Transcript

In New York Harbor, there is a lady who stands tall. She holds a torch in her hand, giving light. Inscribed on the pedestal upon which this lady stands are these famous words:

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

We know this lady as the Statue of Liberty, and she stands in New York Harbor with a crown on her head that has seven spikes.

The spikes speak of 7 seas and 7 continents. In other words, no matter where you are in the world, you can come to America and find freedom…You can come because Lady Liberty is holding a torch to show the way.

The date of America’s independence is etched in the tablet she holds, July 4, 1776. She stands on a pedestal comprised of 13 layers of brick, symbolizing the 13 original colonies.

With Lady Liberty’s right foot, she is portrayed as stepping forward and not standing still, but continually on the move, bringing freedom to others. With her left foot, she steps on a broken chain and shackle, commemorating the national abolition of slavery in America.

There are many symbols that represent our freedom as Americans, such as the Statue of Liberty, the American flag, the Declaration of Independence, and the Liberty Bell.

But one symbol above all others represents true freedom to all people everywhere. And that symbol is the Cross. No other symbol comes close to the true meaning of freedom like the Cross. By the Cross, we have been set free from both the penalty and power of sin.

And we are called to live in that spiritual freedom by grace and to do so in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:3-4: “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Romans 7 teaches that we battle against the sin nature that dwells in us. It reminds us that in our flesh there is no good thing and that this enemy within can still control, defeat us, and make us captive to its desires.

And Romans 7 proves that doing right requires more than just a determination to do it. We need deliverance and we need strength from God. And Romans 8 tells us that God has provided both.

Paul wrote in verse 3, “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh…” In this passage, Paul refers to the law of Moses and provides a contrast between what the law could not do and what God did do.

When Paul says, “For what the law could not do,” it refers to how the law cannot make people righteous. It does justify us or cause one to be declared righteous by God.

And the law cannot produce a righteous life or sanctify us. The law could not condemn sin in the flesh, meaning it could not render sin powerless or put sin to death in a person’s life.

The reason it cannot is because “it was weak through the flesh.” The trouble is not with the law, but with the flesh, our sin nature.

The Law was powerless to make a person righteous because of the flesh and our inability to keep the law. Thus, the law could not free us from sin and condemnation.

Instead of producing righteousness in us, the law provokes the flesh and causes the old, sin nature to rear up in rebellion against it and to do what it commands us not to do.

The corruption of the flesh makes the law powerless to justify the unbeliever or to sanctify and keep sin out of the lives of believers.

The law commands and demands righteousness, but it does not provide the means to achieve that righteousness. The law detects sin, but it does not defeat sin in our lives.

But what the law could not do and was unable to do for man, God can do and did do through His Son. As Paul stated, “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.”

Out of His great love, God sent “His own Son,” to deal with our sin and to deliver us from it by the Cross.

God’s Son was sent from heaven, and He took on flesh and was “in the likeness of sinful flesh.” Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul chose his words carefully here.

Christ came in the LIKENESS of sinful flesh, but not in sinful flesh. Christ was both sinless and a real human being. He had real flesh, but it was not sinful flesh. Christ was fully human and He was completely without sin.

As 1 John 3:5 states, “And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin.”

Dr. Henry Morris stated, “Outwardly the flesh of [Christ’s] human body was exactly like that of other human bodies, but it had been preserved free from inherent sin by His miraculous conception and virgin birth, then kept free from actual sin by His sinless life. Thus His flesh was sinless flesh.”

Christ came “in the likeness of sinful flesh, AND FOR SIN.” Christ came to this world to do something about sin. He came for the purpose of giving His life as an offering for sin as our Substitute.

God dealt with sin by sending His Son to this world. God the Son took on a human body and was in the likeness of sinful flesh.

And at the Cross, the Father “made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin.” And by His perfect, all-sufficient work, Christ “condemned sin in the flesh.”

The law does condemn sin in the sense of exposing it for what it truly is, and in the sense of declaring its curse and penalty of death. But the law is unable to condemn sin in the sense of judging, defeating, and delivering us from our sins and sin nature.

But Christ, the Son of God, can and did condemn sin and deliver us from it by the Cross, and Christ overpowered, subdued, and vanquished sin and the sin nature (2 Pet. 2:6).

By His sacrifice, Christ won complete victory over sin. Christ sentenced and condemned sin by His death on the Cross. He judged sin, took away its claim on us, removed its penalty, and broke its power, bondage, and rule.

And William MacDonald stated this, “As a sacrifice for sin, Christ condemned sin in the flesh. He died not only for the sins which we commit but also for our sin nature. In other words, He died for what we are just as much as for what we have done.”

The flesh, or our old, sin nature, is sin’s source. It is the seat and origin of our transgressions, and it was crucified with Christ.

By the Cross, it has now been condemned, judged, and dealt with judicially by God. The flesh has been condemned, but not yet removed, as this awaits the redemption of the body at the Rapture.

But the cross has condemned sin in the flesh so that now, in the present, sin’s control has been broken, sin’s dominion has been deposed, sin’s influence has been crippled, and sin’s bondage has been loosed, and sin has lost its hold and grip upon us.

This was not possible by the law, because of the weakness of our flesh. But through the cross, we have been freed and delivered from sin’s power.

And this deliverance is so “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

God delivers us from sin’s power by the Cross, and then in giving us the Spirit, He further enables us to live free of the dominion of the sin nature and to live in righteousness.

We should note that Paul says, “that the RIGHTEOUSNESS of the law might be fulfilled in us,” not that the law might be fulfilled in us. And Paul says “that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled IN us,” not BY us. It is God who does this, not us.

What this means is that when we “walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit,” the Spirit,

Who is in us, gives us the power and enablement to lift us above sin in our lives and to live on a higher plane in righteousness, doing what is right according to God’s standards.

By His grace, God has provided deliverance from the power of sin through the death of His Son, and the experiencing of it in one’s daily conduct comes through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit, not the law, not legalism, enables one to live a righteous life. It’s not done by us or by our own power; rather, it is done “in us” through the power of the Spirit.

God is righteous. And the righteousness of the law means that the character of God is worked out in and through our lives by the Spirit. This takes place not by a believer who walks after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

We can live out God’s righteousness and live a godly life by the Holy Spirit. And we walk in the Spirit as we yield to, obey, and allow the things of the Spirit of God and His Word to permeate our lives.

After explaining his struggle with the flesh and sin in Romans 7, Paul asked, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

The answer to Paul’s desperate cry and question is that God has given us deliverance and power by the Cross of His Son and by the Holy Spirit.

It’s been said well that “Moses’ law has right but not might; sin’s law has might but not right; the law of the Spirit has both right and might.”

Romans 8:5-6: “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. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

A man started practicing some speed-reading techniques. He said, “Last night I read ‘War and Peace’ in about 10 seconds. It’s only 3 words, but it’s a start!”

Speaking of war and peace, we find war and peace in Romans 7 and 8. Romans 7 reveals the believer’s war with the flesh. Romans 8 reveals the peace we can have through the power of the Spirit.

After speaking of “us,” who are believers, having the righteousness of the law fulfilled in us, when we walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, Paul explains the difference between a believer who walks after the flesh and one who walks after the Spirit.

Paul wrote, “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh.” In this passage, there is a difference between one being “after the flesh” and “after the Spirit” and one being “in the flesh” and “in the Spirit” that Paul refers to later in verses 8 and 9.

Being AFTER the flesh or AFTER the Spirit refers to a carnal or spiritual believer. Being IN the flesh or IN the Spirit refers to an unbeliever or a believer.

Though saved by the grace of God, the believer can still live and walk “after the flesh.”

And I believe Paul is referring to a believer in verses 5-7. A believer still has the flesh after we are saved. And a believer who walks after the flesh and minds the things of the flesh is referred to as being carnal in the Scriptures, as Paul shows here as well.

The flesh is still there in each believer, striving, vexing us, and trying to control us, and it will be there till the Rapture or we are promoted to heaven by death.

Every single believer yields to the flesh from time to time, and many believers routinely walk after the flesh rather than the Spirit. But Paul teaches us that we do not need to walk after the flesh as a habitual way of life.

Paul shows us here that whether one lives after the flesh or after the Spirit is about one’s mindset. The words “do mind” refer to having something as a habit of thought, to give one’s attention to, or be preoccupied by.

For one who walks after the flesh, they set their mind and thoughts on the things of the flesh, and they are preoccupied by it. This being so, they and their actions are oriented, governed, and guided by the flesh and the fleshly things on which they focus.

However, the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us as we “walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit,” and we set our minds, thoughts, attention, and focus on the things of the Spirit, allowing the Spirit to govern and guide our daily lives. And the things and desires of the Spirit are always what is most fulfilling and enriching to our lives.

Setting one’s mind on the things of the Spirit means to focus on pleasing God, serving the Lord, spending time with the Word of God and in prayer with God, being together with and encouraging the people of God, and setting our affection on things above.

According to one or the other, the flesh or the Spirit, whichever one has the focus of one’s mind and preoccupation, this will determine the actions as well as the character and quality of a believer’s life.

As Paul states in verse 6 that for the believer, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” The word “carnally” means fleshly, and Paul is speaking of the believer being fleshly minded and setting their attention on fleshly things.

When our minds are set on the things of the flesh and we are carnally minded, we bring death into our Christian lives. But walking in the Spirit brings life and peace to it.

What does Paul mean when he says that being fleshly-minded is death for the believer? Hasn’t the believer been delivered from death?

As far as spiritual and eternal death due to the penalty for sin, yes, we have been delivered. But believers may still die a practical death as far as their Christian experience is concerned.

Paul says a few verses later in verse 13, “For if ye [or ye believers in the Body of Christ] live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye [believers] through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”

When a believer focuses on the things of the flesh and walks after it, they experience a practical death to their walk, resulting in a lifeless and defeated Christian experience. It results in a drift away from God in one’s personal relationship and walk with Him.

Sin has a deadening effect on a believer’s daily life, and it results in spiritual emptiness. They do not have the life and blessing that they could have by walking after the Spirit.

If we walk in the Spirit, however, we will thrive, blossom, and bloom, and find an abundant life of joy and fulfillment in Christ. As Paul says, “to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

This is peace that is the resolution of the intense war with the flesh described in Romans 7. By grace, not the law, we find power and victory over the flesh.

And in this, we find peace, the peace of God within, instead of the frustration and defeat Paul experienced, which you see when he said things in Romans 7 like, “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”

Now, as the believer lives in light of our deliverance from sin by the Cross, and by the power of the Spirit, we find victory and peace within our heart.

And the spiritually minded believer who trusts and rests in God on a daily basis experiences the peace of God in a richer, fuller way, and finds that inner peace that results from yielding to God and His will and His ways, which is always what is best for us.

And instead of death, when we are spiritually minded and we mind and put our focus on the things of the Spirit, we find life, a life with meaning, purpose, and fulfillment, a closer walk with the Lord, and a life that brings honor and glory to God.

Romans 8:7-11:

“Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 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.

“And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 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.”

Paul wrote that “the carnal mind” or the mind of the flesh, is enmity against God. The old nature is a rebel against God.

It refuses to subject itself to the law of God. It wants its own will, not God’s will. It wants to be its own master and not bow in submission to God.

This is why there is this struggle within the believer, as the flesh battles against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh (Gal. 5:17).

And thus, Paul says of those who are actually “in the flesh,” or unregenerate unbelievers who are devoid of the Spirit, “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

The unbeliever ONLY has the flesh, the sin nature. And when one is in the flesh and without the Spirit, there is absolutely nothing they can do to please God.

In the flesh and in their sins, before God, they are in a complete state of rebellion, corruption, hostility, and enmity against Him. And nothing that the flesh produces pleases God.

An unbeliever’s life may even be full of good works; they may be religious, generous, and moral, but with all their virtues that men may admire, being “in the flesh” which is at enmity with God, they are at enmity with God, and it is impossible for them to please Him.

But Paul turns back, and tells the Roman believers and says, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.”

When we believe the gospel of grace that Christ died for us and rose again, we are no longer in the flesh but rather in the Spirit.

We have new life at the moment of salvation, and the Spirit takes up residence in us.

And we are joined with the Holy Spirit, and He indwells us permanently, and our position before God now is that we are in the Spirit. The Spirit lives in us, and we are in Him. And we have life in the Spirit, and we are called to live in the Spirit.

With this change, the believer can now please God as we live for God through the Spirit, and we can live a life of righteousness and godliness in the power of the Spirit.

Every believer has the Holy Spirit within, and that being so, through Him, we have power that is infinitely higher and more powerful than the flesh.

Paul added that “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

Because of the oneness of the Trinity, it is appropriate and the truth to call the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of God,” or God the Father, and “the Spirit of Christ,” or God the Son, as Paul does in this verse.

And he tells us that if a person does have the indwelling Holy Spirit, they belong to God. But if they do not have the Holy Spirit, “he is none of His,” or they do not belong to God.

In past ages and dispensations, one could be saved and not have the Holy Spirit, but it is impossible in this present dispensation of grace. Every single believer has the Spirit.

And thus, every believer has the power to live a life pleasing to God and a life of victory over the flesh.

Paul next stated that, “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” In chapter 7, verse 24, after detailing his struggle with the flesh and sin, Paul referred to his body as “the body of this death.”

The issue that Paul is dealing with in this context is how the sin nature controls the body of this death and how to be delivered from this and have power over the flesh.

We have Christ in us, but the body is dead because of sin, or the sin nature remains, and the body is still subject to the temptation of sin and the desires of the flesh. And there is no transforming of the sin nature. We remain vulnerable to its control and influence.

“But” the flesh can be completely overcome by the Spirit of Christ. The body is dead, Paul says, but the Spirit is life. And life overcomes death by the Spirit. And righteousness overcomes sin by the Spirit.

We receive the gift of Christ’s righteousness when we believe the gospel of grace. And it is because of Christ’s righteousness that the Spirit, Who is life, indwells us.

The Spirit’s life in the believer opens us to a decisively new life. And the Spirit in us can manifest God’s life and work out God’s righteousness through us. The Spirit is our life, and by Him we can live a life of righteousness with power over sin and the flesh.

And thus, Paul wrote in verse 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.”

The solution to the problem of the dominion and control of the flesh is the Holy Spirit. The same power that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us through the Holy Spirit.

And with resurrection power, the Spirit quickens or gives life to our mortal bodies that we live in right now, which are subject to sin and fleshly desires.

And the Spirit gives us life and power to enable us to overcome sin and the flesh and to live in righteousness for the glory of God.

As we live not by the law, but by grace, and as we walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, we find victory, freedom, power, and peace for our Christian lives.