God the Holy Spirit is the key to success in the spiritual life; John 16:3; Rom 8:1-17.

Title: God the Holy Spirit is the key to success in the spiritual life; John 16:3; ROM 8:1-17.

 

The believer must be prepared through doctrine for the intensification of the angelic conflict. Since he is the target God has made special provision - God the HS.

 

John 16:1 "These things I have spoken to you [chapter 13-15], that you may be kept from stumbling.

 

John 16:2 "They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.

 

John 16:3 "And these things they will do [future], because they have not known the Father, or Me.

 

Because the religious are not filled with the Spirit they do not know the Planner [Father] or the executor [Son], so they do not know love, truth, or grace.

 

ROM 8:1There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

 

ROM 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

 

ROM 8:3 For what the Law could not do [making man righteous], weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh [thus imputation through faith - the baptism of God the Holy Spirit],

 

Propitiation qualified the believer to be baptized by G/HS at salvation by which the believer is imputed with the righteousness of the Father and Christ and entered into union with Christ.

 

ROM 8:4 in order that the requirement of the Law [experiential righteousness] might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

 

The Law required a living righteousness. Faith in Christ provides a positional righteousness while walking by the Spirit provides an experiential righteousness.

 

GAL 5:16

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

 

ROM 8:5 For those who are [walking] according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are [walking] according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

 

ROM 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death [lack of fellowship or abiding in Christ], but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace [prosperity of soul],

 

ROM 8:7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so;

 

ROM 8:8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

 

Verse 9 makes a switch from experiential righteousness to positional righteousness.

 

ROM 8:9 However, you are not in the flesh [flesh is dead] but in the Spirit [walking is not used], if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ [unbeliever], he does not belong to Him.

 

Positionally I’m in Christ and not “in” the flesh, however, I can walk in the flesh.

 

ROM 8:10 And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin [RPT], yet the spirit is alive [CPT] because of righteousness [positional righteousness].

 

ROM 8:11 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.

 

Verse 12 transitions back to experiential righteousness in the form of a challenge.

 

ROM 8:12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh — 

 

obligation - ovfeile,tej[opheiletes] one who owes another, a debtor. Your new nature is dead and your divine nature is alive, to which we have an obligation.

 

Why an obligation? It is because that is who you are now. It’s kind of like being an adult and still living as a kid. “It’s time to put away childish things.” At salvation a death took place as well as a resurrection. You are in the Spirit, the Spirit indwells you, and the Spirit is poised to give life to your mortal body.

 

Obligation should never be parlayed into condemnation. When we break our obligation we must live in grace, confess, and move on.

 

God the Holy Spirit indwells the believer’s body as a base of operation so that He may control the soul, but that is up to the volition of the host.

 

It is very important to catch the transitions from position to experience in this chapter so that legalism doesn’t gain an advantage.

 

Verses 1-3 are position:

ROM 8:1There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

 

ROM 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

 

ROM 8:3 For what the Law could not do [making man righteous], weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh [thus imputation through faith - the baptism of God the Holy Spirit],

 

Verses 4-8 are experience:

ROM 8:4 in order that the requirement of the Law [experiential righteousness] might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

 

ROM 8:5 For those who are [walking] according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are [walking] according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

 

ROM 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death [lack of fellowship or abiding in Christ], but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace [prosperity of soul],

 

ROM 8:7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so;

 

ROM 8:8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

 

Verses 9-11 are position:

ROM 8:9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit [walking is not used], if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ [unbeliever], he does not belong to Him.

 

ROM 8:10 And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

 

ROM 8:11 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.

 

Verses 12-17 are experience:

 

ROM 8:12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh —

 

ROM 8:13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die [temporal death - no fellowship or communion with God, no F/HS]; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live [GAL 5:16].

 

ROM 8:14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

 

ROM 8:15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" [my Father owns all this]

 

ROM 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with [testifies to] our spirit that we are children of God,

 

ROM 8:17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.