Romans - Part 4: SPIRITSample

No Longer Slaves to Sin

Today’s passage offers a stark delineation between the mindset of the believer and the mindset of one who remains lost in trespasses and sin. Reformed theology teaches that before coming to Christ, we are spiritually lifeless, unable, on our own, to discern spiritual truth, unable to understand the mystery of God’s love and plan for our lives. We are literally dead in spirit, with no hope of making ourselves alive. When our thinking and our value system are renewed and transformed by the Holy Spirit living in us (Romans 12:2), we are “reborn,” becoming a completely different creation…to the extent of changing the very way we think, speak and act according to the Spirit that is now alive in us (2 Corinthians 5:17).

When we were dead, all we were able to think about is how life is happening to us, how the world relates to us, and how to manipulate events and people to benefit us; we were totally self-absorbed and focused on our flesh, our money, our pride, our needs, our feelings, our past, present and future. This is such a dismal and sad way to walk through life!

The transformed life of a renewed spirit allows us to change the way we think in significant ways. No longer slaves to sin (John 8:34) and, through the redemption of Christ, having peace with God, we are now free to consider others' well-being as more important than our own (Philippians 2:3-4). The fruit that comes from the Spirit that is alive is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

In contrast, the mind mired in the things of the flesh results in works of sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, and worse (Galatians 5:19-21). Have you seen any of these conditions exist in the world today? Who would not want to be set free from a focus on the flesh?

-Matt Harry