Life And Death

Romans 8:6-8

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

What’s true is true even if you don’t utilize it.

It’s possible that right now you have unclaimed money being held for you by the treasury department. This money is yours, but unless you claim it, it does you no good.

In the same way, God has provided for you, through the blood of Jesus, a powerful new method of living which enables you to “always, having all sufficiency in all things, abound to every good work”

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms”

The Foundation Of The Gospel

With an elementary grasp of the Gospel, we know that we are sinners, in need of grace. We realize that we are destined for wrath from the very beginning, and that only the work of the cross can save us from the retribution that our daily actions deserve.

If this is the only revelation you ever receive from God, it is enough, for this is the only question that must be answered concerning your soul.

This, however, is not the only revelation you have been given.

He has provided a solution, not only for the life to come, but for this life also.

A New Way Of Living

If you have been born again, you have been given revelation as to a method of living only possible through the Holy Spirit. Such a way of living is not automatic; in fact, it goes against every habit you have developed and its methodology is opposite to and at odds with the way of this world. 

Learning to live by the Spirit is a task that requires full dedication and singular focus. The cost of obtaining this skill is nothing less than your life. 

It is no fool who gives up what he can not keep to obtain what he can not lose.

Orienting the Mind

If we are to direct our minds, rather than be directed by them, we must first look inward. This task appears simple enough… yet, we live in an age antithetical to the practice. Never in history has entertainment and distraction been so accessible and acceptable. Whereas these things were once viewed as a joyous reprieve from the less enjoyable aspects of life, we have now become addicted to them, and, like addicts, are willing to forgo those things which truly nourish us in favor of obtaining the next “hit”, even to our own demise. 

If we honestly wish to live the Christian life, we must start today, taking seriously the faculties we have been given, guarding and stewarding them properly. We must be cognizant of what information we take in and how it sits with us; seeking out and accepting those things that move us closer to God and rejecting wholesale those things which do not. 

After carrying out the hard work of taking an honest account of our inner reality, we must then make a decision as to its future governance.

The Mind Governed by the Flesh

Colossians 3:2 tells us, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Further, Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.”

These two commands, though known by all, are followed by very few. Even among the very few, seldom still.

If a family member or a friend comes to you for advice, and your answer to them is “do not worry about your life,” that advice will be rejected. While this answer is the only one of true value, it is treated as a non-answer. It is taken as dismissive, and it would be, if God did not exist.

The problem is that we behave as if He doesn’t exist!

To deny God His rightful place as the supreme authority over all things, including your mind, is what it means to have a mind governed by the flesh.

When we willfully disobey the commands of God concerning our minds, we imitate Satan, who said:

‘I will ascend to heaven;

above the stars of God

I will set my throne on high;

I will sit on the mount of assembly

in the far reaches of the north;

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High.’”

For this is what someone is truly saying, in their heart, when they worry, lust, covet, murder, lie, and steal. 

The Mind Governed by the Spirit

To pray “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” is the opposite of rebellion. It goes against every instinct of the flesh, way of the world, and lie of the enemy. 

It is only the mind governed by the Spirit that can earnestly pray this prayer, and it is the continuous posture from which God desires we navigate life. Any deviation from this Spirit-led, radical way of living sends you careening down the steep slopes surrounding you, into the muck and mire of broken fellowship with God, for He will not empower the will that stands in rebellion to Him. This applies even to those “good” things… Those acts of charity, or those edifying words to a friend. These things, carried out under the authority of your flesh, are not only repugnant to God but unprofitable to those who receive them. For only God knows what a person needs and when they need it.

If it is to be your kingdom come and your will be done, you will do it on your own strength, all the while fighting against an omniscient God. What peace can exist in this situation?

Therefore, we see that “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”

Conclusion

To appropriate the governance of your mind over to the Spirit is what Jesus explained when He said “whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” It is to “present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life”, and it is the only type of living which God can enable.

All actions, those which serve God and those which stand in opposition to them, begin as thoughts in our minds. Those thoughts, after being treasured by the heart, flow out of our minds and lead to action. This is why Jesus said “it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” Further, He explains the end result of this cycle in the person who has a mind governed by the flesh: “The things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart… For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander”

This opposite way of living, which comes from God, was prophesied by Ezekiel when God said:

“I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you;

I will remove the heart of stone… and give you a heart of flesh.

And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes,

and be careful to obey my rules.”

So we see that the problem of right living is a problem that requires a divine solution. It is not enough that we, through our flesh, try to dictate the happenings of our mind. It was necessary that God provide an opportunity for us to step down from the throne of our minds, so that He could set up a new governance over them. He does this by installing within us His Spirit.

Though, by habit, we might seek to operate in our old ways, we see, time and time again, that this old way of living does not benefit us. We find ourselves falling back into grievous ways of living and are met with conviction. It is not until we confess our sins and repent, saying, “You alone are God and I will behave accordingly” that we are permitted to enjoy this new way of living, which is marked by power, love and self control. 

Let us first do the hard work of examining the state of our mind, then, make the correct decision concerning who will govern it. 

This difficult action will determine the course of our lives, whether we walk in death or in life and peace.