Romans 8:9-11

Passage

But you all are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.  And if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, such a one is not of Him.  But if Christ is in you, on one hand the body is dead through sin but on the other hand the spirit is life through righteousness.  And if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus out of the dead dwells in you, the one who raised up Christ out of the dead will give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul continues to focus relentlessly on the Holy Spirit.  Paul also doesn’t keep us from reflecting upon our life, either.  Notice he says, “if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.”  He’s not doubting the people; he is desiring to get them to look at their life and question what is truly happening within them.  If the Holy Spirit is within them, then we can be confident that we live in Christ and can know salvation!  The key is the presence of the Holy Spirit within.  Of course, Paul makes sure to state the opposite side as well.  If someone does not have the Holy Spirit, that person is not in Christ.

Is the Holy Spirit within you?  How do you know?  When might you question this?

Second Thought:

Paul then says that if we are in Christ, then the flesh is dead through sin but the spirit lives on.  In other words, Paul is telling us that if Christ is in us we will have our struggles with sin.  But the struggles with sin will not have the final say.  The flesh might be dead and unable to resist sin, but Christ can make us alive through His righteousness.  Though we struggle with sin, we need not feel defeated by it.

Do you ever feel defeated by sin?  Why can that be a natural feeling as we struggle through this life?  How can you focus instead on the life that comes through Christ?

Third Thought:

As Paul ends this section we have a great promise.  If the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, lives within us then we can be confident that in the end God can give life to our mortal bodies as well.  In other words, though we die, yet shall we live.  See John 11:25.  Though sin may occasionally win in this current life, we shall live eternally in God in the end.  Sin and the flesh does not have the final say when the Spirit of God is within us.

How do you respond to this promise?  Why is it important to realize that this is our response, not what we’ve earned?

Passage for Tomorrow: Romans 8:12-14