Romans 8:5-13
THE DIFFERENCES OF THE SPIRIT LIFE
Intro: Romans chapter 8 marks a major shift in the
thinking of the Apostle Paul. In this chapter, he
introduces several aspects of how life is transformed by
the Spirit of God. This chapter is all about the new life
of the Spirit
In the first four verses, Paul spoke about the
deliverance of the Spirit life, now, in the verses we have
read this evening, he writes about The Differences Of
The Spirit Life.
It is my estimation that this is one of the greatest
and most important passages of Scripture in all the
Bible. Why? Because it addresses the matter of the
mind. The Bible is clear in its teaching that how a man
thinks determines what manner of man he really is, Pro.
23:7, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..."
The mind is a very important thing! Whatever a man
focuses his mind upon is what that man reproduces in
his life! Think evil thoughts and produce evil actions.
Think godly thoughts and produce godly action. That is
why the Word of God is so clear when it speaks about
the change that is needed in the minds of men. Notice
Romans 12:2, "And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God." And, Phil. 2:5,
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ
Jesus:"
The changes that the Spirit produces in the mind
and the resulting changes in every area of life are the
focus of this passage. Let's spend a few minutes this
evening looking into these verse as we consider The
Differences Of The Spirit Life. By the way, if these
differences are apparent in your life, they ought to serve
to give you assurance of your salvation. If not, well...
I. V. 5-7 A DIFFERENCE IN THE MIND
OF THE BELIEVER
A. V. 5 The Desires Of The Mind Are Changed -The first thing Paul addresses is the contrast
that exists between the natural mind of man and
a mind that has been transformed by the Spirit of
God. The whole idea here is that the natural
bent, or orientation of the natural man's thinking
is always directed toward the things that pertain
to the flesh.
In other words, the carnal mind focuses on
the physical, material and other selfish concerns.
It may think about religion, but it will be a religion
based in what he can do for himself. There may
be thoughts about God, but that will be thoughts
about how to approach God on his own terms.
Generally, however, the carnal mind is filled with
thoughts that center around ways to gratify the
flesh. Of course, this is what the Bible teaches
us about the lost man and his mind set, 2 Peter
2:10, "But chiefly them that walk after the
flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise
government. Presumptuous are they,
selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of
dignities." ; Phil. 3:19, "Whose end is
destruction, whose God is their belly, and
whose glory is in their shame, who mind
earthly things."
But, what a change is manifested in the lives
of those who have been redeemed! While the
saved do falter from time to time, their minds are
filled with thoughts of heavenly things. These
are people who love God and all the things that
pertain to Him. They love His Word, His people,
His house, His worship, etc. The Spirit of God
redirects the thinking of those redeemed by the
blood of Jesus.
(Ill. A good question to ask ourselves at this point
is, of what character are the thoughts that fill our
minds? Depending upon how we answer that
question, we can learn a lot about ourselves!)
B. V. 6 The Directions Of The Mind Are Changed
- In this verse, Paul is stating a fact! If you have
a carnal mind, that is, a mind focused on the
things pertaining to the flesh, you are dead! He
is not talking about a potential, he is merely
stating an equation. To have a carnal mind
means you are lost and dead, Eph. 2:1-3.
However, to have a mind that is focused on
God and things above is to prove that you are
indeed saved by grace and walking in the Spirit!
It is a genuine indicator of the state of the soul,
Col. 3:1-4.
(Ill. While the primary focus of this verse is the
here and now, the future is also in view! To
possess a carnal mind means that you are lost in
sin and will eventually find yourself in Hell
forever separated from God. On the other hand,
to be controlled by the Spirit is evidence of an
eternity that will be filled with life and peace in
the presence of the Lord in Heaven some day!)
C. V. 7 The Devotions Of The Mind Are Changed
- Paul tells us that the carnal mind is really the
enemy of God. Why is this true? Because the
carnal mind desires to be God! It is bent on the
overthrow of God and is determined to enthrone
itself as God in the unbeliever's life. As a result,
it refuses to walk in the will of God. In truth, the
carnal mind is so filled with evil that it cannot
walk in the will of God. The lost, carnal mind is
totally opposed everything having to do with
God. What may appear good in the life of a lost
person is still tainted by the sin in his heart. His
motives and his sin tarnish all that he does.
Even on his best day, he is still God's rival and
God's sworn enemy!
What Paul does not say, but what is true
nonetheless, is the fact that the spiritual mind, or
the mind of the saved person finds itself drawn
away from the things which please the flesh and
drawn toward the things which please the Lord.
What the flesh cannot produce in us, the Holy
Spirit does produce! The saint of God finds that
he can live a life that is pleasing to the Lord and
that he can produce good by the power of the
Spirit of God. What a difference! What a
Savior!
(Ill. This is not to say that the believer has been
absolutely perfected. However, when Paul
refers to the sin of the believer, he is quick to
point out that sin occurs in the sinful, mortal body
and not within the redeemed, new inner nature,
Rom. 7:15-25. When we were saved, there was
a part of us sealed off forever. Our spirits were
sealed against sin and are incapable of sinning
any longer, Eph. 4:30. Our flesh, on the other
hand, is as evil as it has ever been and we are
locked in a never ending battle with it. The
believed will not be free from the flesh until we
go home to be with the Lord! While we are here,
we must fight! While the fight is real, it is a fight
that we have been empowered to win, Gal. 5:16-17. The flesh is strong, but the Spirit of God
within us is stronger, 1 John 4:4. Therefore, we
must prove the reality of our claims of salvation
by living a life that is devoted to the Lord God
and His perfect will!)
(Il. Considering what Paul has already said about
the changes that happen in the mind of one saved
by grace, how does your life look? Can you see the
evidence of a new, changed life?)
I. A Difference In The Mind Of The Believer
II. V. 8-9 A DIFFERENCE IN THE MOTIVES
OF THE BELIEVER
A. V. 8 The Charge Against The Flesh Life - We
have already touched on what is clearly stated in
this verse. Those who are controlled by the
flesh, who live for the flesh, who walk in the flesh
and who have their minds centered on the flesh
simply cannot please the Lord God! They are so
far removed from all that God is that they cannot
possibly please Him.
(Ill. According to the Bible, Hebrews 11:6, the
only way to please the Lord is by exercising faith.
Faith is one element of the fruit of the Spirit, Gal.
5:22-23, and is evidence that the Spirit is in
residence in the life of a believer. All this means
is that what the Spirit produced in man cannot be
duplicated by the flesh! Since the flesh cannot
produce that which is spiritual, it stands to
reason that the flesh cannot please the Lord.)
B. V. 9 The Change Apparent In The Spirit Life -
Now Paul contrasts what he has been saying
with those who have been saved. He is telling
us that when we received Jesus as our Savior,
we changed realms of existence. We were
taken out of the flesh life and placed into a new
life in the Spirit, 1 Cor. 12:13. Therefore, we are
placed in a position from which we can serve the
Lord and live lives that are pleasing to Him. The
bottom line here is that those who are saved by
grace and are walking in the Spirit will exhibit the
fruit of the Spirit in their lives, Gal. 5:22-23. That
is the difference Paul is trying so hard to get
across. We are no longer what we were, but
now we are literally a new creature, 2 Cor. 5:17,
in the Lord Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Ill. The last sentence in verse 9 is interesting. It
tells us that the believer will demonstrate the
reality of his new birth by exhibiting the Spirit of
Christ! While this verse speaks to the new life
the believer should live in Jesus, it is also a
reminder to us that we receive the Holy Spirit at
the moment of conversion. Of course, this is
contrary to what many groups teach in our day.
However, if you do not have the Holy Spirit you
are not saved! That is why we are counseled to
put our faith to the test to be sure we are
children of God, 2 Cor. 13:5! If you are saved,
you possess the Holy Spirit, the key to becoming
that person who is pleasing to the Lord is
allowing the Holy Spirit to possess more of you,
Eph. 5:18.)
I. A Difference In The Mind Of The Believer
II. A Difference In The Motives Of The Believer
III. V. 10-13 A DIFFERENCE IN THE MEMBERS
OF THE BELIEVER
(Ill. The Spirit of God changes how we think. He
changes how we are driven as we go through life.
These verses go on to tell us that He changes how
we act. There are definite changes that happen on
the inside, but those changes will also make their
way to the outside. That is the focus of this section.)
A. V. 10-11 A Change In Our Members - These
two verse fit together to teach us that when the
Spirit of God moves into our spirit, He will
produce changes in the way our body acts.
Anyone who claims Jesus as his or her Savior
and yet manifests no changes in the way they
live life is probably not saved at all!
That is not to say that believers do not sin. I
think it is clear that we do. However, if salvation
is a reality, there will be a new desire to honor
God by the life we live and when we do fail, there
will be a sense of sadness and remorse that will
drive the child of God to repentance before the
Lord, 1 John 1:9.
What Paul is trying to teach us is the fact that
the Spirit of God will make us to become vastly
different than we are by nature. Our flesh will
flee the things it used to run to and will seek the
things it used to shun. The Holy Spirit will
reproduce the life of Christ in the life of the saint,
"which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:",
Col. 1:27.
B. V. 12 A Challenge To Our Members - This
verse serves to remind us that we are not
obligated to live after the flesh any longer. In
fact, we are dead to the flesh and alive to the
Spirit of God. If we wish to discharge a debt, let
it be the debt we owe to Christ for the price He
paid to deliver us from the bondage of sin and
the sentence of judgment. Let us therefore live
for the Lord Who suffered and died for us on the
cross!
Our flesh has done nothing for us but
condemn us. The debt we owe is to the Spirit of
God. Let us honor Him by living the kind of life
that brings honor to Him. It is a challenge that
we can all live up to!
C. V. 13 A Caution To Our Members - Even
though we are saved, we still have the potential
to live after the flesh. Anyone who tells you that
Christians cannot sin is a liar! I think the Bible is
clear that we are as capable of committing sin as
we ever have been, 1 John 1:8-10. However,
we must be aware that living substandard Christ
lives brings with it death. We cannot go to Hell,
but we can feel the chastising hand of our
Heavenly Father, Heb. 12:5-11.
However, because we have the Spirit of God
living within us, we have the power to mortify or
put to death, the deeds of the flesh. If we do
this, we can be assured of living lives that honor
God. Ours will be lives that will please God.
They will be lives that will show a lost and dying
world that Jesus Christ makes a difference in
every life He touches by His great power. If we
live these lives, we will be blessed and we will
exhibit the characteristics of life.
(Ill. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding! A
life that is touched and changed by Jesus will be
a life that lives a new kind of life. If there is no
change, there has been no conversion! When
Jesus moves into a life, everything changes!)
Conc: I think we all need to closely examine our lives
this evening. Can we take and honest inventory and
truly say, "I have been changed! I am not perfect, but I
am different! I don't think like I used to think. I don't act
the same. I want to honor God now, where I used to
want to honor myself. I can see where Jesus has made
a difference in my life."? Has your life been changed?
If it has, thank God, because only He can produce real
spiritual change in the lives of men. If not, it can be
changed if you will come to Jesus for salvation.
