Over the past few weeks we waltzed through the eighth chapter of Romans together. Paul ends that chapter with a flourish as he emphasizes the Father’s love for us and the assurance of our victories as those who are more than conquerors in Christ. That final thought prompts me to go back to another familiar text and look at it in more detail than usual. That text is found in the last chapter of Ephesians.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (Eph.6:10-13).

In many ways this is the definitive text on spiritual warfare in the New Testament or at least one of the definitive texts. The apostle Paul wrote this letter and this text with extensive experience in the realm of spiritual warfare. Paul had been persecuted, stoned, arrested, threatened, beaten, left for dead, shipwrecked, and more during his mission as an apostle and had come to understand that the spiritual realm was behind every one of these attempts to silence or destroy him as a great proclaimer of the gospel. It is essential to come to this understanding in your life because without that understanding you may fight but you will lose because you will be wielding weapons against an enemy who is impervious to the weapons you carry.

Paul makes this reality very clear in another place when he says, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Cor.10:3-4, emphasis added). There are weapons that have effect or influence in the natural realm but have no effect in the spiritual realm. Worldly weapons may seemingly win a battle but will not win the war because there is an entire realm behind the curtain that keeps recruiting, motivating, and resourcing those who will oppose the kingdom of God in the natural realm. It is like fighting the terrorists who come against you face to face without defeating those in the background who are recruiting, training, financing, and providing weapons. To truly win, you have to root out and defeat the unseen enemy as well as the seen.

There is a vast array of worldly weapons that individuals, groups, and governments use to expand their territories and their influence. In Paul’s day, a look at Rome and the methods used by Rome and her citizens to establish their national or personal empires would make quite a catalogue of worldly weapons. Money, power, politics, propaganda, celebrity, violence, deception, manipulation, entertainment, bribery, brute force, and even massive programs to make people dependent on government or organizations were used by Rome and are still frequently used weapons for individuals and governments to achieve their goals or to win people over to their agenda.

Even men and women who seem to have moral standards and objectives often exercise the weapons of compromise and appeasement to move ahead, to be part of the system, or to be socially acceptable so that they can “work within the system.” All of these can be used to influence the natural realm but, typically, play into the hands of the dominion of darkness and open the doors for demonic involvement. Unfortunately, many churches have not been immune to employing some of these worldly weapons in their attempts to expand the kingdom of God on earth.

Even in areas such as science and medicine where people are trying to alleviate the suffering and trials of mankind, their discoveries can only take us so far – typically treating symptoms of disease, poverty, violence, and emotional illness but never affecting a cure or pulling the cause up by the roots. Worldly weapons do not have the power to get to the root of things because that root lies in the spiritual realm. If you attack weeds by simply cutting off the part you can see, they keep coming back until the root is destroyed. Only divine weapons can reach into the spiritual realm to affect the root of the problems that plague us.

Recognizing that our real struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces that move in an invisible realm should motivate us to strengthen ourselves spiritually and learn to fight skillfully with the divine weapons Jesus has provided through the cross. Many believers have sincerely fought the same issues in their lives for decades without any lasting victory. Frequently, that is because they have not used divine weapons in the battle but have employed weapons of the world that have been brought into the church. Not all of these weapons are bad in themselves (secular counseling approaches, twelve-step programs, drug therapies, etc.) but they simply can’t touch the root of the issue because the root has a spiritual dimension that continues to thrive.  More about Ephesians 6 in my next blog.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom.8:35-39)

Paul finishes this section of his letter, which translators have dubbed Romans 8, with a theological volley. It reveals the mindset of a spiritual warrior and a mindset that we must all adopt as we move into a probable season of persecution in the world and our nation. There is definitely a war on Christianity and Judaism unfolding all around the globe and we would be naïve to think we will escape it. The spirit of Anti-Christ is certainly on the move.

In the face of his own battles with this spirit, we should notice Paul’s emphasis in this section. It is not so much on power as it is on love. His great hope is the love of Christ and the devil’s inability to sever us from that love. As you look at this part of Paul’s letter, you realize that this love is a sustaining love. If you don’t watch the context, you might assume that Christ’s love keeps us from trouble in this world and just moves us from blessing to blessing as we live the good life above the fray. The context does not suggest that and Jesus never promised that either. In fact, what he did promise was persecution and trouble (see Matt.5:10-12 and John 16:33). He also promised great reward for those who did not abandon their faith in the midst of that trouble.

I have noticed an essential difference between our brothers and sisters in places like China and the Middle East and American believers. Those coming to Christ in “non-Christian” countries expect and even invite persecution and hardship for the sake of Jesus. They pray for strength to endure while we in America pray for God to deliver us from any hardships and almost take offense when they come.

Paul makes no promise that God’s umbrella of protection will keep us from struggles. To the contrary he uses words like hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword, death and slaughter to describe the potential Christian experience in this world. Paul’s hope is not in a life of ease and blessing in this world but in the love of Christ sustaining him in seasons of hardship as he presses toward the next life.

Many believers see hardship as evidence of God’s indifference or abandonment. Paul saw hardship as the normal course of the believer’s life while we push back against the dominion of darkness. But in the midst of that he experienced the love and faithfulness of the risen Lord. In fact, it is in the midst of battle and struggle that we truly discover the goodness and faithfulness of God. Because of that he saw himself as more than a conqueror. The Greek word means to “completely prevail” and is actually a verb declaring that we live in a state of absolute triumph. The “indicative mood” of the verb makes it clear that Paul sees this state as an actual rather than a potential or figurative view of the believer’s life. The paradox is that we truly are more than conquerors even while sitting in a “Chi-com” cell in a re-education camp outside of Beijing or in a hospital room watching a loved one fight a losing battle with cancer. Only an eternal and relational view of our faith makes that possible.

Ultimately, for our faith to endure we must believe that God is, that God is always good, and that God is always motivated by his love toward us. We must also believe that the “norm” is this world is hardship at some level. We live in fallen world. We still live in enemy territory. We still have bodies subject to aging and our own bad choices in diet and exercise. Hardship comes in the form of persecution, broken relationships, damaged genes, internal struggles against temptation, demonic attack, and more. (Don’t think about it or you won’t want to get out of bed in the morning.) It is the rare believer and, probably, the one who keeps a low profile on the devil’s radar that doesn’t encounter significant battles in this world.

The victory comes in knowing the ultimate outcome of every struggle and every encounter with the enemy. The victory is often apparent in this world but at other times it won’t seem so apparent except that the “big win” is always being with Jesus. In the movie, Saving Private Ryan, Captain John Miller (played by Tom Hanks) told his men that his primary objective in the war was to get home to his wife. Our primary objective must also be to get home and our primary mindset must be that this world is not our home. How often do we find believers who are angry at God because some saintly person they knew died. If our primary goal for ourselves and others is to be with Jesus then we should not be angry when those we love reach that goal – maybe envious but not angry.

Paul’s celebration was not about “the good life” on earth but that no person, no demon, and no circumstance can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. No doubt there will be seasons of blessing in this life but there will also be seasons of battle. In all of that, the love and grace of God is assured and we can take heart in that. We will never be alone and his grace will also be sufficient. Knowing that, we can live without fear as those whose ultimate triumph is absolute and absolutely assured. Be of good courage.

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. (Rom.8:31-35)

As Paul begins to wrap up this section of his letter to the church in Rome, we should be full of confidence because of our relationship with the Father. He has already declared that because you are in Christ you are no longer subject to any condemnation. Christ became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor.5:21). His righteousness is assigned to us and, therefore, never waivers. Our spiritual condition may bounce around like a cork on a windswept lake but our position remains constant because God’s righteousness has been assigned to us rather than our own.

We have been adopted into the family of God and have great standing as his children. In addition, we have the Spirit of God living in us who is willing and ready to direct our steps at all times. His Spirit intercedes for us even when we don’t know how or even know that we need to cry out to God. Our Father has promised to intervene in even bad situations to draw good out of those situations on our behalf and he has set (predestined) ahead of time, all kinds of opportunities for us to grow in Christ and to bear fruit in his kingdom. He has already called us, justified us, and glorified us.   What more could we need?

After enumerating all the things that the Father has provided for our salvation, Paul summarizes in one sentence one of the great corollaries of scripture. In so many words he declares that if the Father has already, willingly and lavishly, given us his most precious gifts (his Son and his Spirit), why would he not give us everything else we need for this life? If Jesus has already willingly died for us and is interceding for us now, why would we doubt the love and provision of the Father? Paul has already underlined this proposition earlier in his letter. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). And yet we so often do doubt his care and provision.

For the most part, when we doubt, I don’t think we judge God as uncaring. Instead, I think we hear the accuser telling us that we have not measured up in our walk with the Lord and that our sins and weaknesses have disqualified us from his care. When we allow ourselves to think that way, we have slipped back under a yoke of law that requires us to enter God’s grace on the basis of our own righteousness rather than on the basis of his love and righteousness. Then the enemy tells us that salvation came to us by grace because when we sinned we didn’t know any better. But now that we are saved, we do know better so our sins disqualify us now. The truth is that we began our relationship with God on the basis of his grace and we continue it on the same basis.

I have found that the great battle for most of us is in the arena of refusing to allow the accuser of the brethren to allow us with condemnation where we put the emphasis on ourselves and our own spiritual performance rather than on the love and provision of God. As soon as our emphasis shifts to our own worthiness, we immediately feel disqualified to receive blessings, to operate in anointing, to command the enemy, or to witness to others. We start feeling like hypocrites and start shrinking back to the corners or trying to operate in our own strength. God does not expect perfection from his children any more than you expect if from your children. He does want love and a desire to grow and be pleasing to him but he knows that, in this life, we will always need an intercessor in heaven and his Spirit directing and redirecting us on earth. So, Paul reminds us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ and since God has already given us his most precious gifts in the midst of our sinfulness and imperfection, he will not hold back on the other things we need as long as our hearts are still turned toward him, imperfect as we may be.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Rom.8:28-31)

As we continue moving through Romans 8, Paul continues to reveal God’s purposes in our lives. God is a loving father and loving fathers have hopes and dreams for their children. They also have wisdom that will direct their children to green pastures and still waters if the children will listen. As we move though this entire chapter we are reminded over and over of how much God wants the best for us and how much he works in our lives to bring us into his best. The problem is that we often resist his best and stubbornly continue to go our own way. The devil also wants to derail the Father’s plans for our lives. Because of that, God often finds himself salvaging something good out of a smoking pile of debris.

If you watch much of HGTV or similar channels there are always shows tracking the adventures and misadventures of people who have chosen to remodel old homes. The problem is that the contractors are continually finding issues where do-it-yourselfers, incompetent builders, or corner-cutting contractors have done things that are not up to code or are just jig-sawed together in dangerous ways. The remodelers then have to tear out what has been done poorly and repair the structural damage incurred to do it right at much added time, expense and effort.  God has to do that in our lives from time to time because of our own bungling or someone else’s but he is committed to making all things work together for good. If we cooperate the project goes much better. His effort, beginning with the cross, is spent on those he has called and those who love him.

After saying that, Paul roles out some big theological terms and concepts – foreknowledge and predestination. In simple terms (the only kind I can understand), God knows what our choices will be before we ever make them (foreknowledge) and then works with our choices to make us more like Jesus which is God’s ultimate plan for every believer. The predestination part of the equation is simply ordaining opportunities for us for to perform good works, express faith, and become more like our King. Knowing what someone will do is not predestination in the sense of making the choice for him or her or giving them no real choice. When we go to our favorite Mexican food restaurant in Midland, I already know what my wife will choose from the menu. I could call ahead and have the order waiting for her and I would not be forcing her to eat the Cheese Chile Relleno with everything on it, although I predestined the opportunity for her to choose that item. She could refuse what I arranged and choose something else but since I know her so well, I know she will choose the relleno.

If you are in Christ, then God in his foreknowledge knew that your heart would turn to Jesus and so he called you. God tilled the soil of your heart before anyone planted the Word there but then he put someone in your path to share the gospel with you while the Spirit opened your understanding. You said, “Yes, ” to the invitation. Having been called, you responded, not as God forced you to but as God knew you would. Once you responded he justified you. He declared you sinless in the courts of heaven and, having done that, he glorified you. In the mind of God and the eyes of heaven you are already a glorious son or daughter of the king adding more glory as you serve him and embrace opportunities to do more in the name of Jesus.

This whole chapter chronicles the efforts of God to draw you to himself, save you, make you like Jesus, glorify you, establish an eternal destiny for you and get you home in one piece. And yet, many believers still doubt God’s commitment to them and feel weak and helpless when they find themselves in the crosshairs of the devil. Of all people, we should live with an optimism and a confidence in our purpose and our future. Once again Paul is building up to his thematic declaration, “If God is for us who can be against us?” Many kings and nations have determined to stand against the purposes of God but even those with vast armies at their disposal have been unable to stall his will. Ask Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Herod, Caesar, and a host of others who commanded the greatest armies in the world. Each fell before the purposes of God and we can be sure that those who stand against the purposes of God in our own lives will fall as well if we persist in faith.

I watched Seattle come back against Green Bay this past Sunday after being sixteen points down at the half. By all odds, they should have lost but came back late in the fourth quarter to tie and then won on their first drive in overtime. If you were a Seattle fan the game was amazing, exciting, and memorable. I have to admit that God often waits until late in the fourth quarter to deliver us from our enemies but deliver he does if we continue to remember who he is and who we are in him. Even in death we win. As Paul said, “To be out of this body is to be with Christ” (2 Cor.5:8). Take courage in every circumstance for God is with you and he is certainly for you. Your victory has been predestined.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. (Rom.8:26-27)

This is one of the great promises and revelations of the New Testament and another indicator of how much God is for us. How often do we feel orphaned in this world when life seems to be caving in on us – when a marriage is collapsing, when children have opted for a destructive road, or when we are sitting in a dark hospital room waiting for the inevitable loss of someone we love? And yet, we are never alone, never abandoned, and God is working powerfully on our behalf even when we are unaware. “For he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’  So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me” (Heb.13:5-6)?

There is no greater expression of his commitment to his children than the cross and his Spirit living in us. Paul tells us that in our worst moments, not only is Jesus interceding for us but his Spirit is interceding as well. He is interceding for us even when we don’t know how to pray or are too weary to pray. God is aware of our inherent weakness, even if we are not, and he has supplied a friend, a counselor, a comforter, and a go-between for us. The word translated as “intercede” means to plead, petition or appeal. It also carries the idea of arranging a meeting between two parties.

The Holy Spirit then, like Jesus, is constantly presenting our needs before the Father. He is not presenting our needs in some clinical, dispassionate way but is actually pleading on our behalf. I believe the Spirit does so even when we are not praying or not even thinking about praying but I also believes he engages with is when we pray – especially when we pray in tongues.

The idea of praying in tongues has been a source of controversy in churches for a hundred years but more and more believers are receiving and exercising the gift of a spiritual language. Paul discusses the idea of praying in tongues extensively in 1 Corinthians 12-14 and Jude also references this form of prayer when he says, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life” (Jude 20-21). The original text allows for the idea that praying in the Spirit builds us up in our faith or strengthens us spiritually in areas where we need to be strengthened even if we are unaware of our spiritual shortfall.

I think the question often becomes, what value is there in praying in the Spirit (praying in tongues, exercising my prayer language) if I can’t understand what I am praying? The value is in trusting the Spirit to offer up my real needs and my greatest needs through expressions to the Father that I can’t even understand. The idea of praying in a spiritual or prayer language that I don’t understand also relinquishes control to the Spirit and teaches me to trust who I cannot control which is a big need in most of us.

Secondly, when I pray in the Spirit, I release the Spirit to pray for what I need rather than what I want. I release the Spirit to0 pray in ways that are perfectly consistent with God’s will. For instance, if I’m single I may be asking for God to medicate an emptiness in me by bringing me a spouse when the real need is to heal the emptiness so that I don’t place unrealistic demands on a spouse when that prayer is answered. I may be fervently praying for God to change someone in my life when the real need is for my own heart to be changed. You get the drift.

The great blessing of the Spirit praying for me – with or without my involvement – is the perfect prayer being offered up for the perfect need. Without my participation, the Spirit will pray for my essential needs just as God will typically meet by basic needs even if my prayer life is weak. To go beyond the basics and to experience all the power and transformation in my life that Jesus provides, I need to engage God in a great deal of prayer and participate with the Spirit by praying in tongues. I know people involved in world-changing ministries who pray in the Spirit at least an hour a day in addition to the prayers they offer with their understanding. Paul instructs us to do both (see 1 Cor.14:15).

There is great comfort in knowing how much God has provided for our salvation and our victories in this life. Later in this chapter, Paul cries out, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” The Spirit’s ministry in your life is the very power of God in you waiting to be released by your faith and willingness to fight the battles that come your way. Be blessed in Him today and trust that the Holy Spirit is interceding for you even now!

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 2But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Rom.8:18-25)

As we continue searching through Romans 8, we discover that Paul seems to leap from a discussion of our adoption and inheritance to a reflection on our suffering in this world. If we are to live effectively in this environment we must remember that being children of God and co-heirs with Christ does not make us exempt from hardship, persecution, and even death in this world. Jesus clearly declared, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (Jn.16:33). He also tells us that if the world hated him it will hate us and if the Rabbi suffers, the disciple will suffer as well. Jesus does not keep trouble from our door but enables us to overcome the trouble when it appears. Our standing in heaven supplies what we need for the victory rather than paving the way around every assault of the enemy.

A prosperity gospel tends to promise that we can live above the fray and stay one step ahead of trouble but that is not the witness of Jesus or the apostles. We live in enemy territory and as we push back the lines of the enemy we will be in many battles – for ourselves and for others. Paul knew that better than anyone and had suffered in incredible ways for the gospel. In this section of Romans 8, Paul gives us one secret to enduring the battles of life and continuing to push back against the dominion of darkness. That secret is to get our glorious future fixed in our minds so that the struggles on this earth pale in contrast to what our sustained faith will bring us in eternity.

Paul simply says that our present sufferings are well worth the struggle when we keep the end in mind. There is a glory that is to be revealed in every believer who holds onto his or her faith in Jesus until the end. In one sense everything is about Jesus but in another sense, Jesus has made everything about us.   Paul alludes to the Garden and the moment Gold cursed the earth because of Adams sin. The original earth was built to be eternal and perpetually self-renewing. As Adam and Eve were intended to have eternal life in the Garden, the Garden was intended to be eternal as their perfect residence. But as man became subject to death and decay because of sin, the physical universe fell under the same curse.

Paul tells us that God’s creation waits for the day that God’s children will be revealed and that is the day of resurrection when those he has adopted will be given glorified bodies fit for eternity. Apparently, as we are released from death and decay, the universe will be released as well. But it happens only after God has raised his children. Paul suggests that God is waiting on all of his children to come home before pulling back the curtain on glories we can’t even imagine. We have already been adopted but will not experience the fullness of that adoption until we experience the redemption of our bodies. Paul seems to point at three great events in history – creation, the cross, and the resurrection when God restores both man and his creation to his original intent. Satan beats God out of nothing.

We have already experienced the firstfruits of the Spirit. When we were “born again” our spirits were raised to life and reconnected to our Heavenly Father. At that moment the Spirit began his work of transformation in our body, soul, and spirit making us fit for the kingdom of heaven. I believe that the Spirit touches our bodies even now with strength, health and energy but the capstone on his work will be the resurrection when these bodies will be totally replaced or transformed into glorified bodies suited for eternity and the presence of God – no more sorrow, no more sickness, no more death, no more disabilities, no more weariness, no more separation from those we love.

We are children of the King, resourced by heaven, but in a battle and the battles must be fought. To give up is to lose out. Paul had many chances to turn back but he kept his eyes on Jesus and his mind fixed on the promises of glory and resurrection. His thought was that any suffering in this life was a small inconvenience compared to the amazing things God has prepared for his children so when this life gets so heavy you can hardly carry the load, when the battle gets fierce, when your heart gets weary – call on heaven while you think of the glories to come while the Spirit whispers, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor.2:9) Don’t give up.

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Rom.8:14 -17, ESV).

What a reversal of thought from the former defender of the Law and zealous Pharisees who saw God as so holy that his name was unpronounceable and his presence meant death! Paul was brought up in the tradition that remembered the fire and smoke of Sinai, the demise of Nadab and Abihu for offering strange fire, and Uzzah who crumpled behind the cart after touching the Ark of the Covenant. Under the Old Covenant no one could enter the Holy of Holies (the presence of God) except the High Priest and he could only venture there fearfully once a year. Fear and dread marked the relationship between God and his people before the cross.

But now, Paul describes our relationship as one with “Abba Father” which is the familiar term for Father in Aramaic. That was the term used by small children to address their “daddy” in the days of Jesus and the apostles. Saul of Tarsus would no doubt have been offended by the term and would have considered it irreverent or even blasphemous but not Paul, the follower of Jesus.

This section describes our relationship with the Father as adopted children. Don’t mistake that for some kind of second-class relationship with the Father for you have been chosen. Jewish adoption was somewhat informal but Roman adoption, with which Paul was well acquainted, was formalized. When a Roman family adopted a child or an adult, the entire past of the adoptee was legally erased and they were given full rights of the family and full rights of inheritance equal to the natural children of the family. It was as if the newcomer had always been part of the family. Paul paints that picture for the believer who has been adopted and given the status of son. I believe Paul uses that term because sons were given preference over daughters in terms of inheritance in Jewish families but sons and daughters have equal access to inheritance in the Kingdom of God.

In fact, in Hebrews we are told, “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven” (Heb.12:22-23). Interestingly, the term “firstborn” is in the plural form which means the phrase could have been translated “the church of the firstborn ones.” That would suggest that our Heavenly Father has given us all the status of firstborn sons which implies that every believer is “his favorite” and receives the blessing of being a firstborn – a significant position in Jewish families.

A key to living triumphantly on this tattered planet is knowing who you are and what is available to you from the vaults of heaven. As a child of God, you have an inheritance, a birthright, and rights associated with being sons and daughters of the King – now. Too many of us assume that the blessings of the kingdom (health, provision, power, standing, relationship, protection, etc.) are available only after we depart this life but aren’t they even more needful on this planet while we live in enemy territory attempting to extend the Kingdom of God?

Jesus constantly accessed the provisions of heaven for healing, feeding the multitudes, protection, raising the dead, preaching anointed messages, prophetic words, and casting out demons. He modeled life that is ultimately available to every son and daughter of the King who live on this planet. It comes to us through an audacious belief in who we are and who He is and the faith to live as one who is already seated in heavenly places with Jesus. I encourage you to ask the Father daily for a full revelation of who you are and what is yours in Christ so that you may live up to the privilege purchased by the only begotten son for every adopted child. Be blessed in Him.

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Rom.8:9-14)

As we continue dissecting Romans 8, it is clear that the Holy Spirit is essential for living up to the calling that we have received in Jesus. Paul makes a bold statement when he says, “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ” (Rom.8:9). I believe that Paul’s statement here speaks to the potential of the Spirit controlling believers because he has just said in Romans 7 that the flesh wars against the Spirit and he says in other places in Romans that we must choose to serve the Spirit rather than the flesh – it is not automatic because our free will is always in play. But our goal should be complete surrender to the leading of the Spirit.

Interestingly, Paul lifts up the Spirit within us as the mark of belonging to Jesus even more than moral living, Bible knowledge, church attendance or correct doctrines. All of those things are important but the one thing that sets a believer apart from all other people in the world is the Spirit of Christ living in us. Since the Spirit living in us is the great divide among the saved and the unsaved there should also be evidence of the Spirit within us. Paul warns us not to quench the Spirit (I Thess.5:19) or grieve the Spirit (Eph.4:30), but rather instructs us to be filled with the Spirit (Eph.5:18). The fruit of the Spirit (character) and the power of the Spirit (spiritual gifts) are the primary evidences of his presence and should increase as we mature in Christ and mark us as being different from all other people on the planet.

In this section of Romans 8, it is clear that the idea of Christ living in us and the Spirit living in us are the same. Christ lives in us through his Spirit so as we are led by the Spirit we are led by Christ. As we honor the Spirit we honor Christ. As we hear the Spirit we hear Christ.   The Spirit within us is also the Spirit of the Living God whose ultimate purpose for us is the resurrection of the body and eternal life with the Him as our Father. The Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead will do the same for us and fit us with bodies suited for eternity and for the presence of God. In our glorified bodies there will be no fallen or sinful nature. We will have no rebellious impulse that pushes back against the Father’s will. We will carry no shame, no fear, and no sense of condemnation. We will be fully alive in an atmosphere of peace, joy, and love.

In view of that hope, Paul counsels us to put to death the misdeeds of the flesh by the power of the Spirit. He would say to us, “Ignore the impulses of the flesh. Be clear that you have no obligation to honor its demands. It leads to death rather than life – not just in the world to come but in this world as well.” We all reap what we sow. If we give into the impulses and demands of the sinful nature, disaster and destruction will follow at some point. But if we surrender our hearts, our thoughts, and our actions to the Spirit there will be a harvest of life-giving outcomes.” Paul would also tell us that the true sons and daughters of God are marked by evidence of the Spirit in their lives. They are marked by goodness and life. Both the fruit of the Spirit and his power mark them. The more Spirit-led we are, the more power he is willing to entrust to us.

We are all interested in the return on our investments. We wonder what the payoff will be for our time and effort. Many of us watch interest rates and the stock market daily to see what’s happening to our investments because we are investing for the future. Paul’s counsel is to be even more concerned about our spiritual investments because there will be an inescapable payoff some day for good or for pain. The sure investment is always to lay up treasure in heaven and our sensitivity and surrender to the Spirit will be directly proportional to our deposits there. To be all that God wants us to be we must pursue the Spirit of God and all that he offers because what he offers has already been purchased by the blood of the Son.

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desiresThe mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. (Rom. 8:5-9)

I commented on this section of Romans 8 in my last blog but wanted to take one more look at it from a different perspective. This section underscores how different the sinful nature is from our spiritual nature – the nature of the redeemed believer. In Romans 7, Paul makes it clear that believers have two natures and choose which one takes the lead in their life. “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members” (Rom.7:18-23).

Once we have named Jesus as Lord and Savior, our eternal spirit is given life and the Holy Spirit begins a work of sanctification in us. That is simply the work of changing us so that we become more and more like Jesus. But we still deal with the fallen nature that afflicts the entire human race. It is in our flesh and in our soul and does not just go away. Instead, it wars against our spirit pushing back each time the Holy Spirit prompts us to choose righteousness over selfishness.

We know that dynamic by experience. We have all felt those internal debates about doing right or doing wrong, about acting responsibly or irresponsibly, or about giving into hurtful emotions or bridling our tongues. Satan fuels the desires of the natural man so that those desires and impulses can be very powerful – even in believers.

Let me list the descriptors from both Romans 7 & 8 that Paul expresses in relation to the sinful nature which is sometimes called the natural man: nothing good, evil, sin living in me, waging war, making me a prisoner, death, hostile to God, unable to submit to God’s law, and displeasing to God. That’s quite a “rap sheet” for the sinful nature and clearly sets it in opposition to the work of the Holy Spirit. That fallen nature is so much a part of us that we will be given glorified bodies at the resurrection rather than refurbished bodies. It is almost as if God is saying that our fallen nature is so defective that he is just going to toss it out and give us a new one rather than trying to repair what we have.

This truth should tell us that we cannot make peace with our sinful nature. We cannot compromise or be friends with that nature. Instead, we must battle it and overcome it. We must crucify it and consider it dead. Too many believers try to pacify that nature by giving in “a little” or by satisfying it “a little” so that it quiets down, but that only strengthens it. In a sense, we won’t rid ourselves of it totally until the resurrection so what we must do is weaken it to the point that it displays little strength in our lives. As the devil fuels our sinful nature, the Holy Spirit desires to fuel our spiritual or redeemed nature. We have a major part to play in that process.

It simply gets down to which nature do we choose to nurture and which do we choose to starve. What do we do on a daily basis to feed our sinful nature and what do we do to feed our spiritual nature? When do we open ourselves up to Satan and when do we open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit? When do we agree with Satan by giving into his leading and when do we agree with the Holy Spirit by giving into his leading? Whatever choices we make most often tip the battle in one direction or another.

Be mindful of which nature you are feeding and whose leading you are allowing to influence you. One is death and one is life. One is hostile to God while the other loves God and the things of God. One day Joshua challenged the Hebrews to choose whom they would serve – the God of Israel or the false gods of this world. We make that choice fifty times a day – big choices and small ones – and each choice determines how the war is going. Spirit-led is the path that marks the true disciples of Jesus.

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. (Romans 8:5-9)

Churches that minimize their emphasis on the Holy Spirit are setting their members up for failure because it is the leading of the Spirit that brings us into the perfect will of God. Most churches that minor in the Spirit believe that the Spirit simply works through the Word and that all you need is biblical knowledge to live as God calls you to live and to be pleasing to him. However, without the Holy Spirit having an active ministry in your life you cannot live as Jesus lived.

Certainly, scripture provides principles for living the Christian life and is always the plumb line for whatever we do. But there are times when scripture can only take you so far and then you need to hear from the Spirit to step into God’s purposes in a given situation. For instance, in Acts 1:20-26, Peter is prompted by the Spirit (or directed by Jesus before his ascension) to apply two obscure verses from Psalms to the apostolic situation and a need to replace Judas with another follower. Peter was clear on the qualifications for an apostle of Christ. The conundrum was that two men met the qualifications for the position but there was only one opening. Peter prayed asking God to reveal His choice to replace Judas because only God knew their hearts. Then, they cast lots and trusted that God had spoken through the lots since the scriptures were able to reveal God’s general will for the situation but not his specific will. They needed direction from heaven in addition to the written word of God. If we do not believe that the Spirit speaks and leads in addition to the written Word, we will miss much of God’s specific will in our lives and miss many of his purposes.

In this chapter, Paul counsels us to desire what the Spirit desires and to invite the Spirit to govern our minds – our thought processes. He makes the point that this governing of our thoughts by the Spirit is a primary step to freedom from sin and the demands of our fallen nature. We need to understand that Satan attacks us through our ungoverned thoughts and the desires of the flesh so that this Spirit-led life is key to overcoming the enemy and taking “every thought captive and making it obedient to Jesus Christ” (2 Cor.10:5). Paul points our that our willing submission to the Spirit of Christ is the doorway to life and peace.

The Spirit is so critical to our life in Christ that Paul declares that those who do not have the Spirit do not even belong to Christ. Those who have the Spirit but who do not pursue the leading and the gifts of the Spirit will live a powerless and, in many ways, an undirected life. Paul is building up to the idea that we are more than conquerors but being certain of where we stand with the Lord (no condemnation) and being Spirit-led through the Word and in addition to the Word are foundational to our victories. It’s interesting that Paul seems to feel that you are either controlled by the flesh (the sinful nature) or by the Spirit. He doesn’t give much ground to being in between.

By experience we know that sometimes the flesh leads and at other times the Spirit leads but a life that is comfortable compromising with the sinful nature will soon loose ground to that nature. Because of that our focus, our purpose, and our prayer should be that we hear the Spirit more and more clearly and submit more and more quickly to his leading. That is the key to power and freedom in the kingdom of God!