"For if you live after the flesh you will die; but if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body you will live". Romans 8v13.
THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT, PREPARING US FOR GLORY:
1) mortifying the deeds of the body.
This is the first obligation of the Christian, in the new life in Christ. In verse 12 he presents the principle, in verse 13 the practice. The principle is that we owe nothing to the flesh, the practice is that we must put it to death. From verse 12 - 13 Paul changes from "we" to "ye"; thus Paul brings himself under the principle of no obligation to the flesh but is saying to his readers he has already accomplished the mortification process, and so he applies the practice of it to his readers.
"If you live after the flesh you shall die". This is a stark warning by Paul to his readers in which he is saying that if you live like an unbeliever you probably are an unbeliever. If you live after the flesh, habitually under the control of the flesh, you will die. This is a warning and in his writings he never assumes that his readers are truly saved. The evidence for salvation is never presented in scripture in terms of profession, but in terms of living. It is not what we say but what we do that reveals the true nature of who we are.
The normal Christian life is that we will live after the Spirit, under His guidance and control, accepting His Lordship in our lives in doctrine and in practice. This will mean a radical, sometimes brutal, dealing with the deeds of our own bodies. The Spirit of God will always oppose the manifestations of the flesh within us. This much Paul declares to the believers of Galatia in chapter 5 verses 16-24. There he compares the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit. We are not left in any doubt as to what the scriptures mean by the flesh. Neither is there any doubt that the flesh within us and the Spirit within us are mutually antagonistic ;"these are contrary the one to the other." Obvious sins like adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness (loose living), murders, drunkenness, revellings, we can easily identify. Less obvious, because they are not readily seen, are things like idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies. In the chapter in Galatians the solemn pronouncement on these stated sins is that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. We are to mortify, put to death, our members which are upon the earth (Colossians 3v5-7). We are also to put off all these; anger, wrath, blasphemy, filthy communication, lying (Colossians 3v8-9). In Ephesians chapter 5 we are to put away lying, anger, stealing, corrupt speech, clamour, evil speaking, malice. "Put to death" "put off" "put away"; to do all this in our lives it is necessary for the Spirit of God within us to reveal to us our particular sins (for they will vary in each one of us). Having understood what they are, we have to deal with them ruthlessly and kill them off. This will take spiritual power and only the Holy Spirit within us can provide that power. The reality is that many of us are ruthless with others and gentle upon ourselves. We must learn to be the opposite.
In Romans chapter 8v4 Paul has already stated that at Calvary "God condemned sin in the flesh." We must do the same in our own flesh and we require the Holy Spirit to help us. This may take a short time or a long time depending on how we react to the Holy Spirit, but if we want to enjoy our spiritual life, and get the best out of it, this is exactly what we have to do. Finally in Galatians chapter 5v24 the apostle Paul says "they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh." This is not presented as an optional extra for Christians, it is not presented as something that will make us good or special Christians; it is presented as something that is normal Christian living.
"If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body ye shall live".
No comments:
Post a Comment