Free From The Flesh

Today's Reading: Romans 8:1-11

Romans 8:5 (ESV) "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 set their minds on the things of the Spirit."

At the beginning of every year, I set goals and resolutions of habits I want to create, tasks I want to complete and things I want to achieve. While I usually start off full of prayer and resolve to rely on God to help me, I quickly default to depending on myself to make it all happen. When it doesn't go as expected, I beat myself up for not being able to muster up enough strength and willpower.

The same is true of my sin when I stop relying on the Holy Spirit. And in today's passage we see the importance of life with the Spirit, in a world of the flesh.

The Greek word for "flesh" is σάρξ and means "the physical aspect of a person in distinction to the immaterial soul; often understood as the seat of sin and rebellion to God." So "flesh" can be interchanged with "sinful humanity."

This is our reality. Apart from Jesus and the Spirit, our world is godless and set on the flesh, or our sinful humanity. "For those who live according to flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh..." (Romans 8:5)

Which is why we need the Spirit. Even Jesus said it was better for Him to go away so we could have a Helper, the Spirit. (John 16:7) This means the Spirit is really important for our life and faith! Romans 8:8 says we "cannot please God" if we are "in the flesh."

How do we know the difference between the flesh and the Spirit?

The flesh leads to death and chaos. The Spirit leads to life. (Romans 8:6; Romans 8:11)

The flesh chooses sin and selfishness. The Spirit chooses righteousness and serving others. (Romans 8:10)

It's the Spirit who enables us to have minds governed by life and peace. (Romans 8:6)

It's the Spirit who enables us to obey God. (Romans 8:3-4)

Our lives are not neutral: We are either becoming more like Christ or more like the world. We are either fighting off our flesh by the power of the Spirit or falling into the sins of the flesh. We are either setting our minds on the world or on God. And what we set our minds on will drive how we think, speak and act.

Romans 8:4 tells us God sent His Son "in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

The law shows us God's will for how to live. Because we have broken the law, the penalty for living for our fleshly desires is death. But if we trust in Jesus, we are free from the condemnation our sin deserves. (Romans 6:23) We are not defined by our past sins or even our future ones. We are transformed by the Spirit.

The very power that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us. (Romans 8:11) Which means, by the Spirit, we are free from our flesh. Free from condemnation. Free from death. Free to live in the freedom that comes in Christ Jesus.

Prayer: God, I praise You for Jesus, who became flesh and lived a sinless life - who died so that He could fulfill the law and give us Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, who enables me to choose life and godliness. Help me to continue to choose to set my mind on the Spirit and die to my flesh. In Jesus' name, amen.

More Moments About Romans 8:1-11

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) These are words we often cling to when we feel shame and guilt. But do we live like these words are true? Do we really live freely, or do we hide and condemn ourselves?

What do we do to overcome the shame and guilt that tries to make us hide?

We can say Romans 8:1 out loud, just as we're encouraged to do in the book of Revelation. (Revelation 1:3) We can confess our sin. We don't let sin define us.

We live out the freedom we've been given in Christ, by the Spirit, and live unashamed of our past mistakes. Not because we boast in our sin but because, through the Spirit, we have been given the power to walk away from it and not be defined by it. And saying it out loud to someone else gives others permission to do the same.

When we say it out loud to someone, sin loses power over us because we are no longer hiding in shame. First John 1:9 says when we confess, Jesus is faithful to forgive us and make us righteous. The enemy wants us to live in the shadows in shame, slaves to sin. But there is no condemnation in Christ. In Christ, we have the Spirit, who gives us all we need to fight our flesh. Let's live like that is true.

Major Moment: The Spirit empowers us to subdue our sinful nature.

This was originally published in the First 5 app as part of the study of Romans: Uncovering the Power of the Gospel and How It Saves Us Every Day.