Romans 8: 6:13, " To be carnally minded is death. " Verse 6, " For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. " Chrysostom writes, " Paul is not speaking of the nature of the flesh or of the essence of the body. Rather, he speaks of being carnally minded. " This is something that can be corrected and abolished. It should be noted that when Paul speaks in this manner, he is not ascribing to the literal flesh any reasoning power of its own.
Instead, what he here calls being carnally minded is the way of thinking that is earthly, gross, and eager for the things of this life and its wicked doings. If our mind remains fixed on the things of the flesh, it will mean spiritual death in this life and will result in the second death in the life to come. Concerning being spiritually minded, Barnabas writes, " Let us flee from every vanity and let us utterly hate the works of the way of wickedness.
Do not live a solitary life by separating yourself from your brethren, as if you were already finally justified. Instead, by coming together in one place, make inquiry among all as to what will benefit your spiritual welfare. For the Scripture says, " Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight. Instead, let us be spiritually minded. Let us be a perfect temple to God.
As much as it lies with us, let us meditate upon the fear of God, and let us keep His commandments so that we may rejoice in His ordinances. Romans chapter 8:7, " For the carnal mind is at enmity with God. " This is because it is not subject to the law of God. Indeed, it cannot be. So once again, Paul talks about the need for Christians to be subject to the law of God. Contrary to what Luther claimed, in Romans, Paul is not pitting law against gospel.
Rather, he is contrasting the Mosaic Law with the gospel of Christ. Jesus did not come to do away with all laws, but to usher in the laws of the new covenant. When Paul says that the carnal mind cannot be subject to the law of God, he does not mean that a carnally-minded person can never change. Rather, he means that so long as he has a carnal mind, he cannot be subject to the law of God. Chrysostom writes, " What hope of salvation would there be left if it were impossible for one who is bad to later become good?
" This is not what Paul is saying. Otherwise, how would Paul himself have become the apostle he was? What about the thief on the cross, or King Manasseh, or the Ninevites? Likewise, how would David have recovered himself after falling? How would Peter have raised himself up after the denial? How could the Corinthian man who had lived in immorality have been restored to Christ's fold? So then what Paul is saying is not that it is impossible for a man who is wicked to become good.
Rather, he is saying that it is impossible for one who continues to be wicked to also be subject to God. However, it is easy for a man to be changed and so become good and be subject to God. Romans chapter 8 verse 8. " So then those who are in the flesh cannot please God. " This verse was one of the key proof texts of the Gnostics who claimed that the flesh is evil, and therefore Jesus had not come in the flesh.
However, here Paul is not talking about being in the physical flesh, for all humans reside in a physical body. Origen explains, " Those who live carnally fleshly cannot please God. " Ambrosiaster expresses it, " Whoever follows earthly things is fleshly. " In fact, Paul himself demonstrates that he did not intend for his words to be taken literally. For he goes on to say in the next verse that if the Spirit of God dwells in us, we are in the Spirit, not in the flesh. Yet we remain in our fleshly bodies.
The difference is that we are now living after the Spirit. Chrysostom shows the absurdity of the Gnostics ' literal interpretation. He says, " What then? Are we to cut our bodies in pieces to please God? Are we to escape from the flesh in this manner? Would Paul have us be murderers to lead us to virtue? " You see, what inconsistencies are created by taking these words literally. For by the flesh in this passage, Paul does not mean the body or the substance of the body.
Rather, he means a life that is fleshly and worldly. He means a life steeped in self-indulgence and extravagance to the full. Paul did not invent this special use of the term flesh. In the sixth chapter of Genesis, God said about the race of man in Noah's day, " My Spirit will not strive with man forever, because He is flesh. " The issue in Noah's day was not that humans had fleshly bodies, but that they lived carnal lives, Romans 8:9.
" But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit if the Spirit of God dwells in you. " Now if any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. Concerning the change from a fleshly man to a spiritual man, Irenaeus writes, " A wild olive that is grafted to another rootstock does not lose the nature of its wood. Rather, it changes the quality of its fruit. It is also called by a different name, for it is no longer called a wild olive, but a fruit-bearing olive.
It is the same when a man is grafted into Christ by faith and receives the Spirit of God. " He certainly does not lose the nature of his flesh. Rather, he changes the quality of the fruit brought forth, that is, his works. Furthermore, he receives another name that shows he has been changed for the better. For he is no longer called flesh and blood, but is called a spiritual man. Chrysostom comments on the marvelous change that takes place in those who are born again.
Paul says, " But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. " What? Does he mean they were no longer literally in the flesh? Did they go about without any bodies? That makes no sense, does it? So we can see that Paul is talking about the fleshly life. But why did he not simply say, " But you are not in sin? It is so you may come to know that Christ has not only extinguished the tyranny of sin, but He even has changed things so the flesh weighs us down less.
" We might say that Christ enables the flesh to be more spiritual. He does not do this by changing its nature, but by giving it wings. It is like iron when fire comes in contact with it. The iron itself becomes like fire, even though it still retains its own nature. So it is with those who believe and who have the Spirit. Thereafter the flesh is transformed into the spiritual manner of living, and it becomes holy spiritual. It is crucified in all its members, and it flies with the same wings as that of the soul.
Theodoret likens Paul's words, " You are not in the flesh to Jesus ' words, you are not of the world. " He writes, " It is evident that those who received Paul's instructions were not physically devoid of a body. " Rather, what Paul means is that they were conquerors over the fleshly passions and that they enjoyed the gift of the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. In a similar sense, our Lord said that His disciples were not of the world.
He did not mean that they came from some other place, but that they were dead to the world. Now, if any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. Because there was no rule for capitalizing proper nouns in ancient languages, we do not know if Paul is saying the Spirit of Christ or the Spirit of Christ. If he is saying the former, the Spirit of Christ is one and the same as the Holy Spirit. To be sure, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, not from the Son.
However, Jesus had said concerning the Holy Spirit, " If I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. But if I go away, I will send him to you. He will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine and will declare it to you. All things that the Father has are mine. " So Jesus sends the Holy Spirit. In that sense, the Holy Spirit can be called the Spirit of Christ.
On the other hand, Origen points out, Paul's words can be understood in the sense of the Spirit of Christ, that is, the mind and teachings of Christ. If we do not have these, then we are not His. As Paul had told the Corinthians, " He who is spiritual discerns all things, and he himself is judged by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord that he should instruct Him? " But we have the mind of Christ. Someone who has the Spirit or mind of Christ does not love the world.
John tells us, " If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world. The world is passing away with its lust, but he who does the will of God remains forever. " Romans 8:10. " And if Christ is in you, the body is dead to sin, but the Spirit is life for righteousness. The body is dead to sin.
" Almost all English Bibles today translate this verse, " The body is dead because of sin. " To be sure, this rendering can be defended linguistically. However, it would mean that Paul is saying we Christians keep sinning in our bodies even after we are born again. Yet this goes against everything Paul has just been saying. For that reason, the early Christians understood this verse in just the opposite sense as our English translations. They understood Paul to be saying that the body is dead to sin.
Origen writes, " But if the body is dead to sin, the Spirit necessarily lives to do righteousness. For he who is dead to the body and does not serve sin, he must live in the Spirit and serve righteousness. " Theodoret adds, " Paul now clarifies what had previously been ambiguous. He shows that it was not the physical flesh that he is condemning, but sin. For he commands the body to be dead to sin, that is, not to commit sin.
" Chrysostom expounds further, Paul does not merely say that the body is hereafter inactive to sin, but that it is even dead to it. Christ thereby makes the race before us much easier. For such a spiritual man gains the crown without troubles and labors. Paul argues that while the body is still in existence and is physically alive, it is dead to sin. For this is the evidence of our having the Son. It demonstrates that the Spirit is in us.
In other words, with respect to the working of sin, our bodies should not differ in any respect from a corpse that lies in a coffin. In chapter 6 of Romans, Paul had already said that the regenerated body is dead to sin. Likewise, think of yourselves as dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Furthermore, do not yield your members as weapons of unrighteousness to sin, but yield yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead. So here Paul is re-emphasizing what he had already introduced.
But the Spirit is life for righteousness. Once again, Paul may be referring either to our own Spirit or to the Holy Spirit. Origen and Theodoret understand Him to be talking about our own spirit or soul. Origen comments, " So the same apostle says in a certain place that he delivered someone over for the destruction of the flesh, that the Spirit might be saved. " 1 Corinthians 5:5. Theodoret adds, " When Paul speaks of the Spirit here, he is referring to our soul, for the soul has already become spiritual.
" So here Paul exhorts us to pursue righteousness whose exceedingly desirable fruit is life. On the other hand, Chrysostom and Ambrosiaster understand Paul to be speaking here about the Holy Spirit. Chrysostom writes, " After saying the body is dead, " Paul does not say, " But the Spirit lives. " Rather, he says the Spirit is life. He says this to show that the Spirit has the power to also give life to others. Ambrosiaster adds, " The Spirit of God does not know how to sin.
He was given for the purpose of justification to justify by means of His assistance. Therefore, since He does not know how to sin, He is life. By the Spirit which dwells in Him, the justified person emerges as a child of God. For the Holy Spirit can dwell in neither a false person nor in a body subjected to sins. If someone once again lives in a fleshly manner, he will die in his unrighteousness, abandoned by the Holy Spirit.
Romans chapter 8 verse 11, " But if the Spirit of Him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised up Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies by His Spirit who dwells in you. " Much of what Paul says in this chapter is intended as an admonition to spur the Romans onward to a vigorous spiritual life. For that reason, he now speaks of the blessed hope that awaits the faithful at the end of the contest, immortal life in the resurrection.
The same Father who raised Jesus from the dead will raise us up as well if the Spirit dwells in us. Theodoret writes, " Paul energizes them with the hope of the future. He inspires them with willing readiness, sufficient for the present contests. For he says that soon your bodies will be immortal and superior to the fleshly desires that now molest them, if the Spirit dwells in you. Although Paul sets forth the wonderful hope that lies ahead for the faithful, he also places a condition on this reward.
He says, " If the Spirit dwells in you. " In other words, the reward is not automatic. It is conditioned on our walking in the Spirit. Since Paul is writing to the saints in Rome, he is writing to Christians who had already received the Spirit at their original conversion. Origen points out, just because a believer has received the Spirit at the time of His initial salvation, it does not mean that the Spirit continues to dwell in Him.
Accordingly, Irenaeus comments, " Having received the Spirit, let us now walk in newness of life, obeying God. " Since we cannot be saved without the Spirit of God, the apostle exhorts us to preserve the Spirit of God through faith and through chaste living. Chrysostom explains further, " All persons shall rise, but not all to life. Rather, some will rise to punishment, and others will rise to life. " Life is given only to the righteous.
Through the words, " By His Spirit who dwells in you, " Paul explains the cause of this reward. But what if, while you are here in this life, you drive away the gift of the Spirit? What if you do not depart from this life with the Spirit still secure in you? In that case, you will assuredly perish, even though you will rise again. For if he sees His Spirit shining in you, He will not allow you to be given up to punishment.
At the same time, if He sees the Spirit quenched, He will not bring you into the bridal chamber just as He did not admit those foolish virgins. Origen observes, " At the time of the flood, when all persons had corrupted their way before God, it is recorded that God spoke in this manner concerning undeserving men and sinners. My Spirit will not abide with those men forever because they are flesh. " This clearly shows that the Spirit of God is taken away from all who are unworthy.
Hermas writes, " Do not quench the Holy Spirit who dwells in you. Otherwise, He may entreat God against you and withdraw from you. " Romans 8:12, " Therefore, brothers, we are not debtors to the flesh to live after the flesh. Christians who walk in the Spirit are not debtors to the flesh. A debtor to the flesh is someone who has let the flesh become his master. He is someone who lives after the flesh. " Clement of Alexandria writes, " Living after the flesh means living in the midst of sins.
" Chrysostom says, " Let us not live after the flesh, that is, let us not make it the mistress of our life. For it must be the follower, not the leader, and our lives must not be regulated by the flesh, but by the laws of the Spirit. " Origen writes, " God did not make us in His own image just so we would end up serving the flesh. Rather, He desires that the soul should serve its Creator and should use the flesh as its servant. " Romans 8:13, " For if you live after the flesh, you will die.
But if, through the Spirit, you put to death the works of the flesh, you will live. " With these statements, Paul makes it clear that we cannot continue to live an ungodly life after our initial salvation. Paul says if we continue to live after the flesh, we will die. The death he speaks of is the second death. Irenaeus writes, " Paul shows in the clearest manner the things by which a man goes to destruction if he has continued to live after the flesh.
" Chrysostom explains that it is not a matter of once saved, always saved. He writes, " A benefit that is conferred once for all does not typically spur man on so much as one that is contingent and is yet to come. " To put them in fear, Paul points to the consequences that come from living after the flesh. He says, " For if you live after the flesh, you will die. " In the days of Luther, the gospel of easy believerism was running rampant throughout Northern Europe.
Despite the fact that they were living carnal lives, people were confident that heaven was assured to them because they had faith that Christ died for their sins, and because they believed that works play no role in salvation. So the Anabaptist preacher, Menno Simons, warned such carnal Christians, " Do you think that the eternal truth shall become falsehood for your sake? " No, dear reader, no. The sure sentence of God was passed with utter finality more than 1,500 years ago.
No matter how much we may talk or argue about the Scriptures, this rule will remain firm and can never be broken. If you live after the flesh, you will die. " Paul makes it clear that there is no unconditional eternal security. All the early Christians agree on this point. In fact, in conjunction with this verse, they invariably quote the words Paul had previously written to the Corinthians and Galatians, 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 9 and 10.
" Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. " Galatians chapter 5 verses 19 through 21.
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like, of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. You will die. Everybody dies the first death, whether they are living after the flesh or not.
So here Paul is speaking about the second death, the lake of fire. Chrysostom writes, " By these words, Paul indicates eternal death, punishment, and retribution in hell. " Theodoret testifies similarly, " The death he means is that which is eternal. " But if, through the Spirit, you put to death the works of the flesh, you will live. Here Paul shows that there is a big difference between Christians living under grace and Jews living under the law.
The difference is that Christians are not left by themselves to struggle against sin. Through the help of God's Spirit, Christians can put to death the works of the flesh. Theodoret writes, " If you put to death the deeds of the flesh through the Spirit, you shall live. " Grace has superiority over the law in the following manner. The law only points out what is right. Under grace, we also have the gift of the Spirit as a helper.
Chrysostom declares, " There is no other way of putting to death the works of the flesh except through the Spirit. " As Paul told the Galatians, " The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. It is through the indwelling Spirit that we who belong to Christ can crucify the passions and desires of the flesh.
Concerning this passage, Cyprian writes, " Beloved brethren, vices and carnal sins must be trampled down. Likewise, the corrupting plague of the earthly body must be trodden underfoot with spiritual vigor. Otherwise, if we turn back to the life of the old man, we will become entangled in deadly snares. With foresight and honesty, the apostle forewarned us of this very thing, saying, " If you live after the flesh, you will die.
If we are the sons of God, if we are already beginning to be His temple, if we have received the Holy Spirit, if we are living purely and spiritually, if we have raised our eyes from earth to heaven, if we are filled with God and Christ, if we have lifted our hearts to things above and divine, then let us do nothing but what is worthy of God and Christ