Romans 8:13(NKJV)
13For 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.
We are coming to the end of our study on walking in the spirit. We have talked about what to do with our spirit, build it up, what to do with our soul, renew our mind, and we have begun to talk about what to do with our body. We realize that we must believe in the power of the new birth, that we must see ourselves dead to sin and alive to God and that we must believe that the Holy Spirit is actively involved in the process of disciplining our flesh while we grow in the spirit.
We have also talked about the fact that we do not owe the flesh anything, while we owe the spirit everything. In order to pay that debt, we need to live according to the spirit. That means we need to focus on the things of the spirit and not on the things of the flesh. We need to be obedient to the things of the spirit and not the things of the flesh. If we will do that, we will create an environment where we will grow in the spirit until we see our spirit rise in ascendency and the sins of the flesh fade into the background.
Today I want to spend a moment talking about the scripture above. It is a key scripture to understanding how all this works. Paul tells us that we must overcome the deeds of the flesh by the spirit. Two things are important here. First, your flesh, and in particular your body, is not the enemy. He did not say we need to put to death the body. He says we must put to death the deeds of the body.
Over the centuries many Christians have come to the conclusion that we must radically deny our bodies in order to walk in the spirit. It is from this thinking that most monastic orders were born. Things like poverty and silence vows are thought to punish the body in order to release the spirit. Paul did not say to punish the body or to deny the flesh in the extreme. He said we need to do something about the deeds in our everyday living that proceed from the influence of the flesh.
What are these deeds? They are the sinful practices, bad habits and bad attitudes that we struggle with outwardly. For instance, I do not need to make the body stop eating, I just need to stop being gluttonous. I do not need to make the body stop drinking altogether. I need to stop drinking alcohol. I do not need to eliminate all recreation. I just need to keep a balance that will keep my recreation time from taking precedence over the things I need to do to remain strong in the spirit.
The next question is, “How do I control the flesh?” The answer is, “By the spirit.” I cannot control the flesh with the flesh. That is the definition of law. I cannot yield to condemnation that just tells me I am bad. That will not help. What I must do is find a way to act in a godly manner that is not just a response to rules and laws. I must find something that leads me to cause my flesh to act in a godly way that actually proceeds from the spirit and is not solely motivated by the flesh. What would that be?
Look at James 2:14-17.
James 2 17(NKJV)
17Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
There is another biblical truth that promotes right actions with our body. Faith. We see here that real faith requires action. Law also requires action, however it comes from a very different place. Law is a response to a standard. Faith is a response to a belief.
If I do the right thing by faith I am doing it because of something that flows from my spirit. If I try to simply keep a law, I am using my flesh to live up to a standard that someone else has set. When it is God that sets the standard, we know it is the highest and best standard possible. However, if that is the only understanding we are acting from, we will fail.
When we fail we will feel condemned and unworthy. We will be doing our best to make our flesh obey. But we have learned from Romans 8 that the law is weak because of its dependence on the flesh to control fleshly behavior. The whole point of Romans 8, and much of what Paul wrote, is that there is a better way. That way is to tap into the spiritual power of faith.
In the next section of Romans 8, Paul emphasizes that we are children of God.
Romans 8:16-17(NKJV)
16The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
I want to use this as an illustration of how faith works in the place of law to help us “put to death” the deeds of the flesh. This scripture tells me I am a child of God. Now faith comes from hearing the Word of God. (Romans 10:17) As I meditate on this verse, faith concerning my relationship to God as father will arise in my heart. If I believe I am a son of God, I must put action to my faith. How does a son of God act.
We understand this principle in other areas. For instance, if I believe what the Bible tells me about finances I believe that God will meet my needs. However, if I want God to meet my needs I need to act on the Word of God where this is concerned. I believe one of the things I must do is give.
Luke 6:38 tells me “give and it shall be given unto you.” If I believe that verse and I want to receive I will give. This is not a matter of law. It is simply a response to what I believe. When I act on what I believe, I release the power of God through faith to bring that truth into manifestation in my life.
It is no different when we talk about putting to death the deeds of the flesh. I do not simply obey because the law says to act a given way. I respond by faith to what I believe to be true. According to the verses we are talking about from Romans 8, I will not sin against God because he is my father. He loves me and I love him. I will do what the law says to do, but not just because it is the law. I will do it by faith in what the Bible says.
When I choose to act on the truth of “I am a child and heir of God” I will release a power from my spirit that will bring my flesh into obedience. I am, by the spirit, putting to death the deeds of the flesh.
If you want to overcome sin in your life, find some promises or some statements in the Bible that will lead you away from ungodly behavior and begin to act on them. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 is a good place to start. This scripture tells you that you are a new creature in Christ. It reveals that you are the righteousness of God in Christ.
You may not feel all of that is true at first, but when you decide to act on what you believe and not what you feel, you will find a power to overcome. This power will not flow from your flesh. It will be a product of your spirit and it will enable you to “put to death” deeds of the flesh you could never overcome by law.
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