The Spirit of Life
Romans 8:1-14
Therefore
Paul begins Chapter 8 with the Greek word ara, which is translated here as “therefore”, indicting yet another conclusion drawn during his extended argument in which he has at times taken both sides, the side of the Gospel on one hand and the side of various objectors on the other. If we look at the “road” behind us we can see the highlights of the argument so far.
Paul has said that the glory of God is no secret, as it is made known through all creation, and because of this we are all without excuse (1:19-20). This is not just a matter of whether or not we are ignorant, but in fact we are all sinners (3:23). Despite the fact that we are sinners, God loves us, and gave his son to die for us (5:8). Though we deserve death, not simply physical death, but eternal separation from God, instead we have been the free gift of life in Christ (6:23).
As he has made these and other arguments, Paul has continually inserted the voice of one challenging or misunderstanding his statements, and he has spent a great deal of energy in trying to clear up misunderstandings about the law in particular. And, indeed, Paul says many things about the law that are easy to misunderstand. We must always remember that what Paul has to say about the law, he says in the context of salvation. The law is not a means to salvation, and was never intended to be. We are saved by the grace of God and no amount of dedication to the law, or anything else that we ourselves attempt to do, can save us.
Paul concludes the previous chapter with a confession that is a summary of the human condition:
So, then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. (7:25b)
Spirit and Flesh
It is this statement that is most directly addressed by Paul’s “therefore” in verses 1-8. If we want in our minds to obey God’s law, but are prevented by our very nature, what is our condition? How can we be saved? Paul also asks this question at the end of Chapter 7: “Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (7:24b)
We may be “wretched”, we may be sinners, and we may think of ourselves as worthless and irredeemable, but we are not condemned by God. How is this possible? Paul says it is because of another kind of law, the law of the Spirit. While the “law of sin” brings death, the law of the Spirit brings life.
In this passage, Paul contrasts the idea of the Spirit with the idea of “the flesh”, as his words are correctly translated by the KJV. In the NIV, it is most often translated as “sinful nature”. This is to try to convey the meaning of Paul’s use of the word, which is to express an idea of the worldly, self-centered nature of man without God. In verse 5, he says that those who live “by the flesh” have their minds occupied by the appetites of nature. Now, we have to be careful in interpreting what Paul says here in complete context. Paul has addressed many possible traps in our thinking, and one of them is to view nature, including our nature, as irredeemably corrupt: it does not matter what we do, because we are only human, and therefore corrupt by our very nature. Paul himself says in verse 8: “Those controlled by their sinful nature cannot please God.”
Paul, however, did not see humanity as worthless, nor, to our great advantage, does God.
The Obligation
In verses 9-14, Paul says there is an option. We do have a choice. There is a way for us to please God. We do not have to be controlled by the appetites of this world. We can, instead, be lead by the Spirit. Where our efforts apart from God lead us to death, the Spirit gives us life. Paul cannot mean mere physical life and death. We will all die. Paul is talking about something else, something that surpasses our life and overcomes our death. He calls this the Spirit of Life.
And, we have an obligation, Paul says, which is not to this life. In fact, we have an obligation to lay down this life.
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:37-39 NIV)
What does it mean? How, on the one hand can Paul say that we are sinners by nature, and on the other that we must be led by the Spirit? If it is our nature to sin, how can we follow the Spirit? And what can Christ mean when he says that we must lose our lives in order to find them?
There may be many ways to address this question, but Paul has been struggling to show that it matters how we live our lives. Separate from God (“in the flesh,” as Paul puts it) we are self-centered pagans; our lives mean nothing because we can achieve nothing. We can struggle all we want against nature, but nature will ultimately win. We can achieve all the wealth we want, but we will lose it. We can build buildings, write songs, dream dreams, but it will all be for nothing.
Children of God
But we have another option. We can become children of God. If we are as hopeless as Paul has described us, why would God have us as his children? If we have no value in this world, why would God, in the form of Christ, give himself to save us?
The answer is not to be found in us, or anywhere in this world. Our value comes from the love of God. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with our nature, with the way we were made, but we were not made to live apart from God.
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. (Psalm 100:3-5)
