Romans 8:5-13

⁵ For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. ⁸ So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹ But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. ¹⁰ And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. ¹² Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. ¹³ For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

In our series, “More Than Conquerors,” we have unpacked some of the greatest truths for a Christian found in the New Testament. True Christians have a new identity, a new master, a new relationship to God’s Law, an ongoing battle with sin, and ultimate victory through the work of Jesus. This week, we will look at what God has done in His grace to help us be obedient disciples of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the fullness of God with the believer. He is God, the Holy Spirit, fully God. When a person believes on the Lord Jesus, they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and become the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Additionally, believers are “sealed with the Holy Spirit,” an analogy of identification, protection, and preservation (Ephesians 1:13-14). In our battle with sin, while we await the day when we are totally set free from our body of death, what does the Holy Spirit do in our lives? There are three things that can be drawn from this passage that the Holy Spirit does in the life of every believer.

First, the Holy Spirit gives us guidance. He leads us and guides us into the truth (John 16:13). Before, we were driven and guided by our fallen nature, the flesh, into sin. Now, we have the Holy Spirit with us to lead us and guide us into the truth and obedience. In Romans 8:5-8, Paul lays out the contrast between the lost and saved individual. Lost people are “carnally minded” and “after the flesh.” They are “at enmity against God,” not subject to the Law of God,” and “cannot please God.” This is not true of the believer. While the believer still has the flesh to contend with, the Holy Spirit indwells, leads, and guides the believer in opposition to the flesh. It is important to understand that Paul is not saying that a believer can never think sinfully or never sin. Instead, he is describing the general pattern of life for the saved versus the unsaved. Believers are guided by the Spirit. The lost are guided by the flesh. Paul wrote about what believers must do in relation to the Spirit’s leading in Galatians 5:16, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Believers are called to be “filled” with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). This does not describe how much of the Holy Spirit we get, because we get all of Him we will ever get when we get saved. It describes how surrendered we are, or how much of us the Holy Spirit has in surrender and obedience to His leading.

Second, Paul tells us that the Spirit gives us life. He imparts spiritual life to us and revives us. The real issue that all people have is that they are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). They are separated from God and cut off from the life of God. Through the death of Jesus and the Holy Spirit’s presence, believers are now alive to God. We know God and are known of Him (John 17:3). We are made new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Holy Spirit permanently seals and indwells a believer “unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 1:13-14). Believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). It is, therefore, a guarantee of two things for the believer. The same Spirit that rose Jesus from the dead gives eternal life to us now and will one day raise us up just as Jesus rose from the dead.

Third, Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit empowers us. He not only leads us to obedience, but empowers us to obey. He shows us what to do and then gives us the ability to do it. The continual life that the believer is called to is one of dying to self and following Christ (Luke 9:23). The Holy Spirits enables us to do that. That process is called sanctification. It is us being gradually set apart from sin to God. Believers are called in verse 13 to “mortify (put to death) the deeds of the body.” Here, Paul states this action as if it is characteristic of the life of the believer. While a believer will certainly still struggle with sin, the believer will, with the Spirit’s help, gradually put to death the works of the flesh in their lives. We will experience setbacks and failings along the way. However, the progression of our lives with the Spirit’s presence is toward holiness and growing obedience.

Do you have the Holy Spirit? Is the Spirit’s presence a reality in your life? Paul makes it clear that all believers have the Holy Spirit saying in Romans 8:9, “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”  Believers are saved and sealed eternally by the Holy Spirit, the very moment that we believe. The Holy Spirit leads the lost world to understand their need for a Jesus (John 16:5-11). Have you answered the Spirit’s initial leading to salvation? As a believer, will you surrender to the Spirit’s leading in your life in obedience to God?