THE SPIRIT GIVES LIFE

Passage: Romans 8:9-17

Key verse: 11

NIV

9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh(A) but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.(B) And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,(C) they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you,(D) then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[a] because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead(E) is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies(F) because of[b] his Spirit who lives in you.

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.(G) 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die;(H) but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body,(I) you will live.(J)

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God(K) are the children of God.(L) 15 The Spirit(M) you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again;(N) rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[c] And by him we cry, “Abba,[d] Father.”(O) 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit(P) that we are God’s children.(Q) 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs(R)—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings(S) in order that we may also share in his glory.(T)

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Footnotes
  1. Romans 8:10 Or you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive
  2. Romans 8:11 Some manuscripts bodies through
  3. Romans 8:15 The Greek word for adoption to sonship is a term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture; also in verse 23.
  4. Romans 8:15 Aramaic for father
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact (A)the Spirit of God dwells in you. (B)Anyone who does not have (C)the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of (D)him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus[a] from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies (E)through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Heirs with Christ

12 So then, brothers,[b] we are debtors, (F)not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you (G)put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are (H)led by the Spirit of God are (I)sons[c] of God. 15 For (J)you did not receive (K)the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of (L)adoption as sons, by whom we cry, (M)“Abba! Father!” 16 (N)The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then (O)heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, (P)provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

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Footnotes
  1. Romans 8:11 Some manuscripts lack Jesus
  2. Romans 8:12 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 29
  3. Romans 8:14 See discussion on “sons” in the Preface
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

How can one tell if one is living by the flesh or by the Spirit? By the Spirit itself! The Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) lives in us when we are of the Spirit. To those who are of the Spirit, we have life, even though our mortal bodies will one day die. The Spirit gives our poor mortal bodies victory over sin and death. But that gives us an obligation! Because the Spirit gives us life, and the flesh brings death, our obligation is not to the flesh. It is not to pursue our sinful desires. Our obligation is to the Spirit, to live according to it. By the Spirit our sinful natures are put to death. We cannot live in sin any longer!

Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. What does that mean? It means we are not slaves to fear, for we have overcome the world (1 Jn 5:4). Instead, the Spirit of God gives us a spirit of sonship. Through the Spirit, we have become sons and daughters of God, and we have the right to call God “Abba, Father!” That makes us heirs of God and co-heirs of Christ. That means we will share in Christ’s glory and share in his suffering.

Prayer: Father, we cry out to you, Abba, Father! We have become your children through the Spirit of God. My sinful self has been put to death and I live for you.

One Word: The Spirit of God lives in us