Studies for such a time as this: Spirit and Flesh in Paul’s Letters In Romans 6, Paul asks a rhetorical question about continuing to sin in order that grace might be multiplied. He answers this question with another: “How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Rom 6:2). This raises the question of why believers still struggle with sin. Are believers somehow defective? Jesus’ death and resurrection not only conquered death once and for all, it enabled believers to have new life as well (Rom 6:4; Col 3:1–3). Paul describes a twofold division between the flesh and the spirit. The flesh refers to God’s originally perfect creation, which is now mortal and in decay as result of sin entering the world through Adam (Rom 5:12). The spirit is the essence of who we are, the part of us that lives on after our physical bodies die. In 2 Corinthians 4:16, Paul contrasts the two, stating that our outer person is being destroyed as our inner one is being renewed. Our physical bodies will continue to decay until Christ returns (1 Cor 15:39–42). When Paul talks about being raised from the dead once we have believed in Jesus (Rom 6:4), he is talking about the spirit rather than the flesh. Second Corinthians 5:17 states, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Here, the old and new refers to our spirits. This is where the ongoing problem of sin arises. Although someday our physical body will indeed be raised and transformed (1 Cor 15:50–52), our new spirits must dwell in our fallen bodies. Previously, our spirits were in bondage to sin, but now our spirits have been set free from this bondage (Rom 6:17–18). Inner Spirit and Outer Flesh The problem of sin for believers stems from the struggle between the new inner spirit and our old sinful flesh. Since our spirits are no longer slaves of sin, we must no longer obey the lusts and desires of the outer person—our flesh (Rom 6:12). Although sinful desires reside in the flesh, we must consider ourselves dead to sin (Rom 6:11; Col 3:5). The only way we can overcome sin in this way is by walking in the Spirit. Paul says that if we live by the Spirit, we will “put to death the deeds of the body” (Rom 8:13). Where we choose to set our mind makes the difference between life and death (Rom 8:6). Living by the Spirit is the only way our new self can overcome the desires of the flesh (Gal 5:16). Paul contrasts the natural consequences of each option: the fruit of the Spirit versus the deeds of the flesh (Gal 5:19–23). When Paul addresses this theme in his letters, he highlights the now and “not yet” tension of the Christian life. The rebirth of our inner spiritual beings enables us to live for God as He intended. But since we continue to live in our earthly bodies, we continue to engage in the battle between flesh and spirit. The key to victory is walking in the Spirit, no longer obeying the desires of the flesh. If we allow our inner spirits to obey the outer flesh, we choose to allow sin to reign over us again (Rom 6:12–13). Paul offers us hope as we wait for the “not yet.” All of creation waits with us for the same restoration and fulfillment of God’s original intention (Rom 8:18–19). - Steven E. Runge Humility Not too long ago, a remarkable woman died in England at age 89. What made her remarkable wasn’t her age, but her former occupation: she had been a spy during World War II. In 1944, she had parachuted into France where she posed as a French woman and sent information back to the British. She was captured by the Germans three times, but she always managed to escape. After her death, her niece called her “a very private and modest person.” She said, “I hope that in death she will be remembered along with other agents with pride and gratitude for the work they did behind enemy lines during the Second World War.” The attitude this woman exhibited is an example of the kind of humility we should all take to heart as Christians. We need an honest appraisal of ourselves; or as Paul says, we ought “not to think of [ourselves] more highly than [we] ought to think” (Rom 12:3). The Phillips translation of this verse makes the point even clearer: “Don’t cherish exaggerated ideas of yourself, or your importance.” Spiritual Pride The biggest danger to being used by God is spiritual pride. When God begins to use us, we might get very narrow in our focus and see ourselves as “God’s gift to the world.” We’re not. We, among many others, are God’s gift to the body of Christ. In Acts 3, Peter and John encountered a crucial crossroads in their ministries. Peter commanded a lame beggar, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk,” and the man was instantly healed. At that point, all of the attention in the temple turned toward these two servants of God. They could have used this attention for their personal advantage, but they didn’t; instead, Peter said, “Men of Israel, why do you look so intently on us, as though we by our own power or godliness made this man walk?” They gave God all of the glory. That is integrity. That is humility. And it takes an honest evaluation. As God begins to use us, we need to be careful that we don’t think, “You know, I’m really something special.” His Instruments When we eat great dessert, we don’t praise the bowl it came in. Or if a skilled surgeon saves the life of someone we love, we don’t praise his scalpel. The same is true of us as Christians: we shouldn’t praise ourselves—the mere instrument—but the one who uses the instrument, God. Pride is a spiritual danger because God does the work, but we love to take the credit. Yet when God uses people who end up thinking more highly of themselves than they ought, He may quickly decide to put them on the shelf and find others who will practice humility and say, “Who am I?” I love what the Apostle Paul says in 1 Cor 4:7: “What do you have that you didn’t receive from God? And if you received it, why do you go around boasting as if it’s of yourself?” I’m reminded of these words when someone compliments me on a sermon. And I’m even more humbled when I recall that God spoke through a donkey in Num 22. He can use anybody. We’re all just His instruments. - Skip Heitzig - via FaithLife Study Bible - via Logos 6 #studiesforsuchatimeasthis #christjesus #theword #studyscripture #god #biblestudy #bible #jesus #faith #holyspirit #bookexcerpts #vineofchristministries
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 20:14:17 +0000
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