Second Lesson: Romans 8: 1-11
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
I remember the first time I attended a Pentecostal worship service. It was actually a funeral service for the grandmother of one of my next door neighbors. My mom warned me before we attended that I would be seeing some things I wasn’t accustomed to. I wasn’t exactly sure what that would be until the service started. Right away, I understood. The pastor began leading the congregation in prayer, and suddenly, I started hearing, "Thank you, Jesus." , "Amen.", and "Yes, Lord." all around me. Next thing I knew a few others started mumbling things that I couldn’t understand in the least. When hymns were sang, folks started raising their hands and moving with the music. It was rather much to take in for this young Lutheran kid whose congregation’s idea of emotional expression was a firm handshake while telling the pastor, "Good sermon." For heaven’s sake, I don’t even remember anyone nodding their heads in agreement when the pastor preached as I grew up. We just didn’t emote. Period.
Those of you who have been exposed to more of the fundamentalist/Pentecostal sects of Christianity know what I am talking about though. As I have grown older and studied more about the different expressions of Christianity, I have come to understand the religious fervor these groups bring to the table. Although, I must confess, I don’t quite understand the groups that handle poisonous snakes. That one escapes me. But I do understand a little more the emotional output by those who speak in tongues and express themselves in prayer and in sermons. They call it living and worshiping in the Spirit. While it hasn’t exactly been my form of worship, I have come to appreciate it as a method of some Christians expressing themselves as they come before the Almighty. They truly believe they are caught up in the Spirit, and perhaps they are. I’m not really one to judge that.
However, my approach to living in the Spirit is a little different. My approach stems from Paul’s teachings on living in the Spirit, and this evening we have one of them before us from the book of Romans the 8th Chapter.
Now, Paul can be a little convoluted in his argumentation, and this particular text squarely falls into that category. It seems a little difficult to comprehend as we wade through it, so let’s place it in the larger context of the Book of Romans and into the message Paul is trying to convey. Paul is trying to tell everyone the consequences of Jesus’ death and resurrection. He is trying to tell everyone how Jesus’ death and resurrection ha changed things.
Before Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Jewish folks were bound by the law of Moses. They were required to fulfill the laws found in the first five books of the Old Testament. Such laws were summarized in the Ten Commandments, and they were expounded upon in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In order to win God’s favor and live holy and righteous lives, these laws must be satisfied. However, there was one problem. No matter how hard the people tried, they could not satisfy the law. One thing after another led them astray. Whether it was selfish gain, a rebellion against the rules, temptations offered by another culture, or you name it, folks were not able to satisfy the demands of the law.
Therefore, God acted through Jesus Christ to abolish the punishment for disobeying the law. No longer was anyone condemned if they could not follow the law. Christ had atoned for that in his death and resurrection. All who were in Christ Jesus did not have to worry about getting on God’s good side by following all the rules and regulations. Christ had taken care of that. This is where the reading from the book of Romans begins.
But, a question is now raised. How must I live my life now? If I am no longer required to satisfy the requirements of the law, do I have to do anything? Well, Paul doesn’t come up with a list of dos and don’ts. That would be tantamount to offering another round of law. Instead Paul encourages followers of Jesus to live in the Spirit.
5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Paul encourages the followers of Jesus to set their minds on the Spirit and living by the Spirit. If the Spirit of God dwells within us, as Paul articulates, we should do everything possible to foster that Spirit, listen to that Spirit, and act according to that Spirit.
"But what does that entail?" you might ask.
Good question.
Fortunately, we do not have to look too far to ascertain the difference between living in the flesh and living in the Spirit. Paul in the book of Galatians outlines it beautifully in chapter five. Take a listen:
19Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Paul lays the works of the flesh out there. Doing these things are living by the flesh and not the Spirit of God, and Paul says that if you are doing them, you really haven’t experienced God’s grace.
And what is living by God’s grace? What is living by the Spirit? Paul continues, "22By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things."
What you just heard my brothers and sisters in Christ are the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Having such things manifest in your life means you are living in the Spirit, and it goes much farther than simply speaking in tongues, saying "Amen" during a prayer or sermon, or raising your hands during worship. Living in the Spirit means these things are ever present in your lives as you seek to bear the fruit of Christ and bear witness to His redeeming Word in your daily walk.
So what does this mean for you and for me? I would argue that these fruits: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, generosity, faithfulness, and self-control offer us a healthy guide in all that we say and do. I believe they help us to check our motivations for doing things. When we chart a course of action, are we acting out of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, generosity, faithfulness, and self-control? If we are, we are truly setting our mind on the Spirit. Amen.
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