This chapter is probably the greatest single dissertation on the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit has hardly been mentioned so far. Once in chapter five (5:5); not at all in chapter six; once in chapter seven (7:6); but in this chapter He is mentioned 19 or 20 times! The theme of this chapter then is clear: the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the be­liever. In this article (and the next) we will consider some aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.

1. The Change Brought by the Holy Spirit ( vs. 2, 5-8)⤒🔗

Paul here enlarges on the essential difference between the Christian and the non Christian. There are essen­tially only two classes of people (not three). There are those who live ac­cording to the flesh, and those who live according to the Spirit. Remem­ber Thomas Goodwin’s illustration? ‘In God’s sight there are two men — Adam and Jesus Christ — and these two men have all other men hang­ing at their girdle strings.’ All man­kind are therefore represented by ei­ther Adam or Christ. The way we live is determined by who represents us. We live either as the fallen children of Adam or as the redeemed children of God.

‘Those who live according to the sinful nature’ (v.5) are those who think about the things of the flesh; they are in complete opposition to the mind of God; they are not subject to the law of God; and therefore cannot please God. They are antagonistic to His name, His kingdom, His Son, His Spirit, His will, His day, His people, His Word, and His glory.

By contrast, ‘those who live in ac­cordance with the Spirit’ (v.5) think about the things of the Spirit and de­sire what He desires; they delight in the word of God; and they enjoy life and peace — here and now! ‘There are (as Stott puts it) two categories of people (the unregenerate who are ‘in the flesh’ and the regenerate who are ‘in the Spirit’), who have two perspec­tives or mindsets (‘the mind of the flesh’ and ‘the mind of the Spirit’) which lead to two patterns of conduct (living according to the flesh or the Spirit), and the result is two spiritual states (death or life, enmity or peace).’

How do we account for the differ­ence? The Spirit of God has wrought a change in the life of the believer. This is the change that Jesus an­nounced to the baffled Nicodemus. ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit’ (John 3:5-6). (By water is meant — not baptism — but the inward purification and in­vigoration which is produced by the Holy Spirit as prophesied by Ezekiel in 36:25-27). Think of it this way: Apple trees produce apples. Orange trees produce oranges. It’s no use telling an apple tree to produce or­anges. It’s plain impossible — no mat­ter how hard the tree may try. For that to happen, the apple tree needs a completely new set of DNA... And that’s what we need. Our hearts are fleshly. Flesh produces flesh. No matter how hard we try, the flesh cannot produce spiritual life or fruit which is pleasing to God. We need new DNA — we need the Spirit of God within every cell; so that we may have spiritual life bearing spiri­tual fruit that pleases God. Without the Spirit of God, the Christian life is impossible.

The person born again of the Spirit of God will have their ‘mind set on what the Spirit desires.’ What will this mean? Stott states, ‘It’s a question of what preoccupies us, of the ambitions which drive us and the concerns which engross us, of how we spend our time and our en­ergies, of what we concentrate on and give ourselves up to.’

It’s about the direction of our lives, what drives us, what dominates our lives. The mind dominated by the Spirit thinks spiritual things. It’s been said that, ‘you’re not what you think you are — but what you think, you are.’ What is it that you think about? What do you daydream of? What are your longings? Is it a big pay out? Is it a bigger/better prop­erty? Is it the big trip around Aus­tralia? Is it a new kitchen or bath­room? These things are not bad in themselves. Surely for the Chris­tian, however, our overriding desire should be the glory of God. We want to see Him glorified in the church; we want to see the church grow numerically and spiritually. We want to see Him glorified in our families; we want our children to know the Lord and walk with Him. We want to see Him glorified in our lives as we seek to grow in godli­ness. We want ultimately, as Paul desired, to depart and be with Christ and be completely satisfied in Him.

2. The Construction Wrought by the Spirit (vs.9-11)←⤒🔗

‘You however are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Any­one who does not have the Spirit of God does not belong to Him.’ (Verse 9 ESV). That’s pretty clear! That’s not hard to understand! There are only two categories of peo­ple — those who have the Spirit and those who don’t. The birthmark of every Christian is possession of the Holy Spirit, so that our bodies have become a ‘temple of the Holy Spirit.’ This is important for every Christian to understand. There are not two categories of Christians — those who are ‘in the spirit’ and those who are ‘carnal.’ Paul knows nothing of that distinction. It’s important that we un­derstand also that when the Spirit comes into our lives we are not only justified by faith in Christ, but a work of sanctification also begins in our lives. In this work we are not passive — but we are to be actively engaged. Think of it this way:

Picture an old sagging and dilapi­dated house. A few roof tiles are missing, the paint is flaking, and the garden is overgrown, etc. Inside, the kitchen and bathroom are groaning for replacement. A new tenant moves in. There are some immediate re­pairs. The garden is tended. You can tell that it now looks lived in, and a change is under way. It’ll take a long time for the renovation to be completed — but a start has been made. When the Holy Spirit ‘moves into’ our lives and takes up residence — there is an immediate difference — it can be seen that there is a new per­son living there. Things have changed. We have seen people who have been converted, who have been born again; without ever being told what to do, immediately stop doing drugs, swearing and getting drunk. They begin to pray, to read the Bible, and to meet with other Christians. They have new interests, and new desires. That’s because God has given them new DNA; a new heart and a new spirit. He has begun a work in their lives. He is renewing, repairing and renovating the old house from the inside out. The old house is undergoing a complete reno­vation (which keeps us constantly busy) which will be finished ultimately when Jesus returns. ‘He who has begun a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus’ (Phil.1: 6).

What Paul says in verses 10-11 is parallel to what he says in 2 Cor. 4:16, ‘though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.’ As believers, we have a dying body and a living spirit. Does this mean that our bodies are like a rocket that jetti­sons bits and pieces into oblivion as it hurtles into orbit? No! Even these dying bodies when we are done with them are not to be discarded after death like a piece of waste. One day they will be redeemed. The same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus physi­cally from the dead will also at the last day raise up our physical bodies, and then we will be forever free from sin. Our reconstruction will only then be complete. Then we will have a brand new house. Meanwhile we still live on a building site where ongoing works of improvement should be seen.

3. The Claim Sought by the Spirit (vs.12-14)←⤒🔗

‘We are debtors — not to the flesh — but to the Spirit’. We owe the old flesh nothing. It only brought us sor­row and death. We have an obliga­tion, however, to the Spirit. He has claims upon our lives. He is the One who has given us life; He is the One who has taken up residence in us. We owe a great debt of gratitude to Him. Perhaps some of you heard the interview with Emily Seebohm after she won silver in the 100m back­stroke at the London Olympics? She was distraught. She had been aiming for gold. Fighting back the tears, she said she had disappointed her par­ents and her coach who had done so much for her. In other words she felt a great sense of debt — and of obliga­tion. (As it turned out, her parents were overjoyed at her success). Nevertheless that sense of obligation is a healthy one in the life of the Christian. The psalmist asks, ‘What shall I ren­der to the Lord for all His benefits to me?’ (Ps. 116:12). The fact is we owe the Lord everything for all He has done for us. We have an obligation – not to live according to the sinful na­ture — but to live a righteous life. We must then put to death the deeds of the body so that we may live the (holy) life the (Holy) Spirit has given us.

We must put sin to death! The Lord Jesus tells us in Matt. 5:29-30: ‘If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.’ Je­sus tells us, amputate your sin! Pluck it out! Throw it away! If you don’t, you will find yourself in hell! Pretty drastic! We can’t make peace with sin. We can’t call a truce. We are in a constant battle.

John Owen writing about putting sin to death states: ‘Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be al­ways at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you ... And our Saviour tells us how His Father deals with every branch in him that beareth fruit; He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit’ (vol. 6, p. 9). Killing sin is the ongoing activity of the Christian. Remember when tempted, when sin seems so attrac­tive and appealing and seductive, that we have a choice. If we choose sin, we are stating that we prefer hell instead of heaven! That’s not the statement that we want to make, is it? The evidence of being led by the Spirit is not being led by dreams or visions or prophesies or tongues! It is rather the daily earnest mundane battle against sin in our lives. There are some sins that we hate — but there are some that we cherish! But all must go!

C.S. Lewis said that he never told his mother when he had toothache — because he knew he would be marched off to the dentist. He knew that the dentist would not only treat the offending tooth — but would also look at all the others too — some­thing he didn’t want done! That contrasts with what our attitude to sin should be. Before we can put sin to death, we must have the de­sire and determination to put it to death! How serious are you in your battle with sin?

Sin must not be pampered or played with. ‘Dillydallying is deadly.’ Determine to turn away from it and to wrestle against temp­tation. The book, the pictures, the movie, the web-site, the social tie, the relationship, the baneful habit — must go. Pray with the psalmist, ‘Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in your way’ (Ps. 119:37). Feed your mind with the word of God; seek God in prayer; seek the fellowship of other Christians; put on the full armour of God.

This is the way it is for the children of God. If you live like this — it’s a sure sign that you are a child of God. A sign He has wrought a change in your life; a sign He is doing a work of reno­vation in your life; a sign that you are earnest in living a holy life. We have an obligation — not to the flesh — but to the life changing Spirit