A Study of The Book of Romans

Lesson 50 Chapter 8:5 – 10

 

  1. Verse 5 “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.”
    1. By flesh is meant after nature or the corruption of nature. Nature is a totally depraved nature that only seeks to sin and never desires God or His truths. 
    2. Galatians 5:19 - 21 “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20.) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, (21.) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
    3. “but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.” Because the Holy Spirit has opened a new avenue to the believer, He has influenced our hearts to walk a new path.
    4.  Galatians 5:22 – 26 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (23.) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (24.) And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. (25.) If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (26.) Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”
    5. Those that are walking after the Spirit have the ability to walk opposite of the flesh. They have the ability to judge good verses bad and walk to please God, this is something the lost do not have. 
  2. Verse 6 “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
    1. “For to be carnally minded is death…” The word “mind” means – purpose – our mind set is our purpose, our mind controls us all and if all it knows is a fleshly or carnal direction then that will be our direction in life.

a.       This direction is the way of death. Fleshly man will never walk toward God because the flesh hates God and His ways.

b.      The word “death” tells us what sin brings us and the sin that brought death will deliver death. 1 Timothy 5:6 “But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. “but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” – The Holy Spirit delivers to us life and peace.” 

c.       First life – that is life everlasting but also life to God, life to allow us to walk close to God, life that we can pray to God, and life in that we can see and walk according to the Holy Spirit and in the fruits He delivers.

  1. Verse 7 “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”
    1. The word “enmity” means – hostility – therefore the lost hate God, they may love a form of a god but they hate God and all He stands for.

a.       James 4:4 “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

b.      1 John 2:15 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

c.       God is opposed to what the fleshly thinks and fleshly is opposed to what God thinks.

    1. “for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” That is the carnal mind. It could care less what God will or thinks, the carnal mind is selfish and has no room for Gods will or law.
    2. The carnal mind is a one track mind and that track is sin.
  1. Verse 8 “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”
    1. Since it is sinful, selfish, and only is pleased with sin, it can never please God, in any form.
    2. They may worship a god in sort, and they may call themselves pleasing and worshiping God but they are not.  Romans 10:2 “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.”
    3. They cannot please God period, and they truly have no desire to please Him, they only want to please themselves.
  2. Verse 9 “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.”
    1. But if you have the Spirit in you, you have God inside of you.  1 Corinthians 6:19 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”

a.       1 Corinthians 3:16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

b.      This means we have the mind of God in us and we should follow that mind or thinking.

    1. “…Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” – The bottom line here is they are none of His, period, at all, or in any way.
    2. God does not deal with them in a good way, God does not hear their prayers, and God does not bless them.
  1. Verse 10 “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”
    1. If you have Christ in you, your body will continue t die because of sin, but the soul and Sprit will have everlasting life, the body will be made new.
    2. The word “righteousness” means - because of  justification – because God has justified you. Romans 8:30 “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
    3. This is not because we work well but because of the Gift of God.