Romans 8:9-13 (WEL) But you are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if indeed God’s Spirit lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. 10 If Christ [lives] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin, but the spirit [has] life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies by his Spirit who lives in you. 12 Therefore, brothers, we have no obligation to the flesh to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if with the Spirit’s help you put to death the sinful actions of the body, you will live.
V9 But you are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if indeed God’s Spirit lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.
The flesh is the sin nature—the principle of me first and my desires first. This way of life is like the devil’s way of life. The spirit is the new, godly nature created by God to desire God first and His desires first. We have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness (satan’s) to the kingdom of light (God’s). See Colossians 1:13.
The beginning of salvation is the conviction of sins (guilt) initiated by the Holy Spirit (John 16:8) giving prevenient, assisting grace (2 Corinthians 4:6).
Jesus specifically informs us that the Holy Spirit lives inside humans who believe in Jesus (John 4:13-14, John 14:17, and 2 Corinthians 1:22).
V10 If Christ [lives] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin, but the spirit [has] life because of righteousness.
Christ in you refers to the Holy Spirit given by God. The Holy Spirit lives inside us to teach us, chasten us, remind us of God’s ways, convict us, assist us, pray for us, and many other spiritual blessings.
The body, though moving, feeling, etc., is dead because it is separated from God, His kingdom, His ways, and His desires.
This spirit is our spiritual nature, our new created inner person (soul), has life, and is reconciled to God.
V11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies by his Spirit who lives in you.
Paul states that if one is a believer, then the Holy Spirit, who resurrected Jesus from physical death and gave Jesus His new, permanent body without decay, flaw, or sin, then He will do the same for us. We will be resurrected from the dead. This is the first resurrection and happens either at the Rapture for church-age believers and the end of the Tribulation for the believers who died in that 7-year time.
V12 Therefore, brothers, we have no obligation to the flesh to live according to the flesh.
The old heart (Matthew 15:18-20) for a new heart (2 Corinthians 5:17) with new desires and motives. Compare Galatians 5:18-23.
Since we are new, we can live new, choose the new, and enjoy God’s blessings for the new us. See Psalm 102:25-26, Ezekiel 36:26, Galatians 6:15, and Colossians 3:10.
V13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if with the Spirit’s help you put to death the sinful actions of the body, you will live.
This is addressed to Christians. There are different interpretations.
The New American Bible renders the verse this way: “But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness.”
Our fleshly body will die and compost because we have sinned. Our immaterial soul/spirit will live because it is declared righteous (justification) because of our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.
From Berean Study Bible:
“…your body is dead because of sin…
Here, Paul acknowledges the reality of physical death as a consequence of sin, tracing back to the fall of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. The body, subject to decay and mortality, reflects the ongoing effects of sin in the world. Romans 5:12 explains that sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, affecting all humanity. This phrase underscores the tension between the physical and spiritual realms, where the physical body remains subject to death even as the spirit experiences new life.
“…yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness…
This part of the verse highlights the transformative power of righteousness, which is imputed to believers through faith in Christ. The spirit’s life is a result of being justified and made righteous before God, as seen in Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The life of the spirit is a foretaste of eternal life, a promise of resurrection and ultimate redemption. This righteousness is not of human origin but is granted through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus, fulfilling prophecies such as Isaiah 53, which speaks of the suffering servant who bears the iniquities of many.”
We learn:
- About the old sin nature and the new godly nature.
- About the Holy Spirit dwelling inside believers.
Questions:
- How is the new nature expressed in your life?
- Have you, with God’s assisting grace, living the new godly nature?