THE SPIRIT GIVES LIFE

Romans 8:9-17 / Keywords 8:11

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

 

8:9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[d] because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of[e] his Spirit who lives in you.

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[f] And by him we cry, “Abba,[g] Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Footnotes

d. Romans 8:10 Or you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive

e. Romans 8:11 Some manuscripts bodies through

f. Romans 8:15 The Greek word for adoption to sonship is a term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture; also in verse 23.

g. Romans 8:15 Aramaic for father

1. How can one tell if one is living by the flesh or by the Spirit? By the Spirit itself! The Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) lives in us when we are of the Spirit. To those who are of the Spirit, we have life, even though our mortal bodies will one day die. The Spirit gives our poor mortal bodies victory over sin and death. But that gives us an obligation! Because the Spirit gives us life, and the flesh brings death, our obligation is not to the flesh. It is not to pursue our sinful desires. Our obligation is to the Spirit, to live according to it. By the Spirit our sinful natures are put to death. We cannot live in sin any longer!

 

2. Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. What does that mean? It means we are not slaves to fear, for we have overcome the world (1 Jn 5:4). Instead, the Spirit of God gives us a spirit of sonship. Through the Spirit, we have become sons and daughters of God, and we have the right to call God “Abba, Father!” That makes us heirs of God and co-heirs of Christ. That means we will share in Christ’s glory and share in his suffering.

 

Prayer Father, we cry out to you, Abba, Father! We have become your children through the Spirit of God. My sinful self has been put to death and I live for you.

One Word The Spirit of God lives in us