The Four Cornerstones of Romans (Part 10: Walking after the Spirit)

Start this post series from the beginning, here.

The Four Cornerstones of Romans (Part 10: Walking after the Spirit)

The first half of Romans chapter 8 is the conclusion of Paul’s discourse on explaining the foundational attributes of God’s grace. There is still much to learn on grace, as this is a topic that never ends. All through Paul’s epistles we learn higher and higher levels of God’s grace. Where Romans introduces grace from a salvation point of view, as we mature in Christ and we progress further in the ‘curriculum’ of Paul’s epistles, we will discover deeper attributes of God’s grace that pertains to our calling in Christ and our purpose in the Body of Christ, not here, in this world, but in the one to come, when we have been joined to the Head and are functioning in our fullest capacity as God’s predestined plans reveals.

But, until we get to that marvellous day, our reasonable service, our responsibility, while in this earthly body, is to stay in the Word, reading, studying, and meditating on it, so that our minds can be continually renewed and re-educated in the ministration of Christ. As we have learned in previous posts, we need to remain within the channel of grace. We must avoid the pitfalls of sin and of law. The way we do this is to allow the Word of God to transform our thoughts, actions, and language. It is a progressive undertaking. A baby does not mature in a day, but the more we fill our minds with the foundational training Paul provides in Romans chapters 5 to 8, and also in the letters to the Corinthians and Galatians, we will find ourselves growing in Christ, walking in the Spirit, where our thoughts, behaviours, and language, become more sanctified, bringing forth fruit unto God, and steering away from the habits and practices of the old Adamic administration of death.

Paul begins the conclusion of foundational grace by stating,

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 

This is the keynote verse of the first half of chapter 8. Let’s take a moment to see what this verse says.

As we were taught in chapters 6 and 7, to walk after the flesh is to ignore the advice of Paul to renew the mind, and to simply continue as (1) a carnal Christian, being ignorant of truth and content in sin, or (2) being subjected to the law, trying to serve God by your own strength and performance. Both these stumbling blocks bring condemnation and stunt one’s growth in Christ. On the other hand, to walk after the Spirit is to receive the advice of Paul, and through constant exposure to this foundational advice, having our minds renewed, our life begins to transform as Christ starts to form within us. Walking after the Spirit is to walk in agreement with what the Word says, to walk in accordance with the will and the judgements of God, to have and be subject to the mind of Christ. One cannot simply decide to do these attributes. No. They need to be formed within you. They need to become part of your heart and your pattern of living. This can only happen when your mind is filled with an understanding of the Word of God so that there is a natural outflow of the Word from within you. Essentially, it is the character of Christ becoming infused within you. Your old Adamic nature is being mortified by the life of Christ growing within you and bearing fruit (Gal.5:22-23), naturally and without effort unto God.

This is what Paul means when he writes,

Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 

Paul continues to contrast the walk in the flesh with the walk in the Spirit. Again, the common theme of a renewed mind is the difference between the two. (Notice the emphasis on the word, “mind”.)

Rom 8:5-9  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.  6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.  9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.

We cannot sit idle and hope that grace will change us. In this event, sin will continue its course with you, and you will never grow. We also cannot try in our own self to do things to earn or receive God’s grace. You will fail if you try to live by rules and laws, and the result is that it will condemn you. If you take any one of these two approaches, you will be a debtor to the flesh.

In order to live and grow in God’s grace, I’d like to call us a debtor to the Word. Our only action at this foundational level, is to get the written Word of God within us. It is the Spirit in the living Word that will transform you and bring you to a point where God can start to build upon the foundation through the good works that He has destined for you to do.

Rom 8:12-13  Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.  13  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

This concludes the content for cornerstone number 2: God’s Grace. This study will continue into overviews of the next two cornerstones.

God bless.