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Romans 8:5–6
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, the things of the Spirit (Rom. 8:5).
The work of God’s Spirit in justifying believers leads inevitably to sanctification, the process by which the Spirit guides believers to ever-increasing personal holiness. By God’s grace, they are put on a different pathway. How different? Today’s passage shows us.
“Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh,” Paul writes. This is a description of the unsaved person. He is under the slavery of sin. Conceiving of ways to satisfy his sinful inclinations is the top priority of his mind, and so he lives as his sinful nature directs him. By contrast, “those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” Paul is referring here to Christians. Their sinful natures are still present within them, competing for attention, as Paul’s personal example in Romans 7 shows. But increasingly, as the Spirit leads them, their minds are set on the things of God and taken up with thoughts of how to please Him. Thus, the things of the Spirit become their guiding light. Clearly, these two lifestyles are diametrically opposed to one another. But if we remain unconvinced by these descriptions of the lives of unbelievers and believers, verse 6 should settle all argument, for it spells out the ends toward which each class of people is moving. “To be carnally minded is death,” Paul writes, “but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” The unbeliever is in a state of spiritual death, in which he is “as unresponsive to the things of God as a corpse,” according to Dr. James M. Boice. By contrast, the believer has been made alive by the Holy Spirit and is at peace with God.
This passage corrects an incorrect notion that has gained wide acceptance in the church today. It is the idea that instead of two classes of people there are really three: unbelievers, believers, and “carnal Christians,” those who are in Christ but remain largely under the sway of their sinful natures. As we have seen, Paul leaves no room for such a classification. If someone is a Christian, he does not habitually feed his sinful lusts. Conversely, if someone is habitually feeding his sinful lusts, he is not a Christian. The two cannot go together. There are only two kinds of people, saved and unsaved, and if anyone is carnal he is not a Christian at all. All who are saved are being led by the Spirit toward greater Christlikeness.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Which is a greater priority for you: discovering ways to please God or devising ways to satisfy your sinful urges? Think deeply about your answer, because it will give you a good indication of your eternal standing—saved or lost. Pray that the Holy Spirit would help you fix your mind on the things He is striving to teach you and accomplish in you.
For Further Study
- John 3:6
- Galatians 5:25
- Galatians 6:8
- 1 Peter 4:1–6
- 1 John 2:16