If Christ Is in You, the Body Is Dead Because of Sin (Romans 8:9-10)
The challenging book of Romans is our subject today. We're gonna look at a passage in chapter 8 where Paul focuses on the present reality and the future hope of all Christians. Now keep in mind, this chapter and, really, when you think about it, this entire book is very theologically dense. But I think it can be explained simply, and that's what I'll try to do in today's episode. When we really understand the passage we're gonna read, it's so inspiring.
Kendrick Diaz:It's even hard to put into words. So again, Romans chapter 8, and we'll begin in verse 9. But you, Paul says, are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if indeed the spirit of god dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he is not his. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness.
Kendrick Diaz:So you might be thinking, what is he saying? Let's break this down. He says, you are not in the flesh. Now obviously, he's writing to a group of people, and people have flesh. I mean, that's not a surprise to anyone.
Kendrick Diaz:We're all made of blood and skin, muscles and organs and all that sort of thing. So, no, that's not what Paul meant. Being in the flesh is a metaphor for thinking the way a natural person would think, outside the influence of god. See, what's natural for humans is to have the me first mentality. I want what I want and I don't want anyone to tell me otherwise.
Kendrick Diaz:We're greedy, lustful, inclined to argue, we get bitter, and all kinds of other things. We all know those natural tendencies very well. But here comes Paul who says, but you're in the spirit if indeed the spirit of god dwells in you. So provided you've repented of your sins and have been baptized, you think a different way than you used to. Now that doesn't mean that we don't feel those tendencies anymore, but it does mean the spirit of god has enlightened our minds.
Kendrick Diaz:It has showed us a new way to think, a way that is godly. In other words, Paul is saying you're not confined to that old way of acting and looking at things. You've been exposed to a different way, a better way. So Paul continues on with a parenthetical comment. Now if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he is not his.
Kendrick Diaz:You wanna know what the definition of a Christian is? That's it right there. Nothing else is going to cut it. Now we do have an article about the spirit of god on our main website, lifeopentruth.com. The link will be in the show notes for you to check out later, but that article will tell you what the spirit of god is and how you can receive it.
Kendrick Diaz:So again, be sure to check it out later. Notice verse 10, though. If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. Now this statement right here, it summarizes the present state of all Christians. Our bodies are as good as dead, but, spiritually, we're alive.
Kendrick Diaz:Remember what god told Adam? To paraphrase, he said, if you eat from that tree, you're gonna die. And did Adam die? Yes. And all his descendants continue to die.
Kendrick Diaz:We're all headed that way because of the curse god gave mankind way back in the Garden of Eden. So Paul is reminding us we're mortal and we're going to expire. In fact, it's in the process of happening right now. So yes, the body is as good as dead because of sin. Now if Paul ended right there, that'd be pretty disappointing.
Kendrick Diaz:Good thing he didn't. He said, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. To put it a different way, the spirit of god is securing a new life for us beyond this physical one. Our mortal bodies are just vessels for developing the spiritual life god wants to give us, and that spiritual life will eventually bubble over into eternal life when Christ returns to resurrect us. Now we don't have the fullness of that right now.
Kendrick Diaz:No. We're still wasting away in our bodies, but in the midst of our mortality is the hope of immortality. Why? Because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ in us. This passage is all about the fact that the spirit of god is what gives us hope.
Kendrick Diaz:Without the spirit, we just have a dying body. Now that spirit can be yours, so once again, I encourage you to read that article I mentioned earlier. I'll close with another scripture that Paul wrote over in Ephesians 2:4, which says basically the same thing we've covered in today's episode, and it's very encouraging. This is what it says, but god, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.
Kevin Scarbrough:Verse by Verse is a companion podcast to the daily bible verse blog, which you can find on the Life, Hope and Truth Learning Center. Check out the show notes for more.
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