To Be One in Christ: We Have Treasure in the Jars of Clay (2)

To Be One in Christ: We Have Treasure in the Jars of Clay -- the Series of Explanation and Analysis of Scripture (2)

The Explanation and Analysis of Some of the Verses in ROMANS

In the thoughts of many Christians, Christ now sits at the right hand of God -- the Father (Rom 8:34); few people realize that Christ is in us, right in our spirit (1Co 6:19). They are only thinking of meeting with Him in the Heaven in future; but don’t think that they can come to Him and commune with Him right now. No wonder their spiritual life is not good. Therefore, we should not only look towards the Heaven, but also look more upon Christ inside.

Although for the reborn believer, Holy Spirit has been in him; however, Holy Spirit might not dwell in him, not settle down yet -- take the charge of his life completely inside. As to such a believer, he is not a Spiritual man yet.

Holy Spirit should not live as a guest for a temporary lodging; but He must live as the owner with the ownership of the house. Not only He will live for a long term, but also He will be in charge of one’s life inside completely and dwell in (see also Eph 3:17). Only in such situation, the believer can be a Spiritual man.

The believers should offer themselves as the instruments to show the power of Holy Spirit. Knowing that Holy Spirit with personality dwell in us is to let us “lose the freedom”--from now on, I am not my own, and I have a living personal Spirit inside me; I must let Him has freedom on me to show His power and everything. The most proper living condition for a believer is in Holy Spirit. God have put all the work and truth of Christ in Holy Spirit. In Holy Spirit, all the work and truth are alive; apart from Holy Spirit, all are dead.

Do not think that the sins inside the body of Christians have been removed and uprooted; sins still remain in our bodies (Rom 7:21,23). Therefore, we must not live according to the sinful nature and have our minds set on what that nature desires. And we can not expect our body to be improved.

The sins inside bring death to the bodies; the dwelling in Christ bring life to the spirit. Our spirit is alive and now life is in our spirit. Only by living in the spirit, we can let what LORD had accomplished on the cross realized on us so that we can experience the life in Christ. “your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. ” We must continually live in the spirit; whenever we do not live in the spirit; whenever we get back to the body and sinful nature, that is the “death“.

We believers might still live according to the sinful nature. We must always remind us that we believers do not have an obligation to the sinful nature that we have to live according to it. Since we believers have Christ in us, we must not live according to the sinful nature any longer; in another word, the Christians must not live a life that does not in accordance to the new spiritual life and live a life with morality at the low level that will subject LORD’s name to disgrace. If we live according to the sinful nature, we not only sin, but also will die. For the price of sins is death, death follows sins; where there are sins, there will be death.

We can not overcome the sinful nature and sins by ourselves alone. Only by the power of Holy Spirit, we are able to put to death the sinful nature and live a victory new life. Because Christ’s life after resurrection is seeping from our spirit to our soul and will be exalted in our bodies.(Php 1:20) Holy Spirit has the power of the cross to put to death the sinful nature. When Holy Spirit works in us, the power of the cross will penetrate us and put to death whatever evil in us.

In the verse of (Rom 6:6), it mentioned that being crucified is accomplished by Christ; being put to death is through Holy Spirit (Rom 8:13). What Christ has accomplished for us on the cross, if we are obedient, Holy Spirit will also accomplish them all on us. Along the whole journey for the believers to be holy, it is completely up to the guidance and work of Holy Spirit and the cooperation of our spirit with Holy Spirit to put to death the misdeeds of the body. The believers being led by the Spirit of God refers to the believers being led, guided, instructed, driven and controlled by Holy Spirit. One who is willing to deny oneself and be led by Holy Spirit in this way, will be able to put the misdeeds of the body to death and live a holy life that pleases God.

All thanks, praises and glories be to God!

(ROMANS 8:9-14)

ROMANS 8:9 “ 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. ”

(NOTES)

“You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit”:

What is opposite to being controlled by the sinful nature is being controlled by the Spirit; that is, live by the Spirit. To live by the Spirit, there are two prerequisite conditions:

(1) “And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”. One must have “the Spirit of Christ” so that he belongs to Christ. That is, one must be a reborn Christian.

(2) “if the Spirit of God lives in you. ”. The Spirit is “the Spirit of Christ”, that is, “the Spirit of God”. He should not live as a guest for a temporary lodging; but He must live as the owner with the ownership of the house. Not only He will live for a long term, but also He will be in charge of one’s life inside completely and dwell in (see also Eph 3:17). Only in such situation, the believer can be a Spiritual man.

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) Put this verse in another way: if one belongs to Christ, he must have the Spirit of Christ. The highest grace for a reborn believer is that Holy Spirit dwells in him. Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ; the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of God. God are in Christ, and Christ become the Spirit.

(2) This verse means that Holy Spirit is in you, and you are in Holy Spirit. Our relationship with Christ is: “If a man remains in me(Christ) and I in him,” (Joh 15:5)

(3) Although for the reborn believer, Holy Spirit has been in him; however, Holy Spirit might not dwell in him, not settle down yet -- take the charge of his life inside. As to such a believer, he is not a Spiritual man yet.

(4) The Spiritual man let Holy Spirit be the owner in him, but not the guest.

(5) What kind of person is a person who lives in Holy Spirit? It is the person who let Holy Spirit dwell in him. Holy Spirit is send to me as my life. Holy Spirit with personality comes to live in me and He has the experience of Christ.

(6) Many people know from the principle that Holy Spirit has personality, but don’t know this from the experience and think Holy Spirit only as some kind of influence. They don’t know that Holy Spirit dwells in us, that is, God dwells in us; Holy Spirit dwells in us, that is, a personal God dwells in us.

(7) The believers should offer themselves as the instruments to show the power of Holy Spirit. Knowing that Holy Spirit with personality dwell in us is to let us “lose the freedom”--from now on, I am not my own, and I have a living personal Spirit inside me; I must let Him has freedom on me to show His power and everything.

(8) The most proper living condition for a believer is in Holy Spirit. God have put all the work and truth of Christ in Holy Spirit. In Holy Spirit, all the work and truth are alive; apart from Holy Spirit, all are dead.

ROMANS 8:10 “ But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. ”

(NOTES)

“your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. ”:

For one with Christ in him, although his body is a body of death because of sins (Rom 7:24), his spirit is alive because of the justification through the faith on Christ (Rom 5:18). Therefore, he is qualified to be a spiritual man.

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) In the thoughts of many Christians, Christ now sits at the right hand of God -- the Father (Rom 8:34); few people realize that Christ is in us, right in our spirit (1Co 6:19). They are only thinking of meeting with Him in the Heaven in future; but don’t think that they can come to Him and commune with Him right now. No wonder their spiritual life is not good.

(2) Christ’s dwelling in is related to our spiritual life closely; now He is the life-giving Spirit (1Co 15:45). Not only He makes our spirit alive, but also gives us life and is the supply for our life.

(3) According to the verses of (Rom 8:9-10), we can claim for sure that “Christ”, “the Spirit of God”, and “the Spirit of Christ” is a synonym. Now the Lord is the Spirit(2Co 3:17), also He works in us. Therefore, we should not only look towards the Heaven, but also look more upon Christ inside.

(4) In Chapter 6 of Romans, it is about we are in Christ (Rom 6:3,11,23); in Chapter 8 of Romans, it is about Christ in us. We in Christ is one side; Christ in us is another side. Firstly, we live in Christ; then Christ remain in us (Joh 15:4). We in Him bring Him to be in us. In Christ is the condition that Christ in us.

(5) Do not think that the sins inside the body of Christians have been removed and uprooted; sins still remain in our bodies (Rom 7:21,23). Therefore, we must not live according to the sinful nature and have our minds set on what that nature desires. And we can not expect our body to be improved.

(6) The sins inside bring death to the bodies; the dwelling in Christ bring life to the spirit. Our spirit is alive and now life is in our spirit.

(7) All spiritual things in Holy Spirit are alive; apart from Holy Spirit, all are dead (Joh 15:5). Only those in the world who are desperate about themselves know the work of Holy Spirit.

(8) Only by living in the spirit, we can let what LORD had accomplished on the cross realized on us so that we can experience the life in Christ.

(9) “your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. ” We must continually live in the spirit; whenever we do not live in the spirit; whenever we get back to the body and sinful nature, that is the “death“.

ROMANS 8:11 “ 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. ”

(NOTES)

This verse is the supplement explanation on the second conditions in the verse of (Rom 8:9). “the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead” is “the Spirit is living in you”, that is “the Spirit of God”, “the Spirit of Christ”, and “Christ”.

This verse means that since God used to raise Jesus Christ from the dead, now the Spirit with such great power of resurrection and through His dwelling in in us, will from His dwelling (that is, in our spirit), extend towards outside and distribute the life, in order that our mind, feelings and wills will be renewed and transformed (Rom 12:2); and also our mortal and perishable body (1Co 15:53-54), the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal body, (2Co 4:10-11) that is the meaning of “also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit”.

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) Holy Spirit not only gives life and power to the spiritual life of the believers; His dwelling in also symbolizes that although their mortal body will perish, they will resurrect to get the new life just as Christ did.

(2) The bodies of the believers not only will resurrect to get the glory in future; but also can testify about the resurrection of Christ Jesus nowadays, because His life after resurrection is seeping from our spirit to our soul and will be exalted in our bodies.(Php 1:20)

ROMANS 8:12 “ Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. ”

(NOTES)

“we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. ”:

Although the sinful nature is the obstacle for the believer to be a saint, the believers do not need to live according to it. It is because Christ Jesus was sent in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. (Rom 8:3) We believers do not have an obligation to the sinful nature any more. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. (Eph 2:3) Now we put off the sinful nature through our faith in the power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. (Col 2:11-12) We are not entangled and bound by the sinful nature any longer.

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) This verse implies that we believers might still live according to the sinful nature. We must always remind us that we believers do not have an obligation to the sinful nature that we have to live according to it.

(2) This verse tells us that since we believers have Christ in us, we must not live according to the sinful nature any longer; in another word, the Christians must not live a life that does not in accordance to the new spiritual life and live a life with morality at the low level that will subject LORD’s name to disgrace.

ROMANS 8:13 “ 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, ”

(NOTES)

In order to understand this verse, let’s look at the meaning of the three words: “sinful nature”, “body” and “Spirit”.

(1) “sinful nature” refers to the nature of man that was corrupted and deteriorated after man’s falling and the entering of sins into man.

(2) “body” refers to the physical body which are on the outside and can be seen and felt. (1Co 5:3; 12:12)

(3) “Spirit” here in this verse, refers to Holy Spirit.

“if you live according to the sinful nature”:

on the objective fact, the believers have crucified the sinful nature on the cross with Christ.(Gal 5:24); but on the subjective experience, the believers still might live according to the sinful nature.(1Co 1-3)

“if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body”: The body of the believers performs the deeds according to the believers’ mind. If the believers choose to live according to Holy Spirit, they will do good deeds; however, if they choose to still live according to their old selves with sinful nature, they will do evils and sins.

“by the Spirit”, we believers rely on Holy Spirit to put to death the misdeeds of the body and deactivate it.

“…. you will die; … you will live”:

if the body does not act properly and does evils and sins, it will lead to the death of the spiritual life; however, if live by Spirit and put to death the sinful nature of the body, the Spiritual life will be alive and grow up.

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) If we live according to the sinful nature, we not only sin, but also will die. For the price of sins is death, death follows sins, where there are sins, there will be death.

(2) We can not overcome the sinful nature and sins by ourselves alone. Only by the power of Holy Spirit, we are able to put to death the sinful nature and live a victory new life.

(3) Holy Spirit has the power of the cross to put to death the sinful nature. When Holy Spirit works in us, the power of the cross will penetrate us and put to death whatever evil in us.

(4) In the verse of (Rom 6:6), it is about being crucified with Christ; here it is about by Spirit to put to death the misdeeds of the body. Being crucified is accomplished by Christ; being put to death is by Holy Spirit. What Christ has accomplished for us on the cross, if we are obedient, Holy Spirit will also accomplish them all on us.

ROMANS 8:14 “ because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ”

(NOTES)

The previous verses tell us that along the whole journey for the believers to be holy, it is completely up to the guidance and work of Holy Spirit and the cooperation of our spirit to put to death the misdeeds of the body; without the work of Holy Spirit, we are absolutely impossible to be holy. Since we have the inspiration and guidance of Holy Spirit, it proves that we are sons of God, God give us rebirth through His Spirit (Joh 5,8), such that we get God’s life (that is eternal life), and participate in the divine nature of God (2Pe 1:4).

(LIGHT IN WORDS)

(1) “are led” by the Spirit of God refers to being led, guided, instructed, driven and controlled by Holy Spirit. One who is led by Holy Spirit in this way, will be able to put the misdeeds of the body to death and live a holy life that pleases God.

(2) Although we believers have division of male and female according to the bodies, in front of God, anyone who follows the lead of Holy Spirit is the “son” of God. No matter brothers or sisters, they are all “sons of God”.

Reference:

1. Jiale Huang: “Christians’ Digest of the Scripture Analysis Series”.