8:1 – walk after the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is called the Comforter by the Lord Jesus in the book of John. He is also called the Spirit of Truth several times in the same book. In John 17 Jesus says that the Words of God are Truth. We know that Jesus is the Living Word of God (John 1). John shows us that Jesus is the Bread of Life, The Living Water, The Way to the Father, our Good Shepherd, and the Resurrection and the Life. He is made Wisdom to us, and our sanctification, and our redemption (I Cor 1). He is everything. We must walk in the Spirit that He has given to us, our New Life.
8:2 – The law of the Spirit of life. The law of sin and death, and the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. He delivers us from one law by introducing another. What is a law? A law is not a theory, it is not a “maybe” or an occasional occurrence. It is something that is tested and tried. It is something that has been proven true. It is something that has no contradictions. Sin and death worked in me. I could not stop sinning, and eternal death was inevitable. There seemed to be no way out. But another law was introduced by God, and that law was the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. The new law has overcome the old!
8:3-7 – The carnal mind cannot be subject to the law of God.
Everything about you must be submitted to the cross. Your talents, your preaching, your personality.
We see someone and think “if only THAT man would come to Christ”, they could be greatly used of God. This is fleshly thinking. That man is unregenerate. His entire being is of this world. None of those things that you see in him come from the Spirit of God. Those actions or personalities are not born of God.
8:8-13 (11-13) – The Christian life is not uselessness of this body that you are in. It is a matter of the source of your actions and energy. The source of everything must be the Spirit. The source of your life before conversion was your natural soul, the carnal ‘I’, but now it is the Spirit of Christ that controls your actions, energy, and motives - 8:14
8:14-17
God desires for His Son to have brethren. One grain of wheat has died and many grains will spring up. The first grain was once the only grain, but now it is the first of many:
Joh 12:24
(24) Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
We are Christ’s brethren and sons of the Father:
Heb 2:9-11
(9) But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
(10) For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
(11) For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
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Jared,
ReplyDeleteThere is so much confusion about the work of the cross in contrast to the way of the cross. The work of the cross was wrought in us through Christ's death and resurrection but the way of the cross is a continual dying to ourselves that the life of Christ may manifest itself by living unto God and not unto ourselves. Both are done by Christ but one is a completed work, the other is a continuing work of the Spirit. I love your reminder that through Christ being the first grain to die, we become fruits (sons) of the Father.
Wayne
I've searched the web in earnest to find some true Christ-centered teaching, but had found nearly nothing until running across this blog. Like the Jewish leaders in John 9, it seems that many are quite happy "giving praise to God" while calling Jesus "a sinner" (i.e. not giving Jesus the preeminence in all things). The Father sent the Son into the world so that he would receive honor (John 5:23). Thank you for the blog Jared and Johanna. And thanks to everyone for all of the good comments. My prayer is that we would grow in our love for Jesus and for all believers in Jesus. In Jesus, the true meaning of life is not seeking after our own righteousness and happiness (whether it be through the law or by the grace of God), but rather the meaning of life becomes "laying our lives down for our friends" and "loving one another" as Christ loved us.Having tasted the joy and peace and sweet love of God that has been bestowed upon us freely through his Son, let's follow hard after the edification of the body of Christ so that we might truly be one in him. Oh, what a privilege it is to be members of his body! He's so beautiful and good and pure and accepting! Let's worship him and let's bow down before him! Let's be happy together and let's help each other! Hallelujah!!!
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