Minding the Things of the Spirit

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 set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.- Romans 8:5‭-‬11 ESV

Pastor Paul Kim

Those who live according to something will set their minds on it. Paul contrasts living by the Spirit and by the flesh. This isn't a call to be more moral. It is entirely different.

What it means to set our mind on the flesh

The word flesh does not mean just the physical body, but all of human nature. It refers to the corruption of not only the body, but also our hearts and minds. Our entire nature has an anti-God bent. We seek to oppress the truth of God. We wish to rebel against God, against the word of God. Our minds are filled with shame and worry that show our lack of trust in God. It is a selfish focus that says the Christ is not sufficient. Vulnerability and transparency is something we talk about but never do. We have to put on a good front. We fear the loss of our comfort and safety. We protect these things at all costs rather than trusting in God's provision and protection.

To focus on these things means death. Not physical death, but a hopelessness. We will lose a sense of hope.

What it means to set our mind on the Spirit

To focus on the things of the Spirit results in life and peace. We don't grasp the Spirit, but it works on us. This is given to us by the grace of God, not something we can produce on our own.

What does this new life look like? We learn what pleases God. We learn what is sin and what is not sin. We begin to hate sin and things that displease God. Not only do we know what sin is, but we begin to hate them. But we don't hate them because they are wrong, but rather we hate them because they grieve God. Not only do we hate sin, but we grow in love. We grow in our love for God and other people. Love of God is seen in our delight in His law. Love of others is seen in how we love those who are difficult to love.

We move from selfish focus to looking to the glory of God. We become kingdom focused. Christianity is not about getting a ticket to heaven. It is about living for a king, the king of Kings. It is seeking discomfort for the benefit of another. That is the gospel. We are out to seek to make others flourish. That is what it means to live for the things of God.

The grace found in the Spirit of God

We will still find ourselves in sin. But the Spirit is working, there is daily struggle, but there is a progressive turning. The struggling is in itself a sign that we are in the Spirit. There is nothing in  fallen human nature to incite us turn to God. That is the work of the Spirit. So what then? Try harder? No, Paul makes no such command. Instead he speaks of a change in authority, in loyalties, in allegiances. "You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit" He makes a declaration that our identity is belonging in Christ. All this change will come eventually through the struggle, but we are in Christ. That is not something we become or earn.

No Condemnation

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. - Romans 8:1‭-‬4 ESV

Rev. Dan Whang

This passage is considered the most hopeful of the entire Bible. There are no commands or imperatives. It gives the clearest picture of sin and God's grace.

Our innocence

Christ's delivery of us from death gives us great security. By faith, we are once and for all declared righteous. Before Christ, there was the law and the sacrifice of animals for sin. Now, in Christ, salvation has finally come.

Our freedom

The law of Christ has set us free from the law of sin and death. The spirit has released us from the law of following commands and reaping death for our sinfulness. Jesus came in flesh so that God could condemn sin via Jesus. So sin is condemned, but we find freedom and life. Jesus takes on the sin of all believers for all time. He is condemned and forsaken by the heavenly Father. The innocent one becomes mired into raw liquid sin. So we will never be forsaken or condemned. Justification and sanctification always go hand in hand.

Our growth

What do you love now? Jesus, the one who's saved you through the cross? Or the greed, envy, anger, lust, & selfishness that put Him there?

So how do we kill sin?

1. Hate your sin. (What it does to you and those around you... Don't become desensitized to what sin is doing)
2. Starve it. (Don't feed your indulgences)
3. Quarter it. (Sin has allies. There are some conditions give sin an advantage over us. So keep away from circumstances like that)
4. Lean on God. (He is always fighting with us to kill sin. He does not give up on us.)