mean by that? "Of course we keep on sinning." No, you don't keep on sinning. What do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm without sin? No, I'm not saying you're without sin. I say you don't keep on sinning. What do you mean by that?
See the challenge for the preacher? This is the challenge for preaching well. John is describing those who engage in willful, habitual sin with a mindset that such behavior is permissible as a Christian. And John says: no Christian thinks like that. No Christian goes on living like that. That's impossible.
John responds by following up by saying that those who keep on sinning with that kind of mindset have never seen Christ or known Christ. What John describes is not what a true believer thinks about sin.
What does a true believer think about sin?
I think appreciating this distinction and this encouragement is vital for making progress in cultivating a new life in Christ. It's one thing for somebody to live practicing a sin as a way of life. It's another thing to fight and try to avoid the temptations at the inception of them, or when sin is committed, to turn back away from it. Fundamentally different. To be concerned and engaged in the battle toward godly repentance is evidence of the Spirit's work in you.
That's why it does no good to sit and wallow in sin when you sin. Get up and come back to the Lord. The Spirit has convicted you. Praise God! That's His work.
So what Paul is saying here is: first characteristic is minds that don't have the Spirit are dominated and controlled and principled by whatever their lusts want to do, and it never bothers them.
Ephesians talks about this: "Therefore I say, testifying the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that's in them because of the blindness of their heart."
We all notice the distinction again. It's such a sharp distinction in the New Testament. We all once lived that way. We lived conducting ourselves in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as others. But I'll come back to that.
Paul's first description is: you have people that don't have the spirit are controlled by the dictates of their hearts. They live for themselves, even whether they think they're a moral, very moral person, or even if they're a very immoral person. And I think William Hendrickson really gets this on a helpful point when he says, "Paul is reminding the members of the church of Rome that it's impossible to be on both sides at once."
And I think that's hugely encouraging.
The second characteristic is of those who don't have the Spirit: he says in verse six "For to set the mind on the flesh is death." Was that the mind on the flesh is death? He just said what in good Ephesians theology? The person who is governed by the sinful mind is serving the self. And essentially what he says is: that's a life that's dead. That's a life that is dead.
The key characteristic of the unbeliever is that he lacks any ability to know the things of God or to understand the things of God because he spiritually discerned 1 Corinthians 2. He does not have the Spirit. So it's just like this morning: Jesus preaching to those scribes and Sadducees. It didn't matter if a rocket ship went up to the moon. They still wouldn't have believed. He cannot understand these things.
Paul moves to the third characteristic: verse 7. "For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law. Indeed, it cannot."
So it's growing here. So he says: the mind that is dead, the mind that is set on the sinful desires of the heart, notice this it has no desire and it has no will and it has no ability to submit to the law of God. It can't.
Now, you're here tonight, aren't you? Once you say this, is why we sang Psalm 119. Did you not say, "Oh how I love Your law, oh Lord"? Do you mean that? Of course you mean that. Of course you mean that. See, the non-believer, the one who doesn't have the Spirit, does not mean that. They're driven by lawlessness. And so having a mind controlled by the sinful nature and having no spiritual life whatsoever, the law exposes them. And Jesus told it told us what happens when people who have the light of God's law expose their the darkness of their hearts. What do they do? Well, Jesus said it: "For everyone who practicing evil, practicing living in it, hates the light, does not come to the light lest his deeds should be exposed."
So it's a complete disregard of any light in life and God's law to want to hear of a solution.
So then the final description here is a sort of summary in verse 8: is, "So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God."
Do you believe you cannot please God? That's not what the Lord has told you. You're His children. Of course you can please Him. Why can you please Him? By faith. And by the work of the Spirit. There's nothing the unbeliever can ever do that will please God.
So there it is. Paul summed it up: they have a darkened mind, they're spiritually dead, they're driven by sinful desire so that they're not subject to the law of God. Nothing they do pleases God. Four characteristics right there.
Is that you? Paul would say, "Of course not. Of course that's not you. You know that's not you."
Someone might say, "Well, Paul, there's still a lot of sin in me. And sometimes I'm not feeling the difference."
And Paul says, "Well, let me tell you what's different then. I'll tell you what's different. First, number one: you're under no condemnation. Do you believe that? Oh, so you have a problem believing that? No, you believe that. Don't you? Do you?"
Got to get out of the gates here, right? Do you?
Well, if you believe that, there's no condemnation, period. You're forgiven. You're justified before the throne. Okay, so now you're concerned because of sin whether you're still saved. You're not listening. Did I make it clear? Says Paul: "They have a darkened mind, they're spiritually dead, they're driven by sinful desires. Nothing they do pleases God. You... there is therefore now no condemnation."
Now let me encourage you: If the non-Christian then lives according, verse 5, to the sinful nature and sets his mind on the things of that, what does the Christian do? He lives according to the Spirit. And he sets his mind on the things of the Spirit. I didn't say perfectly. The mind is now concerned about the things of the Holy Spirit. That's what He's doing in you. Now, it may be a small beginning, but it's a beginning. You are being led and directed by the Holy Spirit. 21 times He's mentioned.
Now, what does the Spirit love? What is the Spirit doing? Well, Jesus said pretty plainly that the primacy of the Spirit's work in this world is to number one: convict people of what? Sin. That conviction's a really good thing, isn't it? And of righteousness and of the judgment to come. And if the Spirit is working in you in that way, which He is, then you are starting to think more and more about these things. You are appreciating His convicting work.
So what does the believer do when he sins? He doesn't run off in it. He may try. By the way, the Spirit doesn't like that, so He's probably going to pull you back. It might not be pleasant. He's committed to bring you back to confess your sins. Every time you do, that's the Spirit's work. He's committed to bring you to the throne of grace. He's committed to bring you to church, which is the most unnatural thing to do because, as we looked at this morning, the natural man just thinks it's crazy anyway. And He's committed to cleanse you from all unrighteousness by the power of the Word. You must believe that gospel promise.
And Paul's going to go on to say: "The Spirit bears witness with our spirits that we're what? Children of God." You're not left alone to gain and garner assurance. It's the Spirit's work to bear witness with your spirit that you're loved by God and cared for by God and are His child. That's His work. And the Spirit takes the Word and effectually applies it to your heart. And then He convicts you about the former ways you walked. What you used to be able to do without a conscience, now it really bothers you. Praise God!
Paul never assumed that you're on your own. In fact, the great verse here in romans john Owen wrote on, wrote a whole treatise on the mortification of sin in the life of the believer. I want you to notice in verse 13, now, if it's a summary statement: "By the Spirit you mortify the deeds of you, put them to death."
Mortification, boys and girls, is the old word for putting to death. "If you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
Now excise the Spirit there, and we would have no hope. "If you mortify the deeds of the body, you will live?" And you'd say, "How can I do that?" And Paul's saying, "You can't. If by the Spirit you do it, you'll live."
You see? And so all this encouragement comes to us in the Scriptures. "I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh."
By the way, in that article that I'm wrestling through and writing, there are two sins I've mentioned to you that the Bible says to not hang around and fight, but to turn around and run the other way from. What are they? The two twin sins that got Israel in the most trouble in the wilderness that pulled their hearts away from the Lord, that Solomon learned all about. The Lord said: "Flee idolatry and flee sexual immorality." Don't just hang around. You bolt the other way, like Joseph with Potiphar's wife, because the lusts of the flesh are that powerful. Yeah, it's that powerful. You put yourself in the scenario, you'll fall.
So provision: run away in the power of the Spirit. "Flee it. I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the lust the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you're led by the Spirit, you're not under the law. The works of the flesh are evident: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murder, drunkenness, revelries, and the like, of which I tell you beforehand, as also I told you in times past: those who do what? Practice. Live in it. They don't inherit the kingdom.
But the fruit of the Spirit, His work in you, His work is that of love and joy and peace and long-suffering and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control. Against such there is no law. You know, I have, as a pastor, experienced all that right here in this church from you. That's Him working.
"And those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit. Let us keep in step with the Spirit."
That's the encouragement. The Spirit's with you. The Spirit has sealed you. The Spirit has given you... Notice the other benefit to close out: To be spiritually minded. Did you notice this? In verse six, "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is what? Life and peace."
Isn't that His great work in our lives? Every time you hear the Gospel, is that He's ministering in the ministry of righteousness life to you and he's giving you peace. Isn't that why the ministry is so important? He's blessed you with that.
The Spirit if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also, he says, "Give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."
So you see what He's saying to you tonight, beloved, in contrast, Christians, to everything I've said tonight: you're not under the control of darkness anymore. Yeah, you're still going to sin. You're not under its bondage. You're set free. You're forgiven. You're justified, and the Spirit has given you life. The principle of life reigns in you. This is what it means in regeneration. So enjoy it.
I tell you, don't ever underestimate your Sunday school teachers. In like fourth grade, I don't remember anything from all my teachers in my catechism classes. Isn't that terrible? What was I doing? Well, I was there. And for some reason, this one statement is what sticks with me. It was a teacher that looked at the whole class at the Hanford Christian Reformed Church. I remember. And he said, "You know, do you guys know you can have assurance that you are children of God?"
I was fourth grade. And for some reason, I could never get that out of my head. "I can?"
"I can't."
And he said, "Yes, because God has given us the Spirit."
What a gracious God he is!
There is no condemnation for you. Rest assured that all the promises are of god even in your struggle against sin are yes and amen. And one day He will, in the resurrection, put away at all and give you a brand new body once and for all so that there's no more sin and sorrow and death. But thank God for the Holy Spirit!
Let's pray.
Gracious Lord, thank you for blessing us tonight in these truths and encouraging us so. May that inspire us to be who we are, to keep in step with the Spirit, to walk in the Spirit. Thank you for such a gift. Bless us and encourage us, oh Lord, and strengthen us in your steadfast love and mercy in jesus name. Amen.