Scripture Reading: Rom. 8:3-9
Romans 8:3 says, “For, the law being impossible in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” The expression “God sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin” refers to the incarnation, the first step of the process through which the Triune God has passed. Here in verse 3 the subject is not the Son of God; the subject is God. In this verse Paul does not say that the Son of God came in the likeness of the flesh of sin. Rather, he says that God sent His Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin. This means that, according to this verse, it is God who takes this action. He sent His Son through incarnation in the likeness of the flesh of sin.
Following the first step of this process, incarnation, God went on to condemn sin by crucifixion. When the Son was crucified in the form, the likeness, of the flesh of sin, God condemned sin in the flesh. Therefore, the death of the Son on the cross was God’s condemnation of sin.
The two steps of incarnation and crucifixion have an aim, revealed in verse 4: “That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to flesh, but according to spirit.” The word “that” at the beginning of this verse means “in order that,” showing the purpose of the action taken in the preceding verse. God sent His Son and condemned sin in the flesh for a particular purpose. This means that something has issued from the incarnation and crucifixion. The issue, the result, of these two steps is that the righteous requirement of the law is spontaneously fulfilled in us. There is no need for us to try to keep the requirements of the law. The fulfillment of the righteous requirements of the law is an issue of the incarnation and crucifixion of Christ. Because the incarnate Christ has been crucified on the cross, the requirements of the law can be fulfilled in us automatically.
In verse 4 Paul says that the requirements of the law are fulfilled “in us, who do not walk according to flesh, but according to spirit.” This indicates that God sent His Son and condemned sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in a people who do not walk according to flesh, but walk according to spirit.
In eternity God intended to accomplish His purpose. We may say that God had an open highway set before Him and that He would move on this highway to fulfill His intention. However, an enemy called sin came in to block the way. Therefore, God sent His Son and condemned sin in the flesh in order to remove this obstacle from the highway. Through the incarnation and crucifixion of Christ, God condemned sin and removed it. As a result, the highway was opened again. The result, the issue, of the removing of sin and the reopening of the highway is that the righteous requirements of the law are fulfilled in us.
Notice that here Paul does not say that the righteous requirements of the law are fulfilled in the Son of God. On the contrary, he says that they are fulfilled in us, the people who have been chosen, redeemed, visited, reached, and touched by God. Those designated by the pronoun “us” in verse 4 are all very important people because the righteous requirements of the law are fulfilled in them. Who are these people? They are God’s chosen ones, His selected ones.
Do you realize that God has selected you? Out of the billions of people who have lived on earth from the time of Adam, God has selected you. We may use a simple illustration to help us understand God’s selection. You may go to a supermarket to shop for apples. There you may find a large pile of apples. Out of the many apples in this pile, you choose a dozen for purchase, selecting the apples you like. In a somewhat similar way, God has selected us. Instead of placing a high value on ourselves and thinking of ourselves as precious, we may despise ourselves and hate ourselves. God, however, does not hate us. In eternity He liked you and selected you. If you were to ask Him why He likes you, He may reply, “I simply like you.” We are God’s selected people. Furthermore, we are those whom He has redeemed, reached, and touched. According to the four Gospels, it is a great matter to be touched by God. Being touched by Him makes us different. I can testify that He touched me more than fifty years ago, and immediately I became a different person. We are among the “us” in verse 4; we have been touched by God.
We must believe God’s word and not consider our situation or look at ourselves. Romans 8:4 says “fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to flesh, but according to spirit.” When we read these words, we may say, “Most of the time I walk according to flesh, not according to spirit.” If someone asked you if you are walking according to spirit or according to flesh, you probably would not have the boldness to say that you walk according to spirit. In your realization, you do not have sufficient ground to say with confidence, “I walk according to spirit.” Instead, after hesitating you would probably reply, “Sometimes I walk according to spirit, but most of the time I walk according to flesh.”
With respect to the matter of walking according to spirit, we need to remember that there are two worlds, two realms, the physical realm and the spiritual realm. In the spiritual realm God does everything by speaking. Once God speaks a certain thing, the matter is settled. In 4:17 we are told that God calls things not being as being. This means that by speaking He calls things into being. For example, according to Genesis 1:3, God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
As children of God, we need to realize that when we speak something out of a sincere heart, our situation will be according to our speaking. Suppose someone asks you if you have been saved. You should answer definitely, “Yes, I am saved.” You should not hesitate and say, “Let me think about this for a while. According to certain evidences, maybe I am saved.” If you say that you may be saved, then perhaps you are saved. But if you say that signs indicate that you may not be saved, then perhaps there may be some question. Now that we are children of God, we should be careful of our speaking, for we are what we say we are. In a previous message I pointed out that we are what we eat. Now I wish to point out that we are what we say.
The Bible refers to the believers as saints. Are you a saint? If you consider this question and say, “Well, I’m not a saint like Theresa or Francis. I really don’t think I’m very holy. How can I say that I am a saint?” If you talk like this, your condition is still that of a pitiful sinner. But if you answer by declaring, “Yes, I am a saint!” then you are truly a saint.
We must learn to speak not in our natural sincerity, but in faith. Paul tells us that we speak because we have a spirit of faith: “And having the same spirit of faith, according to that which is written, I believed, therefore I spoke; we also believe, therefore also we speak” (2 Cor. 4:13).
We Christians are good at hesitating, doubting, considering, and thinking matters over again and again. Suppose someone asks you if you love the Lord. You may be very slow to give an answer. You may ponder the question, not wanting to say anything that is not according to what you really are. You may think that you are being careful and humble. Actually you are being deceived by the enemy and cheated by him. In faith, we need to declare with boldness that we love the Lord.
Concerning being in the spirit and receiving the Spirit, many of us have been wrongly educated. Some teach that in order for a Christian to receive the Spirit, he must repent, confess his sins, and pray with fasting. Then, after a period of time, he will suddenly receive the Spirit. Because of the influence from our religious background, we may hesitate to answer when someone asks us if we have received the Holy Spirit. If we have been properly instructed in spiritual things, we shall be able to respond immediately, “Yes, I have received the Holy Spirit!”
At this point I would like to ask three questions. First, do you walk according to spirit? Second, are you according to spirit? Third, are you in spirit? To walk according to spirit is to do things according to spirit. But to be according to spirit means that our being is according to the spirit. In addition to walking according to the spirit and being according to the spirit, we need to be in spirit. Do you have the confidence to say that you walk according to spirit, that you are according to spirit, and that you are inspirit? Do you not sometimes lose your temper? How, then, can you say that you are in spirit? How can you claim to walk according to spirit and to be according to spirit when you are still troubled by your temper? The way to answer such questions is to say, “Yes, I am in the spirit! However, when I lost my temper, I made a temporary mistake. But immediately I repented and received God’s forgiveness. Therefore, I still have the boldness to declare that I am in spirit.”
In 8:4 Paul speaks of walking according to spirit, and in verse 5, of being according to spirit. In order to walk according to spirit, we must first be according to spirit. This means that walking according to spirit issues from being according to spirit, for what we do always comes out of what we are.
In verse 9 Paul speaks of being in spirit. A person who is according to spirit is a person who is in spirit. Being according to spirit is a result of being in spirit. Therefore, walking according to spirit comes out of being according to spirit, and being according to spirit comes out of being in spirit. This indicates that our basic need is to be in spirit. If we are not in spirit, we cannot be according to spirit. Furthermore, if we are not according to spirit, we cannot walk according to spirit. Once we are in spirit, we shall be according to spirit, and once we are according to spirit, we shall walk according to spirit.
My burden in this message is not on walking according to spirit or simply on being according to spirit; it is on being in spirit. The little word “in” is very meaningful and significant. To repeat, we walk according to spirit because we are according to spirit, and we are according to spirit because we are in spirit. We all should be able to testify, “I walk according to spirit because I am according to spirit, and I am according to spirit because I am in spirit.” Wherever we are and whatever we do, we should be in spirit. If we remain in the spirit, we shall not lose our temper, and we certainly shall not lie. Oh, it is a great matter to be in the spirit!
Do you realize that you are in the spirit? Romans 8:9 gives us the boldness to say that we are in spirit: “But you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him.” The words “if indeed” are a correct translation. However, the word “if” refers to a condition, to something that is conditional. The word “since” also refers to a condition, but to a condition which has already been fulfilled and has become an accomplished fact. For example, I may say to a brother, “If you come, I will give you a Bible.” The word “if” as used here indicates a condition to be fulfilled. But I may say, “Since you have come, I shall give you a Bible.” In this sentence the word “since” indicates a condition which has been fulfilled and is now an accomplished fact. To say, “If you come,” indicates a condition to be fulfilled. But to say, “Since you have come,” indicates a condition which has been fulfilled. The meaning in verse 9 is that of the second case — a condition which has been fulfilled. Thus, here Paul is saying that we are in spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in us. It is a fact that the Spirit dwells in us. This is not a condition to be fulfilled, but a condition which has already been fulfilled and has become a fact. Therefore, since the Spirit of God dwells in us, we are in spirit.
I have the full assurance that, as believers, God’s Spirit dwells in us. This is a fact which no one can deny. According to 8:9, we may have the assurance not that the Spirit of God will dwell in us, or simply that He has dwelt in us, but that He is dwelling in us right now. Oh, it is a marvelous fact that the Spirit of God dwells in us! Because of this fact, we can boldly say that we are in spirit.
Even though we fail and make mistakes, the Spirit of God continues to dwell in us. For example, we may sometimes lose our temper, but this does not change the fact that God’s Spirit dwells in us. His indwelling is continual, without any break. Now since the Spirit of God dwells in us, we are in the spirit. This also is a fact. Thus, in verse 9 there are two crucial facts. First, it is a fact that the Spirit of God dwells in us and that we have the Spirit. Second, it is a fact that we are in spirit.
On the one hand, in verse 9 Paul says that we are in spirit since the Spirit of God dwells in us. On the other hand, he says that if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him. Suppose we said, “Since the Spirit of God dwells in me, I am of the Spirit.” Suppose we also went on to say, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not in Him.” These changes of prepositions would make a great difference.
It is wrong to say that since the Spirit of God dwells in us, we are of the Spirit. It is also wrong to say that if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not in Him. Here the preposition “of” refers to position, whereas the preposition “in” refers to condition. If we do not have the Spirit of Christ, we are not of Christ. This is a matter of position. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ is not of Christ, and he does not belong to Christ. As believers, we do not have any problem concerning position. We have the Spirit of Christ, and we are of Him. However, we may have a problem related to condition, as indicated by the preposition “in.” We all can say with confidence that we are of Christ and belong to Him. But, as we have pointed out, we may hesitate before we say that we are in spirit.
Our position of being of Christ never changes. For this reason, it is wrong to say that sometimes we are of Christ and that at other times we are not of Christ. No, we are always of Christ, just as we are always of the family in which we were born. No matter where you may be, you are of your family. This is a matter of position, and it is not subject to change. But although we are always of a particular family, we may not always be in that family. To be in a family, like being in spirit, is conditional. We must admit that sometimes we have a problem concerning being in spirit. To repeat, we never have a problem with the position of being of Christ. However, sometimes we have a problem with the condition of being in spirit. In this message we are dealing with the condition, not with the position. The matter of position has been settled once for all. Hallelujah, we all are Christ’s! We all are of Him. But our condition with respect to being in spirit may not be fixed or stable. Therefore, in the next message we shall consider how to stabilize our condition of being in spirit.
