Living by the Spirit, Part 1

There is an unhappy, even disappointing
aspect to our modern-day Christianity, and I’ve observed it almost as
long as I’ve been a Christian, nearly 40 years. It is our tendency
as evangelical Christians to avoid almost entirely the subject
of the Holy Spirit. Most of us have had quite enough
of our charismatic friends claiming something in Jesus’ name or in
assigning some out-of-the-ordinary occurrence to Him, we’ve been
buffeted by claims of extra-biblical revelation, usually introduced
by the Lord told me or the Spirit told me. And then you add to
that the whole matter of spiritual gifts, especially the supernatural
sign gifts, healings and tongues and words of knowledge and all
the rest. The average Christian recoils
almost and with a desire to hide under a rock. The Gospels and
Acts certainly record that the Holy Spirit manifested numerous
fantastic sign gifts for the authentication of the apostolic
ministry. And today, unfortunately, if
we do not possess one of those remarkable gifts, our charismatic
friends deem us of little faith. Many conservative Christians
start getting really nervous. just at the mere mention of spiritual
gifts or the Holy Spirit. There’s a great deal of errant,
even heretical teaching, misinformation, confusion on the subject of the
Holy Spirit. And so the mention often rattles
the nerves of many believers. And I hope by the end of the
message this morning that you will find that this is not the
case, doesn’t need to be so. We need not shy away from the
subject of the Holy Spirit. In fact, I would say that it’s
wrong to do so. The Holy Spirit, the third member
of the Trinity, has a vital and active role in God’s economy. The Spirit’s role in the Godhead
is that of essentially the executor of God’s will. He is the one
who carries out God’s plan of redemption and his work in the
world. He effected God’s plan of creation,
Christ’s incarnation, and the written revelation, superintending
the transmission of God’s Word to paper. And still today, the
Holy Spirit is actively at work convicting the world concerning
sin and righteousness and judgment. Jesus tells us this in John 16,
8. And one of the truths that is most corrective about our
modern-day ideas about the Holy Spirit is that his special role
is to glorify Christ. John 16, 14. That often goes
quite overlooked in charismatic circles. The Holy Spirit brought
about Christ’s miraculous conception, as I mentioned. He lit upon Jesus,
appearing as a dove at his baptism. He attended Christ and fully
participated in his earthly ministry. And he, like the Father and the
Son, is fully God. He impeccably possesses all of
the divine attributes. intellect, emotions, and will. And as such, the Holy Spirit
is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent, touching humanity. The Spirit was actively involved
at the work of creation. God’s Word says that on that
day when the earth was created and still formless and void,
The Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
The Holy Spirit brings sinners to life, spiritually speaking,
through the fantastic work called regeneration, whereby the dead
sinner is reborn and brought, ultimately, to repentance and
faith. The Spirit not only establishes
the individual as a believer in Christ through regeneration,
but also sustains the believer in the day-to-day, moment-by-moment
Christian walk. Upon saving us, the Holy Spirit
takes up residence. He indwells every believer. This
is a fulfillment of Christ’s promise recorded in John 16 to
provide us as believers a spiritual helper. And he also imparts gifts
to every believer with which to serve Christ and his church. The Holy Spirit is, as I said,
the initiator of salvation, but he continues his work in a believer’s
life by the process of sanctification. making us more and more each
day like Christ, our Savior. And He continues that process
throughout our entire life here on earth. Well, if all of these reasons
are not enough to dissuade us from ignoring the role of the
Holy Spirit, here’s one more reason. Paul’s dissertation about
Him in Romans chapter 8. Would God’s people please turn
to Romans chapter 8. Paul has already completed the
opening section of this incredible chapter, a section that discussed
that the believer is established in Christ first and foremost. The divine assistance is rendered
to us by the Son, the Lord Jesus. But Paul turns the corner in
verse 12 to essentially make application of that, what he
has said in those first 11 verses. And in doing so, he zeroes in
on the divine assistance rendered by the Holy Spirit. And it’s
important to note that Paul’s discussion on the Holy Spirit
is the longest and fullest discussion about any of the three members
of the Godhead. Paul wants us to know explicitly
how great the role of the Holy Spirit is in our sanctification. And we are still in the third
great section of Paul’s letter, that of sanctification, which
he introduced back in chapter 6. verse 1, and his treatment
of the subject of sanctification will course all the way down
to the end of chapter 8. I’ve characterized this chapter
as divine assistance in the life of the Christian, and we’ve already
considered that the Christian’s life is established in Christ
Jesus, 1 through 11. And we will discuss, even if
briefly, the Christian’s life is ordained by the Heavenly Father
in 28 through 30. But here, in the heart of this,
what I’ve already told you is the greatest chapter of the greatest
treatise ever written, Paul moves to tell us that the Christian’s
life is sustained by the Spirit of God. Verses 12 through 27. If you’re there, if you would
just glance down, Romans 8, beginning in verse 12, we’ll take it, the
section on the Holy Spirit in its entirety this morning. So then brethren, we are under
obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die. But
if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body,
you will live. For all who are being led by
the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you have
not received the spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you
have received the spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out,
Abba, Father. The Spirit himself bears witness
with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, heirs
also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. if indeed
we suffer with him, in order that we may also be glorified
with him. For I consider that the sufferings
of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing
of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons
of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not of
its own will, but because of him who subjected it in hope
that the creation itself will be set free from its slavery
to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children
of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers
the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this,
but also we ourselves having the first fruits of the Spirit,
even we ourselves grown within ourselves, waiting eagerly for
our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have
been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope. For why does
one also hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do
not see, with perseverance we eagerly Wait for it. And in the same way, the Spirit
also helps our weakness. For we do not know how to pray
as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with
groanings too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts
knows what the mind of the Spirit is because he intercedes for
the saints according to the will of God. Now this section of scripture,
I told you it’s a lengthy section, the most lengthy about any of
the three members of the deity. Regarding the Holy Spirit’s health
for believers, it breaks up very nicely into three sections. Just
glance at it briefly. In the verses before us this
morning, verses 12 through 15, Paul speaks of an assuring confidence. an appreciation that embraces
new life. In verses 16 through 25, he tells
of an affirmation that promises inheritance. And in verses 26
and 27, he points to an intercession that overcomes inability. And
we’ll consider those other two sections in the weeks ahead,
but let’s begin with the opening paragraph about the divine assistance
granted to believers through the Holy Spirit there in verses
12 through 15. life according to the Spirit,
and essentially what Paul is doing here is calling us to fulfill
our calling to live as we ought to live. And the first thing
that Paul tells us is that the Holy Spirit imparts confidence
to his children. The Holy Spirit imparts confidence
to his children. Look at verse 12. So then brethren,
we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according
to the flesh. Now it’s clear that Paul begins
a new subject here. We know that because he starts
with, so then. He basically is expanding upon
what he has said already in verses one through 11. essentially this,
that because the believer is established in Christ, so then
there must be development. There must be growth. And Paul
states it as an obligation on the part of the Christian. We
are under obligation, he says, and he opts to use a very remarkable
word here, obligation, Essentially, this word speaks of indebtedness. That’s how the word is used in
the New Testament. Just listen to a few. In Matthew
6, 12, you know this verse, forgive us our debts as we forgive our
debtors, used twice in that statement by Christ. The same thing in
Matthew 18, speaking of the unmerciful slave who was the one who owed,
was indebted to his king, this massive debt. That’s our word,
he owed. He had a financial obligation
to this king. And Paul uses the word in the
same way here in this very book, Book of Romans. In 114, he says,
I am under obligation. I owe these people to preach
the gospel. I’m under obligation to Greeks,
to barbarians, to wise, to foolish, to preach the gospel. He considered
it an obligation because God had shown him mercy and placed
him in his service. Paul owed God a debt of gratitude,
a debt of service. Now remember, As Paul explained
in chapter six, remember chapter six? We have a new master as believers, but we still have
debts. We still have obligations. Now
we don’t answer to our flesh any longer. The flesh is no longer
our master. The devil is no longer our master. Now we are indebted to the Holy
Spirit. And so here Paul says that the
Christian owes a debt of appreciation to God that should be exhibited
in his or her embrace of the Holy Spirit’s work. Let me explain. The Christian in whom Christ
has begun the work of salvation has a responsibility to cast
off the flesh and its sinful desires, We’ve been rescued from
the bondage and the domain of sin. We’re no longer under condemnation,
Romans 8, 1. And now we have a mandate to
live differently. And we have the means to do so. We’re no longer enslaved to sin. Paul states it negatively here,
that we have an obligation not to the flesh, to live according
to the flesh. And by this, he indicates that
this is our natural tendency. In our flesh, our motives are
sinful. Our affections are sinful. Our
deeds are sinful. Our sinful flesh is at war with
God and His ways. That’s our natural tendency. But while he only expresses this
obligation negatively, behind it, unspoken, there is
an equally positive implication here. We just glance once again
at verse 12. We are under obligation not to
the flesh to live according to the flesh, and the implication
is that we are under obligation to the Spirit to live according
to the Spirit. The positive side of that equation
is clearly implied here. Essentially, he says that we
are under obligation to the Spirit We’ve been emancipated from the
devil’s control. Our allegiance and our submission
is now to Christ and to his Spirit. How do we do that? Well, God
has not left us alone. In a chapter that essentially
declares divine assistance to the believer, Paul now wants
us to consider the divine assistance rendered to us through the Holy
Spirit. God didn’t just merely give us a jumpstart as Christians,
set us in motion, save us and set us free to be carried along
to heaven merely by inertia. Humanly speaking, verse 12 commands
the impossible. An obligation not to the flesh,
to live according to the flesh. It’s one of the greatest frustrations
we face is trying to live that way on our own, on our own power. What is obviously implied that
we are instead under obligation to the Spirit, to live according
to the Spirit, It’s all perfectly reasonable and logical, but it’s
impossible to any person on their own strength. But we’re not operating on our
own any longer. We’re not limited to only our
own desires and impetus, our own strength. God knows that better than us.
And because of that, he has provided divine assistance, divine enablement
here. Instead of leaving us to our
own energy to accomplish this spiritual feat, God opens the
floodgates. As Peter says in 2 Peter 1, 3,
he’s given us everything pertaining to life. and salvation. And so the Holy Spirit imparts
confidence to God’s children, and he does so by what I would
characterize as a cascade of means, three in particular. The Holy Spirit is imparting
this confidence to his children because he provides the means
to do so, first of all, mortification of sin that leads to life. mortification
of sin that leads to life. Would you just glance? And I’ll
read the passage in its entirety, verse 12 and 13. So then, brethren,
we are under obligation not to the flesh to live according to
the flesh. For if you are living according
to the flesh, you must die. But if by the Spirit you are
putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Paul
intentionally paints a grim picture. It gives us reality. He tells
us what is true and right. It’s a grim picture. Living according
to the flesh brings death. That isn’t a new thought. Earlier
in this chapter, Paul introduced a sobering equation. Would you
glance back, please, at verse 5, chapter 8, verse 5? read a few verses along with
me. Those who are according to the flesh set their minds on
the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the
spirit, the things of the spirit. Two completely different people
with a completely different approach to their spiritual life. Verse
six, for the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind
set on the spirit is life and peace. because the mind set on
the flesh is hostile toward God, for it does not subject itself
to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so. And those
who are in the flesh cannot please God. He tells us here that in
our natural condition, in our sinful flesh, we are cultivating
our own death. The mind of the flesh, and the
mind rather set on the flesh, is death, as Paul summarizes
there in verse 6. In our natural condition, that
is outside of Christ and his work in our lives, we are hostile
toward God. We are at enmity, that is at
war with a holy God. And in that fleshly, sinful state,
we cannot please God. Those who are not in Christ cannot
do a single thing to catch God’s eye for good, to encourage Him
to move in their direction, unless God, by His grace, steps in and
saves us. Our spiritual trajectory is death. You must die, Paul says. He’s
not suggesting here that if a Christian suddenly has a lapse into some
sinful act of the flesh, that salvation is lost and he’s now
back on a trajectory towards death. Rather, if a person is
marked by such fleshly living, if that essentially describes
their life, he or she does not bear the signs of a saved person,
and as a result, is still doomed, never saved to begin with. Paul
has reiterated again and again in this letter that sin brings
death. 512, through one man sin entered the
world and death through sin, death spread to all men because
all sinned. 521, sin reigned in death. 616, sin resulted in death. 623, the wages of sin is death
and on and on and on. But the Christian need not be
burdened by that equation. Christ Jesus has set us free
from the law of sin and death. And like a soldier on the winning
side of a great battle, the Christian has new means for the battle
against sin in the flesh. And that means of waging spiritual
warfare is the Holy Spirit. We are indwelled by the very
Spirit of God for the course of this battle. I’ll say it with
utmost clarity, it is by the Spirit, and it is only by the
Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God, that we can even begin to fight
on this battlefield, let alone advance or become victorious. We do so through developing a
principled life by nourishing ourselves in the Word and by
prayer, by conviction when we stray, by confession of sin dealt
with properly, and by application of a greater measure of God’s
grace for change. Paul speaks of putting to death
the deeds of the body. These deeds of which Paul speak
point directly to those sinful actions and activities that are
so common to our natural lives. The Puritans spoke of this spiritual
effort as mortification, the mortification of sin. It quite
literally means to consider as dead. And the form of the verb
here in the present tense indicates that this is an ongoing, day-by-day,
moment-by-moment campaign. We don’t put to death sin once
and for all and consider it done. It’s not a one-and-done proposition.
The battle against the flesh is a continual operation. In
Galatians 5.24, Paul likewise spoke in unmistakable language
there to those who belong to Jesus Christ have crucified the
flesh and its passions and desires. He flatly commanded likewise
the Colossian church to consider as dead the members of your earthly
body. Remember, just as Jesus Christ
died to sin once for all, we too died with Christ by our saving
trust in him. This dying to sin points to a
zealous rooting out and eradicating sinful thoughts and desires and
practices. Peter urged the same of believers. 1 Peter 2.11, abstain from fleshly
lusts which wage war against the soul. Think of this Christian
life as a war, a battlefield, but it’s a battlefield to the
death. And it’s either you or sin. One winner, one loser. This is the most practical element
of sanctification, dealing with sin. And it’s done by means of
confession. following conviction by God’s
Holy Spirit together with the application of grace in order
to pursue righteousness, obey Christ and his word, walk as
God would have us to walk. That’s all by the power of the
Holy Spirit. And in direct contrast to the
inevitable effects of sin, that of death, Paul says here, if
we mortify the flesh, we will live. You know that the kind
of life to which Paul refers here, it’s eternal life. Not
merely an extension or even an enhancement to our life here
on earth. To be clear, this is not the
child of God earning or even securing as a reward his everlasting
life. I’ve said it many times, the
same God who begins the work of salvation in a person’s life
continues the work of sanctification. That’s what Paul’s discussing.
Sanctification. And in that even, God gets the
credit. God gets the glory. And so first
of all, the first thing that the Spirit pours out here for
us is a mortification of sin that leads to life. Secondly,
we find in verse 14, guidance that reveals us as sons. Guidance
that reveals us as sons. Just one verse, look at verse
14. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are
the sons of God. Paul issues a statement, essentially
supporting his thoughts of the previous two verses. And in so
doing, he provides this second element of our obligation or
appreciation of the Spirit’s work in our life, confidence
builder. The whole reason that someone,
anyone, is able to put to death the deeds of the body is because
they are led by the Spirit of God. which itself is an unmistakable
indication that they are part of God’s family. They are sons
of God, he calls them. Whenever anyone mentions to me
that, you know, in some kind of morose and sad way that they’re
under conviction of the Holy Spirit, I basically say, praise
God. That’s a sign of life. We should
be under conviction. We should be under a lot more
conviction than we ever actually enter into. It’s a weighty phrase
here that Paul uses. It speaks of those who are of
a similar likeness to God, this sons of God. Jesus said in Matthew
5 9, blessed are the peacemakers for they should be called sons
of God. It speaks of a likeness to God. They will be like God in this
peacemaking character. As sons of God, they garner a
special love and affection by God. They are as His own sons,
His children. As Paul synthesized the Old Testament
in this regard, four or five verses, as I recall, 2 Corinthians
6.18, I will be a father to you. You shall be sons and daughters
to me, says God. Such saved people are able to
engage in the battle of death against sin because they are
saved, not in order to be saved. Christian enjoys guidance that
is proof they are part of God’s family. A man of the world can’t
do this. He cannot mortify the flesh.
He doesn’t even desire to do so. He doesn’t even know what
sin is. Only a Christian, only a child
of God desires this and is able to carry it forth. It’s a clear
indication that they are led by the Spirit of God. This leading
of the Spirit is not like our all too common version so often
claimed in our day. It’s not a mere impression. It’s
not a feeling. It’s an actual leading out of
sin, away from sin, and onto holiness. That’s what Paul speaks
of when he talks about being led by the Spirit. The believer
may be conscious of this by his or her unnatural ability to love
and obey God’s Word. Who but a child of God can do
that? Paul referred to this same dynamic
in verse four. There he referred to it as walking
in the Spirit. He urges the Galatians to do
the same spiritual pursuit when he commands believers there in
516 to walk by the Spirit. Walk by the Spirit and you will
not carry out the desire of the flesh. It’s exactly what Paul
is urging here. To be led, controlled by, guided
by the Holy Spirit? Only a person guided by God’s
Spirit can do this. What safer course to heavenly
glory is there than to walk according to God’s own Spirit? The Holy Spirit leads us by conviction
of sin. bringing the wayward believer
to repentance and granting the necessary grace to be forgiven
and restored together with the Spirit’s divine enablement to
put away such sinful desires, to grow in righteousness. Such
a person, the Spirit illuminates God’s Word, warns us of temptation,
reveals to us the tendencies and the affections of an ungodly
culture. We see it for what it is. He
teaches us about our weaknesses. He convicts us of our sinful
missteps. In short, this is the process
of sanctification, encouraging us to righteousness. Only a child
of the King, only one being led by the Spirit can do this. The
third part of this cascade. The Holy Spirit imparts confidence
to God’s children because he provides the means of mortification
that leads to life, guidance that reveals us as sons, and
thirdly, acceptance that engenders affection. When this kicks in, you’re going
to love God more, he says. Look at verse 15. For you have
not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you
have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out,
Abba, Father. Here, Paul closes this opening
section on the Holy Spirit, and there’s so much more to come.
He closes with an affirmation of the thought of verse 14. He
offers proof here that they are indeed sons of God. Namely, they
have been emancipated. They have been bought by God. Their season of slavery, at least
slavery to sin, has ended. It’s over. And he calls it here
in verse 15, a spirit of slavery. Now, I have to tell you, There
is a big, long-running debate here on the exact meaning of
the word spirit used twice in this verse. Spirit of slavery,
spirit of adoption. Is it Spirit, Holy Spirit, with
a capital S? Or is Paul using this common
word to refer to the human spirit? I believe that it’s the latter. Paul is referring to the prevailing
attitude that comes with slavery, the prevailing attitude that
comes by having been adopted into God’s family. If you will,
the demeanor, the mindset, the disposition that attends each
of those conditions. To have the spirit of slavery,
to be under the spirit of slavery would certainly include a sullenness. You have no freedom. It might
even include a bitterness. It certainly would include a
longing to be free. That’s the spirit of slavery.
And as Christians, we’re no longer under that demeanor. True, it is that we as believers
have been enslaved now to God, but our slavery to him is not
one of drudgery and vexation. No longer are we slaves of another,
but we are now in Christ, sons of God. And it is a pleasant
surrender. It’s a different kind of slavery
entirely. This is what Paul referred to
when he distinguishes the kind of slavery under which the Christian
now finds himself. It’s no longer a slavery of fear, It’s a dramatically different
thing than the kind of slavery we knew as sinners. As Christians,
we no longer stand under that dark, fearful cloud of judgment. The service that we now render
is not out of slavish fear. I better obey or else. But it’s an obedience that comes
from the heart, a heart of love to the one who redeemed us. This
love comes again from the fact that we are no longer outsiders. We have been drawn in, we have
been declared God’s own children, part of God’s family. We have,
to use Paul’s metaphor here, been adopted. And just as the
spirit of slavery referred to the whole mindset, all the sentiments
of that bondage, So also the spirit of adoption signifies
wayward ones, orphans, brought into a forever home, a family. And that by of the most magnificent
kind, the family of God. You remember the parable of the
prodigal son, don’t you? Paul’s words here elicit that
same image of a wayward son returning home, expecting only to get a
job on his father’s farm as a hired hand. His father would have none
of it, would he? He immediately commands his servants
to bring out the best robe, put a ring on his hand and sandals
on his feet. In other words, the father receives
him back fully and completely. That’s the image here of our
adoption into God’s family. We’re not second-class citizens.
We’re not paupers, outsiders of the kingdom. We dwell and
we belong in the very halls and courts of the king’s great castle. We’re not born into this privilege,
but by the king’s doing, we have been made part of his family. whereby he found us wretched
and undeserving, and he took us to himself and made us his
own. And with one final intimate flair,
Paul characterizes the kind of relationship that the Christian
now has with their adoptive father. We’re not as so many stepchildren
afraid to even call out We’re those who now cry out, Abba,
Father. And we have many reasons to call
out. We may be in some great need.
We may cry out because we’re overwhelmed by our circumstances. We may cry out in joy. The bottom
line, we know to whom we cry out. As Paul so delicately puts
it here, it is to our Abba, Father. This beautiful name, Abba, is
the Aramaic name that a child, a little child, would use to
call out to his loving father. It’s akin to our English word,
daddy. And the word used three times in the New Testament, all
three of which illustrate the most intimate relationship between
a father and a child. One of those occasions, Mark
14, Jesus uses that in the garden of Gethsemane, Mark 14, as he
cries out to his own heavenly father. This Abba immediately declares
trust and confidence to the one to whom the child calls. It’s
not the terminology of the house servant or a slave. This is one
of the father’s own children. just like that restored prodigal. We are bestowed as God’s children
the privilege of calling upon him as one of his own children. We’re not intruders. We’re not
a source of irritation to him. We’re not a bother. We are his
children. This is the blessing that the
Holy Spirit has bestowed upon us, part of that cascade of blessings
that is designed to grant us great encouragement and confidence
in the relationship that we have with Him. The Holy Spirit provides
this divine assistance. Let’s praise God for it. Our merciful God, Not a one of
us could have earned this. Not a one of us could have ever
secured this on our own, by our own deeds. Lord God, we know
that you have moved in our life. While we were still in our sins,
you awakened us from the sleep of death by regeneration. Father, Even by this passage
alone, you remind us that you are the one that is cultivating
confidence in our hearts. This is your purpose in granting
us the grace to put to death the sinful flesh, the sinful
inclinations and thoughts. You are the one that grants us
guidance, not little incremental silly things here and there.
but the guidance that shows and proves that we are your children.
Lord, we thank you for the privilege that we have to call out to you
as our loving Heavenly Father. And Father, if there are any
in our midst who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, they are
not indwelled by the Spirit. They do not have the means to
set aside their sin. That comes after they are saved. So we plead with you that you
would impress upon any here who do not know the Lord Jesus that
it is by faith in him and in him alone that we are saved. And only then does the Holy Spirit
take up residence in us and give us the means for this battle
against sin. Father, we thank you so much.
We thank you for those of us who have walked with Christ in
Christ by means of your spirit for many years. We thank you
as we look over our shoulder at the wretchedness, the putridness
of our sin from which you have saved us. Lord, we thank you. And we know that there is much
work to be done in our lives, and we thank you for the Holy
Spirit within us that is day by day sanctifying us, making
us more and more like Christ for your glory. We pray all of
these things in Jesus’ name, amen.