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Jumpstarter 9 of 10

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Romans Commentary Chapters 1-8  /  Romans 8:6-13 to Be Carnally Minded is Death  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 9
Several fathers are quoted saying the Spirit can be “quenched,” “withdraw,” and may not “continue to dwell” after initial conversion; what actions, habits, or attitudes in the lesson’s framework would drive away the Spirit, and how does this challenge the idea that salvation is secure regardless of how a Christian lives?
Another way to ask: What choices or attitudes, in this lesson’s view, could cause the Spirit to be “quenched” or to leave a person? How does that challenge the idea that salvation is secure no matter how a Christian lives?

Direct Answer In the transcript’s framework, returning to a fleshly, sinful way of life—living “after the flesh” and becoming “unworthy”—can drive away or “quench” the Spirit, meaning the Spirit may no longer dwell in someone who once received Him. That directly challenges unconditional security by making continued life in the Spirit a condition for the promised reward.

Support from Transcript:

  • Romans 8:11 is presented with a condition: the Father will raise us “if the Spirit dwells in us… the reward is not automatic.”
  • Origen: receiving the Spirit at conversion “does not mean that the Spirit continues to dwell in him.”
  • Irenaeus: “Having received the Spirit, let us now walk in newness of life, obeying God,” and we must “preserve the Spirit… through faith and through chaste living.”
  • Ambrosiaster: the Spirit “can dwell in neither a false person nor in a body subjected to sins… If someone once again lives in a fleshly manner… abandoned by the Holy Spirit.”
  • Hermes: “Do not quench the Holy Spirit… Otherwise… [He may] withdraw from you.”
Discussion Follow-ups How would your discipleship practices change if you truly believed the Spirit’s indwelling can be lost through returning to a fleshly life?

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