Lesson for November 17, 2024

The Law of the Spirit of Life

Lesson 2

Romans 8:9-13

Verse 9

^“However, you are not in the flesh (controlled by your sinful nature) but in the Spirit (controlled by the Holy Spirit), if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” 

Verse 8 said a believer cannot please God when they are being controlled by their sin nature. On the other hand, if a believer is being controlled by (filled with) the Holy Spirit they can please God.

But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him is a reference to unbelievers who are not indwelt with the Holy Spirit and have no relationship with God. To have a relationship with God a person must be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, which begins at the moment of salvation. God is not the Father of the entire human race. Only those who have believed in Jesus Christ belong to God. (Galatians 3:26)

 Verse 10

“If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.”

If Christ is indwelling you (and He is as a believer), then you have been made spiritually alive. Positionally, you are dead to your sin nature, which resides in your body. And your union with Christ places you in a different category spiritually than unbelievers. Positionally, your standing before God is one of absolute perfection and you are dead to your sin nature.

Yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. When a person puts their faith in Christ for salvation, they are given a human spirit and God’s righteousness. (II Corinthians 5:21) Therefore, your human spirit is perfect and cannot be corrupted by Satan and his world system.

Verse 11

“But if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He Who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit Who indwells you.”

The Spirit of Jesus is God the Holy Spirit and He was very much involved in the resurrection of Christ. (Acts 2:24; Romans 1:4; 8:11; II Peter 3:18) The Holy Spirit is the member of the Godhead Who works within believers to develop the character of Christ (give life to your mortal bodies) (Romans 12:1-2) And without the power and guidance (filling) of the Holy Spirit, believers have no spiritual life.

It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that sets up the potential for believers to understand spiritual truth, to glorify Christ, to be comforted, to be guided through life, and to represent Christ. It is still up to the individual believer to use their free will to choose to allow God the Holy Spirit to guide their life. (Galatians 3:2-3; 4:6; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 2:12; 3:16-17; 6:19-20; John 14:16-20; Colossians 1:27)

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit sets up potential for believers to be able to understand spiritual truth. Since God does not force truth upon us, we must make the choice to learn, believe, and apply spiritual truth. Under the ministry of the Holy Spirit, believers are able to convert academic understanding of God’s Word into spiritual understanding. (I Corinthians 2:10-16: II Peter 1:20-21)

The Holy Spirit indwells believers to be their guide. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit guides believers to truth. Without spiritual truth residing in our soul, we cannot be properly guided by the Holy Spirit. This process is always based on grace, since it is God Who is guiding us – first to truth and then to the proper application of truth. And the Holy Spirit brings truth to our remembrance. (I Corinthians 3:1-2; John 14:26; Ephesians 4:13-16; Hebrews 5:11-14)

Verse 12

“So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh (sin nature), to live according to the flesh (sin nature).”

There are certain obligations that go with being Royal Family of God and Royal Ambassadors for Christ. Stated in a negative way, our obligation in the Christian life is not to live in accordance with our sin nature, but to live in accordance with God’s plan, which is found in His Word.

Many privileges are given to us at the moment of salvation, and many are given after salvation. Believers are the most privileged people on earth, but at the same time many are missing out on opportunities for fantastic blessing by not fulfilling God’s plan for their life.

Privilege in life is always accompanied by responsibility (obligation). This is also true with the Royal Family of God. Our first responsibility, of course, is to God as Royal Priests, and our second responsibility is to others as Royal Ambassadors.

As believers, we all have equal privilege and equal opportunity to live the Christian Way of Life and glorify our Savior Jesus Christ. Some believers will choose to do so, and some will not. Those who fail in their responsibility to God will experience a life of misery and unhappiness. Those who choose to fulfill their responsibility to God will experience a life of peace and happiness.

Verse 13

“For if you are living in accord with the flesh (sin nature), you are going to die (temporal death of your spiritual life); but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

This is a reference to Experiential Sanctification. As a believer, you have only two choices experientially: 1) live in accord with your sin nature and experience temporal death of your spiritual life(die) or 2) live in accord with the Holy Spirit and experience life in Christ. Putting to death the deeds of the body is possible only when you are in fellowship with God, filled with the Holy Spirit, and applying accurate Bible doctrine. There are two types of believers: winners and losers.

Winner believers make many right decisions based on the knowledge of God’s Word. Winner believers are spiritually maturing believers who share God’s happiness in all circumstances and do not depend on others for their happiness in life. Winner believers live inside God’s power system where there is power and guidance from the Holy Spirit. Winner believers make God and His Word number one priorities in their lives.

Loser believers make a single decision to trust Christ as Savior but fail to live God’s plan for their life. Even though loser believers possess the righteousness of God and cannot lose their salvation, they will suffer divine discipline and self-induced misery in this life because of their failure to learn and apply Bible doctrine. In eternity, loser believers will suffer loss of eternal rewards. Loser believers live in Satan’s world system and constantly make wrong decisions from a position of weakness. Loser believers make themselves, others, or things number one priority in their lives, instead of God and His Word.

Being a winner or loser believer is determined by personal volition. God does not force anyone to trust Christ as Savior or to obey Him before or after salvation. God is not a “puppet-master” manipulating believers’ every thought and action, and He is not a “magician” with a magic wand to wave in order to fix our problems. However, God has designed the Christian Way of Life in a way in which all believers can become winners and handle their problems and challenges. 

By following God’s predesigned plan, as outlined in His Word, any believer can glorify Him. It begins after salvation with making the right decision to learn, believe, and apply accurate Bible doctrine. If you’re waiting for God to make you do something or to make you think a certain way, you’re waiting in vain. James 4:8, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”