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Scripture Reading: Rom. 5:10, 17; 8:2-3, 6, 9-11, 14-16, 29-30
In previous chapters we pointed out that the book of Ephesians is structured with the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity. Now we need to go on to see this divine dispensing in other books of the New Testament. In this chapter we will begin to consider the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity in Romans. Although we have given many messages on Romans, in the past we did not emphasize the matter of the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity. As we will see, this matter is revealed in a full and rich way in chapter 8 of Romans.
In chapter 1 of this book Paul indicates that Romans is concerned with the gospel of God. In 1:1 Paul says that he was “separated unto the gospel of God,” and in 1:16 he says that he is not ashamed of the gospel. The entire book of Romans unfolds the gospel of God in a full way.
In this Epistle we have a revelation of God’s salvation from both the objective side and the subjective side. On the objective side, we have redemption, forgiveness of sins, justification, and reconciliation. On the subjective side, we have regeneration, sanctification, transformation, conformation, and glorification. All the aspects of the subjective side of God’s salvation are related to the divine life. We have been regenerated with the divine life, and now we are being sanctified with this life. Simultaneously, we are being transformed with the divine life, and by it we will eventually be conformed to the image of God’s firstborn Son. Eventually, at the Lord’s coming back, we will be glorified. We will be glorified not only with divine power but also with the divine life.
On the subjective side of God’s full salvation, the matter of the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity is strongly implied. When some hear this, they may point out that the word dispensing is not used anywhere in the book of Romans. This is correct. But the fact of the divine dispensing is found in this Epistle nonetheless. This fact is indicated by the word give in 8:11: “If the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.” This verse says that the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead gives life to our mortal bodies. The giving of life is actually the dispensing of the divine life into our being. Therefore, it is right to say that the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity is found in the book of Romans.
The first four and a half chapters of Romans cover the salvation of God from the objective side. Through God’s salvation we are justified and reconciled to God. Then beginning from 5:12 and continuing through chapter 8, the book of Romans covers the subjective side of God’s salvation. In these chapters we see that we who were once in Adam have been transferred out of Adam into Christ by believing in the Lord Jesus. Therefore, in 6:3 Paul says that we have been “baptized into Christ Jesus.” We were born into Adam, but we have been baptized into Christ. Now in Christ we enjoy the divine life.
Romans 5:10 says, “If we, being enemies, were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more we will be saved in His life, having been reconciled.” In this verse we see both sides of God’s salvation, the objective side and the subjective side. Through the death of Christ we have been reconciled to God. This is objective and has already been accomplished. Now that we have been reconciled to God, we will be saved in Christ’s life and by this life. This is the subjective side of God’s salvation. Although reconciliation through the death of Christ has been accomplished once for all, to be saved in His life from many negative things is still a daily matter, and it will take place throughout our entire Christian life. Day by day we are being saved in His life. Do we know where this life is? This life is within us.
In 5:17 Paul goes on to say, “If, by the offense of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” Life is not only able to save us; it is also able to make us kings reigning over all negative things. For example, in life we can reign over sins, the flesh, the self, and the natural life. We have the power to reign over every negative thing, that is, over everything that is not a positive testimony to God. Hallelujah, we have both the saving life and the reigning life! The life of Christ is this saving and reigning life. As we read Romans 5:10 and 17, we need to pay careful attention to two important phrases: saved in His life (v. 10) and reign in life (v. 17). I would even suggest that you underline these phrases in your Bible.
As we go on from chapters 5 and 6 to chapters 7 and 8, we are brought on from doctrine to experience. We may not like Romans 7, but this chapter is a bridge joining chapters 6 and 8. Without the bridge of Romans 7, we will not have the way into chapter 8.
In 8:2 Paul says, “The law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death.” The life in 8:2 is the saving life in 5:10 and the reigning life in 5:17. Hence, 8:2 is the direct continuation of 5:10 and 17. The saving and reigning life has a law, and this is the law of the Spirit of life. We may also say that this law is the law of the saving and reigning life. In chapter 8 we have the continuation and the development of the saving and reigning life revealed in chapter 5. In Romans 8 we have not only the saving and reigning life itself; we have the Spirit and also the law of this life.
As Paul was writing chapter 8 of Romans, he had a number of wonderful matters in view. In this chapter he puts these matters together. First, in Romans 8 we have the Divine Trinity — the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Verse 15 speaks of the Father: “You have not received a spirit of slavery bringing you into fear again, but you have received a spirit of sonship in which we cry, Abba, Father!” Verse 3 speaks of the Son: “God, sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” This chapter speaks of the Spirit again and again (vv. 2, 5, 9, 11, 13-14, 16, 23, 26-27). Therefore, in Romans 8 we see the Trinity of the Godhead; that is, we see the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
In this chapter we also see the process through which the Triune God has passed. In verse 3 we have the incarnation, for this verse says that God sent His Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin. This involves incarnation. Second, in Romans 8 the death of Christ is strongly implied. Verse 11 says that God raised Christ from the dead. How could the Lord have been resurrected if He had not died? Therefore, here we have incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection.
In this chapter the resurrection of Christ is revealed in a rich way. This chapter emphasizes the resurrection because it is a chapter on the Spirit, and the Spirit is the reality of resurrection. We should not try to separate the Spirit from resurrection. Only in the Spirit can we have a full realization of the resurrection of Christ. Romans 8, therefore, is concerned with both the Spirit and resurrection. Because this chapter refers to incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection, we may say that it reveals the process through which the Triune God has passed.
In Romans 8 Paul also has much to say regarding our experience. In this chapter he not only speaks of the Spirit of God but also speaks of our regenerated human spirit. For example, 8:10 says, “If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness.” The spirit in this verse, of course, is our spirit, not the Holy Spirit. Because we have Christ in us, our spirit is life. For this reason we need to continually turn to our spirit. Whenever we feel that we are weak or tired, we need to turn to our spirit. Are we tempted to lose our temper? We should turn to our spirit. We have a part of our being that is life, and this part is our regenerated spirit. No matter how young or new a believer may be in the Lord, the regenerated spirit of that one is life. Praise the Lord that in the New Testament there is a verse that tells us that our spirit is life!
Romans 8:6 says, “The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.” We have seen from verse 10 that our regenerated spirit is life. Now according to this verse, we see that the mind set on the spirit is life. We all know that our mind is troublesome. For example, doubts arise from the mind. All day long we are bothered by our mind. But according to verse 6, even our troublesome mind can be life. In this verse Paul clearly says that the mind set on the spirit is life and also peace. Therefore, our spirit is life, and it is possible for our mind to be life as well.
In 8:6 we see the condition that must be fulfilled if our mind is to be life. This condition, this requirement, is that the mind be set on the spirit. If our mind is set on the flesh, the mind will be death. But if we turn our mind to the spirit and set it on the spirit, our mind will be life and peace. Many of us can testify of this from our experience. For example, suppose we are tempted to be angry with a certain person. If we set our mind on the flesh, surely we will be angry. But if we set our mind on the spirit, our mind will be life. First, our spirit becomes life through regeneration. Then by being set on the spirit, our mind can also become life.
As we go on to verse 11, we see that it is also possible for life, the divine, eternal life, to be given to our mortal body. In this verse Paul says that if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to our mortal bodies, and this will take place through the indwelling Spirit. When we put together verses 10, 6, and 11, we see that not only is our spirit life, and our mind life if it is set on the spirit, but life may also be given to our mortal bodies through the Spirit.
The Bible reveals that, as human beings, we are tripartite. This means that we have a spirit, a soul, and a body. In Romans 8 we see that first our spirit becomes life through regeneration. Then if we are faithful to set our mind on our spirit, our mind will also become life. This will open the door and prepare the way for the Spirit to give life to our mortal bodies. As a result, our bodies will receive the divine life.
In Romans 8 we see the trinity of the Godhead, we see the process through which the Triune God has passed, and we see a clear view of our spiritual experience. The experience of life is threefold; it involves our spirit, our mind, and our body. This indicates that our entire being can become life or receive the supply of life.
Chapter 8 of Romans also speaks of the law of the Spirit and the leading of the Spirit. In verse 14 Paul says, “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Hence, in this chapter we have the law, the leading, and the sonship.
The central thought of the book of Romans is that God’s salvation makes sinners His sons with His life and nature to express Him so that they may become constituents of the Body of Christ for His expression. Hence, sonship is emphasized very much in this chapter. God’s salvation is focused on sonship. In His salvation God makes sinners into sons.
In this chapter Paul goes on to speak of conformation and glorification: “Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers; and those whom He predestinated, these He also called; and those whom He called, these He also justified; and those whom He justified, these He also glorified” (vv. 29-30). God has predestinated and justified us, and now He is conforming us, molding us, to the image of His firstborn Son. Eventually, we will have full glorification.
May we all be deeply impressed with what is revealed in Romans 8. Here we have the Trinity, the process, and our subjective experience, which involves our spirit, our mind, and our body. In this chapter we also have some marvelous provisions: the law of the Spirit of life, the leading of the Spirit, the sonship, conformation, and glorification. When we put all these matters together, we see the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity into our tripartite being. The Father sent the Son, and the Son came to accomplish redemption, which consummates in the life-giving Spirit. Praise the Lord for the Trinity and for this wonderful process! This process includes incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection. Because the Triune God has passed through such a process, we can experience Him. We can have life in our spirit, in our mind, and even in our body. Furthermore, we have the rich provisions of the divine law, the divine leading, the divine sonship, and the divine conformation to mold us into the same image, the image of the firstborn Son of God. Eventually, we will experience the divine glorification. The aggregate, the totality, of all this is the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity into the three parts of our being.
In 1979 I gave a message entitled “The Life of the Triune God Dispensed into the Tripartite Man” (Life-study of Romans, Message 62). In that message, however, I did not place much emphasis on the divine dispensing. My burden in this chapter is to point out from Romans 8 that we need more and more of the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity. Through this dispensing we are soaked with the Triune God. Just as something may be soaked with water, we need to be soaked with the Triune God. If we would be soaked with the Triune God, we need the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity. Let us all open our whole being to this dispensing so that we may be soaked with the Triune God.
